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NOAA Climate Data Record (CDR) of MSU Level 1c Brightness Temperature, Version 1.0

This dataset contains Level 1c inter-calibrated brightness temperatures from the Microwave Sounding Unit (MSU) sensors onboard nine polar orbiting satellites (TIROS-N, NOAA-6, -7, -8, -9, -10, -11, -12, and -14) spanning from 1978 to 2006. The dataset was produced by the NOAA Center for Satellite Applications and Research (STAR), and is a Fundamental Climate Data Record (FCDR) of microwave brightness temperatures in the NOAA CDR Program. MSU is a four-channel microwave radiometer measuring at 50.3, 53.74, 54.96, and 57.95 GHz, and has ground spatial resolution of about 250 km in diameter at nadir. The native MSU Level 1b data were inter-calibrated using the Integrated Microwave Inter-Calibration Approach (IMICA) method to obtain a long-term data product to be used in climate analyses. For comparison, data files also include the operational data used in NWP forecasting along with the IMICA calibrated radiances, which minimize or remove the biases found in the operational calibration. In addition, limb adjusted radiances for both the IMICA and operational calibrations are included for certain type of climate applications, such as atmospheric layer temperature development using the radiance datasets. The orbital swath data files include MSU channels 2 through 4 for the IMICA calibration, and channels 1 through 4 for the operational calibration. The inter-calibrated MSU data are not expected to change for the dataset time period.

About this Dataset

Updated: 2024-02-22
Metadata Last Updated: 2025-11-20T02:53:59.645Z
Date Created: N/A
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Dataset Owner: N/A

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Title NOAA Climate Data Record (CDR) of MSU Level 1c Brightness Temperature, Version 1.0
Description This dataset contains Level 1c inter-calibrated brightness temperatures from the Microwave Sounding Unit (MSU) sensors onboard nine polar orbiting satellites (TIROS-N, NOAA-6, -7, -8, -9, -10, -11, -12, and -14) spanning from 1978 to 2006. The dataset was produced by the NOAA Center for Satellite Applications and Research (STAR), and is a Fundamental Climate Data Record (FCDR) of microwave brightness temperatures in the NOAA CDR Program. MSU is a four-channel microwave radiometer measuring at 50.3, 53.74, 54.96, and 57.95 GHz, and has ground spatial resolution of about 250 km in diameter at nadir. The native MSU Level 1b data were inter-calibrated using the Integrated Microwave Inter-Calibration Approach (IMICA) method to obtain a long-term data product to be used in climate analyses. For comparison, data files also include the operational data used in NWP forecasting along with the IMICA calibrated radiances, which minimize or remove the biases found in the operational calibration. In addition, limb adjusted radiances for both the IMICA and operational calibrations are included for certain type of climate applications, such as atmospheric layer temperature development using the radiance datasets. The orbital swath data files include MSU channels 2 through 4 for the IMICA calibration, and channels 1 through 4 for the operational calibration. The inter-calibrated MSU data are not expected to change for the dataset time period.
Modified 2025-11-20T02:53:59.645Z
Publisher Name N/A
Contact N/A
Keywords Earth Science > Spectral/Engineering > Microwave > Brightness Temperature , NOAA Climate Data Record (CDR) Program , NOAA OneStop Project , Satellite , Geographic Region > Global , MSU > Microwave Sounding Unit , TIROS-N > Television Infrared Observation Satellite-N , NOAA-6 > National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration-6 , NOAA-7 > National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration-7 , NOAA-8 > National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration-8 , NOAA-9 > National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration-9 , NOAA-10 > National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration-10 , NOAA-11 > National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration-11 , NOAA-12 > National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration-12 , NOAA-14 > National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration-14 , > 1 km , Hourly - HTML Markup Was Removed , 50 km - HTML Markup Was Removed , DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCDC > National Climatic Data Center, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce , DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI > National Centers for Environmental Information, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce , DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/STAR > Center for Satellite Applications and Research, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce , climatologyMeteorologyAtmosphere
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