Calibration of millimeter wave sounder radiometers on polar orbiting satellites

This paper discusses the radiometric calibration of millimeter sounder radiometers, on polar orbiter satellites in the NASA Global Precipitation Mission (GPM) constellation; and presents radiometric bias results. Because the Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) operated for over17years, it isimportant to combine the TRMM and the GPM precipitation datasets to produce a climate data record for global climate change studies. In the last decade of TRMM's operation, sounder radiometers were introduced into the TRMM constellation, which included: Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-B sensors flown on NOAA weather satellites and the microwave humidity sounders sensors flown on NOAA and meteorological operational satellite program satellites. These sensors have provided an invaluable dataset of radiance measurements with full earth coverage, which has been used in precipitation measurements, weather prediction, and climate studies.