Estimates of brightness temperatures from scanning radiometer data

Abstract

In the analysis of antenna temperature maps of the earth obtained by satellite-borne microwave radiometers, estimates of brightness temperatures or averages of brightness temperatures over areas considerably smaller than the region sensed at a given position of the radiometer antenna are often needed. An application of the Backus-Gilbert methodology is made to obtain an objective criterion of the best resolution (in a least squares sense) obtainable from a given system and to investigate the trade-off between resolution and noise in the derived average brightness temperatures. The mathematically related problem of simultaneously analyzing antenna temperature measurements made at different frequencies by antennas with noncoincident antenna patterns is also considered.