Intercalibration of the GPM Microwave Radiometer Constellation

TLDR

The GPM mission is a constellation of satellites that unifies and advances precipitation measurements using research and operational microwave sensors. The constellation radiometers are intercalibrated by using the GPM Microwave Imager as a reference, prescreening brightness temperatures for biases, and applying multiple techniques developed by the GPM Intersatellite Calibration Working Group to adjust calibrations and assess residual uncertainty. Calibration differences relative to GMI are typically 2–3 K for channels below 92 GHz, with larger, temperature‑dependent offsets for AMSR2 and SSMIS, while cross‑track radiometers agree within 0.5 K for SAPHIR and MHS and within 1 K for ATMS.

Abstract

Abstract The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission is a constellation-based satellite mission designed to unify and advance precipitation measurements using both research and operational microwave sensors. This requires consistency in the input brightness temperatures (Tb), which is accomplished by intercalibrating the constellation radiometers using the GPM Microwave Imager (GMI) as the calibration reference. The first step in intercalibrating the sensors involves prescreening the sensor Tb to identify and correct for calibration biases across the scan or along the orbit path. Next, multiple techniques developed by teams within the GPM Intersatellite Calibration Working Group (XCAL) are used to adjust the calibrations of the constellation radiometers to be consistent with GMI. Comparing results from multiple approaches helps identify flaws or limitations of a given technique, increase confidence in the results, and provide a measure of the residual uncertainty. The original calibration differences relative to GMI are generally within 2–3 K for channels below 92 GHz, although AMSR2 exhibits larger differences that vary with scene temperature. SSMIS calibration differences also vary with scene temperature but to a lesser degree. For SSMIS channels above 150 GHz, the differences are generally within ~2 K with the exception of SSMIS on board DMSP F19 , which ranges from 7 to 11 K colder than GMI depending on frequency. The calibrations of the cross-track radiometers agree very well with GMI with values mostly within 0.5 K for the Sondeur Atmosphérique du Profil d’Humidité Intertropicale par Radiométrie (SAPHIR) and the Microwave Humidity Sounder (MHS) sensors, and within 1 K for the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS).