Definitions used in this ATBD
Definitions used in this ATBD#
Here follows a glossary, or list of definitions
- Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity#
The Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) is a Satellite based L-Band Radiometer launched by ESA in 2009.
- Soil Moisture Active/Passive#
The Soil Moisture Active/Passive (SMAP) is a Satellite based L-Band Radiometer launched by NASA in 2015.
- Sea Ice Concentration#
The Sea Ice Concentration is the fraction of the sea surface covered by sea ice. It is a measure of the amount of sea ice in a given area. It is usually expressed as a percentage.
- Sea Ice Thickness#
The Sea Ice Thickness is the thickness of the sea ice. It is usually expressed in meters.
- Copernicus Imaging Microwave Radiometer#
The Copernicus Imaging Microwave Radiometer (CIMR) is a Microwave Radiometer which launch is planned by the EU and ESA in 2029.
- Brightness Temperature#
The Brightness Temperature is the temperature of a surface or gas as seen by a passive microwave sensor. It is a measure of the amount of energy emitted by the surface or gas. It is usually expressed in Kelvin.
- Top of Atmosphere#
The Top of Atmosphere means the top of the atmosphere. The term is used in the context of the brightness temperature measure to indicate that the atmospheric influence is part of the measurement. This term also includes the influence of the ionosphere, see Total Electron Content.
- Total Electron Content#
The Total Electron Content is the total number of electrons per unit volume in the path between the satellite and the Earth. It is usually expressed in electrons per square meter. Higher TEC values lead to higher rotation of the polarization plane of the microwave radiation.
- DEVALGO#
CIMR DEVALGO is an ESA project to develop Level-2 algorithms for the CIMR satellite.