ESMR/Nimbus-6 Images of Brightness Temperature on 70 mm Film V001 (ESMRN6IM) at GES DISC

ESMRN6IM is the Nimbus-6 Electrically Scanning Microwave Radiometer (ESMR) data product containing daily brightness temperature images from 70-mm photofacsimile film strips (both positives and negatives). Each frame contains two sets with a geographic grid and either 10 (F = full scale) or 5 (P1,P2 = partial scale) parallel strips of imagery, each containing one-half of an orbit swath (ascending on left, descending on right). The spatial coverage is identical in each set, but each swath strip has a different dynamic range and polarization. The spatial resolution is about 20 x 45 km near nadir. The images are saved as TIFF digital files. About 5-10 months worth of images are archived into a ZIP file. Additional information about ESMR can be found in "The Nimbus 6 User's Guide."

The primary objectives of the ESMR experiment were: (1) to derive the liquid water content of clouds from brightness temperatures over oceans, (2) to observe differences between sea ice and the open sea over the polar caps, and (3) to test the feasibility of inferring surface composition and soil moisture. To accomplish these objectives, the ESMR was capable of continuous global mapping of the 0.81 cm (37.0 GHz) microwave radiation emitted by the earth/atmosphere system, using both horizontal and vertical polarized components. The ESMR instrument performance was satisfactory until September 15, 1976, when the horizontal channel failed. Another ESMR instrument was flown on Nimbus 5.

This product was previously available from the NSSDC with the identifier ESAD-00201 (old ID 75-052A-03B).