Since the microwave imaging techniques do not require solar light, microwave radiometers can observe day and night. In addition, microwave radiometers are capable of observing through clouds. The figures on the left compare an Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) 37GHz image and a two-band composite of the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) for sea ice distributions in the Sea of Okhotsk in wintertime. It can be seen that the AVHRR resolves the fine structure of the sea ice distribution and that the SSM/I image is not affected by clouds.

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Earth Observation Research and application Center, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
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