Calibration & Validation

AMSR/AMSR-E brightness temperatures will be examined by comparing them with those of similar sensors such as SSM/I and TRMM/TMI. In addition to this direct comparison of brightness temperatures, inter-sensor comparisons with visible-infrared radiometers or radars are informative. For example, comparisons with the Global Imager (GLI) on ADEOS-II or the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on Aqua will provide finer spatial information of small -scale features such as snow cover and sea ice distribution. The figure below compares an 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 while the SSM/I image is not affected by clouds. In this manner, intercomparisons among the sensors with different characteristics supplement the information, increasing the reliability of each sensor.