Capability of Bhaskara SAMIR to distinguish atmospheric water vapour and liquid water contents

Abstract

An environmental model to compute microwave brightness temperatures for downward looking radiometers on board satellite is described. The effects of water vapour, oxygen and clouds on the brightness temperature have been studied for frequencies from 5 to 50 GHz for a standard tropical atmosphere. The effect of look angle on brightness temperture has also been investigated. Based on the model it has been shown that while the radiometers on boardBhaskara at 19·35 and 22·235 GHz are capable of giving the atmospheric water vapour and liquid water contents, the ability to distinguish these quantities is more for the combination of the frequencies 22·235 and 31 GHz.