Abstract:
AMSU-A is a cross-track, line-scanned instrument designed to measure
scene radiances in 15 discrete frequency channels which permit the
calculation of the vertical temperature and moisture profile from
about 3 millibars (~45 km) to the Earth's surface. Each scan has 30
cells, with a resolution of 3.3 degrees (50 km at nadir).
... The swath
width is 2343 km (96.66 degrees). The AMSU-A instrument is made up of
two separate modules, A1 and A2. AMSU-A1 contains the 13 highest
frequencies (50.3 - 89 GHz) of various polarizations. AMSU-A2
contains the two lowest frequency channels (23.8 and 31.4 GHz), both
vertically polarized.
All orbits beginning in the day (00:00:00 - 23:59:59 UTC) are stored
in one daily HDF-EOS file. There are 15 (channel) arrays, as well as
corresponding Latitude, Longitude, and Time. Each daily file is
compressed (gzip). 
