The Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer form EOS (AMSR-E) is a twelve-channel, six-frequency, total power passive-microwave radiometer system. It measures brightness temperatures at 6.925, 10.65, 18.7, 23.8, 36.5 and 89.0 GHz. Vertically and horizontally polarized measurements are taken at all channels. Spatial resolution of the individual measurements varies from 5.4km at 89.0GHz to 56km at 6.9GHz
The Earth-emitted microwave radiation is collected by an offset parabolic reflector 1.6 meters in diameter that scans across the Earth along an imaginary conical surface, maintaining a constant Earth incidence angle of 55 and providing a swath width array of six feedhorns which then carry the radiation to radiometers for measurement. Calibration is accomplished with observations of cosmic background radiation and an on-board warm target.
