BackForwardInstrument:  MHS 

Instrument details
Acronym MHS
Full name Microwave Humidity Sounding
Purpose Humidity sounding in almost all-weather conditions.  Also precipitation rate
Short description
  • 5-channels, 183 GHz band [see detailed characteristics below]
  • Monitoring and calibration information here
Background

Replacing AMSU-B on NOAA 15/16/17. MHS is part of the ATOVS sounding instrument suite (Advanced TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder)
Scanning Technique

Cross-track: 90 steps of 16 km s.s.p., swath 2180 km - Along-track: one 16-km line every 8/3 s
Resolution 16 km IFOV
Coverage / Cycle Near-global coverage twice/day
Mass 63 kg Power 93 W Data Rate 3.9 kbps

 

Providing Agency EUMETSAT
Instrument Maturity Flown on operational programme
Utilization Period: 2005 to 2027
Last update: 2024-09-23
Detailed characteristics
No. Central frequency (GHz) Bandwidth (MHz) Polarisation NEΔT
1 89.0 2800 V 0.22 K
2 157.0 2800 V 0.38 K
4 183.31 ± 3.0 2000 H 0.42 K
3 183.31 ± 1.0 1000 H 0.57 K
5 190.311 2000 V 0.45 K
Satellites this instrument is flying on

Note: a red tag indicates satellites no longer operational, a green tag indicates operational satellites, a blue tag indicates future satellites

Instrument classification
  • Earth observation instrument
  • Passive microwave radiometer
  • Cross-track, special or non-scanning microwave radiometer
WIGOS Subcomponents
  • Subcomponent 1
  • MW sounders [in SSO]
  • MW sounder [in SSO]
Mission objectives
Primary mission objectives
  • Specific humidity
Evaluation of Measurements

The following list indicates which measurements can typically be retrieved from this category of instrument. To see a full Gap Analysis by Variable, click on the respective variable.

Note: table can be sorted by clicking on the column headers
Note: * Primary mission objective.
VariableRelevance for measuring this variableOperational limitationsExplanation
Cloud drop effective radius5 - marginalHighly indirect.MW channels around 90 GHz, and in 183 GHz band
Cloud ice3 - highNo specific limitation.MW channels around 90 GHz, and in 183 GHz band
Cloud ice Total Column3 - highNo specific limitation.MW channels around 90 GHz, and in 183 GHz band
Cloud ice effective radius3 - highNo specific limitation.MW channels around 90 GHz, and in 183 GHz band
Cloud liquid water (CLW)3 - highNo specific limitation.MW channels around 90 GHz, and in 183 GHz band
Cloud liquid water (CLW) total column3 - highNo specific limitation.MW channels around 90 GHz, and in 183 GHz band
Downward long-wave irradiance at Earth surface5 - marginalHighly indirect.MW channels in 183 GHz band to account for downward cloud radiation
Precipitation intensity at surface (liquid or solid)5 - marginalNo specific limitation.MW channels in the 183 GHz band. Suitable for solid precipitation over sea and land, Insensitive to surface emissivity
Specific humidity*3 - highCoarse vertical resolution.MW channels in the 183 GHz band
Integrated Water Vapour (IWV)2 - very highNo specific limitation.MW channels in the water vapour band around 183 GHz
Upward long-wave irradiance at Earth surface5 - marginalHighly indirect.MW channels is the 183 GHz band to infer the impact of clouds on the upward LW radiation