Satellite-borne monitoring of atmospheric and surface characteristics affecting the propagation of microwaves in the troposphere

Some possibilities were examined to observe and monitor on a global scale such atmospheric and surface properties which affect the propagation of microwaves in the troposphere. These are the fields of atmospheric temperature, moisture, pressure and also of precipitating clouds, the sea state, ice and snow cover, and the soil moisture. A manifold of satellite techniques was developed in the last years, primarily for meteorological applications. They may provide useful information for estimating the atmospheric transfer properties for the microwave region. However, the existence of the ducting inversion layers near the ground might be only indirectly deductable from them.