Extending NSIDC's Passive Microwave Satellite Record Beyond the SMMR-SSM/I-SSMIS 40-Year Time Series

The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC) produces and distributes passive microwave snow and ice data sets from the Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (SMMR), Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) and Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Sounder (SSMIS) spanning four decades.

This presentation briefly summarizes the history and most recent activities surrounding the SSMIS satellite transition work discussed in the NSIDC's Passive Microwave Satellite Record: The Story Behind 30 Years of Data Across Multiple Satellite Platforms presentation (AGU 2016). It will further describe the current work to extend the record beyond the SSMIS series, utilizing the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2). This will include the initial assessment of compatibility of different swath data formats and sources to utilizing newer technologies to aid in the scientific analysis and algorithm adjustments associated with developing a consistent and streamlined data record across disparate sensors and satellite platforms.

This presentation will also explore the need for improvements to better characterize passive microwave data across multiple, concurrent observations. It will touch on the challenges associated with fitting newer sensors into legacy production code, and the costliness of retrofitting more modern coding practices and languages. Finally, we will examine the considerations and decisions to transition between sensors and the impacts on cryospheric research products and general public needs.