Earth  ID: 3243

TRMM Microwave Brightness Temperature Swath during Hurricane Katrina: Horizontal Polarization

Visualizations by Horace Mitchell Released on October 5, 2005
The TMI instrument on the TRMM satellite measures microwaves emitted from the Earth's land and water. By comparing emission from different microwave frequencies, the characteristics of ice and water in the atmosphere can be determined. For example, 85 GHz microwaves are scattered by ice crystals in tropical cyclones, making cyclone rain bands appear 'colder' than the surrounding areas. By comparing 85 GHz temperatures in different polarizations with other frequency band measurements, accurate measurements of rainfall in the atmosphere can be made. This animation shows four days of TMI 85 GHz measurements, one orbit at a time. Hurricane Katrina was in the Gulf of Mexico at the time and clearly shows up in the measurements.
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Global horizontally polarized 85GHz microwave brightness temperatures measured by the TMI instrument on TRMM from August 26, 2005 to August 30, 2005, during Hurricane Katrina.

This product is available through our Web Map Service.
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Color bar for brightness temperature.

For More Information

http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov

Visualization Credits

Horace Mitchell (NASA/GSFC): Lead Animator
J. Marshall Shepherd (NASA/GSFC): Scientist
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio

Short URL to share this page:
https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3243

Mission:
Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission - TRMM

Data Used:
TRMM/TMI/85GHz Brightness Temperature
2005-08-26T22:45Z - 2005-08-30T22:45Z
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Note: While we identify the data sets used in these visualizations, we do not store any further details nor the data sets themselves on our site.

Dates of Data Used:
2005-08-26T22:45Z - 2005-08-30T22:45Z

This item is part of this series:
WMS

Keywords:
GCMD >> Earth Science >> Atmosphere >> Atmospheric Phenomena >> Hurricanes
GCMD >> Earth Science >> Atmosphere >> Precipitation >> Rain
GCMD >> Earth Science >> Human Dimensions >> Natural Hazards >> Meteorological Hazards
GCMD >> Earth Science >> Spectral/Engineering >> Microwave >> Brightness Temperature
SVS >> Hyperwall
NASA Science >> Earth

GCMD keywords can be found on the Internet with the following citation: Olsen, L.M., G. Major, K. Shein, J. Scialdone, S. Ritz, T. Stevens, M. Morahan, A. Aleman, R. Vogel, S. Leicester, H. Weir, M. Meaux, S. Grebas, C.Solomon, M. Holland, T. Northcutt, R. A. Restrepo, R. Bilodeau, 2013. NASA/Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Earth Science Keywords. Version 8.0.0.0.0