Instrument

AMPR
Advanced Microwave Precipitation Radiometer

The Advanced Microwave Precipitation Radiometer (AMPR) is an airborne passive microwave radiometer. AMPR provides calibrated brightness temperatures to characterize clouds and precipitation. It operates across four microwave channels: 10.7, 19.35, 37.1, and 85.5 GHz. These frequencies are sensitive to precipitation, making AMPR well-suited for studying rainfall. Its surface footprint ranges from 640 m at 85.5 GHz to 2.8 km at 10.7 GHz.

NASA's DC-8 flying laboratory passes Antarctica's tallest peak, Mount Vinson, on Oct. 22, 2012, during a flight over the continent to measure changes in the massive ice sheet and sea ice. Credit: NASA/Michael Studinger (Photography courtesy NASA Images)

Overview

Instrument Details

Measurement Type

Spectrometer/Radiometer

Measurement/Variables

Earth Science > Spectral/engineering > Microwave > Brightness Temperature

Vertical Measurement Regions

Troposphere

Temporal Resolution

3.0 s

Spatial Resolution

0.6-2.8 km

Measurement Frequency

10.7 GHz, 19.35 GHz, 37.1 GHz, 85.5 GHz

Calibration Details

https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0426(1994)011%3C0849:HRIORS%3E2.0.CO;2

Online Information

Lead Investigator
Timothy Lang
Technical Contact
Timothy Lang
Instrument Maker
MSFC, Georgia Tech Research Institute
Funding Source
NASA
Overview Publications
Overview Publication
Repositories
- Atmospheric Science Data Center (ASDC)
- Global Hydrology Resource Center DAAC (GHRC)

Instrument Operation

Platform

Campaigns, where the platform was used with this instrument

ER-2

NASA Earth Resources-2 Aircraft

65 Campaigns · 110 Instruments

OLYMPEX

Olympic Mountains Experiment

2015—2016

Olympic Peninsula in U.S. Washington State

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· 36 Data Products

IPHEx

Integrated Precipitation and Hydrology Experiment

2014

Southern Appalachians, including portions of North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia

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· 47 Data Products

TOGA COARE

Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere - Coupled Ocean Atmosphere Response Experiment

1992—1993

Western Pacific Ocean, Coral Sea

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· 1 Data Product

MC3E

Mid-latitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment

2011

Central Oklahoma, Southern Plains

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· 34 Data Products

TCSP

Tropical Cloud Systems and Processes

2005

Costa Rica, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, eastern North Pacific

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· 14 Data Products

TEFLUN

TExas and FLorida UNderflights

1998

Texas, Florida

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· 0 Data Products

TC4

Tropical Composition, Cloud and Climate Coupling

2007

Costa Rica, tropical Eastern Pacific

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· 2 Data Products

RADEX

Radar Definition Experiment

2014—2015

Southeastern United States, North Carolina (NC); Olympic Peninsula, Washington (WA) State

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· 22 Data Products

CAMEX

Convection and Moisture Experiment

1993—2001

US Atlantic coast, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean

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· 70 Data Products

FIRE

First International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) Regional Experiment

1986—1998

Central and Midwest United States, California Coast, Northwest Africa, Alaska

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· 131 Data Products

IMPACTS

Investigation of Microphysics and Precipitation for Atlantic Coast-Threatening Snowstorms

2020—2023

Eastern United States

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· 73 Data Products

ALOFT

Airborne Lightning Observatory for FEGS and TGFs

2023

Florida, Gulf of Mexico, Central America, Caribbean Sea

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· 7 Data Products

WHyMSIE

Westcoast & Heartland Hyperspectral Microwave Sensor Intensive Experiment

2024

Western United States, Great Plains, Pacific Ocean

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· 6 Data Products

CaPE

Convection and Precipitation/Electrification Experiment

1991

East-Central Florida

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· 0 Data Products

TRMM-LBA

Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission-Large Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere

1999

Brazil, Southwest Amazon basin

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· 1 Data Product

P-3

P-3 Orion

31 Campaigns · 153 Instruments

ORACLES

Observations of Aerosols above Clouds and their Interactions

2016—2018

Southeastern Atlantic Ocean, Southern Africa

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· 8 Data Products

CAMP2Ex

Clouds, Aerosol, and Monsoon Processes-Philippines Experiment

2019

Philippines

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· 12 Data Products

DC-8

Douglas DC-8

46 Campaigns · 184 Instruments

TRMM-KWAJEX

Tropical Rain Measuring Mission-Kwajalein Experiment

1999

Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands

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· 1 Data Product

Data Products

Filter data products from this instrument by specific campaigns, platforms, or formats.

Campaigns

Platforms

Formats

AMPR BRIGHTNESS TEMPERATURE CAMEX-2 V210.5067/CAMEX-2/AMPR/DATA101

CampaignsConvection and Moisture Experiment

PlatformsNASA Earth Resources-2 Aircraft

CAMP2Ex P-3 Remotely Sensed Aerosol Data10.5067/Airborne/CAMP2Ex_Aerosol_AircraftRemoteSensing_P3_Data_1

CampaignsClouds, Aerosol, and Monsoon Processes-Philippines Experiment

PlatformsP-3 Orion

FormatsICARTT, HDF, NetCDF

GPM GROUND VALIDATION ADVANCED MICROWAVE PRECIPITATION RADIOMETER (AMPR) IPHEX V2http://dx.doi.org/10.5067/GPMGV/IPHEX/AMPR/DATA202

CampaignsIntegrated Precipitation and Hydrology Experiment, Radar Definition Experiment

PlatformsNASA Earth Resources-2 Aircraft

CAMEX-3 AMPR BRIGHTNESS TEMPERATURE (TB) V110.5067/CAMEX-3/AMPR/DATA101

CampaignsConvection and Moisture Experiment

PlatformsNASA Earth Resources-2 Aircraft

TCSP AMPR BRIGHTNESS TEMPERATURE (TB) V2http://dx.doi.org/10.5067/TCSP/AMPR/DATA101

CampaignsTropical Cloud Systems and Processes

PlatformsNASA Earth Resources-2 Aircraft

GPM GROUND VALIDATION ADVANCED MICROWAVE PRECIPITATION RADIOMETER (AMPR) MC3E V1http://dx.doi.org/10.5067/GPMGV/MC3E/AMPR/DATA101

CampaignsMid-latitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment

PlatformsNASA Earth Resources-2 Aircraft

GPM Ground Validation Advanced Microwave Precipitation Radiometer (AMPR) OLYMPEX V1http://dx.doi.org/10.5067/GPMGV/OLYMPEX/AMPR/DATA101

CampaignsOlympic Mountains Experiment, Radar Definition Experiment

PlatformsNASA Earth Resources-2 Aircraft

First ISCCP Regional Experiment (FIRE) Arctic Cloud Experiment (ACE) AMPR Brightness Temperature Data10.5067/ASDC_DAAC/FIRE/0001

CampaignsFirst International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) Regional Experiment

PlatformsNASA Earth Resources-2 Aircraft

FormatsASCII

Advanced Microwave Precipitation Radiometer (AMPR) IMPACTS10.5067/IMPACTS/AMPR/DATA101

CampaignsInvestigation of Microphysics and Precipitation for Atlantic Coast-Threatening Snowstorms

PlatformsNASA Earth Resources-2 Aircraft

FormatsnetCDF

ORACLES Aerosol Cloud Aircraft Remote Sensing Data10.5067/ASDC_DAAC/ORACLES_AerosolCloud_AircraftRemoteSensing_Data_1

CampaignsObservations of Aerosols above Clouds and their Interactions

PlatformsNASA Earth Resources-2 Aircraft, P-3 Orion

FormatsICARTT, HDF, NetCDF, NetCDF

CAMEX-4 AMPR BRIGHTNESS TEMPERATURE (TB) V110.5067/CAMEX-4/AMPR/DATA101

CampaignsConvection and Moisture Experiment

PlatformsNASA Earth Resources-2 Aircraft

TC4 AMPR BRIGHTNESS TEMPERATURE (TB) V110.5067/TC4/AMPR/DATA101

CampaignsTropical Composition, Cloud and Climate Coupling

PlatformsNASA Earth Resources-2 Aircraft

FormatsASCII netCDF

AMPR BRIGHTNESS TEMPERATURE CAMEX-1 V210.5067/CAMEX-1/AMPR/DATA101

CampaignsConvection and Moisture Experiment

PlatformsNASA Earth Resources-2 Aircraft

CAMP2Ex Cloud and Precipitation Retrievals Derived From APR-3 and AMPR Measurements10.5067/CAMP2EX/CLOUD-PRECIP-RETRIEVAL/DATA001

CampaignsClouds, Aerosol, and Monsoon Processes-Philippines Experiment

PlatformsP-3 Orion

FormatsNetCDF

TRMM LBA (LARGE SCALE BIOSPHERE-ATMOSPHERE) EXPERIMENT (AMPR) V110.5067/TRMMLBA/AMPR/DATA101

CampaignsTropical Rainfall Measuring Mission-Large Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere

PlatformsNASA Earth Resources-2 Aircraft

FormatsASCII netCDF

Advanced Microwave Precipitation Radiometer (AMPR) ALOFT10.5067/ALOFT/AMPR/DATA101

CampaignsAirborne Lightning Observatory for FEGS and TGFs

PlatformsNASA Earth Resources-2 Aircraft

FormatsnetCDF

AMPR BRIGHTNESS TEMPERATURE (TB) TOGA COARE10.5067/TOGACOARE/AMPR/DATA101

CampaignsTropical Ocean Global Atmosphere - Coupled Ocean Atmosphere Response Experiment

PlatformsNASA Earth Resources-2 Aircraft

FormatsASCII

AMPR BRIGHTNESS TEMPERATURE (TB) KWAJEX10.5067/KWAJEX/AMPR/DATA101

CampaignsTropical Rain Measuring Mission-Kwajalein Experiment

PlatformsDouglas DC-8

FormatsASCII netCDF

Advanced Microwave Precipitation Radiometer (AMPR) WHyMSIE10.5067/WHYMSIE/AMPR/DATA101

CampaignsWestcoast & Heartland Hyperspectral Microwave Sensor Intensive Experiment

PlatformsNASA Earth Resources-2 Aircraft

FormatsnetCDF

AMPRAdvanced Microwave Precipitation Radiometer

Overview

Instrument Details

Instrument Operation

Data Products

AMPR
Advanced Microwave Precipitation Radiometer