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Instrument

PALS
Passive Active L-and-S-band Sensor

The Passive Active L- and S-band Sensor (PALS) is a combined airborne polarimetric radiometer and radar developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). It was designed to evaluate the benefits of combining remote passive and active sensors for ocean salinity and soil moisture measurements. Both the radiometer and radar within PALS operate across the L- (1.41 GHz, 1.26 GHz) and S-band (2.69 GHz, 3.15 GHz) frequencies to measure brightness temperature and radar backscatter of ocean salinity and soil moisture. PALS has a spatial resolution ranging from 600 to 1500 m depending on the altitude of the aircraft. PALS can be equipped on many different aircraft due to its design and is typically used for validation of Aquarius and SMAP satellite observations.

Image of PALS instrument
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)

Instrument Details

Radar
Earth Science > Land Surface > Soils > Soil Moisture/water Content
Earth Science > Oceans > Salinity/density > Salinity
Earth Science > Spectral/engineering > Radar > Radar Backscatter
Earth Science > Spectral/engineering > Microwave > Brightness Temperature
Earth Science > Spectral/engineering > Radar > Radar Cross-section
Full Column Profile
Variable
600-1500 m
1.41 GHz, 2.69 GHz, 1.26 GHz, 3.15 GHz
External Linkhttps://doi.org/10.1109/36.921422

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