AMI-Scat

AMI-Scat

Active Microwave Instrument - Scat mode

Satellites

ERS-1 and ERS-2

Status

Operational – Utilised in the period 1991 to ~ 2011

Mission

Sea surface wind vector. Also large-scale soil moisture

Instrument type

C-band radar scatterometer (5.3 GHz), 3 side looking antennas

Scanning technique

One 500-km swath starting from 200 km off-track. 3 looks each pixel (45, 90 and 135° azimuth)

Coverage/cycle

Global coverage in 3 days average, depending on operation mode (alternative to AMI-SAR, thus duty cycle about 80 %)

Resolution

Best quality: 50 km; sampling: 25 km

Resources

Mass: 325.8 kg (AMI) - Power: 4800 W (peak) - Data rate: 500 kbps