Multi Sensor Products

Single Sensor Products

MCDC data products from individual microwave sensors are available as Earth observations as well as used for input to geophysical algorithms and numerical weather prediction models.

Microwave Brightness Temperatures

The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) uses MCDC brightness temperatures in their sea ice concentration algorithm. The Naval Research Laboratory uses brightness temperatures for weather forecasting. We provide access upon request to microwave brightness temperature data derived from the RSS Radiative Transfer Model.

Sea-Surface Salinity and River Discharge

The discharge from the Amazon and Mississippi rivers is readily detected in sea-surface salinity (SSS) data. SSS is also used for measuring evaporation and precipitation in the ocean.

El Niño Southern Oscillation Indicators:
Vapor, Rain, Sea-Surface Temperature, Winds, Clouds

Water vapor, rain-rate, sea-surface temperature, wind, and cloud anomalies are useful for understanding El Niño (and La Niña) events that are critical determinants of California's water supply and snowpack. For example, the 2015 El Niño showed characteristically negative wind speed anomalies in the Tropical Pacific Ocean. In turn, this produced a positive water vapor anomaly over the Pacific Ocean that contained more water than the volume of Lake Tahoe.