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Full catalog/GPM_1CGCOMW1AMSR2
GPM_1CGCOMW1AMSR2·v08·dataset

Raw microwave brightness readings (GCOM-W1 AMSR2)

GPM AMSR-2 on GCOM-W1 Common Calibrated Brightness Temperature L1C 1.5 hours 10 km V08 (GPM_1CGCOMW1AMSR2) at GES DISC
atmosphere NASA GES_DISC Level 1 active
In plain English

What it measures. How much microwave energy the surface and atmosphere naturally give off, recorded across several frequencies and both polarizations, carefully calibrated to a common standard. In plain terms, it captures how 'bright' things look to a microwave sensor.

How it's made. Produced from the AMSR2 microwave instrument on the GCOM-W1 satellite, with the readings recalibrated so they line up consistently with other instruments in the precipitation-measuring family.

How & where you'd use it. A building-block input used mainly to derive higher-level products like rainfall, sea-surface temperature, and soil moisture, rather than used directly by most people.

What's measured

ATMOSPHERE › ATMOSPHERIC WATER VAPORATMOSPHERE › PRECIPITATION

Coverage & cadence

  • Time span2012-07-02 → ongoing
  • Measured byGCOM-W1 (AMSR2)
  • Processing levelLevel 1
  • Spatial extent-180, -90, 180, 90
  • StatusACTIVE

What you can do with it

  • Map air pollutants — NO₂, aerosols, ozone
  • Track greenhouse gases and Earth's energy budget
  • Feed weather and air-quality analysis
Official description

Version 08 is the current version of the data set. Older versions will no longer be available and have been superseded by Version 08. 1CAMSR2 contains common calibrated brightness temperature from the AMSR2 passive microwave instrument flown on the GCOMW1 satellite. This products contains 6 swaths. Swath 1 has channels 10.65V 10.65H. Swath 2 has channels 18.7V 18.7H. Swath 3 has channels 23.8V 23.8H. Swath 4 has channels 36.5V 36.5H. Swath S5 has 2 high frequency A-Scan channels (89V 89H). Swath S6 has 2 high frequency B-Scan channels (89V 89H). Data for all six swaths is observed in the same revolution of the instrument. High frequency A and high frequency B data are observed in separate feedhorns. All 1C products have a common L1C data structure, simple and generic. Each L1C swath includes scan time, latitude and longitude, scan status, quality, incidence angle, Sun glint angle, and the intercalibrated brightness temperature (Tc). One or more swaths are included in a product. The radiometer data are recalibrated to a common basis so that precipitation products derived from them are consistent. AMSR2 geometric footprints are: 35x62 km (6.925 and 7.3 GHz), 24x42 km (10.65GHz), 14x22 km (18.7GHz), 11x19 (23.8 GHz), 7 x12 (36.5 GHz), 3x5 km (89.0 A/ B GHz). GPM Project cross-calibrates channels at spatial sampling: 10.65-36.5 at (10x10 km), and channel 89 GHz at (5x10 km) (cross-track x along-track at forward bore sight).

Get the data

gpm_1cgcomw1amsr2_access.py
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="GPM_1CGCOMW1AMSR2",
    version="08",
    bounding_box=(-122.5, 37.2, -121.8, 37.9),  # your area (W,S,E,N)
    temporal=("2024-01-01", "2024-12-31"),       # your dates
)
files = earthaccess.open(results)   # stream straight from GES_DISC
Browsing CMR needs no login. Downloading or streaming bytes needs a free Earthdata Login + the earthaccess package.