Microwave MTVZA-GY radiometer on new Russian Meteor-M No. 2-2 Satellite and Sudden Stratospheric Warming over Antarctica

Abstract

Meteorological satellite “Meteor-M” No. 2-2 with a MTVZA-GY microwave radiometer onboard was launched on a circular sun-synchronous orbit on July 8, 2019. Radiometer carries out conical scanning at the incidence angle of 65° and receives the outgoing radiation of the Earth at 31 channels at frequencies from 10 to about 190 GHz. Swath width is 2500/1500 km. The parameters of the ocean, land surface, and troposphere are retrieved from brightness temperatures with vertical and horizontal polarizations TB(ν) measured at imager frequencies ν = 6.9, 10.65, 18.7, 23.8, 31.5, 36.5, 42.0, 48.0, and 91,65 GHz. Measurements at sounder frequencies (10 channels in the oxygen absorption band 52–58 GHz and three channels near the strong resonance line of water vapor 183.31 GHz) provide information on air temperature and humidity of various layers in the upper troposphere - middle stratosphere. Manifestations of synoptic scale dynamic atmospheric phenomena on global TB charts at imager frequencies visualize their structure and development. The time series of brightness temperatures of the South polar area at sounder frequencies allowed to detect and trace the evolution of rare phenomenon - Sudden Stratospheric Warming over Antarctica in August-September 2019.