Instrument

MTP
Microwave Temperature Profiler

The Microwave Temperature Profiler (MTP) is an airborne microwave radiometer developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and later modified by NCAR. It measures brightness temperature from oxygen molecules at 56.363 GHz, 57.612 GHz, and 58.363 GHz. These measurements are converted into air temperature through a statistical retrieval process. It samples across 10 viewing angles and has a vertical resolution of 150 m near the aircraft. MTP provides profiles every 17 seconds with about 4 km of horizontal spacing.

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)

Overview

Instrument Details

Measurement Type

Temperature/Humidity

Measurement/Variables

Earth Science > Spectral/engineering > Microwave > Brightness Temperature

Vertical Measurement Regions

Full Column Profile

Temporal Resolution

17 s

Spatial Resolution

150 m

Measurement Frequency

56.363 GHz, 57.612 GHz, 58.363 GHz

Calibration Details

https://www.eol.ucar.edu/instruments/microwave-temperature-profiler

Online Information

https://airbornescience.nasa.gov/instrument/Microwave_Temperature_Profiler

Lead Investigator
Boon Lim, M.J. Mahoney, Bruce Gary
Technical Contact
Richard Denning
Instrument Maker
NCAR, JPL
Funding Source
Upper Atmospheric Composition Observations program
Overview Publications
Overview Publication
Repositories
- Atmospheric Science Data Center (ASDC)
- Global Hydrology Resource Center DAAC (GHRC)

Instrument Operation

Platform

Campaigns, where the platform was used with this instrument

Global Hawk

5 Campaigns · 28 Instruments

ATTREX

Airborne Tropical Tropopause Experiment

2011—2015

California, Guam, Tropics

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· 5 Data Products

GloPac

Global Hawk Pacific

2010

Northern Pacific Ocean, Arctic Ocean

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· 0 Data Products

ER-2

NASA Earth Resources-2 Aircraft

63 Campaigns · 107 Instruments

TCSP

Tropical Cloud Systems and Processes

2005

Costa Rica, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, eastern North Pacific

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· 14 Data Products

TC4

Tropical Composition, Cloud and Climate Coupling

2007

Costa Rica, tropical Eastern Pacific

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· 1 Data Product

ASHOE

Airborne Southern Hemisphere Ozone Experiment

1994

Moffett Field, California, Christchurch, New Zealand, Hawaii, Fiji

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· 0 Data Products

CRYSTAL-FACE

Cirrus Regional Study of Tropical Anvils and Cirrus Layers Florida Area Cirrus Experiment

2002

Southern Florida

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· 1 Data Product

POLARIS

Photochemistry of Ozone Loss in the Arctic Region In Summer

1997

Arctic, Mid-latitudes

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· 9 Data Products

SEAC4RS

Studies of Emissions and Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys

2013

North America including portions of Canada, Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico

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· 20 Data Products

CAMEX

Convection and Moisture Experiment

1993—2001

US Atlantic coast, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean

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· 70 Data Products

AASE

Airborne Arctic Stratospheric Expedition

1988—1992

Arctic

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· 2 Data Products

STRAT

Stratospheric Tracers of Atmospheric Transport

1995—1996

Pacific Ocean, Moffett Field, California, Barbers Point Naval Air Station, Hawaii

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· 9 Data Products

AAOE

Airborne Antarctic Ozone Experiment

1987

Antarctica

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· 1 Data Product

SOLVE

SAGE III Ozone Loss and Validation Experiment

1999—2003

Arctic, Kiruna, Sweden

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· 32 Data Products

STEP

Stratospheric-Tropospheric Exchange Project

1984—1987

Moffett Field, California; Darwin, Australia

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· 0 Data Products

WB-57

NASA WB-57

16 Campaigns · 80 Instruments

TC4

Tropical Composition, Cloud and Climate Coupling

2007

Costa Rica, tropical Eastern Pacific

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· 1 Data Product

CR-AVE

Costa Rica Aura Validation Experiment

2006

Costa Rica

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· 0 Data Products

AVE

Aura Validation Experiment

2004—2005

Houston, Texas, Southern United States, Gulf of Mexico

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· 0 Data Products

ACCENT

Atmospheric Chemistry of Combustion Emissions Near the Tropopause

1999—2000

Southern United States

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· 0 Data Products

WAM

WB-57 Aerosol Mission

1998

Ellington Field, Houston, Texas

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· 0 Data Products

CRYSTAL-FACE

Cirrus Regional Study of Tropical Anvils and Cirrus Layers Florida Area Cirrus Experiment

2002

Southern Florida

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· 1 Data Product

G-V

Gulfstream-V

8 Campaigns · 37 Instruments

ACCLIP

Asian Summer Monsoon Chemical & Climate Impact Project

2022

West Pacific, South Korea

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· 8 Data Products

DC-8

Douglas DC-8

43 Campaigns · 180 Instruments

CAMEX

Convection and Moisture Experiment

1993—2001

US Atlantic coast, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean

view all deployment dates

· 70 Data Products

AASE

Airborne Arctic Stratospheric Expedition

1988—1992

Arctic

view all deployment dates

· 2 Data Products

PAVE

Polar Aura Validation Experiment

2005

Northeastern United States, Eastern Canada

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· 0 Data Products

SONEX

Subsonic Assessment (SASS) Ozone and Nitrogen Oxide Experiment

1997

North Atlantic Ocean, Ireland, Newfoundland, Bangor, Maine, Azores

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· 10 Data Products

SOLVE

SAGE III Ozone Loss and Validation Experiment

1999—2003

Arctic, Kiruna, Sweden

view all deployment dates

· 32 Data Products

SUCCESS

SUbsonic aircraft: Contrail & Clouds Effects Special Study

1996

Central and Western United States

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· 1 Data Product

TOTE-VOTE

Tropical Ozone Transport Experiment – Vortex Ozone Transport Experiment

1995—1996

Pacific Ocean, Hawaii, Alaska, Iceland, Arctic, Arctic Ocean

view all deployment dates

· 10 Data Products

Data Products

Filter data products from this instrument by specific campaigns, platforms, or formats.

Campaigns

Platforms

Formats

CAMEX-4 ER-2 MICROWAVE TEMPERATURE PROFILER V110.5067/CAMEX-4/PROFILER/DATA102

CampaignsConvection and Moisture Experiment

PlatformsNASA Earth Resources-2 Aircraft

TCSP ER-2 MICROWAVE TEMPERATURE PROFILER (MTP) V1http://dx.doi.org/10.5067/TCSP/MTP/DATA201

CampaignsTropical Cloud Systems and Processes

PlatformsNASA Earth Resources-2 Aircraft

ATTREX Global Hawk UAS Remote Sensing Temperature Measurements10.5067/ASDC_DAAC/ATTREX/0001

CampaignsAirborne Tropical Tropopause Experiment

PlatformsGlobal Hawk

FormatsICARTT

The Airborne Antarctic Ozone Experiment (AAOE), Including Halley Bay Ozonesonde Data on CD-ROM

CampaignsAirborne Antarctic Ozone Experiment

PlatformsCampaign Balloons, Douglas DC-8, NASA Earth Resources-2 Aircraft

Cirrus Regional Study of Tropical Anvils and Cirrus Layers - Florida Area Cirrus Experiment (CRYSTAL-FACE) Quick-Look Data

CampaignsCirrus Regional Study of Tropical Anvils and Cirrus Layers Florida Area Cirrus Experiment

PlatformsCessna Citation II, NASA WB-57, Campaign Field Sites, NASA Earth Resources-2 Aircraft

CAMEX-4 DC-8 MICROWAVE TEMPERATURE PROFILER (MTP) V110.5067/CAMEX-4/PROFILER/DATA101

CampaignsConvection and Moisture Experiment

PlatformsDouglas DC-8

SEAC4RS ER-2 Aircraft In-Situ Meteorological and Navigational Data10.5067/ASDC/SUBORBITAL/SEAC4RS_MetNav_AircraftInSitu_ER2_Data_1

CampaignsStudies of Emissions and Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys

PlatformsNASA Earth Resources-2 Aircraft

STRAT ER-2 Meteorological and Navigational Data10.5067/ASDC/SUBORBITAL/STRAT_MetNav_AircraftInSitu_ER2_Data_1

CampaignsStratospheric Tracers of Atmospheric Transport

PlatformsNASA Earth Resources-2 Aircraft

Formatser

SASS (Subsonics Assessment) Ozone and NOx Experiment (SONEX) DC-8 In-Situ Meteorological and Navigation Data10.5067/ASDC/SUBORBITAL/SONEX_TraceGas_AircraftInSitu_DC8_Data_1

CampaignsSubsonic Assessment (SASS) Ozone and Nitrogen Oxide Experiment

PlatformsDouglas DC-8

FormatsAmes

SASS (Subsonics Assessment) Ozone and NOx Experiment (SONEX) Merge Data Files10.5067/ASDC/SUBORBITAL/SONEX_Merge_DC8_Data_1

CampaignsSubsonic Assessment (SASS) Ozone and Nitrogen Oxide Experiment

PlatformsDouglas DC-8

FormatsAmes

Tropical Ozone Transport Experiment – Vortex Ozone Transport Experiment (TOTE-VOTE) In Situ DC-8 Meteorology and Navigation Data10.5067/ASDC/SUBORBITAL/TOTE-VOTE_MetNav_AircraftInSitu_DC8_Data_1

CampaignsTropical Ozone Transport Experiment – Vortex Ozone Transport Experiment

PlatformsDouglas DC-8

FormatsDC

SOLVE I DC-8 Aircraft In-situ Meteorology and Navigational Data10.5067/ASDC/SUBORBITAL/SOLVE1_MetNav_AircraftInSitu_DC8_Data_1

CampaignsSAGE III Ozone Loss and Validation Experiment

PlatformsDouglas DC-8

FormatsOther Ames

SOLVE I ER-2 Aircraft In-situ Meteorology and Navigational Data10.5067/ASDC/SUBORBITAL/SOLVE1_MetNav_AircraftInSitu_ER2_Data_1

CampaignsSAGE III Ozone Loss and Validation Experiment

PlatformsNASA Earth Resources-2 Aircraft

FormatsOther Ames

SOLVE II DC-8 Aircraft In-situ Meteorology and Navigational Data10.5067/ASDC/SUBORBITAL/SOLVE2_MetNav_AircraftInSitu_DC8_Data_1

CampaignsSAGE III Ozone Loss and Validation Experiment

PlatformsDouglas DC-8

FormatsOther Ames

POLARIS ER-2 Meteorological and Navigational Data10.5067/ASDC/SUBORBITAL/POLARIS_MetNav_AircraftInSItu_ER2_Data_1

CampaignsPhotochemistry of Ozone Loss in the Arctic Region In Summer

PlatformsNASA Earth Resources-2 Aircraft

Formatser

MTPMicrowave Temperature Profiler

Overview

Instrument Details

Instrument Operation

Data Products

MTP
Microwave Temperature Profiler