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There are six instruments on the Aqua satellite: (hot links to more information)
AIRS is a high-resolution infrared sounder with the central purpose of obtaining atmospheric temperature and humidity profiles from the surface upward to 40 kilometers. The AIRS instrument has 2,382 channels. 2378 measure infrared radiation at wavelengths between 3.74 and 15.4 µm with a resolution of 13.5 kilometers, the remaining four channels measure in the visible/near-infrared range of 0.4 to 1.1 µm at a resolution of 2.3 kilometers. The AIRS instrument is expected to provide substantial improvements in temperature measurements over any previous sounder flown in space, not to mention 20th century radiosondes (weather balloons). It will greatly enhance the traditional land-based record since it covers the entire globe. AMSU will aid in atmospheric temperature profiling for the upper atmosphere. AMSU has 15 channels that sample atmospheric radiation in different frequencies, rather than wavelengths. 12 channels are predominately for atmospheric temperature soundings while 3 are for water vapor and precipitation estimates. The horizontal resolution provided by AMSU is approximately 40.5 kilometers. CERES consists of two scanning radiometers that will measure the Earth’s radiation balance and provide detailed information on cloud properties. There are two identical CERES radiometers on Aqua & Terra because they operate in different, overlapping scanning modes (crosstrack and biaxial) for more complete data collection. Each CERES instrument has three channels- a short wave channel for measuring reflected sunlight (0.3 to 5.0 µm), a longwave channel for total radiation in the 8 to 12 µm “window” region, and a total radiation channel. (0.3 to 200 µm) CERES data will be used to:
HSB is a four-channel radiometer that measures atmospheric radiation at different frequencies, rather than wavelengths. The HSB is particularly important for obtaining accurate humidity profiles under overcast conditions. The HSB will obtain humidity soundings through the atmosphere for determining cloud liquid water, precipitation, and integrated precipitable water. MODIS is a scanning imaging radiometer with a viewing swath width of 2330 kilometers. MODIS will provide high-resolution images of daylight-reflected solar radiation and 24 hour thermal (IR) information over all regions of the globe. Its spatial resolution ranges from 250 meters to 1 kilometer. The broadband spectral coverage of the instrument (0.4 to 14.4 µm) is divided into 36 bands of various bandwidths optimized for imaging surface and atmospheric features. MODIS measures:
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