Summary

Description

The Nimbus-6 Temperature-Humidity Infrared Radiometer (THIR) Level 1 Brightness Temperature at 6.7 microns data product contains radiances expressed in units of equivalent brightness temperature measured in the 6.7 micron channel. The data, originally written on IBM 360 machines, were recovered from magnetic tapes, also referred to as Nimbus Meteorological Radiation Tapes (NMRT-THIR). The data are archived in their original IBM 36-bit word proprietary format, also referred to as a binary TAP file. The Nimbus-6 satellite was successfully launched on June 18, 1975. The Temperature-Humidity Infrared Radiometer (THIR) experiment on Nimbus-6 continues the measurements made by its predecessors flown on Nimbus-4 and Nimbus-5. The THIR instrument is a two channel high resolution scanning radiometer designed to perform two major functions: o 10.5 – 12.5 micron channel provides both day and night cloud top or surface temperatures. The ground resolution at the sub-point is 8 km and operates day and night. o 6.7 micron channel gives information on the moisture content of the upper troposphere and stratosphere and the location of jet streams and frontal systems. The water vapor channel has a resolution of the sub-point is 22 km and operates mostly at night. The THIR Principal Investigator was Andrew W. McCulloch from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. The Nimbus-6 THIR data are available from June 18, 1965 (day of year 169) through August 11, 1977 (day of year 233).