Remote Sensing Systems' (http://www.ssmi.com/)
SSM/I (Special Sensor Microwave/Imager)
NOAA/NASA Pathfinder Dataset on the ftp server

The Wentz SSM/I algorithm available from 1996 to 2002 (version 4) has been 
updated and improved (now version 5).  All available SSM/I 
data (F8,F10,F11,F13,F14,F15) have been reprocessed using 
this new algorithm and were made public on August 21, 2002.

 time-averaged climatology ( 
monthly means) are available. Please read description below.


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CLIMATOLOGY:

files are available for each satellite
that contain SSM/I time-averaged data:
	monthly		average of one month of data

Data of geophysical parameters  is available: 
	Atmospheric Water Vapor 

Each file contains  0.25 x 0.25 degree equal angle 
global grids (1440,720,4).  The cells are centered on the one eighth degree.
For example, the first cell center is 0.125 E longitude, -89.875 latitude
and the second cell center is 0.375 E longitude, -89.875 latitude.

The file data range is  from 0 to 255, where:
255 = land 
254 = too few SSM/I observations within month to average the data (<50 hits)
253 = *not used in climatology maps*
252 = sea ice (locations where >0% ice at any time during averaged period)
251 = *not used in climatology maps*
0 to 250 = valid geophysical means

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SSM/I satellite data are available as follows:
	F08 	July 1987      to  December 1991
	F10	January 1991   to  November 1997
	F11	January 1992   to  May 2000
	F13	May 1995       to  current
	F14	May 1997       to  current
	F15	December 1999  to  current