You're right, I can't argue that 'antenna temperature' is widely used in another way. Though by limiting your field to remote sensing, you are excluding some heavy in situ users of CF, the ocean communities.
In ocean systems I've seen many a 'component_temperature' pattern, from can_temperature to processor_temperature to panel_temperature (none in CF, mind you -- it's not a concept that is easily interoperable). I can't swear from personal experience I've ever seen an antenna_temperature; maybe no one *ever* cares about that.
So I'll only toss out there that 'antenna noise temperature' has no possible ambiguity with antenna physical temperature, and seems to be the Wikipedia term of choice (even if 'antenna temperature' wins the Google fight by about 5 to 1 :->) -- just in case you like 'antenna noise temperature' equally well. Of course, Wikipedia defines that as "the temperature of a hypothetical resistor at the input of an ideal noise-free receiver that would generate the same output noise power per unit bandwidth as that at the antenna output at a specified frequency" -- it may be that you have in mind a different concept.
I will stop rambling now on this topic, so if no one else expresses concern you may consider me agreeable.
john
On May 2, 2011, at 06:11, Ken Roberts wrote:
> John,
>
> We could not find any well-cited or commonly known circumstances in a
> related field (to remote sensing) where the antenna temperature can mean
> "the temperature of the antenna itself." Maybe you could suggest a case
> where antenna temperature has such a meaning in terms of measurements so
> we can identify a potential conflict. As far as we can tell, antenna
> temperature is used to "relate the power emitted by [a] source to an
> interesting physical property of that source."
> [http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/site/glossary.html]
>
> Regards,
> Ken
>
> On 4/27/2011 12:30 PM, John Graybeal wrote:
>> Sorry, a doofus question here.
>>
>> Isn't the antenna temperature affected to some degree by the temperature of the environment it is in? I am thinking of temperature in the common vernacular, sorry if that is the wrong context. But I see a potential conflict with those measurements of antenna temperature that are taken strictly to learn what the temperature of the antenna is, and having nothing to do with the power per unit bandwidth received from a source.
>>
>> John
>>
>> On Apr 27, 2011, at 08:51, Ken Roberts wrote:
>>
>>> All,
>>>
>>> If there are no objections or requested changes, can it be confirmed
>>> that the following proposed name will be added to the next version of
>>> the CF Standard Name Table?
>>>
>>> Standard Name: antenna_temperature
>>> Definition: A measure of the power per unit bandwidth received from a
>>> source by an antenna
>>> Units: Kelvin
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>> Ken
>>>
>>> On 4/6/2011 12:48 PM, Ken Roberts wrote:
>>>> All,
>>>>
>>>> The National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) has a Special Sensor
>>>> Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) product currently being developed for the
>>>> Climate Data Record (CDR) program. The dataset contains variables for
>>>> brightness temperature and corresponding antenna temperature values.
>>>> Given that there does not appear to be a fitting CF standard name for
>>>> antenna temperature, we would like to propose a new name,
>>>> antenna_temperature, defined as a measure of the power per unit
>>>> bandwidth received from a source by an antenna (units are Kelvin).
>>>>
>>>> Regards,
>>>> Ken
>>>>
>>> --
>>> Ken P. Roberts
>>> Programmer Analyst, STG, Inc., Government Contractor
>>> Remote Sensing & Applications Division
>>> National Climatic Data Center
>>> 151 Patton Ave.
>>> Asheville, NC 28801-5001
>>> Phone: (828) 271-4083
>>> Fax: (828) 271-4328
>>> Ken.Roberts at noaa.gov
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> CF-metadata mailing list
>>> CF-metadata at cgd.ucar.edu
>>> http://mailman.cgd.ucar.edu/mailman/listinfo/cf-metadata
>>
>>
>> John Graybeal <mailto:jgraybeal at ucsd.edu>
>> phone: 858-534-2162
>> Product Manager
>> Ocean Observatories Initiative Cyberinfrastructure Project: http://ci.oceanobservatories.org
>> Marine Metadata Interoperability Project: http://marinemetadata.org
>>
>
>
> --
> Ken P. Roberts
> Programmer Analyst, STG, Inc., Government Contractor
> Remote Sensing & Applications Division
> National Climatic Data Center
> 151 Patton Ave.
> Asheville, NC 28801-5001
> Phone: (828) 271-4083
> Fax: (828) 271-4328
> Ken.Roberts at noaa.gov
>
> _______________________________________________
> CF-metadata mailing list
> CF-metadata at cgd.ucar.edu
> http://mailman.cgd.ucar.edu/mailman/listinfo/cf-metadata
John Graybeal <mailto:jgraybeal at ucsd.edu>
phone: 858-534-2162
Product Manager
Ocean Observatories Initiative Cyberinfrastructure Project:
http://ci.oceanobservatories.org
Marine Metadata Interoperability Project:
http://marinemetadata.org
Received on Mon May 02 2011 - 15:33:56 BST
