Geographic and Statistical Analysis of EESS-Passive Satellite Overpasses for Spectrum Coexistence

The passive Earth exploration-satellite service (EESS) provides critical environmental measurements to support meteorological forecasting and climate monitoring. As demand for bandwidth increases among both active and passive users, spectrum sharing is becoming essential. Due to the high sensitivity of EESS-passive radiometers to anthropogenic interference, effective sharing strategies must account for satellite overpasses to limit measurement exposure to unwanted noise. This article presents a statistical characterization of EESS-passive satellite activity by analyzing interarrival times and overpass durations across multiple geographic locations. Using observational datasets from 15 microwave radiometers, we compute complementary cumulative distribution functions for both metrics across 15 cities and assess how latitude and longitude affect their statistical properties. While overpass durations are largely location-invariant, interarrival times show strong dependence on latitude, consistent with the polar-orbiting trajectories of the satellites. A key contribution of this work is the introduction of generalized models for the mean and standard deviation of both interarrival times and overpass durations for variable spatial cutoff distances (30–100 km), defined as the maximum horizontal separation between a fixed location and satellite measurements retained for analysis. These models are validated using regression analysis and support location- and scale-aware characterization of radiometer activity. Subsequently, we apply this framework to an economic spectrum-sharing model, demonstrating that minor changes in radiometer utilization—particularly at high latitudes—can lead to significant variation in provider profitability. These results provide valuable insights for policymakers and commercial stakeholders evaluating spectrum coexistence strategies involving EESS-passive systems.