An Image Striping Mitigation Strategy for GOES-16 and GOES-17 ABI Developed Using Desert Monitoring Special Collections

The Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI), the primary instrument for the next generation of Earth observing instruments on-board the GOES-R series of satellites, uses large focal plane arrays to capture imagery in 16 spectral channels. Compared to heritage GOES instruments, the ABI not only increases the spatial and spectral resolution, but also the number of detectors by one or two orders of magnitude for each spectral band. The increased number of detectors increases the risk of image striping in the ABI series of imagers due to detector-to-detector non-uniformities across a large focal plane array. ABI special scans (North South Scans) were developed to image the same target with every detector in each focal plane array creating the unique ability to characterize detector-to-detector non-uniformity from this data. This characterization can be used to mitigate image striping via implementation of a relative calibration (flat-fielding) methodology and can also generate an absolute calibration if the scene radiance is known.

Ideal vicarious calibration/validation Earth targets can be used for flat-fielding because they are accessible, uniform, and bright. Within the ABI GOES-East and GOES-West fields of regard, the Bolivian and Sonoran Deserts are the largest and most uniform targets available. To ensure detector level performance characterization independent of the on-board source, a NSS desert monitoring collection plan has been implemented since launch. These desert monitoring collections capture NSS data of the Bolivian and/or Sonoran deserts, but can also include NSS data of ocean and clouds. Analysis of these collections will be discussed and a potential post-launch image striping mitigation strategy will be introduced. This work showcases an advanced relative calibration capability, utilizing ABI special NSS collections, that will be made available (as an option) in support of operational calibration and validation intended for all ABI bands of GOES-16 and GOES-17. This methodology may also benefit the image quality of L2+ products through mitigating image striping effects. Future work will focus on expanding this approach to develop a back-up calibration strategy in the event of on-board calibration source failure.