Intercalibration activities at CIMSS in preparation for the GOES-R era

High spectral resolution polar-orbiting satellite instruments, such as the Atmospheric InfraRed Sounder (AIRS) and the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI), can be used to intercalibrate infrared measurements from the global system of operational geostationary imagers. The international community of satellite operators, through the World Meteorological Organization, has recognized a need for an improved quantitative assessment of satellite calibration for applications such as climate monitoring and has formed an international committee to coordinate a Global Satellite-Based Intercalibration System (GSICS). In addition to climate monitoring and sensor comparisons, intercalibration provides satellite operators with feedback on instrument operation and response to changes implemented from the ground. Comparisons between geostationary imagers and high spectral resolution polar orbiting sounders have provided an improved understanding of the calibration performance of all operational geostationary imagers. CIMSS is engaged in a retrospective analysis of all GOES Imagers using the historical records of both IASI and AIRS. In the future these intercalibration activities will be expected to give immediate feedback on the calibration accuracy of the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) on GOES-R using the Cross-Track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) on the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) as well as IASI. CIMSS is engaged in these activities to assess both past and current calibration of GOES sensors and to prepare for the cal/val activities being planned for the GOES-R/JPSS era.