Thursday, 13 February 2003
First satellite intercalibration comparing high spectral resolution AIRS with operational geostationary imagers
The first comparisons between high spectral resolution AIRS (polar-orbiting on Aqua; launched May 4, 2002) are providing a more accurate outlook on existing intercalibration techniques and results. The high spectral resolution nature of such an instrument allows more accurate comparisons of measured radiances to other instruments sharing the same spectral bandwidths, eliminating the need for knowledge of the atmospheric state during comparisons to account for spectral response differences. The Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) has been intercalibrating five geostationary satellites (GOES-8, -10, METEOSAT-5, -7, GMS-5) with a single polar orbiting satellite (NOAA-14 HIRS and AVHRR) on a routine basis for the past several years using temporally and spatially co-located measurements. Results with NOAA-15 and -16 HIRS and AVHRR have been added recently. The primary focus has been in comparing the 11-µm infrared window channel and the 6.7-µm water vapor channel. This poster presents the results of intercalibrating geostationary broadband instruments using HIRS and AVHRR compared to the advantages of using a high spectral resolution instrument such as AIRS. Intercalibration of satellite radiances, which leads to an improved knowledge of calibration, is important for various global applications where data from more than one instrument are combined or compared.
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