The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) program is a critical component of National Weather Service (NWS) operations. The program provides meteorological imagery and quantitative sounding data that are critical to the safety of people, property, infrastructure, and the economy. It also supports research on climate dynamics, atmospheric science, numerical weather prediction models and sensor design.
GOES is an integrated system of NASA-built and NOAA-operated geostationary satellites that provides continuous observation of Earth. The primary payload on each satellite is the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI). The satellite acquires images of the atmosphere and oceans at a variety of spatial and temporal resolutions. ABI collects imagery and sounding data in multiple spectral channels that provide a multitude of information about the Earth, including cloud top, surface and subsurface temperature, moisture content, vertical air motion, sea surface and ocean color, and ozone distribution.
NOAA’s GOES fleet of geostationary satellites deliver an unprecedented level of detail about Earth conditions, allowing weather forecasters to make more accurate and timely decisions that protect lives and property. The Geostationary Lightning Mapper is a recent addition to the GOES fleet and is a valuable tool for monitoring and predicting lightning activity.
The Amazon rainforest is a lush, vibrant ecosystem that has long attracted the interest of scientists and conservationists alike. Researchers have used polar-orbiting satellites to study the area, but a new method could allow them to see the forest for the trees. Scientists have teamed up with the Advanced Baseline Imager aboard a GOES satellite to observe the seasonality of carbon flux within the Amazon. ABI data, available on a 10-minute cadence, has the potential to improve global models of the terrestrial carbon cycle.
To achieve this goal, the team developed a technique to align GOES-R ABI imagery with tower measurements of soil-atmosphere carbon dioxide flux. The two systems have different reporting cycles and file formats. The GOES-R ABI imaging files contain geographic information in the form of horizontal (x) and vertical (y) scan angle coordinates, which must be converted to tower geodetic latitude and longitude coordinates for use with ABI.
Moreover, the tower-derived eddy covariance time series have timestamps that are spaced differently than the GOES-R ABI imaging files, which have a half-hourly data record for each pixel. This mismatch makes it difficult to link eddy covariance observations with geostationary satellite data dissemination.
Fortunately, an existing GOES-R ABI feature, called Mode 6, solved this issue. Mode 6 operates in a manner similar to the old flex mode. However, a full disk image will now be produced every 10 minutes for the CONUS and PACUS domains instead of the previous 15-minute intervals. This change, along with other enhancements to the GOES-R suite of products, has increased the utility of ABI data for monitoring the terrestrial carbon cycle. A full description of the mode 6 operation is available on the GOES-R website. The next generation of GOES satellites, which will begin orbiting in 2024, will provide even more advanced imaging and sounding capabilities.