Since 1975, geostationary environmental satellites (GOES) have provided continuous imagery and information on atmospheric conditions. These data products are used for weather monitoring, severe storm tracking and forecasting by the National Weather Service, as well as by NOAA’s science and research communities.
The GOES system uses a series of geosynchronous equatorial satellites that rotate at the same speed as Earth and are placed into positions to continuously view a single region of the sky, day and night, over North America. GOES is operated by NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Services division.
GOES satellites have two primary payload instruments—Imager and Sounder. The Imager senses reflected solar energy and visible light from the atmosphere, land and sea surface. It is capable of producing images in a variety of wavelengths, and also provides real-time surface temperature and moisture data. The Sounder measures radiances in a series of broadband visible and several infrared channels. These measurements are converted and saved to brightness temperatures (in Celsius).
A variety of instrument packages fly on GOES spacecraft. GOES I-M missions carried the NOAA’s Space Environment Monitor (SEM) package that monitors and provides reports, alerts and forecasts for near-Earth solar-terrestrial electromagnetic phenomena, including solar flares and geomagnetic storms. These phenomena can affect satellite communications, radio wave propagation and navigation systems, electric power networks and the safety of military and civilian astronauts, Space Station astronauts, high-altitude aviators and scientific researchers.
The Imager and Sounder on GOES-16 fly the NOAA’s Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI). This instrument produces images in a wide range of wavelengths, with different spatial resolutions, as well as real-time radiances. The ABI can provide a number of meteorological parameters such as cloud cover, fog and storm circulation, and it can even detect lightning strikes and identify the direction of the cloud tops.
For example, a dark cloud can absorb and reflect sunlight differently, depending on its contents—if it contains water or ice, for instance. Scientists call this property its albedo. A bright cloud is said to have a high albedo, while a duller cloud has a lower one. Meteorologists look at the albedo of clouds to estimate their moisture content and speed of movement.
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