Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “GOES-16”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 181 records · Page 10

Climate Absolute Radiance and Refractivity Observatory (CLARREO) Pathfinder Intercalibration Data Analysis Strategy

One of the prime science objectives of NASA’s Climate Absolute Radiance and Refractivity Observatory (CLARREO) Pathfinder (CPF) mission is to acquire unprecedentedly accurate Système Internationale (SI)-traceable Earth-view measurements that can be used as reference for intercalibrating the Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) and Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instruments onboard NOAA-20 satellite. The hyperspectral nature of CPF measurements will significantly reduce spectrally induced biases when intercalibrating multiband or broadband satellite instruments with CPF. This advancement eliminates the requirement for spectral band adjustment factors, representing a substantial improvement in sensor intercalibration studies. The CPF intercalibration team is aiming to achieve a maximum intercalibration methodology uncertainty of 0.3 % (k=1). Our studies have revealed that the most significant contribution to the targeted uncertainty budget originates from the combined effects of spatial and temporal matching errors. Spatial matching error arises from discrepancies in CPF and target instrument pixel resolution and geolocation uncertainty, while temporal matching error is caused by changes in scene radiances over time, occurring between when the target and reference instruments observe the same scenes. To estimate the maximum expected uncertainty contribution from these sources, spatial and temporal matching noise analyses were conducted using algorithmically filtered Landsat 9 Operational Land Imager (OLI) and Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)-16 ABI CONUS scan data as proxies for CPF and target instruments. In the upcoming conference presentation, we will elaborate on the methodology employed in these experiments, provide details of the data filtering algorithms, and present results of the spatial and temporal matching uncertainty analyses.

Intercalibration↗

GeoXO Atmospheric Composition Instrument (AC) Measurements Conditions Assessment

NOAA’s next generation Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO) satellite system will advance Earth observations from geostationary orbit. GeoXO will supply vital information supporting the U.S. weather, ocean, and climate operations. The recommended three-satellite constellation includes spacecraft at GOES-Central position, that will carry an Atmospheric Composition Instrument (ACX) among its payloads; the requirement on the ACX is to scan its region of interest in one hour. An assessment of ACX observational conditions is presented, based on view geometry and solar angle range over the year. The availability for observations of each pixel is estimated per day of the year, as function of the geometric air mass factor (AMF), which can be related to signal to noise ratio using a model of the ACX instrument performance, and ultimately to expected column error for specific atmospheric species. In addition, cloud climatology – based on statistics derived from GOES-16 ABI cloud product data – is considered to determine typical fractions of cloud-free ACX observations and typical cloud optical depths, for each pixel as function of time of day and season. The results of such assessments can be used to prepare for GeoXO ACX data and further the understanding and development of the future instrument operations.

Boryana Efremova↗

Development and Application of NASA SPoRT’s DustTracker-AI Model for Real-Time Identification and Tracking of Dust in Geostationary Satellite Imagery

The NASA Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) Center developed the DustTracker-AI model for identifying and tracking dust in NASA/NOAA Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) imagery in a real-time framework. A training dataset consisting of day and night dust cases was gathered over the southwestern consisting of 115 distinct images and over a million dust pixels and 256 million no dust pixels. The dataset was separated into training (60%), testing (20%), and validation (20%). A simple random forest machine learning model was developed originally to overcome the problem of night-time dust detection and has been expanded to a comprehensive day/night model for dust identification and tracking. This physically-based machine-learning approach uses NASA/NOAA GOES-16 Advanced Baseline Imager infrared imagery as inputs to the model. The model probability of dust output achieves an Area-Under-Curve (AUC) of 0.97 with a standard deviation of 0.04 for dust cases. For images with dust present, the model correctly labels 85% of dust pixels for all dust images in the validation data set. In conjunction with developing the machine-learning model, the NASA Short-term Prediction Research and Transition Center (SPoRT) partnered with NOAA National Weather Service forecast offices to evaluate the model for utility in weather forecasting operations during the 2021 and 2023 late winter-spring seasons. Preliminary evaluation has indicated the majority of forecasters described the DustTracker-AI probabilities as having added confidence to interpreting the Dust RGB and other satellite products to objectively assess the dust extent and trends and increased the amount of time the dust plume could be tracked into the night as compared to use of the Dust RGB. More recently, SPoRT tested small scale events associated with thunderstorm outflow and burn scars to determine the model’s ability to capture local events. This presentation highlights design of the model, validation/evaluation of model performance, and example cases collected during end user product assessments.

Connor H Welch↗

Improving IPATS Channel-to-Channel Registration Assessment

The Image Navigation and Registration (INR) Performance Assessment Tool Set (IPATS) is a primary tool for assessing INR performance of GOES-R series ABI images. IPATS assesses five INR metrics: navigation, channel-to-channel registration (CCR), frame-to-frame registration, within-frame registration, and swath-to-swath registration. It was discovered that CCR assessment results between Visible-Near-Infrared (VNIR) channels and Infrared (IR) channels exhibits an annual oscillation in the north-south (NS) direction and a diurnal oscillation in the east-west (EW) direction, with an amplitude of approximately 5 μrad and 2.5 μrad, respectively. However, differences of navigation assessment results between VNIR and IR channels do not exhibit the annual or diurnal oscillations observed in CCR results. This indicates that the observed oscillations are due to measurement errors. The characteristics of the oscillations imply that cloud shadows are a possible cause of these measurement errors. In this study, several methods are explored to minimize the impact of cloud shadows on VNIR to IR CCR assessments: a) assessment at landmark locations only; b) using navigation assessment results to filter CCR assessments; c) using the ABI clear-sky-ratio product as a cloud mask; and d) smaller CCR assessment windows. In this paper, each method and a combination of several methods are evaluated based on assessment accuracy and the number of successful assessments. The selected approach is then used to reprocess GOES-16 ABI CCR data to show reductions in the annual and diurnal measurement error oscillations.

INR↗

Parameterizing Spectral Surface Reflectance Relationships for the Dark Target Aerosol Algorithm Applied to A Geostationary Imager

Originally developed for the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) in polar, sun-synchronous low-earth orbit (LEO), the Dark Target (DT) aerosol retrieval algorithm relies on the assumption of a Surface Reflectance Parameterization (SRP) over land surfaces. Specifically for vegetated and dark-soiled surfaces, values of surface reflectance in blue and red visible-wavelength bands are assumed to be nearly linearly related to each other and to the value in a shortwave infrared (SWIR) wavelength band. This SRP also includes dependencies on scattering angle and a normalized difference vegetation index computed from two SWIR bands (NDVISWIR). As the DT retrieval algorithm is being ported to new sensors to continue and expand the aerosol data record, we assess whether the MODIS-assumed SRP can be used for these sensors. Here, we specifically assess SRP for the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) aboard, the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)-16/East (ABIE). First, we find that using MODIS-based SRP leads to higher biases and artificial diurnal signatures in aerosol optical depth (AOD)retrievals from ABIE. The primary reason appears to be that geostationary orbit (GEO) encounters an entirely different set of observation geometry than does LEO, primarily with regards to solar angles coupled with fixed view angles. Therefore, we have developed a new SRP for GEO that draws the angular shape of the surface bidirectional reflectance. We also introduce modifications to the parametrization of both red-SWIR and blue-red spectral relationships to include additional information.The revised Red-SWIR SRP includes solar zenith angle, NDVISWIR, and land-type percentage from an ancillary database. The blue-red SRP adds dependencies on the scattering angle and NDVISWIR. The new SRPs improve the AOD retrieval of ABIE in terms of overall less bias and mitigation of the overestimation around local noon. The average bias of DT AOD compared to AERONET AOD shows a reduction from 0.08 to 0.03, while the bias of local solar noon decreases from 0.12 to 0.03.The agreement between DT and AERONET AOD is established through regression slope of 1.06 and y-intercept of 0.01with correlation coefficient is0.74. By using the new SRP, the percentage of data falling within the expected error range (±0.05 + 15%) is notably risen from 54% to 78%.

Mijin Kim↗

Objectively Identifying Transverse Cirrus Bands in Tropical Cyclones using a Convolutional Neural Network

Transverse cirrus bands (TCBs) are bands of upper-level clouds that are regularly seen in mesoscale and synoptic-scale weather systems. In tropical cyclones, their appearance has been subjectively linked to intensification and the diurnal cycle, but these hypothesized relationships have not been rigorously tested due to the difficulty of objectively identifying TCBs in satellite images. This presentation describes a machine learning technique that successfully identifies TCBs in imagery from the GOES-16 Advanced Baseline Imager. The technique uses a convolutional neural network (CNN) that assigns a probability of each pixel in the image being associated with a TCB. Using the CNN, a database of TCBs from 2018 to 2022 was developed for the Atlantic basin. Statistics using this database will be presented, including the relationship between TCBs and deep-layer vertical wind shear, intensity change, and the TC diurnal cycle.

John Mark Mayhall↗

A Long-Term GOES Satellite Overshooting Cloud Top and Anvil Cloud Climatology Over South America

The modern-era GOES satellite series began in 1994 with the GOES-8 satellite, and was augmented in 2018 with higher spatial resolution and more frequent imaging when GOES-16 became operational. GOES imagery has provided forecasters and researchers new perspectives into cloud top patterns associated with severe convection, and the ability to better forecast convection in regions without adequate ground-based weather radar coverage. While much attention has been given to convection over North America, convection over South America can be equally, if not more, intense and frequent. Recent studies have demonstrated that overshooting cloud tops (OT) and surrounding anvil clouds can be detected within infrared satellite imagery. Relative storm updraft intensity metrics such as the tropopause-relative infrared brightness temperature, the prominence of an OT relative to its surrounding anvil, and cloud top height can also be derived using automated methods combined with reanalysis data. These automated OT detection and intensity estimation methods have recently been applied to all GOES images collected over South America, in combination with the MERRA-2 reanalysis, from 1995 to 2022 at NASA Langley within a project supported by the NASA Applied Sciences Disasters program. Innovative aggregation methods have merged these products into daily, monthly, annual, and multi-annual composites, with hourly time bins, at ~4 km pixel spacing to enable researchers a new opportunity to study South American convective processes throughout the diurnal cycle. These products have recently become publicly available from NASA. This presentation will overview this new dataset, and novel insights into South American convection depicted by the data.

Kristopher Bedka↗

Reanalysis of Fly's Eye GLM Simulator (FEGS) Optical Pulse Detections from the 2017 GOES-R Post Launch Test (GOES-R PLT) Field Campaign

In 2017, the GOES-R PLT field campaign was conducted to validate new instruments on board GOES-16, including the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM). A NASA ER-2 high altitude aircraft was equipped with a sensor suite including FEGS and an electric field change meter (EFCM) for complementary observations of lightning. As part of a modern reanalysis, we plan to combine aircraft and ground observations from the lightning instrumentation and polarimetric Doppler radars for a more complete characterization of optical lightning measurements in the context of convective properties. This presentation focuses on our initial efforts which include a reanalysis of the FEGS multi-spectral optical waveforms using an updated pulse detection algorithm and a comparison of detected pulses with coincident EFCM and Lightning Mapping Array (LMA) data. We will present on characteristics of discharge processes including leaders, strokes, and continuing current signatures as observed by the suite of aircraft and ground-based lightning instrumentation.

T Daniel Walker↗

Quantifying Tropopause-Overshooting Volume from Satellite and Radar Observations During the DCOTSS 2021 and 2022 Campaigns

Tropopause-overshooting cloud locations, their volume, and the percentage of anvil cloud occupied by overshooting were quantified from state-of-the-art merged NEXRAD radar and GOES-16/17 satellite products during the 2021 and 2022 Dynamics and Chemistry of the Summer Stratosphere (DCOTSS) study periods. A novel method for defining and tracking large individual storms or storm outbreak objects in space and time was presented, which enabled improved understanding of the complex feature-specific biases among GOES- and GridRad-derived overshooting metrics. GOES overshooting cloud top height was estimated using a stratospheric lapse rate approach informed by GOES visible and IR measurements of shadows from OTs and calibrated based on previously observed maximum GridRad overshooting distribution. Total overshooting volumes derived over CONUS are higher for GOES than GridRad for both years, especially during 2021. Over all storm outbreak objects with observed overshooting, GOES observed higher overshooting percentages while GridRad observed relatively higher overshooting magnitudes. The greater spatial coverage of GOES overshooting, especially noticeable during the mature and dissipation stages of outbreaks due to inherent limitations of infrared satellite data which make it difficult to differentiate cold, high-altitude outflow from true updraft cores, outweighed differences in magnitude to yield higher GOES volume. Individual events, however, revealed that the higher overshooting magnitudes observed by GridRad produce higher overshooting volumes at times. Four-dimensional trajectories of tropopause-overshooting air parcels were compared 5 days after overshooting occurred to depict the envelope of convectively impacted air in the stratosphere. The generally good agreement in parcel plume area initiated from GOES and GridRad overshooting detections suggests that geostationary satellite data can be used to estimate where and how often overshooting impacts stratospheric composition in regions without a ground-based weather radar network to estimate climate impacts of overshooting convection.

Kristopher Bedka↗

Satellite Based Precipitation Estimation in Orographic Regions within the Southwestern United States

Predicting precipitation-induced landslides requires accurate estimation of orographic precipitation. Many research studies have been done to estimate orographic precipitation using measurement/estimation methods that include rain gauges, ground-based radar, satellite-based estimates, and modeling. Each method has strengths and weaknesses, but none have been able to fully resolve orographic precipitation. The Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for Global Precipitation Measurement Mission (IMERG) early run product provides precipitation estimates at a 0.1° spatial resolution, at half-hour time scales, with only a 4-hour latency. This product is currently used for the global landslide hazard assessment, but there are known issues in mountainous terrain that the IMERG algorithm has not been able to fully resolve; and the sparse gauge density in these regions makes it even more difficult. In this study, precipitation events were identified using high temporal resolution (5-15 minute) precipitation observations from rain gauges in mountainous terrain in the southwestern United States. The brightness temperature from several infrared (IR) bands from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) 16 satellite were used to estimate precipitation with a k-nearest neighbor machine learning model. Compared to IMERG, the IR estimates from GOES-16 performed better at predicting gauge-identified precipitation events. Additionally, the IR-only based estimates were able to estimate precipitation when IMERG failed to detect precipitation, false negative events. While additional analysis is needed, results indicate the need for better integration of IR observations for more accurate precipitation estimation in mountainous regions.

Jessica Sutton↗

Objectively Identifying Transverse Cirrus Bands in Tropical Cyclones using a Convolutional Neural Network

Transverse cirrus bands (TCBs) are bands of upper-level clouds regularly seen in mesoscale and synoptic-scale weather systems. In tropical cyclones, their appearance has been subjectively linked to intensification and the diurnal cycle. However, these hypothesized relationships have not been rigorously tested due to the subjective nature of TCBs in satellite images. A machine learning technique that successfully identifies TCBs objectively in imagery from the GOES-16 Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) has been developed to solve this problem. The technique uses a U-Net convolutional neural network (CNN) that assigns a probability to each pixel in an image based on the likelihood of the pixel being associated with a TCB. Using the U-Net CNN, a database of TCBs from 2019 to 2022 was developed for the Atlantic tropical cyclone basin by defining an appropriate probability threshold that defines the difference between TCB and non-TCB pixels. This threshold is where the Jaccard score, calculated using manually identified TCBs and model identified TCBs, is maximized. Statistics for TCB occurrence will also be presented, including the relationships between TCBs and storm relative motion, shear relative direction, cardinal direction, tropical cyclone intensity, tropical cyclone intensification rates, and time of day.

John Mark Mayhall↗

Using Optical Lightning Detection Data from the 2017 GOES-R Post Launch Test Field Campaign Flights as an Evaluation of Convective Processes

The primary mechanisms for thunderstorm electrification and lightning production are widely understood and allow connections between lightning intensity and occurrence to be used to derive storm strength and forecast the probability of related weather phenomena. However, these assumed relationships between lightning and convective properties were discovered primarily using ground-based lightning sensors and measurements, meaning the true depth of insight from space or air based detections is widely unexplored. In 2017, a field campaign was launched to validate the instrumentation aboard the GOES-16 satellite. It involved flying a NASA-ER2 aircraft over multiple storms across the continental US and it included the Fly’s Eye GLM Simulator (FEGS) as a proxy for the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM). Utilizing the data from this field campaign, one of the main goals of this project is to investigate how attributes of convection impact optical lightning detection and the subsequent assumptions that can be made in relation to convective dynamics and precipitation microphysics. Hydrometeor identification, 3D winds retrieval, and additional radar and LiDAR data analysis will be utilized alongside FEGS and interferometer data in order to observe these relationships. This presentation will be to lay out the initial conclusions from our analysis and to explore any new insights or contradictions within our findings.

Kaitlyn Wheeler↗

An Overview of the Design and Development of the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite R-Series (GOES-R) Space Segment

The first of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite R-series (GOES-R) satellites was launched in November 2016. GOES-R has been developed by NOAA in partnership with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The satellite represents a quantum leap in the state of the art for geostationary weather satellites by providing data from a suite of six new instruments. All instruments were developed expressly for this mission, and include two Earth-observing instruments (the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) and Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM)), two solar-viewing instruments (Solar Ultraviolet Imager (SUVI) and Extreme ultraviolet and X-ray Irradiance Sensors (EXIS)) and two in situ instruments (Space Environment In-Situ Suite (SEISS) and a magnetometer pair). In addition to hosting the instruments, GOES-R also accommodates several communication packages designed to collect and relay data for weather forecasting and emergency management. Accommodating the six instruments and four communication payloads imposed challenging and competing constraints on the satellite, including requirements for extremely stable earth and solar pointing, high-speed and nearly error-free instrument data transmission, and a very quiet electromagnetic background. To meet mission needs, GOES-R employed several technological innovations, including low-thrust rocket engines that allow instrument observations to continue during maneuvers, and the first civilian use of Global Positioning System-based orbit determination in geostationary orbit. This paper will provide a brief overview of the GOES-R satellite and its instruments as well as the developmental challenges involved in accommodating the instruments and communications payloads.

SUVI↗

An Overview of the Design and Development of the GOES R-Series Space Segment

The first of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite R-series (GOES-R) satellites was launched in November 2016. GOES-R has been developed by NOAA in partnership with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The satellite represents a quantum leap in the state of the art for geostationary weather satellites by providing data from a suite of six new instruments. All instruments were developed expressly for this mission, and include two Earth-observing instruments (the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) and Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM)), two solar-viewing instruments (Solar Ultraviolet Imager (SUVI) and Extreme ultraviolet and X-ray Irradiance Sensors (EXIS)) and two in situ instruments (Space Environment In-Situ Suite (SEISS) and a magnetometer pair). In addition to hosting the instruments, GOES-R also accommodates several communication packages designed to collect and relay data for weather forecasting and emergency management. Accommodating the six instruments and four communication payloads imposed challenging and competing constraints on the satellite, including requirements for extremely stable earth and solar pointing, high-speed and nearly error-free instrument data transmission, and a very quiet electromagnetic background. To meet mission needs, GOES-R employed several technological innovations, including low-thrust rocket engines that allow instrument observations to continue during maneuvers, and the first civilian use of Global Positioning System-based orbit determination in geostationary orbit. This paper will provide a brief overview of the GOES-R satellite and its instruments as well as the developmental challenges involved in accommodating the instruments and communications payloads.

GOES-16↗

Examining Sub-Flash Properties of Lightning from GLM for Tracking and Intensification Characterization of Thunderstorms

Current methodologies for operational use of lightning are developed using ground-based networks. Lightning detectors measure different characteristics of the flash, thus they don't observe the same lightning event in the same manner: i.e., flash rates from NDLN (National Lightning Detection Network (R)) will typically not match flash rates from GLM (Geostationary Lightning Mapper) because each sensor is measuring different characteristics (EM (Electromagnetic) radiation vs. optical). Resolution/timeliness of space-based sensor data will change our "rules of thumb" for operational use: Lightning safety - how does the 2D mapping of lightning enhance lightning safety metrics; Is the super-fast input of data (20s) useful for decision-makers, including (non-AWIPS (Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System) -users) non-mets?

lightning jump↗

GOES-R Spacecraft Verification and Validation Compared with Flight Results

The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, R-Series (GOES-R) represents a dramatic improvement in GEO (Geostationary Earth Orbit) weather observation capabilities over the previous generation. To provide these new capabilities, GOES-R incorporates a number of new technologies flying for the first time. As with any new spacecraft design, extensive ground testing was performed to validate the vehicle performance. In this paper, we present several successes and several lessons-learned from the GOES-R verification and validation (V&V) efforts. Included are the Dynamic Interaction Test (DIT) results for jitter assessment, and comparison to flight results. Also included are the effects of thermally-induced alignment perturbations, along with post-launch mitigations. Finally, we discuss unexpected GOES-17 gyro performance, which caused a Safe Mode entry shortly after launch. V&V mitigations are presented, which will be used for the next two GOES-R vehicles.

GOES-17↗