Home PageQuick LookBulletinsTIROS-N, TIROS-ATN Calibration
NOAA-L (NOAA-16) and NOAA-K (NOAA-15) Calibration coefficients. Beginning with NOAA-15, calibration
coefficients will be issued as amendments to the "NOAA-KLM User's Guide"
rather than amendments to the now obsolete Technical Memorandum 107 (see note at the
bottom of this page). Calibration coefficients will be included in Appendix D of the "User's
Guide". Also see Section
7, "Calibration of NOAA KLM Instruments." Additional steps are required for
calibration of NOAA-15 AMSU instrument data, and are contained in the paragraphs below.
NOAA-15 AMSU-A, AMSU-B Calibration.
Before attempting to calibrate NOAA-15 AMSU instrument data, users should refer to the
general discussion of calibration of these instruments contained in Section 7.3 of the "NOAA-KLM
User's Guide."
Since the launch of NOAA-15, the AMSU-B instrument has been subject to varying biases produced by radio frequency interference from defective L-band HRPT transmission antennas. The varying biases were stabilized when use of the interfering antennas was discontinued on 28 September 1999. To determine the effect these biases have on AMSU-B data before and after this date, it is absolutely essential to consult Appendix-M of the "User's Guide" before attempting to calibrate the data.
As a result of the radio frequency interference, AMSU calibration
coefficients have changed over time. Only a limited, incomplete set of these coefficients
is contained in Appendix-D of the "User's Guide." Appendix-M advises
users of the direct readout AMSU data to get small AMSU-A and -B Level 1b data sets, as
the calibration information is contained within the Header Record of these data sets. NOAA
is not providing these calibration coefficients to direct readout users in any other
manner, at this time. Calibration parameters are contained in the Calibration Parameter
Input Data Set (CIPIDS) that NOAA uses to process the Level 1b AMSU data. The date of the
last CIPIDS update is contained in the Header Record. The location of all parameters
within the Level 1b data sets can be found in Chapter 8, particularly Section
3 of the "User's Guide." Examination of the Header Records
will show that calibration information begins at octet 209 for AMSU-A data, and octet 193
for AMSU-B data.
Level 1b AMSU data sets can be ordered at the NOAA Satellite Active Archive. There is
no charge for small data sets. Once your ordered data set is processed, you retrieve it
from the SAA ftp download site. (Note: Users may also want to refer to the products web site, AMSU Retrievals for Climate Applications)
NOAA-14 Calibration Coefficients (Amendments to NOAA Technical Memorandum
107 Appendix-B) for AVHRR or MSU/HIRS/SSU
instruments
NOAA-14 visible channels 1 and 2 monthly updated coefficients beginning November 1996. NOTE: Visible channel updates are only available for NOAA-14.
NOAA-12 Calibration Coefficients (Amendments to NOAA Technical Memorandum 107 Appendix-B)
NOAA-12 correction to Appendix-B calibration Correction to original printed version of coefficients.
Amendments to NOAA Technical Memorandum 107 Appendix-B for NOAA-11 (Calibration coefficients)
NOAA-9,11 correction to Appendix-B calibration
GOES-8, GOES-10 Calibration
GOES Calibration. Conversion of
GVAR data to scene radiance or temperature (revised July 1998 for GOES-10). GOES-10 conversion and calibration.
Graphs showing the square-root relationship between digital brightness counts and albedo in the visible channel, and the bilinear relationship between counts and brightness temperature in the infrared channel 4. (Provided by NESDIS/ORA Forecast Products Development Team 1)
Complete information on GOES calibration can be found at the revised Office of Satellite Operations web site.
Operational METEOSAT-7 Calibration
Temperature-to-Radiance Conversion IR and Water Vapor Channels
from EUMETSAT.
Additional Information
--
Normalized spectral response tables
and plots for NOAA TIROS, GOES, METEOSAT, GMS and INSAT from the International
Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP). ISCCP calibration coefficient tables and
documentation are also available at this site.
--
Sensitivity of
the GOES Imager Infrared Channels. A short discussion of the relationship between
GOES IR channel counts and temperature by Stan Kidder.
--
Discussion and examples of POES Calibration Control
Monitoring for the AVHRR, HIRS, MSU and SSU instruments, from the Ingest Systems
Branch.
--
NOAA Technical Memorandum NESS 107: Data Extraction and Calibration of TIROS-N/NOAA
Radiometers (Revised October 1988) is no longer in general distribution since its
printing in 1988. During the past 9 years, multiple copies have been distributed to most
government weather bureaus and their satellite operations divisions, associated libraries,
government and private remote sensing organizations, and university atmospheric science
departments engaged in satellite data utilization. NESS 107 has not been updated since
1988, except for the periodic issuance of Amendments to Appendix-B which contain the
calibration coefficients for NOAA polar orbiting satellites launched since 1988. Persons
needing access to NESS 107 should contact any of the above mentioned organizations that
have received this publication. NESS 107 does not currently exist in electronic form and
is not available on the internet. NESS 107 is now obsolete and has been superseded
by the "NOAA KLM User's Guide" which contains a complete revision of the
discussion of calibration of instruments flown on NOAA spacecraft. This guide is available
electronically. Users needing calibration information previously contained in NESS 107
should consult Section 7
and Appendix K of the User's
Guide.
Revised: 7 June 2001
