Radiometric calibration accuracy and stability of GOES-16 ABI Infrared radiance

Abstract The Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) is the primary instrument onboard NOAA’s current generation of Geostationary Operational Environment Satellites R-series (GOES-R) satellites, measuring the reflected and emitted energy from the Earth. It consists of 16 channels, 10 in the thermal infrared (IR) and 6 in the solar reflective spectrum. Being the first in the GOES-R series satellites, GOES-16 was launched on November 19, 2016, and became operational as GOES-East at 75.2°W since December 18, 2017. We examine the radiometric calibration accuracy and stability of GOES-16 ABI IR radiance since its first light in January 2017, including the effects of two major updates of the GOES-R Ground Segment processing for the IR channels in October 2017, and June 2018. Using measurements by multiple hyperspectral radiometers from low Earth orbit satellites as references, it is found that, when converted to scene brightness temperature of 300 K, the calibrated ABI IR radiance is accurate within 0.13 K for Ch16 (13.3  μm), within 0.06 K for channel 12 (9.6  μm), and within 0.05 K for the other IR channels. This is an order of magnitude better than the requirement of 1 K. Since June, 2018, the radiometric calibration of GOES-16 ABI IR channels has been temporally stable, spatially uniform within the ABI full-disk field of view, absent of diurnal and seasonal variations, and invariant within various timelines. Other than short term disruptions as noted in the Calibration Event Log, GOES-16 ABI IR Level 1b products since June 19, 2018, is a reliable reference for satellite intercomparison or intercalibration studies.