Hide description 
Top of page
The GOES-10 Sounder (located at approx. 60W) data are displayed each hour
for a few select representative infrared spectral bands. For display, these
images from GOES-10 have been re-mapped to a common projection (mercator)
at an effective resolution of 20 km; the nominal resolution of a field-of-view
at the sub-satellite point for a GOES Sounder is 10 km. The color scheme,
from warm reds to cool blues, is maintained for each band, but the range
enhanced does vary with band (to emphasize gradients in each). Note the
equivalent blackbody temperature scale at the bottom of each image. The
current band selection follows:
Band
Number |
Wavelength
(um) |
Principal
Gas |
Sounding
Purpose |
| 3 |
14.1 |
CO2 |
upper-level temperature |
| 5 |
13.4 |
CO2 |
lower-level temperature |
| 8 |
11.0 |
window |
surface/cloud top temperature |
| 10 |
7.5 |
H2O |
lower-level moisture |
| 11 |
7.0 |
H2O |
midlevel moisture |
| 12 |
6.5 |
H2O |
upper-level moisture |
| 15 |
4.45 |
CO2 |
upper-level temperature |
| 17 |
4.0 |
window |
surface temperature |
Note the following characteristics while comparing the different bands.
Window bands 8 and 17 have the same color enhancement applied; band 17
is more transparent, but is also sensitive to reflected solar radiation
(contributing energy during the daytime). Windows range widely from warm
surface values to cold cloud tops. Bands 3 and 12 both sense upper portions
of the troposphere; note the smaller range of temperatures. Band 3 is sensitive
to the thermal energy of that region, while band 12 is sensitive to the
moisture content as well. Thus, in band 3, look for the large scale thermal
pattern (cool troughs and warm ridges); in band 12, look for moist ("cool")
plumes and dry ("warm") slots, often clearly indicative of dynamic
features ranging from jet streams to mesoscale vorticity circulations.
Note that band 11 provides a look at moisture at levels lower in the atmosphere
than that from band 12 (temperature values are warmer in band 11, in agreement
with the general lapse of temperature with height in the troposphere).
Also notice how "clean" the radiometric signal is from band 11
(versus the noisier bands 3 or 12). Of all the water vapor channels, band
10 is influenced the most by radiation emitted from the surface. Band 15
has been included for monitoring purposes, with respect to the appropriateness
of radiometric coefficients applied to the specific GOES Sounder instruments
(especially historically with GOES-8); otherwise, band 15 is similar to
band 3, but is within the shortwave rather than longwave CO2 absorption
region.