![\"GOES-16](\"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2017\/03\/G16_G13_SWIR_SC_FIRE_19MAR2017_958x638_B72_00065_2017078_154658_154500_0002PANELS.GIF\")
<\/a>GOES-16 Shortwave Infrared (3.9 \u00b5m, left) and GOES-13 Shortwave Infrared (3.9 \u00b5m, right) images [click to play MP4 animation]<\/p><\/div>** The GOES-16 data posted on this page are preliminary, non-operational data and are undergoing testing. **<\/em><\/p>\n The ABI<\/strong><\/a> instrument on GOES-16 is able to scan 2 Mesoscale Sectors<\/strong><\/a>, each of which provides images at 1-minute intervals. For what was likely a prescribed burn in the Francis Marion National Forest (near the coast of South Carolina) on 19 March 2017<\/strong><\/a>, a comparison of 1 minute Mesoscale Sector GOES-16 and 15-30 minute Routine Scan GOES-13 Shortwave Infrared (3.9 \u00b5m<\/strong><\/a>) images (above; <\/strong>also available as a 50 Mbyte animated GIF<\/a>)<\/strong><\/em> demonstrated the clear advantage of 1-minute imagery in terms of monitoring the short-term intensity fluctuations that are often exhibited by fire activity. In this case,\u00a0 the intensity of the fire began to increase during 15:15-15:45 UTC — a time period when there was a 30-minute gap in routine scan imagery from GOES-13. The GOES-16 shortwave infrared brightness temperature then became very hot (red enhancement)<\/em> beginning at 15:46:58 UTC, which again was not captured by GOES-13 — even on the 16:00 UTC and later images (however, this might be due to the more coarse 4-km spatial resolution of GOES-13, compared to the 2-km resolution of the shortwave infrared band on GOES-16). Similar short-term intensity fluctuations of a smaller fire (burning just to the southwest) were not adequately captured by GOES-13.<\/p>\n The corresponding GOES-16 vs GOES-13 Visible image comparison (below; <\/strong>also available as a 72 Mbyte animated GIF<\/a>)<\/strong><\/em> also showed the advantage of 1-minute scans, along with the improved 0.5-km spatial resolution of the 0.64 \u00b5m<\/strong><\/a> spectral band on GOES-16 (which allowed brief pulses of pyrocumulus clouds to be seen developing over the fire source region).<\/p>\n GOES-16 Visible (0.64 \u00b5m, left) and GOES-13 Visible (0.63 \u00b5m, right) images [click to play MP4 animation]<\/p><\/div>\u00a0The rapid south-southeastward spread of the smoke plume could also be seen on true-color Red\/Green\/Blue (RGB) images from Terra\/Aqua MODIS and Suomi NPP VIIRS, as viewed using RealEarth<\/strong><\/a> (below)<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n![\"GOES-16](\"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2017\/03\/G16_G13_VIS_SC_FIRE_19MAR2017_958x638_B21_00186_2017078_175558_174500_0002PANELS.GIF\")
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![\"Terra](\"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2017\/03\/170319_modis_viirs_truecolor_SC_fire_anim.gif\")
<\/a>![animated GIF<\/a>)<\/strong><\/em> also showed the advantage of 1-minute scans, along with the improved 0.5-km spatial resolution of the](\"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2017\/03\/170319_goes16_goes13_visible_SC_fire_anim.gif\"){kind=link}