The Production and Operational Use of Day-Night Band Imagery in Alaska

Abstract:

As part of the High Latitude Proving Ground, the Geographic Information Network of Alaska (GINA) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) receives data from the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP) satellite via direct broadcast antennas in Fairbanks, including data from the SNPP’s Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument. These data are processed by GINA, and the resulting imagery is delivered in near real-time to the National Weather Service (NWS) in Alaska for use in weather analysis and forecasting. The VIIRS’ Day-Night Band (DNB) produces what is functionally visible imagery at night and has been used extensively by operational meteorologists in Alaska, especially during the prolonged darkness of the arctic winter.

The DNB has proven to be a powerful tool when combined with other observational and model data sets and has offered NWS meteorologists a more complete picture of weather processes in a region where coverage from surface-based observations is generally poor. Thanks to its high latitude, Alaska benefits from much more frequent coverage in time by polar orbiting satellites such as SNPP and its DNB channel. Also, the sparse population of Alaska and the vast stretches of ocean that surround Alaska on three sides allow meteorological and topographical signatures to be detected by the DNB with minimal interference from anthropogenic sources of light. Examples of how the DNB contributes to the NWS’ forecast process in Alaska will be presented and discussed.