Investigating the Effects of Variable Water Type for VIIRS Calibration

Jennifer Bowers1, Sherwin Ladner2, Paul Martinolich3, Robert Arnone4, Adam Lawson2, Richard L Crout5 and Ryan Anthony Vandermeulen6, (1)NRL, Slidell, LA, United States, (2)Naval Research Laboratory, Stennis Space Center, MS, United States, (3)Vencore, Inc., Stennis Space Center, MS, United States, (4)The University of Southern Mississippi, Division of Marine Science, Stennis Space Center, MS, United States, (5)Naval Research Lab Stennis Space Center, Oceanography, Stennis Space Center, MS, United States, (6)NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/SSAI, Ocean Ecology Laboratory, Greenbelt, MD, United States
Abstract:
The Naval Research Laboratory – Stennis Space Center (NRL-SSC) currently provides calibration and validation support for the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) satellite ocean color products. NRL-SSC utilizes the NASA Ocean Biology Processing Group (OBPG) methodology for on-orbit vicarious calibration with in situ data collected in blue ocean water by the Marine Optical Buoy (MOBY). An acceptable calibration consists of 20-40 satellite to in situ matchups that establish the radiance correlation at specific points within the operating range of the VIIRS instrument. While the current method improves the VIIRS performance, the MOBY data alone does not represent the full range of radiance values seen in the coastal oceans. However, by utilizing data from the AERONET-OC coastal sites we expand our calibration matchups to cover a more realistic range of continuous values particularly in the green and red spectral regions of the sensor. Improved calibration will provide more accurate data to support daily operations and enable construction of valid climatology for future reference.
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