Ten Years of SNPP VIIRS Reflective Solar Bands On-Orbit Calibration and Performance

Abstract

The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) onboard the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP) has successfully operated on-orbit for nearly ten years since its launch in October 2011, continuously making global observations and improving studies of changes in the Earth’s climate and environment. VIIRS has 22 spectral bands, among which 14 are reflective solar bands (RSBs) covering a spectral range from 0.41 to 2.25 μm. The SNPP VIIRS RSBs are primarily calibrated by the onboard solar diffuser (SD), with its on-orbit degradation tracked by an onboard SD stability monitor (SDSM). The near-monthly scheduled lunar observations, together with the sensor responses over stable ground targets, have contributed to the sensor’s mission-long on-orbit calibration and characterization. Numerous improvements have been made in the RSB calibration methodology since SNPP VIIRS was launched, and the RSB calibration has reached a mature stage after almost ten years of on-orbit operation. SNPP is a joint NASA/NOAA mission and there are two teams, the NASA VIIRS Calibration Support Team (VCST) and the NOAA VIIRS Sensor Data Record Team, which are dedicated to SNPP VIIRS on-orbit calibration. In this paper, we focus on the calibration performed by the NASA VCST. The SNPP VIIRS RSB calibration methodologies used to produce the calibration coefficient look up tables for the latest NASA Level 1B Collection 2 products are reviewed and the calibration improvements incorporated in this collection are described. Recent calibration changes include the removal of image striping caused by non-uniform degradation of the SD, improvements to the method for combining lunar and SD data, mitigation of the effects due a recent anomaly in the SD measurements, estimation of the SD degradation beyond 935 nm, and fitting strategy improvements for look-up table delivery. Overall, the SNPP VIIRS RSBs have performed well since its launch and continue to meet design specifications.