NOAA-AVHRR
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| NOAA-AVHRR | |
|---|---|
| Name | AVHRR |
| Mission type | Meteorological remote sensing |
| Operator | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |
| Manufacturer | Fairchild Hiller, Raytheon Technologies, ITT Corporation |
| Launch mass | 165 kg (typical) |
| Power | solar panels |
| Orbit | Sun-synchronous low Earth orbit |
| Instrument | Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer |
| First launch | 1978 |
| Status | operational / legacy |
NOAA-AVHRR is the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer series of spaceborne imaging instruments carried by polar-orbiting NOAA-16, NOAA-17, NOAA-18, NOAA-19, NOAA-15 and earlier TIROS-N-series satellites operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The AVHRR program provides multispectral visible and infrared observations supporting United States Department of Commerce priorities and international initiatives such as the World Meteorological Organization and the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites. It is a foundational sensor for climate monitoring, operational meteorology, and environmental remote sensing used by agencies including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, European Space Agency, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and research centers in United Kingdom, Germany, France, India, and Australia.
Overview
AVHRR is a cross-track scanning radiometer designed to deliver global coverage from Sun-synchronous polar orbits flown by NOAA polar platforms derived from the TIROS-N family and successor programs. The instrument’s multispectral imaging capabilities informed programs such as Global Precipitation Measurement, International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project, Global Land Surface Satellite, and operational systems at the National Centers for Environmental Prediction and Met Office. The AVHRR time series is critical to long-term datasets used by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessments, studies by the National Science Foundation, and national climate services worldwide.
Instrument Design and Specifications
AVHRR is a four- to six-channel cross-track scanning radiometer with spacecraft stabilization and thermally controlled optics developed by contractors including Fairchild Hiller, Raytheon, and ITT. Typical spectral channels include visible, near-infrared, and thermal-infrared bands enabling sea-surface temperature retrievals and cloud-mask algorithms used by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration operations. Spatial resolution at nadir is approximately 1.1 km with a swath width of ~2600 km, facilitating twice-daily global coverage from Sun-synchronous orbits similar to Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite configurations. Onboard electronics integrate calibration targets and blackbody references reminiscent of heritage instruments on Nimbus and Landsat missions.
Data Products and Processing
AVHRR delivers raw radiances, calibrated radiance products, and higher-level derived products such as sea-surface temperature, normalized difference vegetation index, cloud properties, and albedo. Processing chains implemented at the NOAA Satellite and Information Service, European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites, and national centers apply instrument calibration, atmospheric correction, geolocation, and compositing used by Global Climate Observing System datasets. Archived time series have been reprocessed by projects at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison, NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, and universities contributing to climate reanalysis efforts like ERA5 and MERRA-2.
Satellite Platforms and Mission History
AVHRR was first flown aboard NOAA-7 and subsequent TIROS-N-derived platforms including NOAA-9, NOAA-11, NOAA-14, NOAA-15, NOAA-16, NOAA-17, NOAA-18, and NOAA-19. These missions operated alongside other polar and geostationary programs such as Suomi NPP, MetOp-A, GOES, and earlier demonstrators like Nimbus-7. The program’s longevity enabled multi-decadal records leveraged by international consortia including the International TOPEX/Poseidon community and partnerships with NOAA Cooperative Institutes and national meteorological services in Canada, Brazil, China, and South Africa.
Applications and Scientific Uses
AVHRR-derived products support operational forecasting at National Weather Service, agricultural monitoring at ministries such as United States Department of Agriculture, and disaster response coordinated with Federal Emergency Management Agency and United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Scientific uses include climate trend detection in studies by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change authors, sea-ice mapping for expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic by researchers affiliated with British Antarctic Survey and Norwegian Polar Institute, and ecosystem monitoring by teams at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the Smithsonian Institution. The instrument underpins global land-cover mapping efforts tied to Global Land Cover Facility and supports fisheries management through collaborations with Food and Agriculture Organization programs.
Calibration, Validation, and Performance
Calibration strategies combine onboard blackbody views, solar diffuser references, and vicarious approaches using reference sites monitored by Marine Atmospheric Radiation Measurement campaigns and networks such as AERONET. Validation exercises involve agencies like NOAA, NASA, European Space Agency, and national met services conducting ship, buoy, and ground-based campaigns coordinated with field programs including Atlantic Stratocumulus Transition Experiment and Arctic observatories operated by Alfred Wegener Institute. Long-term performance assessments address sensor degradation, inter-satellite biases, and cross-calibration with instruments on MetOp, Suomi NPP, and Terra for continuity with radiometers such as MODIS.
Limitations and Future Developments
Limitations of AVHRR include coarse channel selection relative to hyperspectral sounders, calibration drift over decades, and geolocation uncertainties compared with modern instruments on Sentinel-3 and VIIRS on Suomi NPP. Future developments emphasize cross-calibrated climate data records, fusion with hyperspectral and microwave sensors from Copernicus, JPSS, and commercial constellations, and algorithmic advances at institutions like NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and NOAA Central Library. International efforts by Committee on Earth Observation Satellites and climate panels aim to preserve AVHRR legacy continuity while transitioning to newer instruments supported by partnerships with European Commission programs and national space agencies such as Roscosmos and China National Space Administration.