On-orbit calibration of the Suomi National Polar-Orbiting Partnership Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite for ocean color applications.

The NASA Ocean Biology Processing Group (OBPG) developed two independent calibrations of the Suomi National Polar-Orbiting Partnership (SNPP) Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) moderate resolution reflective solar bands using solar diffuser measurements and lunar observations, and implemented a combined solar- and lunar-based calibration to track temporal changes in radiometric response of the instrument. Differences between the solar and lunar data sets have been used to identify issues and verify improvements in each. Linearization of the counts-to-radiance conversion yields a more consistent calibration at low radiance levels. Correction of a recently identified error in the VIIRS solar unit vector coordinate frame has been incorporated into the solar data and diffuser screen transmission functions. Temporal trends in the solar diffuser stability monitor data have been evaluated and addressed. Fits to the solar calibration time series show mean residuals per band of 0.067%-0.17%. Periodic residuals in the VIIRS lunar data are confirmed to arise from a wavelength-dependent libration effect for the sub-spacecraft point in the output of the U.S. Geological Survey Robotic Lunar Observatory photometric model of the Moon. Temporal variations in the relative spectral responses for each band have been assessed, and significant impact on band M1 (412 nm) lunar data has been identified and rectified. Fits to the lunar calibration time series, incorporating sub-spacecraft point libration corrections, show mean residuals per band of 0.069%-0.20%. Lunar calibrations have been used to adjust the solar-derived radiometric corrections for bands M1, M3, and M4. After all corrections, the relative differences in the solar and lunar calibrations for bands M1-M7 are 0.093%-0.22%. The OBPG has achieved a radiometric stability for the VIIRS on-orbit calibration that is commensurate with those achieved for SeaWiFS and Aqua MODIS, supporting the incorporation of VIIRS data into the long-term NASA ocean color data record.

On-orbit calibration of SeaWiFS.

Ocean color climate data records (CDRs) require water-leaving radiances with 5% absolute and 1% relative accuracies as input. Because of the amplification of any sensor calibration errors by the atmospheric correction, the 1% relative accuracy requirement translates into a 0.1% long-term radiometric stability requirement for top-of-the-atmosphere (TOA) radiances. The rigorous prelaunch and on-orbit calibration program developed and implemented for Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) by the NASA Ocean Biology Processing Group (OBPG) has led to the incorporation of significant changes into the on-orbit calibration methodology over the 13-year lifetime of the instrument. Evolving instrument performance and ongoing algorithm refinement have resulted in updates to approaches for the lunar, solar, and vicarious calibration of SeaWiFS. The uncertainties in the calibrated TOA radiances are addressed in terms of accuracy (biases in the measurements), precision (scatter in the measurements), and stability (repeatability of the measurements). The biases are 2%-3% from lunar calibration and 1%-2% from vicarious calibration. The precision is 0.16% from solar signal-to-noise ratios, 0.13% from lunar residuals, and 0.10% from vicarious gains. The long-term stability of the TOA radiances, derived from the lunar time series, is 0.13%. The stability of the vicariously calibrated TOA radiances, incorporating the uncertainties of the in situ measurements and the atmospheric correction, is 0.30%. This stability of the radiometric calibration of SeaWiFS over its 13-year on-orbit lifetime has allowed the OBPG to produce CDRs from the ocean color data set.

Cross calibration of SeaWiFS and MODIS using on-orbit observations of the Moon.

Observations of the Moon provide a primary technique for the on-orbit cross calibration of Earth remote sensing instruments. Monthly lunar observations are major components of the on-orbit calibration strategies of SeaWiFS and MODIS. SeaWiFS has collected more than 132 low phase angle and 59 high phase angle lunar observations over 12 years, Terra MODIS has collected more than 82 scheduled and 297 unscheduled lunar observations over nine years, and Aqua MODIS has collected more than 61 scheduled and 171 unscheduled lunar observations over seven years. The NASA Ocean Biology Processing Group Calibration and Validation Team and the NASA MODIS Characterization Support Team use the USGS RObotic Lunar Observatory (ROLO) photometric model of the Moon to compare these time series of lunar observations over time and varying observing geometries. The cross-calibration results show that Terra MODIS and Aqua MODIS agree, band to band, at the 1%-3% level, while SeaWiFS and either MODIS instrument agree at the 3%-8% level. The combined uncertainties of these comparisons are 1.3% for Terra and Aqua MODIS, 1.4% for SeaWiFS and Terra MODIS, and 1.3% for SeaWiFS and Aqua MODIS. Any residual phase dependence in the ROLO model, based on these observations, is less than 1.7% over the phase angle range of -80° to -6° and +5° to +82°. The lunar cross calibration of SeaWiFS, Terra MODIS, and Aqua MODIS is consistent with the vicarious calibration of ocean color products for these instruments, with the vicarious gains mitigating the calibration biases for the ocean color bands.

Point-spread function of the ocean color bands of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer on Aqua.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua platform has nine spectral bands with center wavelengths from 412 to 870 nm that are used to produce the standard ocean color data products. Ocean scenes usually contain high contrast due to the presence of bright clouds over dark water. About half of the MODIS Aqua ocean pixels are flagged as spatial stray light contaminated. The MODIS has been characterized for stray light effects prelaunch. In this paper, we derive point-spread functions for the MODIS Aqua ocean bands based on prelaunch line-spread function measurements. The stray light contamination of ocean scenes is evaluated based on artificial test scenes and on-orbit data.

Cross calibration of ocean-color bands from moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer on Terra platform.

Ocean-color applications require maximum uncertainties in blue-wavelength water-leaving radiances in oligotrophic ocean of approximately 5%. Water-leaving radiances from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite, however, exhibit temporal drift of the order of 15% as well as sensor changes in response versus scan and polarization sensitivity, which cannot be tracked by onboard calibrators. This paper introduces an instrument characterization approach that uses Earth-view data as a calibration source. The approach models the top of the atmosphere signal over ocean that the instrument is expected to measure, including its polarization, with water-leaving radiances coming from another well-calibrated global sensor. The cross calibration allows for significant improvement in derived MODIS-Terra ocean-color products, with largest changes in the blue wavelengths.

SeaWiFS on-orbit gain and detector calibrations: effect on ocean products.

The NASA Ocean Biology Processing Group's Calibration and Validation Team has analyzed the mission-long Sea-Viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor (SeaWiFS) on-orbit gain and detector calibration time series to verify that lunar calibrations, obtained at nonstandard gains and radiance ranges, are valid for Earth data collected at standard gains and typical ocean, cloud, and land radiances. For gain calibrations, a constant voltage injected into the postdetector electronics allows gain ratios to be computed for all four detectors in each band. The on-orbit lunar gain ratio time series show small drifts for the near infrared bands. These drifts are propagated into the ocean color data through the atmospheric correction parameter epsilon, which uses the 765/865 nm band ratio. An anomaly analysis of global mean normalized water-leaving radiances at 510 nm shows a small decrease over the mission, while an analysis of epsilon shows a corresponding increase. The drifts in the lunar time series for the 765 and 865 nm bands were corrected. An analysis of the revised water-leaving radiances at 510 nm shows the drift has been eliminated, while an analysis of epsilon shows a reduced drift. For detector calibrations, solar diffuser observations made by the individual detectors in each band allows the response of the detectors to be monitored separately. The mission-long time series of detector calibration data show that the variations in the response of the individual detectors are less than 0.5% over the mission for all bands except the 865 nm band, where the variations are less than 1%.

Moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer ocean color polarization correction.

The polarization correction for the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments on the Terra and Aqua satellites is described. The focus is on the prelaunch polarization characterization and on the derivation of polarization correction coefficients for the processing of ocean color data. The effect of the polarization correction is demonstrated. The radiances at the top of the atmosphere need to be corrected by as much as 3.2% in the 412 nm band. The effect on the water-leaving radiances can exceed 50%. The polarization correction produces good agreement of the MODIS Aqua water-leaving radiance time series with data from another, independent satellite-based ocean color sensor, the Sea-Viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor (SeaWiFS).

Comparison of SeaWiFS measurements of the Moon with the U.S. Geological Survey lunar model.

The Sea-Viewing Wide-Field-of-View Sensor (SeaWiFS) has made monthly observations of the Moon since 1997. Using 66 monthly measurements, the SeaWiFS calibration team has developed a correction for the instrument's on-orbit response changes. Concurrently, a lunar irradiance model has been developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) from extensive Earth-based observations of the Moon. The lunar irradiances measured by SeaWiFS are compared with the USGS model. The comparison shows essentially identical response histories for SeaWiFS, with differences from the model of less than 0.05% per thousand days in the long-term trends. From the SeaWiFS experience we have learned that it is important to view the entire lunar image at a constant phase angle from measurement to measurement and to understand, as best as possible, the size of each lunar image. However, a constant phase angle is not required for using the USGS model. With a long-term satellite lunar data set it is possible to determine instrument changes at a quality level approximating that from the USGS lunar model. However, early in a mission, when the dependence on factors such as phase and libration cannot be adequately determined from satellite measurements alone, the USGS model is critical to an understanding of trends in instruments that use the Moon for calibration. This is the case for SeaWiFS.