Channel 1: “The 0.47 micrometer (µm), or “blue” band, one of the two visible bands on the ABI, provides data for monitoring aerosols. The geostationary 0.47 µm band provides nearly continuous daytime observations of dust, haze, smoke, and clouds. Measurements of aerosol optical depths (AOD) will help air quality monitoring and tracking, respectively. This blue band, combined with a “green” band and a “red” band (0.64 µm), can provide “simulated natural color” imagery of the Earth. The 0.47 µm band is also useful for air pollution studies and improving numerous products that rely on clear-sky radiances (such as land and sea surface products). (Source: Schmit et al., 2005 in BAMS and the ABI Weather Event Simulator (WES) Guide by CIMSS.)”

GOES-16 Channel 1 “Blue Band” and Geostationary Lightning Mapper view of Hurricane Harvey from 25 August 2017.
​Credit: CIMMS

Channel 2: “The second ABI visible band is the 0.6 micrometer (μm) (or “red” band). During the daytime, it assists in the detection of fog, the estimation of solar insolation and the depiction of various day-time aspects of clouds. It is called the red band because the center frequency of this band is near the red part of the visible spectrum. The 0.6 μm visible band is also used for daytime snow and ice cover, detection of severe weather, low-level cloud-drift winds, smoke, volcanic ash, hurricane analysis, and winter storm analysis. Since there is no ”green” ABI band on the GOES-16 satellite imagery, this band will be approximated from other spectral bands for use in generating “true color” imagery. (Source: Schmit et al., 2005 in BAMS, Miller et al. 2012 and the ABI Weather Event Simulator (WES) Guide by CIMSS.)”

GOES-16 Channel 2 “Red Band” view of Deep Convective Storms firing along a cold front slowly moving south through central and southern Florida on 6 April 2017.
​Credit: Satellite Liaison Blog

Channel 3: “The 0.86 micrometer (μm) band (a near-infrared or “reflective” band), along with the 0.64 μm (“red”) ABI Band 2, is used for detecting daytime clouds, fog, and aerosols and for calculating a normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), hence its nickname the “vegetation” (or “veggie”) band. The lone current GOES visible channel does not effectively delineate burn scars. Thus, this ABI band has potential for detecting forest regrowth patterns, etc. The 0.86 μm band can be used in assessing land characteristics when determining fire and flood potential. For example, following significant fire damage, water is more likely to run off, and less likely to be absorbed into the soil surface, hence decreasing the amount of rain needed to produce flooding, dangerous landslides, and debris flows. (Source: Schmit et al., 2005 in BAMS, Miller et al. 2012 and the ABI Weather Event Simulator (WES) Guide by CIMSS.)”

GOES-16 Channel 3 “Reflective Band” view of passing sunglint which revealed ambient ocean currents around the Galapagos Islands on 10 January 2018.
Credit: CIRA-RAMMB

Channel 4: “The “cirrus” near-infrared band at 1.37 micrometer (μm) detects very thin cirrus clouds during the day. However, it does not routinely sense the lower troposphere, where there is substantial water vapor, and thus provides excellent daytime sensitivity to high, very thin cirrus under most circumstances, especially in warm, moist atmospheres. Correction for the presence of aircraft contrails and thin cirrus, which are possible with this band, is important when estimating many surface parameters. Hence, this band can be used to distinguish between low and high clouds or other bright objects and high clouds. (Source: Schmit et al., 2005 in BAMS, and the ABI Weather Event Simulator (WES) Guide by CIMSS.)”

GOES-16 Channel 4 “Cirrus” Near-Infrared Band view of a tropical wave developing to the east of the Leeward Islands on 6 July 2017.
Credit: CIMMS

Channel 5: “In conjunction with other bands, the 1.6 micrometer (µm), or “snow/ice” band is used for daytime cloud, snow, and ice discrimination, total cloud cover estimation, cloud-top phase, and smoke detection from fires with low burn rates. The 1.6 µm band takes advantage of the relatively large difference between the refraction components of water and ice. This makes daytime water/ice cloud delineation possible, which is very useful for aircraft routing. This band on MODIS and VIIRS has also been used to highlight areas that previously experienced freezing rain, even when on top of snow. At night, in lieu of solar reflection, radiating fires might be particularly noticeable against the dark background. (Source: Schmit et al., 2005 in BAMS, and the ABI Weather Event Simulator (WES) Guide by CIMSS.)”

GOES-16 Channel 5 view of moisture advection (i.e., a moisture surge) into the Altiplano like advancing shadows. And, further south, you can see moisture and dry air clashing in Patagonia on the leeward side of the Andes Mountains in the form of deep convective storms on 19 October 2017.
Credit: CIRA-RAMMB

Channel 6: “The 2.2 micrometer (μm) band, in conjunction with other bands, enables cloud particle size estimation. Cloud particle growth is an indication of cloud development and intensity of that development. Other applications of the 2.2 μm band include: use for aerosol particle size estimation (by characterizing the aerosol-free background over land), cloud screening, hot-spot detection, and snow detection. (Source: Schmit et al., 2005 in BAMS, and the ABI Weather Event Simulator (WES) Guide by CIMSS.)”

GOES-16 Channel 6 view of ship tracks moving across Lake Superior and other interesting plume-like features and small-scale circulations across the states of Minnesota and Wisconsin on 4 December 2018.
Credit: CIRA-RAMMB

Channel 7: “The shortwave IR window (3.9 micrometer (μm)) band (on the current GOES imagers) has been demonstrated to be useful in many applications, including fog/low cloud identification at night, fire/hot-spot identification, volcanic eruption and ash detection, and daytime snow and ice detection. Low-level atmospheric vector winds can also be estimated using this band. The shortwave IR window is also useful for studying urban heat islands and clouds. Compared to nighttime, there will be overall warmer temperatures in this shortwave window band during the day, due to the additional reflected solar component. (Source: Schmit et al., 2005 in BAMS, and the ABI Weather Event Simulator (WES) Guide by CIMSS.)”

GOES-16 Channel 7 view of eddies slowly moving along with the forward track of the Brazil Current just to the east of South America along with some high clouds moving by overhead on 7 November 2018.
​Credit: CIRA-RAMMB

Channel 8: “There are three mid-level water vapor bands on the ABI. The 6.2 micrometer (μm) “water vapor” band is used for upper-level tropospheric water vapor tracking, jet stream identification, hurricane track forecasting, mid-latitude storm forecasting, severe weather analysis and turbulence detection. This band is also used to estimate atmospheric motion vectors. (Source: Schmit et al., 2005 in BAMS, and the ABI Weather Event Simulator (WES) Guide by CIMSS.)”

GOES-16 Channel 8 water vapor view of gravity waves being forced by mountains and nearby convection near the Bolivian Altiplano on 20 September 2018.
​Credit: CIRA-RAMMB

Channel 9: “The 6.9 micrometer (µm) band is one of three mid-tropospheric water vapor bands on the ABI. This band is used for mid and upper-level tropospheric water vapor tracking, jet stream identification, hurricane track forecasting, mid-latitude storm forecasting, severe weather analysis, and mid-level moisture estimation (for legacy vertical moisture profiles). The 6.9 µm band can be used to estimate atmospheric motion vectors. In addition, the radiance from this, and other bands, will be used directly in Numerical Weather Prediction. (Source: Schmit et al., 2005 in BAMS, and the ABI Weather Event Simulator (WES) Guide by CIMSS.)”

GOES-16 Channel 9 Mid-tropospheric water vapor view of a cold front advancing southward on the lee side of the Rocky Mountains along with some neat gravity waves moving off in a southerly direction to the south of the associated cold front on 3 April 2018.
​Credit: CIRA-RAMMB

Channel 10: “The 7.3 micrometer (µm) band is one of three mid-tropospheric water vapor bands on the ABI. It reveals information about lower mid-level atmospheric flow (depending on the amount of moisture in the upper troposphere) and can help identify jet streaks. It has been proven to be useful, under certain conditions, in identifying and tracking volcanic plumes due to upper-level sulfur dioxide absorption. Vertical moisture information can be gained from comparison of measurements in all three ABI water vapor bands as is done with current GOES sounder bands. (Source: Schmit et al., 2005 in BAMS, and the ABI Weather Event Simulator (WES) Guide by CIMSS.)”

GOES-16 Channel 10 Mid-tropospheric water vapor view of a low-pressure system spinning up in the southeast Pacific Ocean on 5 March 2017.
​Credit: CIRA-RAMMB

Channel 11: “The 8.4 micrometer (µm), or “cloud-top phase” band is used in combination with the 11.2 and 12.3 µm bands to derive cloud phase and cloud type products. This band is similar to the “traditional” IR long-wave window band, although the 8.4 µm band assists in determining the microphysical properties of clouds. Using this band produces a more accurate and consistent delineation of ice clouds from water clouds during both day and night. The same three spectral bands enable detection of volcanic dust clouds containing aerosols and sulfur dioxide. Other uses of the 8.4 µm band include thin cirrus detection in conjunction with the 11.2 µm band, better atmospheric moisture correction in relatively dry atmospheres in conjunction with the 11.2 µm band, and estimation of surface properties in conjunction with the 10.3 µm band. (Source: Schmit et al., 2005 in BAMS, and the ABI Weather Event Simulator (WES) Guide by CIMSS)”

GOES-16 Channel 11 “Cloud-top phase” band view of the Fuego volcano eruption in southwest Guatemala on 1 February 2018 (Look to near the center of the animated imagery shown above).
Credit: Satellite Liaison Blog

Channel 12: “The “ozone” band at 9.6 micrometer (μm) provides information both day and night about the dynamics of the atmosphere near the tropopause with high spatial (ground resolution-based) and temporal (time-scale) resolutions. For clear (cloud-free) scenes of view, this band is cooler than the IR window bands because of absorption due to ozone. A high temporal and spatial ozone product derived from the 9.6 μm band may give some indications to clear-air turbulence in certain situations. Product generation will be key for estimating the ozone signature; stated another way, this band alone does not provide total column ozone, but must be computed using other spectral bands. This band/product can also be compared to upper-level potential vorticity. Band 12 is part of the “air mass” red-green-blue (RGB) composite and the non-baseline total column ozone product. (Source: Schmit et al., 2005 in BAMS, and the ABI Weather Event Simulator (WES) Guide by CIMSS.)”

GOES-16 Channel 12 “Ozone” band view of a series of low-pressure systems developing across the eastern Pacific Ocean basin on 2 January 2019.
Credit: CIMMS

Channel 13: “The 10.3 micrometer (µm) atmospheric “clean” infrared window band is less sensitive than other infrared window channels to water vapor and, hence, improves atmospheric moisture corrections, cloud particle size estimation, and surface property characterization in derived products. The 10.3 µm band does have a very small sensitivity to ozone, while the 11.2 µm longwave window does not. In general, the 10.3 µm band may be used much like the traditional infrared window band. Typically, this band is slightly warmer than the traditional longwave window due to less moisture absorption in the lower troposphere. (Source: Schmit et al., 2005 in BAMS, the ABI Weather Event Simulator (WES) Guide, Lindsey et al., 2012.)”

GOES-16 Channel 13 “Clean” infrared window band view of a powerful Hurricane Maria approaching the island of Puerto Rico on 20 September 2017.
Credit: CIRA-RAMMB

Channel 14: “The traditional longwave infrared window (11.2 micrometer (μm)) band enables operational meteorologists to diagnose discrete clouds and organized features for general weather forecasting, analysis, and broadcasting applications. Observations from this infrared window channel can characterize atmospheric processes associated with extratropical cyclones and also in single thunderstorms and convective complexes. The window channel also contributes to many satellite derived products, such as precipitation estimates, cloud-drift winds, hurricane intensity and track analyses, cloud-top heights, volcanic ash detection, as well as fog detection, cloud phase, and cloud particle size estimates. (Source: Schmit et al., 2005 in BAMS, and the ABI Weather Event Simulator (WES) Guide by CIMSS.)”

GOES-16 Channel 14 Longwave infrared window band view of deep convective storms over Iowa and Nebraska on 7 June 2018.
Credit: CIRA-RAMMB

Channel 15: “The 12.3 micrometer (µm), or longwave infrared “dirty” window band offers nearly continuous monitoring for numerous applications, though usually through a split window difference with a cleaner window channel. These differences can better estimate low-level moisture, volcanic ash, airborne dust/sand, sea surface temperature, and cloud particle size. For example, mid-tropospheric dust originating in the Sahara Desert is detectable with the 12.3 µm band. Identifying dust can be useful in assessing where the Atlantic basin is unlikely to support mature tropical cyclones. Furthermore, this band is a major component of the “air mass RGB composite” and the prospective total column ozone product. (Source: Schmit et al., 2005 in BAMS, and the ABI Weather Event Simulator (WES) Guide by CIMSS.)”

GOES-16 Channel 15 Longwave infrared “Dirty” window band view of mid- and upper-level moisture streaming in from west to east across western Oklahoma on 14 March 2018.
Credit: CIMMS

Channel 16: “The 13.3 micrometer (µm) “carbon dioxide” band is used for mean tropospheric air temperature estimation, as part of quantitative cloud products for cloud opacity estimation, cloud-top height assignments of cloud-drift motion vectors, and supplementing Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) observations. This band is also useful when generating Red-Green-Blue (RGB) composite imagery, to highlight the high, cold, and likely icy clouds. (Source: Schmit et al., 2005 in BAMS, and the ABI Weather Event Simulator (WES) Guide by CIMSS.)”

GOES-16 Channel 16 (i.e., a GOES-15 Imager Channel Equivalent in the 3rd panel to the right) “Carbon dioxide” band view of standing wave clouds passing across the Hawaiian Islands on 25-26 November 2018.
​Credit: CIMMS

Geo-Color Imagery Product: The GeoColor satellite imagery product, developed at NRL and first demonstrated on the NexSat web page (www.nrlmry.navy.mil/NEXSAT.html), displays standard GOES data in a new way that includes customized day/night backgrounds and makes a seamless transition from daytime (visible) to nighttime (infrared) imagery. This particular imagery created with the GOES-16 satellite imager is created through the combination of the red and blue visible bands, the Veggie-Near IR band, and complementary data from the Visible/Infrared Imager/Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) satellites. “GeoColor imagery provides as close an approximation to daytime True Color imagery as is possible from GOES-16, and thus allows for intuitive interpretation of meteorological and surface-based features.” (Credit: http://rammb.cira.colostate.edu/)

A hurricane force nor'easter effecting the Northeast United States on 2 March, 2018.
Credit: CIRA-RAMMB