Table of channels, their applications and image examples

Table 2: channel number, central wavelenght, characteristics and typical applications, Abbreviations: VIS: visible, IR: infrared, NIR: near IR, MIR: middle IR, WV: Water Vapour

The fourth column of the table lists the RGB (Red-Green-Blue) combinations of different channels in which the respective channels are used. The RGB's are discussed in detail in the next chapter.

Channel number Central wave length Additional characterization Typical application areas
01 0,6 µm VIS: window
Gray shades represent: different values of albedo
  1. Image interpretation of cloud features: Reflected sunlight → clouds with different albedo
  2. Input for Natural Colour and Severe Storm RGBs
Channel regularly used in SatManu

basic_channels

Channel number Central wave length Additional characterization Typical application areas
02 0,8 µm VIS: window
Gray shades represent: different values of albedo; high sensitivity for soil and vegetation
  1. Image interpretation of cloud and surface features: better recognition of vegetation features than in Ch01
  2. Input for Natural color and Day Microphysics RGB

basic_channels

Channel number Central wave length Additional characterization Typical application areas
03 1,6 µm NIR: window
Gray shades represent: different values of albedo; different reflectivity of ice and water clouds
  1. Image interpretation of cloud and snow/ice features:
    • possibility of discrimination between ice and water clouds - "cloud phase" (because of higher absorption in ice than in water clouds);
    • easy recognition of snow (because of the low reflectivity of ice and snow)
    • easy recognition of water clouds above snow
  2. Input for Natural Colour and Severe Storm RGBs

basic_channels

Channel number Central wave length Additional characterization Typical application areas
04 3,9 µm IR
Gray shades represent:
  • Night: surface/cloud top temperatures
  • Day: albedo + surface/cloud top temperatures
  1. Because reflected sunlight is different from the emitted thermal radiation, the channel's applications vary according to the time of day:
    • Night:
      • sea and land surface temperature
      • urban heat islands
    • Day and Night:
      • detection of low clouds and fog
      • detection of thin Cirrus
      • discrimination of cloud phase and particle size
      • detection of forest fires
      • detection of super-cooled clouds
    • Day:
      • multi-layer clouds
      • cloud top structures (overshooting tops)
      • sun glint
  2. Input for Day Microphysics, 24 hours Microphysics, Severe Strom RGBs

basic_channels

Channel number Central wave length Additional characterization Typical application areas
05 6,2 µm WV Absorption band
Gray shades represent: Different WV content in high layers
  1. Image interpretation of WV content in high tropospheric layers (max signal from 350 hPa):
    • Identification of areas with high upper level WV content
    • Identification of dry upper level areas
    • Identification of jet axes and connected synoptic scale processes:
      • tropopause folding (stratospheric air protruding into troposphere)
      • PV anomalies
      • triggering of secondary cyclogenesis
  2. Input for Airmass, Severe Storm RGBs

Channel regularly used in SatManu

basic_channels

Channel number Central wave length Additional characterization Typical application areas
06 7,3 µm WV Absorption band
Gray shades represent: The amount of WV in high and middle layers
  1. Water vapor content in a lower layer than in channel 06 (max signal from 500 hPa)
    • Together with channel 05 the amount of WV in middle and upper layers
  2. Input for Airmass and Severe Storm RGBs

basic_channels

Channel number Central wave length Additional characterization Typical application areas
07 8,7 µm IR
Gray shades represent: Surface/cloud top temperatures; sensitivity to high, thin Cirrus
  1. Image interpretation with a focus on:
    • high, thin Cirrus clouds (best usage within RGBs)
    • discrimination between ice and water cloud
  2. Input for Dust RGB

basic_channels

Channel number Central wave length Additional characterization Typical application areas
08 9,7 µm Ozone Absorption band
Gray shades represent: Surface/cloud top temperatures; Sensitivity to ozone content
  1. Image interpretation with a focus on specific synoptic processes:
    • Indication of tropopause folding with white stripes representing high ozone concentration
  2. Input for Airmass RGBs

basic_channels

Channel number Central wave length Additional characterization Typical application areas
09 10,8 µm IR
Gray shades represent: Surface/cloud top temperatures;
  1. Image Interpretation of cloud features:
    • Temperature of radiating surface → temperatures of cloud tops
    • Temperature of the surface
  2. Input for Day Microphysics, HRV, Airmass, Dust, 24 hours Microphysics, Sever Storm RGBs

Channel regularly used in SatManu

basic_channels

Channel number Central wave length Additional characterization Typical application areas
10 12 µm IR
Gray shades represent: Surface/cloud top temperatures; sensitivity to high thin Cirrus
  1. Image Interpretation of cloud features like channel 09 with focus on high thin Cirrus, generated from the difference of 10,8 µm and 12,0 µm (the so called "split window")
  2. Input for 24 hour Microphysics RGB

basic_channels

Channel number Central wave length Additional characterization Typical application areas
11 13,4 µm CO2 absorption band
Gray shades represent: Surface/cloud top temperatures; sensitivity to CO2 absorption
  1. Quantitative applications:
    • temperature profiles
    • instability
    • winds

basic_channels

Channel number Central wave length Additional characterization Typical application areas
12 Broad band: 0,3 - 1 µm High resolution Visible
Resolution at nadir = 1 km
Gray shades represent: Different values of albedo
  1. For detecting sub-synoptic features when a high resolution is needed:
    • Convection:
      • substructures in convection: overshooting tops
      • cirrus shield
    • Orographic features:
      • lee cloud
      • valley fog
  2. Input for High Resolution VIS RGB

basic_channels