This lesson introduces you to three of the four near-infrared imager bands on the GOES R-U ABI (Advanced Baseline Imager), focusing on their spectral characteristics and how they affect what each band observes. Discussion of the 0.86 micrometer or "veggie" near-IR band is not included here. Because of its similarity to the visible bands, information on the "veggie" band appears in the Visible and Near-Infrared Bands lesson.
On completing the lesson, you should be able to:
Please note that this lesson was originally published prior to the launch of GOES-16 and used imagery from the Himawari-8 geostationary satellite to illustrate GOES-R ABI capabilities. The Himawari-8 imager, the AHI (Advanced Himawari Imager), has bands nearly identical to the ABI on board the GOES R-U series. In the interest of time, some of the original Himawari-8 imagery is still included where geographical context is not critical for understanding the concept.