| GOES 3.9: This channel responds to both reflected
solar and emitted earth radiation. Major improvement in spatial resolution
and slight improvement in signal-to-noise highlight this channel, as will
be seen. Since this is a dedicated imaging channel on GOES-8, it will be
available more frequently than with GOES-7. The higher quality data from
this channel should allow users to:
a) identify fog at night, when combined with channel 4; b) distinguish between water and ice clouds during daytime hours (when used in synthesis with channels 1 and 4); c) detect hot spots, such as forest fires and volcanoes; d) locate a hurricane's eye at night (when it is often covered with thin cirrus); and, e) improve ground and sea surface temperature measurements at night, in synthesis with channels 4 and 5. |
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