Improved VIIRS and MODIS SST Imagery

Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometers (MODIS) and Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) radiometers, flown onboard Terra/Aqua and Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (S-NPP)/Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) satellites, are capable of providing superior sea surface temperature (SST) imagery. However, the swath data of these multi-detector sensors are subject to several artifacts including bow-tie distortions and striping, and require special pre-processing steps. VIIRS additionally does two irreversible data reduction steps onboard: pixel aggregation (to reduce resolution changes across the swath) and pixel deletion, which complicate both bow-tie correction and destriping. While destriping was addressed elsewhere, this paper describes an algorithm, adopted in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Advanced Clear-Sky Processor for Oceans (ACSPO) SST system, to minimize the bow-tie artifacts in the SST imagery and facilitate application of the pattern recognition algorithms for improved separation of ocean from cloud and mapping fine SST structure, especially in the dynamic, coastal and high-latitude regions of the ocean. The algorithm is based on a computationally fast re-sampling procedure that ensures a continuity of corresponding latitude and longitude arrays. Potentially, Level 1.5 products may be generated to benefit a wide range of MODIS and VIIRS users in land, ocean, cryosphere, and atmosphere remote sensing.