S-NPP VIIRS Day Night Band On-Board Solar Diffuser Calibration Validation Using the Scheduled Lunar Collections

Abstract

Similar to the Reflective Solar Band (RSB) calibration, Suomi-National Polar-orbiting Partnership (S-NPP) Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on-board calibration of Day Night Band (DNB) is based on the Solar Diffuser (SD) observations in the Low Gain State (LGS). DNB has a broad spectral response covering a wavelength range roughly from 500 nm to 900 nm with a large dynamic range from three different gain states called High Gain State (HGS), Mid Gain State (MGS), and LGS. The calibration of MGS and HGS is also dependent on the LGS gain estimation with the gain ratios for each gain state. Over the lifetime of S-NPP VIIRS operations, the LGS gains have been derived from the on-board SD observations since its launch in October 2011. In this study, the lifetime LGS gains are validated by the lunar calibration coefficients (defined as F-factors) using a lunar irradiance model called Global Space-based Inter-Calibration System (GSICS) Implementation of RObotic Lunar Observatory (ROLO) (GIRO). Using the moon as an independent on-orbit calibration source, the S-NPP VIIRS DNB on-board SD based radiometric calibration is validated by the lunar F-factors within two percent of the lunar F-factors in terms of the standard deviation in the long-term trends over nine years of the S-NPP VIIRS operation.