U.S. Department of Commerce

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

                      NOAA Operational Environmental Satellites

NOAA Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite (POES)

Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR)

The AVHRR is a radiation detection imager used for remotely determining cloud cover and surface temperature. The scanning radiometer uses five detectors that collect different bands of radiation wavelengths. Measuring the same view, this array of diverse wavelengths, after processing, permits multispectral analysis for more precisely defining hydrologic, oceanographic, and meteorological parameters. One channel monitors energy in the visible band, and another channel monitors energy in the near-infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum to observe vegetation, clouds, lakes, shorelines, snow, and ice. The other three channels operate entirely within the infrared band to detect the heat radiation from, and hence the temperature of, land, water, and sea surfaces and the clouds above them.

NOAA Polar Orbiter Data Users Guide

For a comprehensive description of the NOAA Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellites, click HERE to view the on-line users guide.