Solar channel calibration using desert targets in Australia: Application to the MTSAT-1R visible sensor

Focusing on the use of desert targets for solar channel calibration of geostationary satellites located in the west Pacific region, a desert target in Simpson Desert, Australia, was selected and used for the development of a calibration algorithm based upon radiative transfer modeling. The surface spectral reflectance required for radiative transfer calculation was obtained from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)-bidirectional reflectance distribution functions after tuning against the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) spectral data. Top of the atmosphere radiance simulations were conducted over the desert target, and comparisons with MODIS-and Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS)-measured visible channel radiances revealed that the developed calibration method using the target over the Simpson Desert can be used to calibrate the geostationary visible channel within a 5% level of uncertainty. Application of the developed algorithm to Multi-Functional Transport Satellite (MTSAT-1R) visible channel measurements suggested that the MTSAT-1R operational calibration for the visible sensor appeared to be within a 5% error, but over the lower count value range.