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NOAA Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) I-M and N-P Series Sounder Data

Published by NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce | Metadata Last Checked: January 27, 2026 | Last Modified: 1994-08-31T00:00:00.000+00:00
The NOAA Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) series provides continuous measurements of the atmosphere and surface over the Western Hemisphere. The GOES satellites circle the Earth in a geosynchronous orbit, which means they orbit the equatorial plane of the Earth at a speed matching the Earth's rotation. This orbit allows them to hover continuously over one position on the surface of the Earth. The geosynchronous plane is about 35,800 km (22,300 miles) above the Earth, high enough to allow the satellites a full-disc view of the Earth. The GOES-East satellite is positioned over the equator at 75 degrees West longitude, and the GOES-West satellite is positioned at 135 degrees West longitude. The GOES Sounder measures emitted radiation in 18 thermal infrared bands that are sensitive to temperature, moisture, ozone, and reflected solar radiation in one visible band. The spatial resolution is 8 km with 13 bit data transmitted to the GOES receiving facilities. GOES data are used by researchers for understanding interactions between land, ocean, atmosphere, and climate. GOES Variable (GVAR) format is the data transmission format used to broadcast environmental data measured by the independent GOES Imager and Sounder instruments, beginning with GOES-8 launched in 1994. Data distribution formats available to users are raw, AREA, NetCDF, GIF, and JPEG.

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Earth Science > Spectral/Engineering > Infrared Wavelengths > Brightness Temperatures Earth Science > Spectral/Engineering > Infrared Wavelengths > Infrared Radiance Earth Science > Spectral/Engineering > Visible Wavelengths Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Radiation > Albedo Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Radiation > Longwave Radiation Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Radiation > Shortwave Radiation Geographic Region > Equatorial Geographic Region > Mid-Latitude Geographic Region > Northern Hemisphere Geographic Region > Southern Hemisphere Geographic Region > Tropics Geographic Region > Western Hemisphere Continent > North America > United States Of America Ocean > Atlantic Ocean Ocean > Pacific Ocean Conus Scan Sector Full Disk Scan Sector Northern Hemisphere Scan Sector Northern Hemisphere Extended Scan Sector Southern Hemisphere Scan Sector Southern Hemisphere Small Sector Super Rapid Scan Operations (maryland) Scan Sector Pacus Scan Sector Sub-conus Scan Sector Super Rapid Scan Operations Scan Sector GOES I-M Sounder GOES N-P Sounder GOES-08 > Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 08 GOES-09 > Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 09 GOES-10 > Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 10 GOES-11 > Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 11 GOES-12 > Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 12 GOES-13 > Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 13 GOES-14 > Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 14 GOES-15 > Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 15 DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCDC > National Climatic Data Center, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI > National Centers for Environmental Information, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/OSPO > Office of Satellite and Product Operations, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce gov.noaa.class:GVAR_SND

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