The GOES-17 ABI will be operating in Mode 6 as a test starting today, Nov 27 at 1400 UTC through 1700 UTC on Nov 30. Recall in Mode 3, the current default operating mode for GOES-16 and GOES-17 ABI, we get a Full Disk sector every 15-min, a CONUS/PACUS sector every 5-min, and two mesoscale sectors every 1 minute each. In Mode 6, the ABI scans a full disk sector every 10-min, a CONUS/PACUS sector every 5-min, and two mesoscale sectors every 1-minute each. As you can see, the only difference between the two modes is that Mode 6 provides a full disk image more often (six per hour) than mode 3 (four per hour). See table 1 for a comparison between the two scan modes. Also shown is Mode 4, which is also currently an option on the ABI’s. 

How Often Sectors Are Scanned in Each ABI Mode

Figure 1 is a 60 minute snapshot of all four sectors (Full Disk, PACUS, Meso-1, Meso-2) from the GOES-17 ABI in Mode 6 on Nov 27. As a comparison, Figure 2 provides the same snapshop for GOES-16 ABI operating in Mode 3. 

Figures 3 and 4 compare full disk scanning for GOES-17 in Mode 6 and GOES-16 in Mode 3 for a three hour period. During this period, the full disk is scanned by GOES-17 18 times, and by GOES-16 12 times.

Bill Line, NWS

GOES-17 data are preliminary and non-operational at the time of this post.