A new processing capability for dust enhancement over land or water using
image data from the Sea-viewing Wide Field of View Sensor (SeaWiFS) has
been developed for Naval meteorology/oceanography (MetOc) operations
support. The data are captured via direct broadcast high-resolution
picture transmission (HRPT) at Navy Regional Centers in Rota, Bahrain,
and Yokosuka, and processed at the Naval Research Laboratory in Monterey.
The raw data are calibrated, corrected for missing lines and clutter,
corrected for molecular scatter contamination, and enhanced through
multispectral combination to yield value added products. The processing
has been automated completely such that products, generated upon receipt
of data, are hosted upon a password protected website typically 60 to 90
minutes from time of initial capture. This invention summarizes the
SeaWiFS instrument capabilities, the protocol followed for automated near
real-time processing, a physical basis for the NRL enhancements, and
specific examples of the products with extension to over-land dust
enhancement as enabled by MODIS. It closes with a glimpse of the
potential utility of these products from the perspective of the
warfighter.