scholarly journals Comparison of Aerosol Optical Depth from MODIS Product Collection 6.1 and AERONET in the Western United States

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 2316
Author(s):  
Iyasu G. Eibedingil ◽  
Thomas E. Gill ◽  
R. Scott Van Pelt ◽  
Daniel Q. Tong
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Correlation Coefficient ◽  
Aerosol Optical Depth ◽  
Optical Depth ◽  
Forest Fires ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Monsoon Season ◽  
Dust Storms ◽  
Western Usa ◽  
Southwest United States

Recent observations reveal that dust storms are increasing in the western USA, posing imminent risks to public health, safety, and the economy. Much of the observational evidence has been obtained from ground-based platforms and the visual interpretation of satellite imagery from limited regions. Comprehensive satellite-based observations of long-term aerosol records are still lacking. In an effort to develop such a satellite aerosol dataset, we compared and evaluated the Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) from Deep Blue (DB) and Dark Target (DT) product collection 6.1 with the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) program in the western USA. We examined the seasonal and monthly average number of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Aqua DB AOD retrievals per 0.1∘×0.1∘ from January 2003 to December 2017 across the region’s different topographic, climatic, and land cover conditions. The number of retrievals in the southwest United States was on average greater than 37 days per 90 days for all seasons except summer. Springtime saw the highest number of AOD retrievals across the southwest, consistent with the peak season for synoptic-scale dust events. The majority of Arizona, New Mexico, and western Texas showed the lowest number of retrievals during the monsoon season. The majority of collocating domains of AOD from the Aqua sensor showed a better correlation with AERONET AOD than AOD from Terra, and the correlation coefficients exhibited large regional variability across the study area. The correlation coefficient between the couplings Aqua DB AOD-AERONET AOD and Terra DB AOD-AERONET AOD ranges from 0.1 to 0.94 and 0.001 to 0.94, respectively. In the majority of the sites that exhibited less than a 0.6 correlation coefficient and few matched data points at the nearest single pixel, the correlations gradually improved when the spatial domain increased to a 50 km × 50 km box averaging domain. In general, the majority of the stations revealed significant correlation between MODIS and AERONET AOD at all spatiotemporal aggregating domains, although MODIS generally overestimated AOD compared to AERONET. However, the correlation coefficient in the southwest United States was the lowest and in stations from a higher latitude was the highest. The difference in the brightness of the land surface and the latitudinal differences in the aerosol inputs from the forest fires and solar zenith angles are some of the factors that manifested the latitudinal correlation differences.

The Impact of Dust Storms on Aerosol Optical Depth and Radiative Forcing

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Monim Jiboori ◽  
Nadia Abed ◽  
Mohamed Abdel Wahab
Keyword(s):  
Aerosol Optical Depth ◽  
Optical Depth ◽  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Dust Storms ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals Improving GOES Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) aerosol optical depth (AOD) retrievals using an empirical bias correction algorithm

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 5955-5975
Author(s):  
Hai Zhang ◽  
Shobha Kondragunta ◽  
Istvan Laszlo ◽  
Mi Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Aerosol Optical Depth ◽  
Optical Depth ◽  
Bias Correction ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index ◽  
Infrared Imaging ◽  
Retrieval Algorithm ◽  
Correction Algorithm ◽  
Time Step

Abstract. The Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) on board the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R (GOES-R) series enables retrieval of aerosol optical depth (AOD) from geostationary satellites using a multiband algorithm similar to those of polar-orbiting satellites' sensors, such as the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS). However, this work demonstrates that the current version of GOES-16 (GOES-East) ABI AOD has diurnally varying biases due to limitations in the land surface reflectance relationships between the 0.47 µm band and the 2.2 µm band and between the 0.64 µm band and 2.2 µm band used in the ABI AOD retrieval algorithm, which vary with the Sun–satellite geometry and NDVI (normalized difference vegetation index). To reduce these biases, an empirical bias correction algorithm has been developed based on the lowest observed ABI AOD of an adjacent 30 d period and the background AOD at each time step and at each pixel. The bias correction algorithm improves the performance of ABI AOD compared to AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) AOD, especially for the high and medium (top 2) quality ABI AOD. AOD data for the period 6 August to 31 December 2018 are used to evaluate the bias correction algorithm. After bias correction, the correlation between the top 2 quality ABI AOD and AERONET AOD improves from 0.87 to 0.91, the mean bias improves from 0.04 to 0.00, and root-mean-square error (RMSE) improves from 0.09 to 0.05. These results for the bias-corrected top 2 qualities ABI AOD are comparable to those of the corrected high-quality ABI AOD. By using the top 2 qualities of ABI AOD in conjunction with the bias correction algorithm, the areal coverage of ABI AOD is increased by about 100 % without loss of data accuracy.

scholarly journals Measurement of aerosol optical depth and sub-visual cloud detection using the optical depth sensor (ODS)

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 455-467 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Toledo ◽  
P. Rannou ◽  
J.-P. Pommereau ◽  
A. Sarkissian ◽  
T. Foujols
Keyword(s):  
Aerosol Optical Depth ◽  
Optical Depth ◽  
Diffuse Radiation ◽  
Dust Storms ◽  
Saharan Dust ◽  
Cloud Detection ◽  
Depth Sensor ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Good Agreement

Abstract. A small and sophisticated optical depth sensor (ODS) has been designed to work in the atmosphere of Mars. The instrument measures alternatively the diffuse radiation from the sky and the attenuated direct radiation from the Sun on the surface. The principal goals of ODS are to retrieve the daily mean aerosol optical depth (AOD) and to detect very high and optically thin clouds, crucial parameters in understanding the Martian meteorology and climatology. The detection of clouds is undertaken at twilight, allowing the detection and characterization of clouds with opacities below 0.03 (sub-visual clouds). In addition, ODS is capable to retrieve the aerosol optical depth during nighttime from moonlight measurements. Recently, ODS has been selected at the METEO meteorological station on board the ExoMars 2018 Lander. In order to study the performance of ODS under Mars-like conditions as well as to evaluate the retrieval algorithms for terrestrial measurements, ODS was deployed in Ouagadougou (Africa) between November 2004 and October 2005, a Sahelian region characterized by its high dust aerosol load and the frequent occurrence of Saharan dust storms. The daily average AOD values retrieved by ODS were compared with those provided by a CIMEL sunphotometer of the AERONET (Aerosol Robotic NETwork) network localized at the same location. Results represent a good agreement between both ground-based instruments, with a correlation coefficient of 0.77 for the whole data set and 0.94 considering only the cloud-free days. From the whole data set, a total of 71 sub-visual cirrus (SVC) were detected at twilight with opacities as thin as 1.10−3 and with a maximum of occurrence at altitudes between 14 and 20 km. Although further optimizations and comparisons of ODS terrestrial measurements are required, results indicate the potential of these measurements to retrieve the AOD and detect sub-visual clouds.

scholarly journals Retrieval of aerosol optical depth in vicinity of broken clouds from reflectance ratios: case study

2010 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
pp. 1333-1349 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Kassianov ◽  
M. Ovchinnikov ◽  
L. K. Berg ◽  
S. A. McFarlane ◽  
C. Flynn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aerosol Optical Depth ◽  
Optical Depth ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Single Layer ◽  
Department Of Energy ◽  
High Spectral Resolution ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Atmospheric Radiation Measurement

Abstract. A recently developed reflectance ratio (RR) method for the retrieval of aerosol optical depth (AOD) is evaluated using extensive airborne and ground-based data sets collected during the Cloud and Land Surface Interaction Campaign (CLASIC) and the Cumulus Humilis Aerosol Processing Study (CHAPS), which took place in June 2007 over the US Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Southern Great Plains site. A detailed case study is performed for a field of single-layer shallow cumuli observed on 12 June 2007. The RR method is applied to retrieve the spectral values of AOD from the reflectance ratios measured by the MODIS Airborne Simulator (MAS) for two pairs of wavelengths (660 and 470 nm, 870 and 470 nm) collected at a spatial resolution of 0.05 km. The retrieval is compared with an independent AOD estimate from three ground-based Multi-filter Rotating Shadowband Radiometers (MFRSRs). The interpolation algorithm that is used to project MFRSR point measurements onto the aircraft flight tracks is tested using AOD derived from NASA Langley High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL). The RR AOD estimates are in a good agreement (within 5%) with the MFRSR-derived AOD values for the 660-nm wavelength. The AODs obtained from MAS reflectance ratios overestimate those derived from MFRSR measurements by 15–30% for the 470-nm wavelength and underestimate the 870-nm AOD by the same amount.

scholarly journals Retrieval of aerosol optical depth in vicinity of broken clouds from reflectance ratios: case study

2010 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 1889-1932
Author(s):  
E. Kassianov ◽  
M. Ovchinnikov ◽  
L. K. Berg ◽  
S. A. McFarlane ◽  
C. Flynn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aerosol Optical Depth ◽  
Optical Depth ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Single Layer ◽  
Department Of Energy ◽  
High Spectral Resolution ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Atmospheric Radiation Measurement

Abstract. A recently developed reflectance ratio (RR) method for the retrieval of aerosol optical depth (AOD) is evaluated using extensive airborne and ground-based data sets collected during the Cloud and Land Surface Interaction Campaign (CLASIC) and the Cumulus Humilis Aerosol Processing Study (CHAPS), which took place in June 2007 over the US Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Southern Great Plains site. A detailed case study is performed for a field of single-layer shallow cumuli observed on 12 June 2007. The RR method is applied to retrieve the spectral values of AOD from the reflectance ratios measured by the MODIS Airborne Simulator (MAS) for two pairs of wavelengths (660 and 470 nm and 870 and 470 nm) collected at a spatial resolution of 0.05 km. The retrieval is compared with an independent AOD estimate from three ground-based Multi-filter Rotating Shadowband Radiometers (MFRSRs). The interpolation algorithm that is used to project MFRSR point measurements onto the aircraft flight tracks is tested using AOD derived from NASA Langley High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL). The RR AOD estimates are in a good agreement (within 5%) with the MFRSR-derived AOD values for the 660-nm wavelength. The AODs obtained from MAS reflectance ratios overestimate those derived from MFRSR measurements by 15–30% for the 470-nm wavelength and underestimate the 870-nm AOD by the same amount.

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