A high spatial resolution retrieval of NO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; column densities from OMI: method and evaluation

Abstract. We present a new retrieval of tropospheric NO2 vertical column density from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) based on high spatial and temporal resolution terrain and profile inputs. We find non-negligible impacts on the retrieved NO2 column for terrain pressure (±20%), albedo (±40%), and NO2 vertical profile (−75%–+10%). We compare our NO2 product, the Berkeley High-Resolution (BEHR) product, with operational retrievals and find that the operational retrievals are biased high (30%) over remote areas and biased low (8%) over urban regions. We validate the operational and BEHR products using boundary layer aircraft observations from the Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites (ARCTAS-CA) field campaign which occurred in June 2008 in California. Results indicate that columns derived using our boundary layer extrapolation method show good agreement with satellite observations (R2 = 0.65–0.83; N = 68) and provide a more robust validation of satellite-observed NO2 column than those determined using full vertical spirals (R2 = 0.26; N = 5) as in previous work. Agreement between aircraft observations and the BEHR product (R2 = 0.83) is better than agreement with the operational products (R2 = 0.65–0.72). We also show that agreement between satellite and aircraft observations for all products can be further improved (e.g. BEHR: R2 = 0.91) using cloud information from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument instead of the OMI cloud product. These results indicate that much of the variance in the operational products can be attributed to coarse resolution terrain and profile parameters.

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A high spatial resolution retrieval of NO<sub> 2</sub> column densities from OMI: method and evaluation

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ◽

10.5194/acp-11-8543-2011 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 11 (16) ◽

pp. 8543-8554 ◽

Cited By ~ 105

Author(s):

A. R. Russell ◽

A. E. Perring ◽

L. C. Valin ◽

E. J. Bucsela ◽

E. C. Browne ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Boundary Layer ◽

The Arctic ◽

Ozone Monitoring Instrument ◽

Vertical Column ◽

Aircraft Observations ◽

Vertical Column Density ◽

Moderate Resolution ◽

Resolution Imaging ◽

Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer ◽

Better Than

Abstract. We present a new retrieval of tropospheric NO2 vertical column density from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) based on high spatial and temporal resolution terrain and profile inputs. We compare our NO2 product, the Berkeley High-Resolution (BEHR) product, with operational retrievals and find that the operational retrievals are biased high (30 %) over remote areas and biased low (8 %) over urban regions. Additionally, we find non-negligible impacts on the retrieved NO2 column for terrain pressure (±20 %), albedo (±40 %), and NO2 vertical profile (−75 %–+10 %). We validate the operational and BEHR products using boundary layer aircraft observations from the Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites (ARCTAS-CA) field campaign which occurred in June 2008 in California. Results indicate that columns derived using our boundary layer extrapolation method show good agreement with satellite observations (R2 = 0.65–0.83; N = 68) and provide a more robust validation of satellite-observed NO2 column than those determined using full vertical spirals (R2 = 0.26; N = 5) as in previous work. Agreement between aircraft observations and the BEHR product (R2 = 0.83) is better than agreement with the operational products (R2 = 0.65–0.72). We also show that agreement between satellite and aircraft observations can be further improved (e.g. BEHR: R2 = 0.91) using cloud information from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument instead of the OMI cloud product. These results indicate that much of the variance in the operational products can be attributed to coarse resolution terrain pressure, albedo, and profile parameters implemented in the retrievals.

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Water vapor retrieval from OMI visible spectra

Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions ◽

10.5194/amtd-7-541-2014 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 541-567 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

H. Wang ◽

X. Liu ◽

K. Chance ◽

G. Gonzalez Abad ◽

C. Chan Miller

Keyword(s):

Water Vapor ◽

Column Density ◽

Retrieval Algorithm ◽

Ozone Monitoring Instrument ◽

Vertical Column ◽

Shape Factors ◽

Vertical Column Density ◽

Moderate Resolution ◽

Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer ◽

The Tropics

Abstract. There are distinct spectral features of water vapor in the wavelength range covered by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) visible channel. Although these features are much weaker than those at longer wavelengths, they can be exploited to retrieve useful information about water vapor. They have an advantage in that their small optical depth leads to fairly simple interpretation as measurements of the total water vapor column density. We have used the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO)'s OMI operational retrieval algorithm to derive the Slant Column Density (SCD) of water vapor from OMI measurements using the 430–480 nm spectral region after extensive optimization of retrieval windows and parameters. The Air Mass Factor (AMF) is calculated using look-up tables of scattering weights and monthly mean water vapor profiles from the GEOS-5 assimilation products. We convert from SCD to Vertical Column Density (VCD) using the AMF and generate associated retrieval averaging kernels and shape factors. Our standard water vapor product has a median SCD of ~ 1.3 × 1023 molecule cm−2 and a median relative uncertainty of ~ 11% in the tropics, about a factor of 2 better than that from a similar OMI algorithm but using narrower retrieval window. The corresponding median VCD is ~ 1.2 × 1023 molecule cm−2. We have also explored the sensitivities to various parameters and compared our results with those from the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and the Aerosol Robotic NETwork (AERONET).

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Water vapor retrieval from OMI visible spectra

Atmospheric Measurement Techniques ◽

10.5194/amt-7-1901-2014 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 7 (6) ◽

pp. 1901-1913 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

H. Wang ◽

X. Liu ◽

K. Chance ◽

G. González Abad ◽

C. Chan Miller

Keyword(s):

Water Vapor ◽

Column Density ◽

Retrieval Algorithm ◽

Ozone Monitoring Instrument ◽

Vertical Column ◽

Visible Spectra ◽

Vertical Column Density ◽

Moderate Resolution ◽

Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer ◽

The Tropics

Abstract. There are distinct spectral features of water vapor in the wavelength range covered by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) visible channel. Although these features are much weaker than those at longer wavelengths, they can be exploited to retrieve useful information about water vapor. They have an advantage in that their small optical depth leads to fairly simple interpretation as measurements of the total water vapor column density. We have used the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) OMI operational retrieval algorithm to derive the slant column density (SCD) of water vapor using the 430–480 nm spectral region after extensive optimization. We convert from SCD to vertical column density (VCD) using the air mass factor (AMF), which is calculated using look-up tables of scattering weights and assimilated water vapor profiles. Our Level 2 product includes not only water vapor VCD but also the associated scattering weights and AMF. In the tropics, our standard water vapor product has a median SCD of 1.3 × 1023 molecules cm−2 and a median relative uncertainty of about 11%, about a factor of 2 better than that from a similar OMI algorithm that uses a narrower retrieval window. The corresponding median VCD is about 1.2 × 1023 molecules cm−2. We have examined the sensitivities of SCD and AMF to various parameters and compared our results with those from the GlobVapour product, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and the Aerosol Robotic NETwork (AERONET).

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A Climatological Assessment of Intense Desert Dust Episodes over the Broader Mediterranean Basin Based on Satellite Data

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs13152895 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (15) ◽

pp. 2895

Author(s):

Maria Gavrouzou ◽

Nikolaos Hatzianastassiou ◽

Antonis Gkikas ◽

Christos J. Lolis ◽

Nikolaos Mihalopoulos

Keyword(s):

Mediterranean Basin ◽

Eastern Mediterranean ◽

Mean Value ◽

Early Spring ◽

Dust Aerosol ◽

Ozone Monitoring Instrument ◽

Central Mediterranean ◽

Moderate Resolution ◽

Resolution Imaging ◽

Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer

A satellite algorithm able to identify Dust Aerosols (DA) is applied for a climatological investigation of Dust Aerosol Episodes (DAEs) over the greater Mediterranean Basin (MB), one of the most climatologically sensitive regions of the globe. The algorithm first distinguishes DA among other aerosol types (such as Sea Salt and Biomass Burning) by applying threshold values on key aerosol optical properties describing their loading, size and absorptivity, namely Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD), Aerosol Index (AI) and Ångström Exponent (α). The algorithm operates on a daily and 1° × 1° geographical cell basis over the 15-year period 2005–2019. Daily gridded spectral AOD data are taken from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Aqua Collection 6.1, and are used to calculate the α data, which are then introduced into the algorithm, while AI data are obtained by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) -Aura- Near-UV aerosol product OMAERUV dataset. The algorithm determines the occurrence of Dust Aerosol Episode Days (DAEDs), whenever high loads of DA (higher than their climatological mean value plus two/four standard deviations for strong/extreme DAEDs) exist over extended areas (more than 30 pixels or 300,000 km2). The identified DAEDs are finally grouped into Dust Aerosol Episode Cases (DAECs), consisting of at least one DAED. According to the algorithm results, 166 (116 strong and 50 extreme) DAEDs occurred over the MB during the study period. DAEDs are observed mostly in spring (47%) and summer (38%), with strong DAEDs occurring primarily in spring and summer and extreme ones in spring. Decreasing, but not statistically significant, trends of the frequency, spatial extent and intensity of DAECs are revealed. Moreover, a total number of 98 DAECs was found, primarily in spring (46 DAECs) and secondarily in summer (36 DAECs). The seasonal distribution of the frequency of DAECs varies geographically, being highest in early spring over the eastern Mediterranean, in late spring over the central Mediterranean and in summer over the western MB.

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Investigating the frequency and interannual variability in global above-cloud aerosol characteristics with CALIOP and OMI

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ◽

10.5194/acp-16-47-2016 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

pp. 47-69 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

R. Alfaro-Contreras ◽

J. Zhang ◽

J. R. Campbell ◽

J. S. Reid

Keyword(s):

Interannual Variability ◽

Orthogonal Polarization ◽

Cloud Detection ◽

Ozone Monitoring Instrument ◽

Data Set ◽

Moderate Resolution ◽

Resolution Imaging ◽

Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer ◽

First Time ◽

Aerosol Index

Abstract. Seven and a half years (June 2006 to November 2013) of Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) aerosol and cloud layer products are compared with collocated Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) aerosol index (AI) data and Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) cloud products in order to investigate variability in estimates of biannual and monthly above-cloud aerosol (ACA) events globally. The active- (CALIOP) and passive-based (OMI-MODIS) techniques have their advantages and caveats for ACA detection, and thus both are used to derive a thorough and robust comparison of daytime cloudy-sky ACA distribution and climatology. For the first time, baseline above-cloud aerosol optical depth (ACAOD) and AI thresholds are derived and examined (AI  =  1.0, ACAOD  =  0.015) for each sensor. Both OMI-MODIS and CALIOP-based daytime spatial distributions of ACA events show similar patterns during both study periods (December–May) and (June–November). Divergence exists in some regions, however, such as Southeast Asia during June through November, where daytime cloudy-sky ACA frequencies of up to 10 % are found from CALIOP yet are non-existent from the OMI-based method. Conversely, annual cloudy-sky ACA frequencies of 20–30 % are reported over northern Africa from the OMI-based method yet are largely undetected by the CALIOP-based method. Using a collocated OMI-MODIS-CALIOP data set, our study suggests that the cloudy-sky ACA frequency differences between the OMI-MODIS- and CALIOP-based methods are mostly due to differences in cloud detection capability between MODIS and CALIOP as well as QA flags used. An increasing interannual variability of ∼  0.3–0.4 % per year (since 2009) in global monthly cloudy-sky ACA daytime frequency of occurrence is found using the OMI-MODIS-based method. Yet, CALIOP-based global daytime ACA frequencies exhibit a near-zero interannual variability. Further analysis suggests that the OMI-derived interannual variability in cloudy-sky ACA frequency may be affected by OMI row anomalies in later years. A few regions are found to have increasing slopes in interannual variability in cloudy-sky ACA frequency, including the Middle East and India. Regions with slightly negative slopes of the interannual variability in cloudy-sky ACA frequencies are found over South America and China, while remaining regions in the study show nearly zero change in ACA frequencies over time. The interannual variability in ACA frequency is not, however, statistically significant on both global and regional scales, given the relatively limited sample sizes. A longer data record of ACA events is needed in order to establish significant trends of ACA frequency regionally and globally.

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Estimates of aerosol absorption over India using multi-satellite retrieval

Annales Geophysicae ◽

10.5194/angeo-31-1773-2013 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 31 (10) ◽

pp. 1773-1778 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

D. Narasimhan ◽

S. K. Satheesh

Keyword(s):

Regional Distribution ◽

Single Scattering ◽

Ozone Monitoring Instrument ◽

Satellite Retrieval ◽

Aerosol Absorption ◽

Moderate Resolution ◽

Indian Landmass ◽

Resolution Imaging ◽

Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer ◽

First Time

Abstract. Aerosol absorption is poorly quantified because of the lack of adequate measurements. It has been shown that the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) aboard EOS-Aura and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard EOS-Aqua, which fly in formation as part of the A-train, provide an excellent opportunity to improve the accuracy of aerosol retrievals. Here, we follow a multi-satellite approach to estimate the regional distribution of aerosol absorption over continental India for the first time. Annually and regionally averaged aerosol single-scattering albedo over the Indian landmass is estimated as 0.94 ± 0.03. Our study demonstrates the potential of multi-satellite data analysis to improve the accuracy of retrieval of aerosol absorption over land.

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Estimation of Daily Sunshine Duration from Terra and Aqua MODIS Data

Advances in Meteorology ◽

10.1155/2014/613267 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 2014 ◽

pp. 1-9 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

H. M. Kandirmaz ◽

K. Kaba

Keyword(s):

Cloud Cover ◽

Sunshine Duration ◽

Quadratic Model ◽

Moderate Resolution ◽

Resolution Imaging ◽

Daily Sunshine ◽

Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer ◽

Relative Sunshine ◽

Relative Sunshine Duration ◽

Better Than

Some studies have shown that the estimation of global sunshine duration can be done with the help of geostationary satellites because they can record several images of the same location in a day. In this paper, images obtained from the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) sensors of polar orbiting satellites Aqua and Terra were used to estimate daily global sunshine duration for any region in Turkey. A new quadratic correlation between daily mean cloud cover index and relative sunshine duration was also introduced and compared with the linear correlation. Results have shown that polar orbiting satellites can be used for the estimation of sunshine duration. The quadratic model introduced here works better than the linear model especially for the winter months in which very low sunshine duration values were recorded at the ground stations for many days.

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Investigating the frequency and trends in global above-cloud aerosol characteristics with CALIOP and OMI

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions ◽

10.5194/acpd-15-4173-2015 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 15 (4) ◽

pp. 4173-4217 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

R. Alfaro-Contreras ◽

J. Zhang ◽

J. R. Campbell ◽

J. S. Reid

Keyword(s):

Orthogonal Polarization ◽

Ozone Monitoring Instrument ◽

Regional Trends ◽

Data Record ◽

Moderate Resolution ◽

Resolution Imaging ◽

Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer ◽

Increasing Trends ◽

First Time ◽

Aerosol Index

Abstract. Seven and a half years (June 2006–November 2013) of Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) aerosol and cloud layer products are compared with collocated Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) Aerosol Index (AI) data and Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) cloud products, to investigate variability in estimates of bi-annual and monthly above-cloud aerosol (ACA) events globally. The active- (CALIOP) and passive-based (OMI-MODIS) techniques have their advantages and caveats for ACA detection, and thus both are used to get a thorough and robust comparison of daytime cloudy-sky ACA distribution and climatology. For the first time, baseline above-cloud aerosol optical depth (ACAOD) and AI thresholds are derived and examined (AI = 1.0, ACAOD = 0.015) for each sensor. Both OMI-MODIS and CALIOP-based daytime spatial distributions of ACA events show similar patterns during both study periods (December–May) and (June–November). Divergence exists in some regions, however, such as Southeast Asia during June through November, where daytime cloudy-sky ACA frequencies of up to 10% are found from CALIOP yet are non-existent from the OMI-based method. Conversely, annual cloudy-sky ACA frequencies of 20–30% are reported over Northern Africa from the OMI-based method, yet are largely undetected by the CALIOP-based method. This is possibly due to a misclassification of thick dust plumes as clouds by the OMI-MODIS based method. An increasing trend of ~0.5% per year (since 2009) in global monthly cloudy-sky ACA daytime frequency of occurrence is found using the OMI-MODIS based method. Yet, CALIOP-based global daytime ACA frequencies exhibit a near-zero trend. Further analysis suggests that the OMI derived cloudy-sky ACA frequency trend may be affected by OMI row anomalies in later years. A few regions are found to have increasing trends of cloudy-sky ACA frequency, including the Middle-East and India. Regions with slightly negative cloudy-sky ACA frequency trends are found over South America and the Southern Oceans, while remaining regions in the study show a near-zero trend. Global and regional trends are not statistically significant, though, given relatively lacking sample sizes. A longer data record of ACA events is needed in order to establish a more significant trend of ACA frequency regionally and globally.

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Satellite-based radiative forcing by light-absorbing particles in snow across the Northern Hemisphere

10.5194/acp-2020-50 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jiecan Cui ◽

Tenglong Shi ◽

Yue Zhou ◽

Dongyou Wu ◽

Xin Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Remote Sensing ◽

Northern Hemisphere ◽

Radiative Forcing ◽

Remote Sensing Data ◽

The Arctic ◽

Snow Albedo ◽

Moderate Resolution ◽

Resolution Imaging ◽

Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer ◽

Earth’S Climate

Abstract. Snow is the most reflective natural surface on Earth and consequently plays an important role in Earth’s climate. Light-absorbing particles (LAPs) deposited on the snow surface can effectively decrease snow albedo, resulting in positive radiative forcing. In this study, we used remote sensing data from NASA’s Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and the Snow, Ice, and Aerosol Radiative (SNICAR) model to quantify the reduction in snow albedo due to LAPs, before validating and correcting the data against in situ observations. We then incorporated these corrected albedo reduction data in the Santa Barbara DISORT Atmospheric Radiative Transfer (SBDART) model to estimate Northern Hemisphere radiative forcing in January and February for the period 2003–2018. Our analysis reveals an average corrected reduction in snow albedo of ~0.0246, with instantaneous radiative forcing and daily radiative forcing values of ~5.87 and ~1.69 W m−2, respectively. We also observed significant spatial variations in corrected snow albedo reduction, instantaneous radiative forcing and daily radiative forcing throughout the Northern Hemisphere, with the lowest respective values (~0.0123, ~1.09 W m−2, and ~0.29 W m−2) occurring in the Arctic and the highest (~0.1669, ~36.02 W m−2, and ~10.60 W m−2) in northeastern China. From MODIS retrievals, we determined that the LAP content of snow accounts for 57.6 % and 37.2 % of the spatial variability in Northern Hemisphere albedo reduction and radiative forcing, respectively. We also compared retrieved radiative forcing values with those of earlier studies, including local-scale observations, remote-sensing retrievals, and model-based estimates. Ultimately, estimates of radiative forcing based on satellite-retrieved data are shown to represent true conditions on both regional and global scales.

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The Continuity MODIS-VIIRS Cloud Mask

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs12203334 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (20) ◽

pp. 3334 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Richard A. Frey ◽

Steven A. Ackerman ◽

Robert E. Holz ◽

Steven Dutcher ◽

Zach Griffith

Keyword(s):

Infrared Imaging ◽

Cloud Fraction ◽

The Arctic ◽

Orthogonal Polarization ◽

Cloud Detection ◽

Moderate Resolution ◽

Resolution Imaging ◽

Hit Rates ◽

Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer ◽

Cloud Mask

This paper introduces the Continuity Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)-Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Cloud Mask (MVCM), a cloud detection algorithm designed to facilitate continuity in cloud detection between the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on the Aqua and Terra platforms and the series of VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) instruments, beginning with the Soumi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP) spacecraft. It is based on the MODIS cloud mask that has been operating since 2000 with the launch of the Terra spacecraft (MOD35) and continuing in 2002 with Aqua (MYD35). The MVCM makes use of fourteen spectral bands that are common to both MODIS and VIIRS so as to create consistent cloud detection between the two instruments and across the years 2000–2020 and beyond. Through comparison data sets, including collocated Aqua MODIS and Cloud-Aerosol LIdar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) from the A-Train, this study was designed to assign statistical consistency benchmarks between the MYD35 and MVCM cloud masks. It is shown that the MVCM produces consistent cloud detection results between Aqua MODIS, SNPP VIIRS, and NOAA-20 VIIRS and that the quality is comparable to the standard Aqua MODIS cloud mask. Globally, comparisons with collocated CALIOP lidar show combined clear and cloudy sky hit rates of 88.2%, 87.5%, 86.8%, and 86.8% for MYD35, MVCM Aqua MODIS, MVCM SNPP VIIRS, and MVCM NOAA-20 VIIRS, respectively, for June through until August, 2018. For the same months and in the same order for 60S–60N, hit rates are 90.7%, 90.5%, 90.1%, and 90.3%. From the time series constructed from gridded daily means of 60S–60N cloud fractions, we found that the mean day-to-day cloud fraction differences/standard deviations in percent to be 0.68/0.55, 0.94/0.64, −0.20/0.50, and 0.44/0.82 for MVCM Aqua MODIS-MVCM SNPP VIIRS day and night, and MVCM NOAA-20 VIIRS-MVCM SNPP VIIRS day and night, respectively. It is seen that the MODIS and VIIRS 1.38 µm cirrus detection bands perform similarly but with MODIS detecting slightly more clouds in the middle to high levels of the troposphere and the VIIRS detecting more in the upper troposphere above 16 km. In the Arctic, MVCM Aqua MODIS and SNPP VIIRS reported cloud fraction differences of 0–3% during the mid-summer season and −3–4% during the mid-winter.

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