Comparison of aerosol optical depth from satellite (MODIS), sun photometer and broadband pyrheliometer ground-based observations in Cuba

Abstract. In the present study, we report the first comparison between the aerosol optical depth (AOD) and Ångström exponent (AE) of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments on the Terra (AODt) and Aqua (AODa) satellites and those measured using a sun photometer (AODSP) at Camagüey, Cuba, for the period 2008 to 2014. The comparison of Terra and Aqua data includes AOD derived with both deep blue (DB) and dark target (DT) algorithms from MODIS Collection 6. Combined Terra and Aqua (AODta) data were also considered. Assuming an interval of ±30 min around the overpass time and an area of 25 km around the sun photometer site, two coincidence criteria were considered: individual pairs of observations and both spatial and temporal mean values, which we call collocated daily means. The usual statistics (root mean square error, RMSE; mean absolute error, MAE; median bias, BIAS), together with linear regression analysis, are used for this comparison. Results show very similar values for both coincidence criteria: the DT algorithm generally displays better statistics and higher homogeneity than the DB algorithm in the behaviour of AODt, AODa, AODta compared to AODSP. For collocated daily means, (a) RMSEs of 0.060 and 0.062 were obtained for Terra and Aqua with the DT algorithm and 0.084 and 0.065 for the DB algorithm, (b) MAE follows the same patterns, (c) BIAS for both Terra and Aqua presents positive and negative values but its absolute values are lower for the DT algorithm; (d) combined AODta data also give lower values of these three statistical indicators for the DT algorithm; (e) both algorithms present good correlations for comparing AODt, AODa, AODta vs. AODSP, with a slight overestimation of satellite data compared to AODSP, (f). The DT algorithm yields better figures with slopes of 0.96 (Terra), 0.96 (Aqua) and 0.96 (Terra + Aqua) compared to the DB algorithm (1.07, 0.90, 0.99), which displays greater variability. Multi-annual monthly means of AODta establish a first climatology that is more comparable to that given by the sun photometer and their statistical evaluation reveals better agreement with AODSP for the DT algorithm. Results of the AE comparison showed similar results to those reported in the literature concerning the two algorithms' capacity for retrieval. A comparison between broadband aerosol optical depth (BAOD), derived from broadband pyrheliometer observations at the Camagüey site and three other meteorological stations in Cuba, and AOD observations from MODIS on board Terra and Aqua show a poor correlation with slopes below 0.4 for both algorithms. Aqua (Terra) showed RMSE values of 0.073 (0.080) and 0.088 (0.087) for the DB and DT algorithms. As expected, RMSE values are higher than those from the MODIS–sun photometer comparison, but within the same order of magnitude. Results from the BAOD derived from solar radiation measurements demonstrate its reliability in describing climatological AOD series estimates.

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Comparison of aerosol optical depth from satellite (MODIS), Sun photometer and pyrheliometer ground-based measurements in Cuba

10.5194/amt-2017-318 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Juan Carlos Antuña-Marrero ◽

Victoria Cachorro Revilla ◽

Frank García Parrado ◽

Ángel de Frutos Baraja ◽

Albeth Rodríguez Vega ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Aerosol Optical Depth ◽

Optical Depth ◽

The Sun ◽

Deep Blue ◽

Moderate Resolution ◽

Resolution Imaging ◽

Sun Photometer ◽

Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer ◽

Aerosol Properties ◽

Satellite Instruments

Abstract. In the present study, we report the first comparison of the aerosol properties measured with sun photometer at Camagüey, Cuba, with the MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments on Terra and Aqua satellites. We compared the aerosol optical depth at 550 nm (AOD) and the Ångström Exponent (AE) from the sun photometer for the period 2008 to 2014 with the same variables measured by both MODIS instruments, that are spatially and temporally coincident. The comparison includes AOD derived with both Deep Blue (DB) and Dark Target (DT) algorithms from MODIS Collection 6. The AOD derived with DT algorithm for Terra and Aqua agrees better with AOD from the sun photometer than the AOD derived with DB. Additionally there is little difference between AOD from both satellite instruments, when they are compared with sun photometer AOD, allowing to combine AOD from Terra and Aqua for more comprehensive climatological statistics. The comparison of the AE showed similar results with reports in the literature about the little skills of the current DT and DB algorithms for its retrieval. In addition, we report the comparison of the broadband AOD (BAOD) from pyrheliometer measurements located at Camagüey site and other three meteorological stations along Cuba, with AOD measurements from the sun photometer and from MODIS onboard Terra and Aqua. The comparison of the BAOD from the four sites as a whole with coincident AOD from MODIS onboard Terra and Aqua showed similar results than the ones of the comparison between the sun photometer AOD and the AOD from the two satellite instruments. In the comparison between the BAOD and the AOD at each one of the eight individual sun photometer wavelengths, the results improve in the spectral range 400 to 675 nm, with the best result at 500 nm. The BAOD typical uncertainty ranges from 0.04 to 0.06 at this band. The results from the BAOD comparisons demonstrate its reliability for characterizing AOD at sites with no sun photometer and for extending backward in time AOD estimates.

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Retrieval of Urban Aerosol Optical Depth from Landsat 8 OLI in Nanjing, China

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs13030415 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 415

Author(s):

Yangyang Jin ◽

Zengzhou Hao ◽

Jian Chen ◽

Dong He ◽

Qingjiu Tian ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Aerosol Optical Depth ◽

Optical Depth ◽

Absolute Error ◽

Meteorological Conditions ◽

Landsat 8 ◽

Landsat 8 Oli ◽

Large Area ◽

The North ◽

Deep Blue ◽

Seasonal Characteristics

Aerosol is an essential parameter for assessing the atmospheric environmental quality, and accurate monitoring of the aerosol optical depth (AOD) is of great significance in climate research and environmental protection. Based on Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) images and MODIS09A1 surface reflectance products under clear skies with limited cloud cover, we retrieved the AODs in Nanjing City from 2017 to 2018 using the combined Dark Target (DT) and Deep Blue (DB) methods. The retrieval accuracy was validated by in-situ CE-318 measurements and MOD04_3K aerosol products. Furthermore, we analyzed the spatiotemporal distribution of the AODs and discussed a case of high AOD distribution. The results showed that: (1) Validated by CE-318 and MOD04_3K data, the correlation coefficient (R), root mean square error (RMSE), and mean absolute error (MAE) of the retrieved AODs were 0.874 and 0.802, 0.134 and 0.188, and 0.099 and 0.138, respectively. Hence, the combined DT and DB algorithms used in this study exhibited a higher performance than the MOD04_3K-obtained aerosol products. (2) Under static and stable meteorological conditions, the average annual AOD in Nanjing was 0.47. At the spatial scale, the AODs showed relatively high values in the north and west, low in the south, and the lowest in the center. At the seasonal scale, the AODs were highest in the summer, followed by spring, winter, and autumn. Moreover, changes were significantly higher in the summer than in the other three seasons, with little differences among spring, autumn, and winter. (3) Based on the spatial and seasonal characteristics of the AOD distribution in Nanjing, a case of high AOD distribution caused by a large area of external pollution and local meteorological conditions was discussed, indicating that it could provide extra details of the AOD distribution to analyze air pollution sources using fine spatial resolution like in the Landsat 8 OLI.

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Sun photometer retrievals of Saharan dust properties over Barbados during SALTRACE

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ◽

10.5194/acp-19-14571-2019 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (23) ◽

pp. 14571-14583 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Carlos Toledano ◽

Benjamín Torres ◽

Cristian Velasco-Merino ◽

Dietrich Althausen ◽

Silke Groß ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Aerosol Optical Depth ◽

Optical Depth ◽

Saharan Dust ◽

Caribbean Region ◽

The Sun ◽

Concentration Data ◽

The Caribbean ◽

Sun Photometer ◽

Dust Events

Abstract. The Saharan Aerosol Long-Range Transport and Aerosol–Cloud-Interaction Experiment (SALTRACE) was devoted to the investigation of Saharan dust properties over the Caribbean. The campaign took place in June–July 2013. A wide set of ground-based and airborne aerosol instrumentation was deployed at the island of Barbados for a comprehensive experiment. Several sun photometers performed measurements during this campaign: two AERONET (Aerosol Robotic Network) Cimel sun photometers and the Sun and Sky Automatic Radiometer (SSARA). The sun photometers were co-located with the ground-based multi-wavelength lidars BERTHA (Backscatter Extinction lidar Ratio Temperature Humidity profiling Apparatus) and POLIS (Portable Lidar System). Aerosol properties derived from direct sun and sky radiance observations are analyzed, and a comparison with the co-located lidar and in situ data is provided. The time series of aerosol optical depth (AOD) allows identifying successive dust events with short periods in between in which the marine background conditions were observed. The moderate aerosol optical depth in the range of 0.3 to 0.6 was found during the dust periods. The sun photometer infrared channel at the 1640 nm wavelength was used in the retrieval to investigate possible improvements to aerosol size retrievals, and it was expected to have a larger sensitivity to coarse particles. The comparison between column (aerosol optical depth) and surface (dust concentration) data demonstrates the connection between the Saharan Air Layer and the boundary layer in the Caribbean region, as is shown by the synchronized detection of the successive dust events in both datasets. However the differences of size distributions derived from sun photometer data and in situ observations reveal the difficulties in carrying out a column closure study.

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Retrieval of atmospheric optical parameters from ground-based sun-photometer measurements for Zanjan, Iran

Atmospheric Measurement Techniques ◽

10.5194/amt-4-857-2011 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 4 (5) ◽

pp. 857-863 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

A. Bayat ◽

A. Masoumi ◽

H. R. Khalesifard

Keyword(s):

Water Vapor ◽

Aerosol Optical Depth ◽

Optical Depth ◽

Dust Particles ◽

The Sun ◽

Angstrom Exponent ◽

Columnar Water Vapor ◽

Ångström Exponent ◽

Sun Photometer ◽

Ångstrom Exponent

Abstract. We are reporting the results of ground-based spectroradiometric measurements on aerosols and water vapor in the atmosphere of Zanjan for the period of October 2006 to September 2008 using a CIMEL CE318-2 sun-photometer. Zanjan is a city in Northwest Iran, located at 36.70° N, 48.51° E, and at an altitude of 1800 m a.m.s.l. (above mean sea level). The spectral aerosol optical depth, Ångström exponent, and columnar water vapor have been calculated using the data recorded by the sun-photometer through the direct measurements on the sun radiance (sun-mode). The average values of aerosol optical depth at 440 nm, columnar water vapor, and the Ångström exponent, α, during the mentioned period are measured as, 0.28 ± 0.14, 0.57 ± 0.37 cm and 0.73 ± 0.30, respectively. The maximum (minimum) value of the aerosol optical depth was recorded in May 2007 (November 2007), and that of columnar water vapor, in July 2007 (January 2008). Using the least-squares method, the Ångström exponent was calculated in the spectral interval 440–870 nm along with α1 and α2, the coefficients of a second order polynomial fit to the plotted logarithm of aerosol optical depth versus the logarithm of wavelength. The coefficient α2 shows that most of the aerosols in the Zanjan area have dimensions larger than 1 micron. The calculated values for α2 − α1 indicate that 80 % of the aerosols are in the coarse-mode (>1 μm) and 20 % of them are in the fine-mode (<1 μm). Comparison of α2 − α1 for the atmosphere over Zanjan with other regions indicates dust particles are the most dominant aerosols in the region.

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Sun photometer retrievals of Saharan dust properties over Barbados during SALTRACE

10.5194/acp-2019-419 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Carlos Toledano ◽

Benjamín Torres ◽

Cristian Velasco-Merino ◽

Dietrich Althausen ◽

Silke Groß ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Aerosol Optical Depth ◽

Optical Depth ◽

Saharan Dust ◽

Caribbean Region ◽

The Sun ◽

Concentration Data ◽

The Caribbean ◽

Sun Photometer ◽

Dust Events

Abstract. The Saharan Aerosol Long-range Transport and Aerosol-Cloud-Interaction Experiment (SALTRACE) was devoted to the investigation of Saharan dust properties over the Caribbean. The campaign took place in June–July 2013. A wide set of ground-based and airborne aerosol instrumentation was deployed at Barbados island for a comprehensive experiment. Several sun photometers performed measurements during this campaign: two AERONET Cimel sun photometers and the Sun and Sky Automatic Radiometer (SSARA). The sun photometers were co-located with the ground-based multi-wavelength lidars BERTHA and POLIS. Aerosol properties derived from direct sun and sky radiance observations are analyzed, and a comparison with the co-located lidar and in-situ data is provided. The time series of aerosol optical depth allows identifying successive dust events with short periods in between in which the marine background conditions were observed. Moderate aerosol optical depth in the range 0.3 to 0.6 was found during the dust periods. The sun photometer infrared channel at 1640 nm wavelength was used in the retrieval to investigate possible improvements and expected larger sensitivity to coarse particles. The comparison between column (AOD) and surface (dust concentration) data demonstrates the connection between the Saharan Air Layer and the boundary layer in the Caribbean region, as it is shown by the synchronized detection of the successive dust events in both data sets. However the comparison of size distributions derived from sun photometer data and in-situ observations reveal the difficulties to carry out a column closure study.

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Handheld Sun Photometer Measurements from Light Aircraft*

Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology ◽

10.1175/jtech2087.1 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 24 (9) ◽

pp. 1588-1597 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

John N. Porter ◽

Antony Clarke ◽

Jeffrey S. Reid ◽

Elizabeth A. Reid ◽

Glen Shaw ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Aerosol Optical Depth ◽

Optical Depth ◽

Low Cost ◽

Computer Control ◽

The Sun ◽

Depth Measurement ◽

Quantitative Measurements ◽

Sun Photometer

Abstract Handheld sun photometers are typically used to make aerosol optical depth measurements while on the ground. Various investigators, in unrelated efforts, have used handheld sun photometers to make aerosol optical depth measurements from light aircraft, but the strengths and weakness of this approach have not been characterized until now. While the ease and relatively low cost of an aircraft manual sun photometer are attractive, determining if the sun photometer was correctly pointed at the sun for each measurement is the biggest challenge. This problem can be partially addressed by collecting a large number of measurements at each altitude, then manually removing the largest optical depths (misalignment always results in erroneous larger values). Examples of past aircraft manual sun photometer measurements are demonstrating that it is possible to obtain quantitative measurements if sufficient sun photometer measurements are made at each elevation. In order to improve on manual sun photometer measurements, a small webcam was attached to the side of a Microtops sun photometer, and the Microtops sun photometer was triggered by computer control. By detecting the position of the sun in the webcam image, it is possible to determine whether the sun photometer was pointed at the sun correctly when the aerosol optical depth measurement was made. Unfortunately, it was found that the Microtops sun photometer takes ∼1.1 s to scan over the five wavelength channels. This 1.1-s delay proved to be too long, preventing the proposed approach from working as the aircraft was bouncing around.

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Retrieval of aerosol single-scattering albedo and polarized phase function from polarized sun-photometer measurements for Zanjan's atmosphere

Atmospheric Measurement Techniques ◽

10.5194/amt-6-2659-2013 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 6 (10) ◽

pp. 2659-2669 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

A. Bayat ◽

H. R. Khalesifard ◽

A. Masoumi

Keyword(s):

Aerosol Optical Depth ◽

Optical Depth ◽

Atmospheric Aerosols ◽

Phase Function ◽

Single Scattering ◽

Single Scattering Albedo ◽

Angstrom Exponent ◽

Ångström Exponent ◽

Sun Photometer ◽

Ångstrom Exponent

Abstract. The polarized phase function of atmospheric aerosols has been investigated for the atmosphere of Zanjan, a city in northwest Iran. To do this, aerosol optical depth, Ångström exponent, single-scattering albedo, and polarized phase function have been retrieved from the measurements of a Cimel CE 318-2 polarized sun-photometer from February 2010 to December 2012. The results show that the maximum value of aerosol polarized phase function as well as the polarized phase function retrieved for a specific scattering angle (i.e., 60°) are strongly correlated (R = 0.95 and 0.95, respectively) with the Ångström exponent. The latter has a meaningful variation with respect to the changes in the complex refractive index of the atmospheric aerosols. Furthermore the polarized phase function shows a moderate negative correlation with respect to the atmospheric aerosol optical depth and single-scattering albedo (R = −0.76 and −0.33, respectively). Therefore the polarized phase function can be regarded as a key parameter to characterize the atmospheric particles of the region – a populated city in the semi-arid area and surrounded by some dust sources of the Earth's dust belt.

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Improving Langley calibrations by reducing diurnal variations of aerosol Ångström parameters

Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions ◽

10.5194/amtd-5-6479-2012 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 5 (5) ◽

pp. 6479-6492

Author(s):

A. Kreuter ◽

S. Wuttke ◽

M. Blumthaler

Keyword(s):

Monte Carlo ◽

Monte Carlo Method ◽

Aerosol Optical Depth ◽

State Of The Art ◽

Diurnal Variations ◽

The Sun ◽

Calibration Constant ◽

Solar Noon ◽

Sun Photometer ◽

Photometer Calibration

Abstract. Errors in the sun photometer calibration constant lead to artificial diurnal variations, symmetric around solar noon, of the retrieved Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) and the associated Ångström exponent α and its curvature γ. We show in simulations that within the uncertainty of state-of-the-art Langley calibrations, these diurnal variations of α and γ can be significant in low AOD conditions, while those of AOD are negligible. We implement a weighted Monte-Carlo method of finding an improved calibration constant by minimizing the diurnal variations in α and γ and apply the method to sun photometer data of a clear day in Innsbruck, Austria. The results show that our method can be used to improve the calibrations in two of the four wavelength channels by up to a factor of 3.6.

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Comparison of MODIS and AERONET derived aerosol optical depth over the Ganga Basin, India

Annales Geophysicae ◽

10.5194/angeo-23-1093-2005 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 23 (4) ◽

pp. 1093-1101 ◽

Cited By ~ 132

Author(s):

S. N. Tripathi ◽

Sagnik Dey ◽

A. Chandel ◽

S. Srivastava ◽

Ramesh P. Singh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Aerosol Optical Depth ◽

Optical Depth ◽

Time Window ◽

Absolute Error ◽

Absolute Difference ◽

Ganga Basin ◽

Monsoon Period ◽

Post Monsoon ◽

Dust Loading ◽

The Absolute

Abstract. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) onboard EOS Terra measures global aerosol optical depth and optical properties since 2000. MODIS aerosol products are freely available and are being used for numerous studies. In this paper, we present a comparison of aerosol optical depth (AOD) retrieved from MODIS with Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) data for the year 2004 over Kanpur, an industrial city lying in the Ganga Basin in the northern part of India. AOD retrieved from MODIS (τaMODIS) at 0.55µm wavelength has been compared with the AERONET derived AOD (τaAERONET), within an optimum space-time window. Although the correlation between τaMODIS and τaAERONET during the post-monsoon and winter seasons (R2~0.71) is almost equal to that during the pre-monsoon and monsoon seasons (R2~0.72), MODIS is found to overestimate AOD during the pre-monsoon and monsoon period (characterized by severe dust loading) and underestimate during the post-monsoon and winter seasons. The absolute difference between τaMODIS and τaAERONET is found to be low (0.12±0.11) during the non-dust loading season and much higher (0.4±0.2) during dust-loading seasons. The absolute error in τaMODIS is found to be about ~25% of the absolute values of τaMODIS. Our comparison shows the importance of modifying the existing MODIS algorithm during the dust-loading seasons, especially in the Ganga Basin in northern part of India.

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