ALBERT

Description: Aerosol particles originate from man-made sources such as urban/industrial activities,rurning associated with land use processes, wind-blown dust, and natural sources. Their interaction with sunlight and their effect on cloud microphysics forms a major uncertainty in predicting climate change. Furthermore, the lifetime of only a few days causes high spatial variability in aerosol optical and radiative properties that requires global observations from space. Remote sensing of aerosol properties from space is reviewed both for present and planned national and international satellite sensors. Techniques that are being used to enhance our ability to characterize the global distribution of aerosol properties include well-calibrated multispectral radiometers, multispectral polarimeters, and multi-angle spectroradiometers. Though most of these sensor systems rely primarily on visible to mid-infrared spectral channels, the availability of of thermal channels to aid in cloud screening is an important additional piece of information that is not always incorporated into the sensor design. In this paper we describe the various satellite sensor systems being developed by Europe, Japan, and the U.S., and highlight the advantages and disadvantages of each of these systems for aerosol applications. An important underlying theme is that the remote sensing of aerosol properties, especially aerosol size distribution and single scattering albedo, is exceedingly difficult. As a consequence, no one sensor system is capable of providing totally unambiguous information, and hence a careful intercomparison of derived products from different sensors, together with a comprehensive network of ground-based sun-photometer and sky radiometer systems, are required to advance our quantitative understanding of global aerosol characteristics.

Description: The MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) algorithm for determining aerosol characteristics over ocean is performing with remarkable accuracy. A two-month data set of MODIS retrievals co-located with observations from the AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) ground-based sunphotometer network provides the necessary validation. Spectral radiation measured by MODIS (in the range 550 - 2100 nm) is used to retrieve the aerosol optical thickness, effective particle radius and ratio between the submicron and micron size particles. MODIS-retrieved aerosol optical thickness at 660 nm and 870 nm fall within the expected uncertainty, with the ensemble average at 660 nm differing by only 2% from the AERONET observations and having virtually no offset. MODIS retrievals of aerosol effective radius agree with AERONET retrievals to within +/- 0.10 micrometers, while MODIS-derived ratios between large and small mode aerosol show definite correlation with ratios derived from AERONET data.

Description: Data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument that flies in polar orbit on the Terra platform, are used to derive the aerosol optical thickness and properties over land and ocean. The relationships between visible reflectance (at blue, rho(sub blue), and red, rho(sub red)) and mid-infrared (at 2.1 microns, rho(sub 2.1)) are used in the MODIS aerosol retrieval algorithm to derive global distribution of aerosols over the land. These relations have been established from a series of measurements indicating that rho(sub blue) is approximately 0.5 rho(sub red) is approximately 0.25 rho(sub 2.1). Here we use a model to describe the transfer of radiation through a vegetation canopy composed of randomly oriented leaves to assess the theoretical foundations for these relationships. Calculations for a wide range of leaf area indices and vegetation fractions show that rho(sub blue) is consistently about 1/4 of rho(sub 2.1) as used by MODIS for the whole range of analyzed cases, except for very dark soils, such as those found in burn scars. For its part, the ratio rho(sub red)/rho(sub 2.1) varies from less than the empirically derived value of 1/2 for dense and dark vegetation, to more than 1/2 for bright mixture of soil and vegetation. This is in agreement with measurements over uniform dense vegetation, but not with measurements over mixed dark scenes. In the later case the discrepancy is probably mitigated by shadows due to uneven canopy and terrain on a large scale. It is concluded that the value of this ratio should ideally be made dependent on the land cover type in the operational processing of MODIS data, especially over dense forests.

Description: Reflectance measurements in the visible and infrared wavelengths, from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), are used to derive aerosol optical thicknesses (AOT) and aerosol properties over land surfaces. The measured spectral reflectance is compared with lookup tables, containing theoretical reflectance calculated by radiative transfer (RT) code. Specifically, this RT code calculates top of the atmosphere (TOA) intensities based on a scalar treatment of radiation, neglecting the effects of polarization. In the red and near infrared (NIR) wavelengths the use of the scalar RT code is of sufficient accuracy to model TOA reflectance. However, in the blue, molecular and aerosol scattering dominate the TOA signal. Here, polarization effects can be large, and should be included in the lookup table derivation. Using a RT code that allows for both vector and scalar calculations, we examine the reflectance differences at the TOA, with and without polarization. We find that the differences in blue channel TOA reflectance (vector - scalar) may reach values of 0.01 or greater, depending on the sun/surface/sensor scattering geometry. Reflectance errors of this magnitude translate to AOT differences of 0.1, which is a very large error, especially when the actual AOT is low. As a result of this study, the next version of aerosol retrieval from MODIS over land will include polarization.

Description: Since first light in early 2000, operational global quantitative retrievals of aerosol properties over land have been made from MODIS observed spectral reflectance. These products have been continuously evaluated and validated, and opportunities for improvements have been noted. We have replaced the original algorithm by improving surface reflectance assumptions, the aerosol model optical properties and the radiative transfer code used to create the lookup tables. The new algorithm (known as Version 5.2 or V5.2) performs a simultaneous inversion of two visible (0.47 and 0.66 micron) and one shortwave-IR (2.12 micron) channel, making use of the coarse aerosol information content contained in the 2.12 micron channel. Inversion of the three channels yields three nearly independent parameters, the aerosol optical depth (tau) at 0.55 micron, the non-dust or fine weighting (eta) and the surface reflectance at 2.12 micron. Finally, retrievals of small magnitude negative tau values (down to -0.05) are considered valid, thus normalizing the statistics of tau in near zero tau conditions. On a 'test bed' of 6300 granules from Terra and Aqua, the products from V5.2 show marked improvement over those from the previous versions, including much improved retrievals of tau, where the MODIS/AERONET tau (at 0.55 micron) regression has an equation of: y = 1.01+0.03, R = 0.90. Mean tau for the test bed is reduced from 0.28 to 0.21.

Description: Ocean color sensors were designed mainly for remote sensing of chlorophyll concentrations over the clear open oceanic areas (case 1 water) using channels between 0.4 and 0.86 micrometers. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) launched on the NASA Terra and Aqua Spacecrafts is equipped with narrow channels located within a wider wavelength range between 0.4 and 2.5 micrometers for a variety of remote sensing applications. The wide spectral range can provide improved capabilities for remote sensing of the more complex and turbid coastal waters (case 2 water) and for improved atmospheric corrections for Ocean scenes. In this article, we describe an empirical algorithm that uses this wide spectral range to identifying areas with suspended sediments in turbid waters and shallow waters with bottom reflections. The algorithm takes advantage of the strong water absorption at wavelengths longer than 1 micrometer that does not allow illumination of sediments in the water or a shallow ocean floor. MODIS data acquired over the east coast of China, west coast of Africa, Arabian Sea, Mississippi Delta, and west coast of Florida are used in this study.

Description: The aerosol spectral absorption efficiency (alpha (sub a) in square meters per gram) is measured over an extended wavelength range (350 2500 nm) using an improved calibrated and validated reflectance technique and applied to urban aerosol samples from Sao Paulo, Brazil and from a site in Virginia, Eastern US, that experiences transported urban/industrial aerosol. The average alpha (sub a) values (approximately 3 square meters per gram at 550 nm) for Sao Paulo samples are 10 times larger than alpha (sub a) values obtained for aerosols in Virginia. Sao Paulo aerosols also show evidence of enhanced UV absorption in selected samples, probably associated with organic aerosol components. This extra UV absorption can double the absorption efficiency observed from black carbon alone, therefore reducing by up to 50% the surface UV fluxes, with important implications for climate, UV photolysis rates, and remote sensing from space.

Description: We have developed an algorithm to detect suspended sediments and shallow coastal waters using imaging data acquired with the Moderate Resolution Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MODIS). The MODIS instruments on board the NASA Terra and Aqua Spacecrafts are equipped with one set of narrow channels located in a wide 0.4 - 2.5 micron spectral range. These channels were designed primarily for remote sensing of the land surface and atmosphere. We have found that the set of land and cloud channels are also quite useful for remote sensing of the bright coastal waters. We have developed an empirical algorithm, which uses the narrow MODIS channels in this wide spectral range, for identifying areas with suspended sediments in turbid waters and shallow waters with bottom reflections. In our algorithm, we take advantage of the strong water absorption at wavelengths longer than 1 micron that does not allow illumination of sediments in the water or a shallow ocean floor. MODIS data acquired over the east coast of China, west coast of Africa, Arabian Sea, Mississippi Delta, and west coast of Florida are used in this study.

Description: Recently produced daily Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aerosol data for the whole year of 2001 are used to show the concentration and dynamics of aerosol over ocean and large parts of the continents. The data were validated against the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) measurements over land and ocean in a special issue in GRL now in press. Monthly averages and a movie based on the daily data are produced and used to demonstrate the spatial and temporal evolution of aerosol. The MODIS wide spectral range is used to distinguish fine smoke and pollution aerosol from coarse dust and salt. The aerosol is observed above ocean and land. The movie produced from the MODIS data provides a new dimension to aerosol observations by showing the dynamics of the system. For example in February smoke and dust emitted from the Sahel and West Africa is shown to travel to the North-East Atlantic. In April heavy dust and pollution from East Asia is shown to travel to North America. In May-June pollution and dust play a dynamical dance in the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal. In Aug-September smoke from South Africa and South America is shown to pulsate in tandem and to periodically to be transported to the otherwise pristine Southern part of the Southern Hemisphere. The MODIS data are compared with the Georgia Tech/Goddard Global Ozone Chemistry Aerosol Radiation Transport (GOCART) model to test and adjust source and sink strengths in the model and to study the effect of clouds on the representation of the satellite data.

Description: The MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) instruments collect daily measurements of our planet since early 2000 from the Terra spaceborne polar platform. It has unique channels to observe smoke over land and ocean and to observe fires. Using unsaturated channels at 3.9 micron MODIS detects the fires and estimates the fire radiative energy. Using solar channels in the visible (0.47 and 0.66 micron) and in the mid IR (2.1 micron) MODIS measures the smoke optical thickness distribution and evolution over the land. Seven Channels in the solar spectrum are used to detect the smoke properties and distribution over the oceans. Data from the Aerosol Robotic Network, are used to validate the MODIS observations. The MODIS aerosol data presented in a movie form is used to observe the generation of smoke plumes and their dispersion around the globe. For example a key conclusion is that smoke in particular from Southern Africa can pollute significantly the 'pristine' Southern Hemisphere zonal range of 45'S-60'S, and the Northern Pacific.