ALBERT

Description: The Terra mission, launched at the dawn of 1999, and Aqua mission to be launched soon, will possess innovative measurements of the aerosol daily spatial distribution, distinguish between dust, smoke and regional pollution and measure aerosol radiative forcing of climate. Their polar orbit gives daily global coverage, however measurements are acquired at specific time of the day. To what degree can present measurements from Terra taken between 10:00 and 11:30 AM local time, represent the daily average aerosol forcing of climate? Here we answer this question using 7 years of data from the distributed ground based 50-70 instrument Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) This (AERONET) half a million measurement data set shows that Terra aerosol measurements represent the daily average values within 5%. The excellent representation is found for large dust particles or small aerosol particles from Fires or regional pollution and for any range of the optical thickness, a measure of the amount of aerosol in the atmosphere.

Description: Haze and air pollution includes many chemicals that together form small particles suspended in the air called aerosols. One of the main ingredients found to affect climate and human health is Black Carbon. Black particles emitted from engines that do not burn the fuel completely, e.g. old trucks. Black carbon absorption of sunlight emerges as one of the key components of man-made forcing of climate. However, global characterization of black carbon emissions, distribution and pathways in which it can affect the amount of solar radiation absorbed by the atmosphere is very uncertain. A new method is proposed to measure sunlight absorption by fine aerosol particles containing black carbon over the ocean glint from a satellite mission designed for this purpose. The satellite will scan the same spot over the ocean in the glint plane and a plane 40 degrees off-glint a minute apart, collecting measurements of the reflected light across the solar spectrum. First the dark ocean off the glint is used to derive aerosol properties. Then the black carbon absorption is derived prop the attenuation of the bright glint by the aerosol layer. Such measurements if realized in a proposed future mission - COBRA are expected to produce global monthly climatology of black carbon absorption with high accuracy (110 to 15%) that can show their effect on climate.

Description: The MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard both NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites is making near global daily observations of the earth in a wide spectral range. These measurements are used to derive spectral aerosol optical thickness and aerosol size parameters over both land and ocean. The aerosol products available over land include aerosol optical thickness at three visible wavelengths, a measure of the fraction of aerosol optical thickness attributed to the fine mode and several derived parameters including reflected spectral solar flux at top of atmosphere. Over ocean, the aerosol optical thickness is provided in seven wavelengths from 0.47 microns to 2.13 microns. In addition, quantitative aerosol size information includes effective radius of the aerosol and quantitative fraction of optical thickness attributed to the fine mode. Spectral aerosol flux, mass concentration and number of cloud condensation nuclei round out the list of available aerosol products over the ocean. The spectral optical thickness and effective radius of the aerosol over the ocean are validated by comparison with two years of AERONET data gleaned from 133 AERONET stations. 8000 MODIS aerosol retrievals colocated with AERONET measurements confirm that one-standard deviation of MODIS optical thickness retrievals fall within the predicted uncertainty of delta tauapproximately equal to plus or minus 0.03 plus or minus 0.05 tau over ocean and delta tay equal to plus or minus 0.05 plus or minus 0.15 tau over land. 271 MODIS aerosol retrievals co-located with AERONET inversions at island and coastal sites suggest that one-standard deviation of MODIS effective radius retrievals falls within delta r_eff approximately equal to 0.11 microns. The accuracy of the MODIS retrievals suggests that the product can be used to help narrow the uncertainties associated with aerosol radiative forcing of global climate.

Description: The Puerto Rico Dust Experiment (PRIDE) was held in Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico from June 26 to July 24, 2000. It was intended to study the radiative and microphysical properties of Saharan dust transported into Puerto Rico. PRIDE had the unique distinction of being the first major field experiment to allow direct comparison of aerosol retrievals from MODIS (MODerate Imaging Spectro-radiometer - aboard the Terra satellite) with data from a variety of ground, shipboard and air-based instruments. Over the ocean the MODIS algorithm retrieves optical depth as well as information about the aerosol's size. During PRIDE, MODIS passed over Roosevelt Roads approximately once per day during daylight hours. Due to sunglint and clouds over Puerto Rico, aerosol retrievals can be made from only about half the MODIS scenes. In this study we try to "validate" our aerosol retrievals by comparing to measurements taken by sun-photometers from multiple platforms, including: Cimel (AERONET) from the ground, Microtops (handheld) from ground and ship, and the NASA-Ames sunphotometer from the air.

Description: New set of satellites, MODIS and MISR launched on EOS-Terra and POLDER launched on ADEOS-1, and scheduled for ADEOS-II and PARASOL in orbit with EOS-AQUA, open exciting opportunities to measure aerosol and their radiative forcing of climate. Each of these instruments has a different approach to invert remote sensing data to derive the aerosol properties. MODIS is using wide spectral range 0.47-2.1 micron. MISR is using narrower spectral range (0.44 to 0.87 micron) but observing the same spot from 9 different angles along the satellite track. POLDER using similar wavelengths, uses two dimensional view with a wide angle optics and adds polarization to the inversion process. Among these instruments, we expect to measure the global distribution of aerosol, to distinguish small pollution particles from large particles from deserts and ocean spray. We shall try to measure the aerosol absorption of solar radiation, and their refractive index that indicates the effect of liquid water on the aerosol size and interaction with sunlight. The radiation field measured by these instruments in variety of wavelengths and angles, is also used to derive the effect of the aerosol on reflection of sunlight spectral fluxes to space. When combined with flux measurements at the ground, it gives a complete characterization of the effect of aerosol on solar illumination, heating in the atmosphere and reflection to space.

Description: We compare MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) satellite aerosol retrievals of spectral optical thickness and size parameters over ocean with the same quantities derived from AERONET (Aerosol Robotic Network) observations made at island and coastal sites. Over much of the globe, the satellite-derived quantities agree well with the AERONET quantities. However, in regimes dominated by desert dust aerosol, the agreement is less robust. In the dust regimes, the MODIS retrievals show greater spectral dependence and report smaller particle sizes than do the AERONET derivations. We suggest that the reason for this discrepancy is the nonspherical nature of desert dust particles, which the initial MODIS algorithm is not able to handle. Using the discrepancy between MODIS and AERONET derived spectral optical thickness as an asset, instead of a detriment, we reconstruct the aerosol phase functions that the MODIS algorithm would have needed in order to match the AERONET retrievals. No assumptions of particle shape are used in the derivation of these functions and the results are empirical total column, ambient phase functions. We compare the empirically derived phase functions with phase functions calculated from spheres and spheroids, both situations in which assumptions about particle shape must be made. The resulting empirical nonspherical phase functions will be included in future updates of the MODIS algorithm.

Description: Remote sensing of aerosol from the new satellite instruments (e.g. MODIS from Terra) and ground based radiometers (e.g. the AERONET) provides the opportunity to measure the absorption characteristics of the ambient undisturbed aerosol in the entire atmospheric column. For example Landsat and AERONET data are used to measure spectral absorption of sunlight by dust from West Africa. Both Application of the Landsat and AERONET data demonstrate that Saharan dust absorption of solar radiation is several times smaller than the current international standards. This is due to difficulties of measuring dust absorption in situ, and due to the often contamination of dust properties by the presence of air pollution or smoke. We use the remotely sensed aerosol absorption properties described by the spectral sin le scattering albedo, together with statistics of the monthly optical thickness for the fine and coarse aerosol derived from the MODIS data. The result is an estimate of the flux of solar radiation absorbed by the aerosol layer in different regions around the globe where aerosol is prevalent. If this aerosol forcing through absorption is not included in global circulation models, it may be interpreted as anomalous absorption in these regions. In a preliminary exercise we also use the absorption measurements by AERONET, to derive the non-aerosol absorption of the atmosphere in cloud free conditions. The results are obtained for the atmospheric windows: 0.44 microns, 0.66 microns, 0.86 microns and 1.05 microns. In all the locations over the land and ocean that were tested no anomalous absorption in these wavelengths, was found within absorption optical thickness of +/- 0.005.

Description: Terra will derive the aerosol optical thickness and properties. The aerosol properties can be used to distinguish between natural and human-made aerosol. In the polar orbit Terra will measure aerosol only once a day, around 10:30 am. How will we use this information to study the global radiative impacts of aerosol on climate? We shall present a strategy to address this problem. It includes the following steps: 1) From the Terra aerosol optical thickness and size distribution model we derive the effect of aerosol on reflection of solar radiation at the top of the atmosphere. In a sensitivity study we show that the effect of aerosol on solar fluxes can be derived 10 times more accurately from the MODIS data than derivation of the optical thickness itself. Applications to data over several regions will be given. 2) Using 1/2 million AERONET global data of aerosol spectral optical thickness we show that the aerosol optical thickness and properties during the Terra 10:30 pass are equivalent to the daily average. Due to the aerosol lifetime of several days measurements at this time of the day are enough to assess the daily impact of aerosol on radiation. 3) Aerosol impact on the top of the atmosphere is only part of the climate question. The INDOEX experiment showed that addressing the impact of aerosol on climate, requires also measurements of the aerosol forcing at the surface. This can be done by a combination of measurements of MODIS and AERONET data.

Description: The MODerate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument aboard the Terra spacecraft has been retrieving aerosol parameters since late February 2000. Initial qualitative checking of the products showed very promising results including matching of land and ocean retrievals at coastlines. Using AERONET ground-based radiometers as our primary validation tool, we have established quantitative validation as well. Our results show that for most aerosol types, the MODIS products fall within the pre-launch estimated uncertainties. Surface reflectance and aerosol model assumptions appear to be sufficiently accurate for the optical thickness retrieval. Dust provides a possible exception, which may be due to non-spherical effects. Over ocean the MODIS products include information on particle size, and these parameters are also validated with AERONET retrievals.

Description: The ability of dust to absorb solar radiation and heat the atmosphere is one of the main uncertainties in climate modeling and the prediction of climate change. Dust absorption is not well known due to limitations of in situ measurements. New techniques to measure dust absorption are needed in order to assess the impact of dust on climate. Here we report two new independent remote sensing techniques that provide sensitive measurements of dust absorption. Both are based on remote sensing. One uses satellite spectral measurements, the second uses ground based sky measurements from the AERONET network. Both techniques demonstrate that Saharan dust absorption of solar radiation is several times smaller than the current international standards. Dust cooling of the earth system in the solar spectrum is therefore significantly stronger than recent calculations indicate. We shall also address the issue of the effects of dust non-sphericity on the aerosol optical properties.