Retrieval, validation, and application of the 1-km aerosol optical depth from MODIS measurements over Hong Kong

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aerosol retrieval algorithm was developed to derive aerosol properties at a global scale, suitable for climate studies. Under favorable conditions (clear sky and over dark surfaces), the standard 10/spl times/10 km MODIS aerosol products are also useful on regional scales to monitor aerosol distributions and transports. However, the 10-km resolution is insufficient to depict aerosol variation on local or urban scales, due to inherent aerosol variability as well as complex surface terrain. In this study, we have modified the MODIS algorithm to retrieve aerosol optical depth (AOD) at 1-km resolution over Hong Kong, a city of just over 1000 km/sup 2/ with very complex surface features. Accompanied by the increased spatial resolution are new aerosol models derived with single-scattering albedo (SSA) around 0.91-0.94 to accommodate higher aerosol absorption encountered in Hong Kong than that was presumed for MODIS standard products (SSA/spl sim/0.97) over the region. The derived AOD data are compared to handheld Microtops II sunphotometer observations at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and other locations across Hong Kong. Retrieval errors within 15% to 20% of sunphotometer measurements are found. Moreover, when compared with the standard 10-km AOD products, the 1-km AOD data are much better correlated with PM/sub 10/ measurements across Hong Kong, suggesting that the new 1-km AOD data can be used to better characterize the particulate matter distribution for cities like Hong Kong than the MODIS standard products.     

A critical examination of the residual cloud contamination and diurnal sampling effects on MODIS estimates of aerosol over ocean

Observations of the aerosol optical thickness (AOT) by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments aboard Terra and Aqua satellites are being used extensively for applications to climate and air quality studies. Data quality is essential for these studies. Here we investigate the effects of unresolved clouds on the MODIS measurements of the AOT. The main cloud effect is from residual cirrus that increases the AOT by 0.015/spl plusmn/0.003 at 0.55 /spl mu/m. In addition, lower level clouds can add contamination. We examine the effect of lower clouds using the difference between simultaneously measured MODIS and AERONET AOT. The difference is positively correlated with the cloud fraction. However, interpretation of this difference is sensitive to the definition of cloud contamination versus aerosol growth. If we consider this consistent difference between MODIS and AERONET to be entirely due to cloud contamination we get a total cloud contamination of 0.025/spl plusmn/0.005, though a more likely estimate is closer to 0.020 after accounting for aerosol growth. This reduces the difference between MODIS-observed global aerosol optical thickness over the oceans and model simulations by half, from 0.04 to 0.02. However it is insignificant for studies of aerosol cloud interaction. We also examined how representative are the MODIS data of the diurnal average aerosol. Comparison to monthly averaged sunphotometer data confirms that either the Terra or Aqua estimate of global AOT is a valid representation of the daily average. Though in the vicinity of aerosol sources such as fires, we do not expect this to be true.     

Terra MODIS on-orbit spectral characterization and performance

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) protoflight model onboard the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Earth Observing System Terra spacecraft has been in operation for over five years since its launch in December 1999. It makes measurements using 36 spectral bands with wavelengths from 0.41 to 14.5 /spl mu/m. Bands 1-19 and 26 with wavelengths below 2.2 /spl mu/m, the reflective solar bands (RSBs), collect daytime reflected solar radiance at three nadir spatial resolutions: 0.25 km (bands 1-2), 0.5 km (bands 3-7), and 1 km (bands 8-19 and 26). Bands 20-25 and 27-36, the thermal emissive bands, collect both daytime and nighttime thermal emissions, at 1-km nadir spatial resolution. The MODIS spectral characterization was performed prelaunch at the system level. One of the MODIS onboard calibrators, the Spectroradiometric Calibration Assembly (SRCA), was designed to perform on-orbit spectral characterization of the MODIS RSB. This paper provides a brief overview of MODIS prelaunch spectral characterization, but focuses primarily on the algorithms and results of using the SRCA for on-orbit spectral characterization. Discussions are provided on the RSB center wavelength measurements and their relative spectral response retrievals, comparisons of on-orbit results with those from prelaunch measurements, and the dependence of center wavelength shifts on instrument temperature. For Terra MODIS, the center wavelength shifts over the past five years are less than 0.5 nm for most RSBs, indicating excellent stability of the instrument's spectral characteristics. Similar spectral performance has also been obtained from the Aqua MODIS (launched in May 2002) SRCA measurements.     

Effects of neglecting polarization on the MODIS aerosol retrieval over land

Reflectance measurements in the visible and infrared wavelengths, from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), are used to derive aerosol optical thicknesses (AOTs) and aerosol properties over ocean and land surfaces, separately. Both algorithms employ radiative transfer (RT) code to create lookup tables, simulating the top-of-atmosphere (TOA) reflectance measured by the satellite. Whereas the algorithm over ocean uses a vector RT code that includes the effects of atmospheric polarization, the algorithm over land assumes scalar RT, thus neglecting polarization effects. In the red (0.66 /spl mu/m) and infrared (2.12 /spl mu/m) MODIS channels, scattering by molecules (Rayleigh scattering) is minimal. In these bands, the use of a scalar RT code is of sufficient accuracy to model TOA reflectance. However, in the blue (0.47 /spl mu/m), the presence of larger Rayleigh scattering (optical thickness approaching 0.2) results in nonnegligible polarization. The absolute difference between vector- and scalar-calculated TOA reflectance, even in the presence of depolarizing aerosols, is large enough to lead to substantial errors in retrieved AOT. Using RT code that allows for both vector and scalar calculations, we examine the reflectance differences at the TOA, assuming discrete loadings of continental-type aerosol. We find that the differences in blue channel TOA reflectance (vector-scalar) may be greater than 0.01 such that errors in derived AOT may be greater than 0.1. Errors may be positive or negative, depending on the specific geometry, and tend to cancel out when averages over a large enough sample of satellite geometry. Thus, the neglect of polarization introduces little error into global and long-term averages, yet can produce very large errors on smaller scales and individual retrievals. As a result of this study, a future version of aerosol retrieval from MODIS over land will include polarization within the atmosphere.     

Aerosol properties over bright-reflecting source regions

Retrieving aerosol properties from satellite remote sensing over a bright surface is a challenging problem in the research of atmospheric and land applications. In this paper we propose a new approach to retrieve aerosol properties over surfaces such as arid, semiarid, and urban areas, where the surface reflectance is usually very bright in the red part of visible spectrum and in the near infrared, but is much darker in the blue spectral region (i.e., wavelength <500 nm). In order to infer atmospheric properties from these data, a global surface reflectance database of 0.1/spl deg/ latitude by 0.1/spl deg/ longitude resolution was constructed over bright surfaces for visible wavelengths using the minimum reflectivity technique (e.g., finding the clearest scene during each season for a given location). The aerosol optical thickness and aerosol type are then determined simultaneously in the algorithm using lookup tables to match the satellite observed spectral radiances. Examples of aerosol optical thickness derived using this algorithm over the Sahara Desert and Arabian Peninsula reveal various dust sources, which are important contributors to airborne dust transported over long distances. Comparisons of the satellite inferred aerosol optical thickness and the values from ground-based Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) sun/sky radiometer measurements indicate good agreement (i.e., within 30%) over the sites in Nigeria and Saudi Arabia. This new algorithm, when applied to Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), Sea-viewing Wide Field of view Sensor (SeaWiFS), and Global Imager (GLI) satellite data, will provide high spatial resolution (/spl sim/1 km) global information of aerosol optical thickness over bright surfaces on a daily basis.     

1次沙尘暴天气的消光特性研究

沙尘暴是一种特殊的自然现象.为了分析沙尘暴对可见光和红外辐射传输产生的影响,利用米散射理论,对北京地区1次沙尘暴天气下沙尘粒子在可见和红外波段的消光进行了计算,并与沙尘暴来临前的测量结果进行了对比分析,得到了沙尘粒子在这些波段的消光特性,并根据激光雷达测量的数据,对沙尘粒子在红外波段的垂直消光廓线进行了反演.这对认识沙尘暴有很大的参考价值.     

A comparison of cloud droplet radii measured from space

Cloud droplet effective radius (CDR) can be estimated from the spectral signature of cloud reflectance. The technique has been applied to measurements of the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer instrument and more recently to the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). Another technique relies on the directional signature of the polarized reflectance and has been applied to observations from Polarization and Directionality of the Earth's Reflectances (POLDER) onboard Advanced Earth Observation Satellite (ADEOS). Although the latter technique requires very specific conditions, we argue that, when applicable, it is very accurate. A large fraction of successful POLDER estimates are derived from measurements over stratocumulus cloud fields. During portions of 2003, POLDER and MODIS acquired near coincident observations. The data can then be used for an evaluation of the two CDR products. The two datasets are highly correlated over the oceans albeit with a MODIS high bias of about 2 /spl mu/m. The correlation breaks down when POLDER retrieves small droplets (less than 7 /spl mu/m), which occurs over most land surfaces as well as polluted oceanic areas. We discuss the possible causes for biases and errors. Although differences in the two CDR estimates are expected because of the differences in the spatial scale and vertical weighting function, we did not find a fully satisfactory explanation for the bias and lack of correlation over land surfaces. It seems, however, that the spatial variability as seen by MODIS is larger than that deduced from POLDER measurements, in particular over land surfaces.     

星载激光雷达探测海面风速昼夜差异研究

采用夜间数据反演海面风速已经取得较好的研究成果。由于受到太阳直射光和天空背景辐射等因素的影响,星载激光雷达信号在白天的信噪比较差。基于已有的反演关系模型,采用CALIPSO星载激光雷达532 nm通道2007年1月、4月、7月和10月的单脉冲昼夜数据,将AOD数据用来做大气双程透过率校正,以准同步的AMSR-E v7版本的海面风速为真值,进行反演海面风速的昼夜对比研究。研究结果表明,采用白天数据反演海面风速是可行的。通过采用恰当的关系模型来反演白天风速可以提高探测精度。     

合肥地区背景大气气溶胶的偏振激光雷达测量研究

为了研究合肥地区背景大气气溶胶的后向散射特性和偏振特性,利用2007年1月至2009年2月期间无云晴天偏振激光雷达常规测量数据进行统计分析。结果表明：合肥地区对流层中、上部气溶胶散射比和大气退偏振比具有明显的季节变化,其均值春季最大、冬季次之、夏季再次、秋季最小;在春季由于非球形粒子增多,使得其结果明显偏大。数据分析结果为低对流层米散射激光雷达测量数据反演提供参数选取依据,并为特殊天气过程大气气溶胶结构层（沙尘层、污染层等）的深入研究提供有用资料。     

High-power highly reliable 1.02-1.06-/spl mu/m InGaAs strained-quantum-well laser diodes

By growing the InGaAs active layer at temperatures lower than in conventional growth, we extended the lasing wavelength and presented the high reliability in InGaAs strained-quantum-well laser diodes. Equivalent I-L characteristics were obtained for 1.02-, 1.05-, and 1.06-/spl mu/m laser diodes with a cavity length of 1200 /spl mu/m. Maximum output power as high as 800 mW and fundamental transverse mode operation at up to 400 mW were obtained at 1.06 /spl mu/m and an 1800-/spl mu/m cavity. Stable operation was observed for over 14 000 h under auto-power-control of 225 mW at 50/spl deg/C for the 1.02-, 1.05-, and 1.06-/spl mu/m lasers with a 900-/spl mu/m cavity.     

An algorithm using visible and 1.38-/spl mu/m channels to retrieve cirrus cloud reflectances from aircraft and satellite data

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectro-Radiometer (MODIS) on the Terra spacecraft has a channel near 1.38 /spl mu/m for remote sensing of high clouds from space. The implementation of this channel on MODIS was primarily based on previous analysis of hyperspectral imaging data collected with the Airborne Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS). We describe an algorithm to retrieve cirrus bidirectional reflectance using channels near 0.66 and 1.38 /spl mu/m. It is shown that the apparent reflectance of the 1.38-/spl mu/m channel is essentially the bidirectional reflectance of cirrus clouds attenuated by the absorption of water vapor above cirrus clouds. A practical algorithm based on the scatterplot of 1.38-/spl mu/m channel apparent reflectance versus 0.66-/spl mu/m channel apparent reflectance has been developed to scale the effect of water vapor absorption so that the true cirrus reflectance in the visible spectral region can be obtained. To illustrate the applicability of the present algorithm, results for cirrus reflectance retrievals from AVIRIS and MODIS data are shown. The derived cirrus reflectance in the spectral region of 0.4-1 /spl mu/m can be used to remove cirrus contamination in a satellite image obtained at a visible channel. An example of such an application is shown. The spatially averaged cirrus reflectances derived from MODIS data can be used to establish global cirrus climatology, as is demonstrated by a sample global cirrus reflectance image.     

Algorithm to Retrieve Aerosol Optical Properties From High-Spectral-Resolution Lidar and Polarization Mie-Scattering Lidar Measurements

We developed an algorithm to estimate the vertical profiles of extinction coefficients at 532 nm for three aerosol types that are water-soluble, soot, and dust particles, using the extinction and backscattering coefficients at 532 nm for total aerosols derived from high-spectral-resolution lidar (HSRL) measurements and the receiving signal at 1064 nm and total depolarization ratio at 532 nm measured with Mie scattering lidar (MSL). The mode radii, standard deviations, and refractive indexes for each aerosol component are prescribed by the optical properties of aerosols and clouds database; the optical properties for each aerosol component are computed from Mie theory on the assumption that their particles are spherical and homogeneous, except for dust. To consider the effect of nonsphericity, the dust lidar ratio at 532 nm is assumed to be 50 sr, the value that is reported for Asian dust from the other observational studies. We performed sensitivity study on retrieval errors. The errors in extinction coefficient for each aerosol component were smaller than 30% and 60% when the measurement errors were $pm$5% and $pm$ 10%. We demonstrated the ability of the algorithm by applying to the $ hbox{HSRL} + hbox{MSL}$ data measured at Tsukuba, Japan. Plumes consisting of water-soluble aerosols, soot, dust, or their mixture were retrieved; these results were consistent with simulation with a global aerosol transport model. Introducing the dust lidar ratio significantly improved a correlation between the retrieved dust concentration and the aerosol depolarization ratio at 532 nm derived from $ hbox{HSRL} + hbox{MSL}$ than the use of spherical dust optical model in the retrieval.      

中国地区气溶胶光学厚度时空分布特征研究

本文基于星载激光雷达(CALIPSO)数据,反演得到气溶胶光学厚度(AOD).将中国地区划分为东北、华北等7个区域,对各区域不同季节的气溶胶光学厚度进行统计分析.结果显示,各区域气溶胶光学厚度差异较大,其大小与沙尘气溶胶和污染气溶胶的发生频率有较大的相关性;不同季节的气溶胶光学厚度差异较大,其中秋季最大,夏季最小.     

Remote sensing of suspended sediments and shallow coastal waters

Ocean color sensors were designed mainly for remote sensing of chlorophyll concentrations over the clear open oceanic areas (Case 1 water) using channels between 0.4-0.86 /spl mu/m. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) launched on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Terra and Aqua spacecrafts is equipped with narrow channels located within a wider wavelength range between 0.4-2.5 /spl mu/m 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. We describe an empirical algorithm that uses this wide spectral range to identify 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 /spl mu/m 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.     

An OFDM-specified lossless FFT architecture

In this paper, a VLSI architecture based on radix-2/sup 2/ integer fast Fourier transform (IntFFT) is proposed to demonstrate its efficiency. The IntFFT algorithm guarantees the perfect reconstruction property of transformed samples. For a 64-points radix-2/sup 2/ FFT architecture, the proposed architecture uses 2 sets of complex multipliers (six real multipliers) and has 6 pipeline stages. By exploiting the symmetric property of lossless transform, the memory usage is reduced by 27.4%. The whole design is synthesized and simulated with a 0.18-/spl mu/m TSMC 1P6M standard cell library and its reported equivalent gate count usage is 17,963 gates. The whole chip size is 975 /spl mu/m/spl times/977 /spl mu/m with a core size of 500 /spl mu/m/spl times/500 /spl mu/m. The core power consumption is 83.56 mW. A Simulink-based orthogonal frequency demodulation multiplexing platform is utilized to compare the conventional fixed-point FFT and proposed IntFFT from the viewpoint of system-level behavior in items of signal-to-quantization-noise ratio (SQNR) and bit error rate (BER). The quantization loss analysis of these two types of FFT is also derived and compared. Based on the simulation results, the proposed lossless IntFFT architecture can achieve comparative SQNR and BER performance with reduced memory usage.     

Fiber-Optical Transmission Between 0.8 and 1.4 /spl mu/m

The present state of the art and expected development in discrete components for Fiber-optic transmission systems are reviewed. Predicted performance of fiber systems in the 0.85, 1.06, and 1.27 /spl mu/m regions is presented, and the advantages of longer wavelength operation quantified. Itisconcluded that operation near 1.27 /spl mu/m is particularly attractive for a) moderate data rate systems employing LED's and multimode fibers whose chromatic dispersion and attenuation are greatly reduced compared with 0.85 and 1.06 /spl mu/m, and b) high data rate systems employing lasers and monomode fibers. In systems employing lasers and graded index multimode fibers, the advantage of 1.27/spl mu/m versus 1.06 /spl mu/m operation is not as pronounced, although transmission distances at both of these longer wavelengths are significantly increased from those at 0.85 /spl mu/m.     

测量大气气溶胶和水汽的车载式激光雷达系统

为满足国家对大气参数测量的需求，成功研制了新型车载式大气探测激光雷达系统。该激光雷达主要是通过接收激光与大气中气溶胶粒子和水汽以及氮气分子间的米和拉曼散射信号，结合相应的激光雷达方程，反演出大气水平能见度、垂直气溶胶消光系数和水汽混合比。最终的实际测量结果与对比实验显示，该激光雷达可以对对流层的大气气溶胶进行昼夜连续观测，对夜晚8 km高度范围内以及凌晨和傍晚时分边界层内的水汽进行测量。相应大气水平能见度的测量误差小于20%，而垂直大气气溶胶和水汽的测量误差最大不超过30%。     

利用星载激光雷达研究中国海及其周边海域的云层分布

利用2007~2010年4年间的CALIPSO 5 km二级云数据对中国海及其周边海域层数不同的云的出现概率（COF）随年度、月份和区域的变化进行了统计分析,并将2007年、2008年的部分统计结果与MODIS数据的统计结果相比较。结果表明：在研究区域,不同年份的层数相同的云的出现概率差别小于3%,且不同年份的出现概率区域分布相近,在靠近赤道的海域高于80%,在20°N附近海域低于50%,这与MODIS数据的统计结果相一致;同一年不同月份的出现概率差异明显,但是4年都是在6、7月出现最大值,层数相同的云的出现概率随纬度变化而明显变化。     

MQW DBR lasers with monolithically integrated external-cavity electroabsorption modulators fabricated without modification of the active region

In this letter, we report the design and operation of multiple-quantum-well distributed Bragg reflectors (MQW DBR) lasers with monolithically integrated external-cavity electroabsorption (EA) modulators without modification of the active region fabricated using only a single growth step. Devices were fabricated with operating wavelengths of 1.06, 1.07, and 1.08 /spl mu/m, which are red-shifted from the material gain peak wavelength (/spl lambda/=1.05 /spl mu/m) by 100, 200, and 300 /spl Aring/, respectively. The /spl lambda/=1.06-/spl mu/m device has a continuous-wave (CW) threshold current of 16 mA and a slope efficiency of 0.09 W/A from the modulator facet, while the /spl lambda/=1.08 /spl mu/m device has a CW threshold current of 33 mA and a slope efficiency of 0.40 W/A from the modulator facet. The /spl lambda/=1.06-, 1.07-, and 1.08-/spl mu/m device exhibits an extinction ratio of /spl ges/20 dB at a modulator bias of 1.0, 1.4, and 2 V, respectively.     

基于CALIOP和MODIS数据的气溶胶时空分布特征对比分析

利用两个AERONET站点（Hangzhou_ZFU、SACOL）的Level 2 气溶胶光学厚度（aerosol optical depth, AOD）数据对比验证CALIOP Level 2 AOD数据。结果表明：Hangzhou_ZFU、SACOL站的相关系数为0.87、0.85,回归方程的斜率为0.76、0.92,这表明CALIOP AOD与AERONET AOD显著相关,在这两个站点及附近区域具有适应性。基于2008~2015年无云条件下的CALIOP Level 3月气溶胶产品和同期的MODIS Terra/Aqua Level 3月气溶胶产品,对比分析中国东南和西北区域气溶胶光学厚度（aerosol optical depth, AOD）时空分布特征。分析表明：中国东南区域AOD季节与空间变化明显,AOD高值主要分布在长三角、珠三角等地,且夏季最高、春季次之,秋冬季相当。MODIS AOD月均值保持在在0.25~0.8之间,且与CALIOP 夜间AOD值接近,但与CALIOP白天AOD值差异较大,最大相差值可达0.45。中国西北区域两种卫星获取的AOD值空间分布非常相似,其高值区都位于塔里木盆地、准格尔盆地和柴达木盆地;AOD值春季最高,夏季减少、冬季次之、秋季最低;MODIS AOD值波动显著且普遍高于CALIOP AOD值。