Retrieval of aerosol optical and physical properties from ground-based spectral, multi-angular, and polarized sun-photometer measurements

An inversion algorithm to retrieve a complete set of aerosol optical and physical properties has been developed. The algorithm is based on sun-photometer measurements with emphasis on polarimetric observations. At present, these polarized sun-photometer observations are mainly provided by PHOTONS network included in AERONET worldwide network. With ground-based measurement of direct sun irradiance, as well as total and polarized sky radiance, most of key characteristics of atmospheric aerosols are retrieved, including spectral single-scattering albedo from UV to NIR wavelength, elements of scattering matrix F₁₁ and − F₁₂ (i.e. phase function and polarized phase function), complex refractive index, and size distribution. These parameters are fundamentally valuable in atmospheric physical and chemical studies. The theoretical accuracy is assessed based on three distinct bimodal log-normal aerosol models. The sensitivity studies to measurement uncertainties and to observing geometrical conditions are implemented to estimate the retrieval accuracy. Examples of typical retrievals when applying to real measurements are illustrated and compared with AERONET operational inversions. The particle shape-independent advantage of the retrieved single-scattering albedo, phase function, and polarized phase function is validated by considering a non-spherical aerosol model, which consisted of spheroid particles.     

Simultaneous retrieval of aerosol optical properties over the Pearl River Delta, China using multi-angular, multi-spectral, and polarized measurements

The optical properties of aerosol have been simultaneously retrieved over the Pearl River Delta (PRD), China during December 2009 from multi-angular, multi-spectral, and polarized airborne data. A new airborne Directional Polarimetric Camera (DPC) with high spatial resolution (4 m at 4000 m a.g.l.) is used to retrieve the aerosol optical properties, which is an experimental airborne instrument focused on monitoring aerosol particle pollution, dealing with the apportionment of sources and controlling air quality in cities. We present a case study of polarized observations performed during high air pollution episodes in the southeast of China. Exceptionally high values of the aerosol optical depth of up to 0.8 (at 0.865 μm) were observed in this case study. The spatial and temporal variability of aerosol optical properties over the Pearl River Delta region were analyzed using polarized measurements with high spatial resolution. To reduce the ambiguity in retrieving aerosol optical properties using DPC alone, ground-based measurements (Automatic CE318-DP polarized sun-sky radiometer, Raman Lidar) were used to constrain the inversion in terms of the key characteristics of a local aerosol model, including spectral complex refractive index, size distribution, and vertical distribution of aerosol optical parameters. The surface contribution to the polarized radiance was simulated using bidirectional polarized reflectance distribution function (BPDF), which was adjusted using DPC measurements at low altitude. The aerosol optical properties were retrieved using DPC over the Pearl River Delta, and are in good agreement with coincident sun photometer retrievals. The retrieval algorithm of aerosol optical properties using high spatial resolution polarized measurements proposed in this paper shows potential to retrieve the aerosol optical properties over cities.     

Seasonal variations in aerosol optical thickness over eastern China determined from VIIRS data and ground measurements

Two-year records of Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Intermediate Product (IP) data on aerosol optical thickness (AOT) at 550 nm were evaluated by comparing them to sun-sky radiometer measurements from the Chinese Sun Hazemeter Network (CSHNET) and the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET). The monthly and seasonal variations in the aerosol optical properties over eastern China were then investigated using collocated VIIRS IP data and CSHNET and AERONET measurements. Between 59.2 and 62.1% of the retrieved VIIR IP values fell within the range defined for MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) and had similar values for the correlation coefficient (0.880–0.909). The performances of the current VIIRS IP AOT retrievals at the provisional stage were consistent with ground measurements. However, over urban areas, the VIIRS exhibits more scatter and therefore less precision than observed over marine and rural areas. Similar characteristics of seasonal and monthly variations were found among the measurements, though the observational methodologies were different, showing maxima in the summer and spring and minima in the winter and autumn. Although the intensities vary from season to season, the spatial AOT distribution patterns did not change. High-AOT centres were situated in the industrialized coastal regions of China and were related to the distribution of urban areas.     

Retrieving photometric properties of desert surfaces in China using the Hapke model and MISR data

The retrieval of photometric properties of desert surfaces is an important first step in the parameterization of land surface components of regional dust emission and global radiation models and in Earth system modeling. In this study, the values of Hapke's photometric parameters (ω, h, b, c, B0, and θ?) were retrieved from the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument at locations in China's deserts. Four pixels represented the typical surface characteristics of the Taklimakan Desert, sand dunes of Kumtag Desert, relatively smooth areas of the Kumtag Desert and the aeolian sandy soil of Loulan. In contrast to earlier studies, we found that the retrieved parameter values were largely affected by the initial value. To combat this problem we used a Monte Carlo method with physical constraints and a conformity indicator to ensure physically meaningful inversion.The results showed that the angular domain of MISR observations was sufficiently large to determine confidently the values of Hapke's photometric parameters with the exception of the opposition effect width (h). Retrieved values for the single scattering albedo (ω) and macroscopic roughness (θ?) were consistent with qualitative observations about the structure and composition of the surface material and the nature of the dune forms, respectively. At Loulan, where the surface was smoother than other sites, retrieved values exhibited the strongest backward scattering. These results indicated that at the sensor scale, a rough surface (e.g., dunes) does not necessarily mean more backward scattering than a smooth surface. This finding has significant implications for empirical methods (e.g., using the normalized index of backward-scattered radiance minus forward-scattered radiance as an indicator to indicate surface roughness) which should be used carefully for analyzing surface roughness from remote sensing data. Future research is needed to 1) understand how surface roughness at the sub-pixel scale modifies the angular characteristics of reflectance and to 2) find practical methods for rapid whole image processing for mapping the photometric parameters.     

Aerosol optical properties over Delhi and Manora Peak during a rare dust event in early April 2005

Dust storm events are annual phenomena observed over the Indo-Gangetic plain (IGP) during the pre-monsoon period (May–June). These dust storms affect the air quality, weather conditions and radiation budget of the region. In this paper we characterize the aerosol optical parameters associated with a rare dust storm event that hit the IGP during early April 2005. This event was considered rare as it occurred much earlier than the general occurrence of dust storms in India (May–June), and in the year 2005, the warmest year in the span of the previous hundred years.

In this study we considered the optical aerosol parameters for two places in the IGP: Delhi (28.5° N, 77.2° E, 325 m asl) and the high altitude station, Manora Peak (29.4° N, 79.5° E, 1958 m asl). Of the two selected stations, Delhi represents a highly populated and polluted location whereas Manora Peak represents a cleaner location in the central Himalayan region. During this dust storm event, the aerosol optical depth (AOD) was observed to increase considerably. The increment was 2.6–4.6 times over Delhi and 1.6–3.2 times over Manora Peak at wavelengths 380 and 1020 nm, respectively, with respect to the background values, whereas the Ångström exponent (α) for both the stations remained close to zero during the event. The effect shows a considerable increase in direct dust radiative forcing in terms of a reduction in the broadband global irradiance for Delhi as well as for Manora Peak stations. The direct aerosol radiative forcing thus obtained was about 34% in the 400–1100 nm wavelength band at Manora Peak.     

从短波红外与红光波段反演华北地区气溶胶

针对MODIS数据监测华北地区陆地气溶胶存在的植被稀少和仪器老化的问题,开展了基于短波红外波段和红光波段地表反射率比值反演气溶胶。讨论了华北地区MODIS传感器红波段和短波红外波段地表反射率的时间变化特征,发现二者之间的比值较为稳定,据此去除地表反射贡献,建立了陆地气溶胶反演算法。利用2016年9月—2017年8月过境华北地区的MODIS数据进行了算法测试和验证,该算法能够同时在植被稠密和稀疏的地区获得反演结果,较好地反映了气溶胶的空间分布。与AERONET北京Radi站和香河站气溶胶产品对比表明,该算法对于城市和乡村区域的应用效果较好,与地面观测结果的相关系数高于0.9,但算法出现了整体低估;分季节验证结果表明,季节之间的差异较小。     

倾听专家声音推进电子政务应用中国电信与政府信息化交流研讨会

中国电信主办的“中国电信与信息化十年”系列活动之一——“中国电信与政府信息化交流研讨会”日前在杭州召开。来自中央各部委及各地政府信息主管部门的120位代表和企业信息化专家出席了研讨会。会上，中国电信介绍了为政府信息化量身定制的从组网服务到网络安全，从呼叫中心到视频会议。从系统集成到网络外包等一系列完整的网络服务和网络应用解决方案。     

Impacts of land-cover types on an urban heat island in Hangzhou,China

This research examined the impact of urban land-cover types on the urban heat island (UHI) in Hangzhou, China. Air temperatures (T_air) measured at a height of 1.5 m at times 00:00, 10:00, 14:00, and 18:00 were used for atmospheric urban heat island (AUHI) analysis. Data from the Environmental and Disaster Monitoring and Forecasting Satellite B (HJ-1B) were utilized to retrieve land surface temperature (LST) for surface urban heat island (SUHI) analysis and to map land-cover distribution. Pearson correlation and partial correlation analyses were performed to investigate the impacts of land-cover types on T_air, LST, and the relationship between T_air and LST. The results show that (1) LST and night-time T_air are sensitive to the amount of impervious surface and vegetation and (2) land-cover types did not significantly influence the correlation between LST and T_air at 10:00, but the amount of impervious surface and vegetation had significant impact at 0:00. This research indicates that the percentage of impervious surface is a good indicator for LST and night-time T_air, and for relating night-time AUHI to satellite-based observations of SUHI. This research also proposed a new method that considers both temperature patterns and land-cover types to explain the spatial variations in AUHI and a new indicator – cooling-distance rate – to help people to select a suitable living place when both work–home distance and work–home temperature difference are factors that they wish to consider.     

Light optical deformation measurements in microbars with nanometer resolution

 In a microsample tensile test the deformation of the testing region is observed with a light microscope. Using a new vision algorithm, elongations are determined with nanometer resolution. The image analysis system operates with adaptive least squares correlation and contains a diagnostic tool which provides information about the computational precision and determinability of the parameters to be estimated. Various tests are performed to verify the reliability and sensitivity of the presented method and to show its potential in the field of micromechanics. Received: 18 August 1995/Accepted: 20 December 1995     

Light optical deformation measurements in microbars with nanometer resolution

In a microsample tensile test the deformation of the testing region is observed with a light microscope. Using a new vision algorithm, elongations are determined with nanometer resolution. The image analysis system operates with adaptive least squares correlation and contains a diagnostic tool which provides information about the computational precision and determinability of the parameters to be estimated. Various tests are performed to verify the reliability and sensitivity of the presented method and to show its potential in the field of micromechanics. This paper was not presented at the International Conference on High Aspect-Ratio Microstructure Technology HARMST '95 in July 1995.     

A system approach in the theory of optical spectral measurements

This paper develops some elements of an alternative theory of optical range spectral devices in which the spectral decomposition is performed by the linear processing of the analyzed optical radiation. Within the system approach, the spectral devices that include the diffractionand resonator-type ones are divided into two subsystems performing the linear and nonlinear transformations of the optical radiation, respectively. The investigations involve methods from the system approach, linear system theory, wave optics, and radio optics.     

Suitability evaluation of urban construction land based on geo-environmental factors of Hangzhou, China

Suitability evaluation of urban construction land based on geo-environmental factors is the process of determining the fitness of a given tract of land for construction. This process involves a consideration of the geomorphology, geology, engineering geology, geological hazards, and other geological factors and is the basis of urban construction land planning and management. With the support of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), grid analysis, and geo-spatial analysis techniques, four factor groups comprising nine separate subfactors of geo-environmental attributes were selected to be used in the evaluation of the suitability level for construction land in Hangzhou. This was based on K-means clustering and back-propagation (BP) neural network methods due to their advantages in fast computing, unique adaptive capacity, and self-organization. Simultaneously, the evaluation results based on K-means clustering and BP neural network were compared and analyzed, and the accuracy evaluation was set. The results showed that the geo-environmental suitability evaluation results of construction land based on K-means clustering and BP neural network were similar in terms of the distribution and scale of construction land suitability level. At the same time, the results of the two evaluation methods were consistent with the variability in suitability level, engineering geology, and hydrogeology of Hangzhou. The results also showed that the real advantage of the methods proposed in this paper lies in their capacity to streamline the mapping process and to ensure that the results are consistent throughout. The suitability level of the urban construction land based on the geo-environment in Hangzhou was divided into four construction sites: land for building super high-rise and high-rise buildings, land for building multistorey buildings, land for low-rise buildings, and nonbuilding land. The results of the suitability evaluation for each category will provide a scientific basis for decision-making in urban development in Hangzhou.     

SeaWiFS validation in European coastal waters using optical and bio-geochemical measurements

The National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) Sea viewing Wide Field of view Sensor (SeaWiFS) began operational measurement of ocean colour in September 1997. Upgrades to the SeaWiFS data processing system (SeaDAS) have occurred frequently and the effects of these revisions on the remotely sensed estimates of chlorophyll-a concentration (chl-a) have been significant. Measurements of chl-a from research work in the Bay of Biscay and Gulf of Cadiz during 1998–1999 are used to validate the SeaWiFS chl-a product generated using the current version of SeaDAS (version 4.1). The validation data cover coastal and offshore waters, including those dominated by inorganic suspended sediment, and an intense dinoflagellate bloom where shipboard chl-a measurements exceeded 50?mg?m^?3. The standard SeaWiFS chlorophyll algorithm (OC4v4) generally performed well, but significantly over-estimated chl-a where inorganic suspended sediment was present. The algorithm is only applicable to chl-a values up to 64?mg?m^?3, which was less than chl-a at the centre of the bloom. A novel algorithm for chl-a, which first estimates the inherent optical properties of the water, was applied to the SeaWiFS measurements but failed on over 90% of the pixels, perhaps because SeaWiFS is under-estimating water reflectance at the extreme blue end of the visible spectrum.     

Comparisons of the mineral dust optical thickness retrieved from Geostationary Meteorological Satellite with ground-based radiometer measurements

Optical thickness of the Asian dust aerosols over the ocean near Japan was retrieved from the visible data of the Geostationary Meteorological Satellite (GMS-5) from April 7 to 22, 2002 using the method by Masuda et al. [Remote Sens. Environ. 82 (2002) 238] in which the nonsphericity of dust particles was taken into account. The retrieved optical thicknesses were then compared with those derived from the sunphotometer and the skyradiometer measurements. The mean and the standard deviation of the optical thickness difference, GMS minus radiometers, were −0.03 and 0.17, respectively, for 85 samples where the optical thickness ranges from 0.25 to 1.07.     

Use of non-photorealistic rendering and photometric stereo in making bas-reliefs from photographs

Automatic bas-relief generation from 2D photographs potentially has applications to coinage, commemorative medals and souvenirs. However, current methods are not yet ready for real use in industry due to insufficient artistic effect, noticeable distortion, and unbalanced contrast. We previously proposed a shape-from-shading (SFS) based method to automatically generate bas-reliefs from single frontal photographs of human faces; however, suppression of unwanted details remained a problem. Here, we give experimental results showing how incorporating non-photorealistic rendering (NPR) into our previous framework enables us to both suppress unwanted detail, and yet also emphasize important features. We have consider an alternative approach to recovering relief shape, based on photometric stereo instead of SFS for surface orientation estimation. This can effectively reduce the computational time.     

Large area vegetation mapping in the Gisborne district,New Zealand,from Landsat TM

Debate over a forestry incentive scheme in the Gisborne district, New Zealand, highlighted the need for up to date information on the vegetation cover. Maps of vegetation at a scale of 1:100 000 were produced by automatically classifying Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) imagery. The classified imagery was compared with existing vegetation information (20-years-old) from a GIS database to identify gross errors. Through field checking the discrepancies were identified as either real changes or errors in classification. Correction of errors increased the overall classification accuracy from 84 to 90 per cent.

The digital vegetation map was intersected with land use suitability data to provide a two-way table that provided land managers with quantitative information suitable for making regional planning decisions. Although the 90 per cent accuracy is high enough to permit the calculation of vegetation areas and to achieve an adequate representation of regional vegetation patterns, it is not high enough to permit the digital vegetation map to be used as a vegetation database where point queries are important.     

Lidar and spectroradiometer measurements of atmospheric aerosol optical characteristics over an urban area in Sofia,Bulgaria

A series of campaigns involving a systematic investigation of the atmosphere over an urban area of Sofia city were carried out. A European Aerosol Research Lidar Network (EARLINET) scanning aerosol lidar, a spectroradiometer, a standard sun photometer and a ground meteorological station were used in the observations. Multiple aerosol layers of variable thickness (200–600 m) were observed systematically in the planetary boundary layer (PBL) over the study area and the experimental data were compared with theoretical data. A study of the optical characteristics of the atmospheric aerosol, including the extinction coefficient, aerosol optical depth (AOD) and Angstrom parameters α and β, was performed and their variations followed during the convective boundary layer (CBL) formation. Values of the AOD obtained using the different instruments during simultaneous measurements were compared. Preliminary results show that the AOD values recorded by the sun photometer and those calculated on the basis of the spectroradiometer data are higher than those retrieved from the lidar data. Determination of the atmospheric optical depth and extinction coefficient using a ground-based spectral instrument is a relatively simple and inexpensive method of monitoring the total aerosol content in the atmosphere as well as the air quality over the region.     

Assessment of apparent and inherent optical properties derived from SeaWiFS with field data

The knowledge of the absorption and scattering characteristics of the ocean supports diverse applications for studying biological and physical processes of marine ecosystems. The determination of the related inherent optical properties from remote sensing is addressed for a site located in the northern Adriatic Sea using coincident SeaWiFS images and field measurements. The proposed methodology first combines regional algorithms to determine the spectra of irradiance reflectance and diffuse attenuation coefficient from the normalized water leaving radiance by accounting for the bidirectional structure of the light field. These spectra are then used as inputs to an inverse model that yields the absorption, scattering, and backscattering coefficients of seawater (considered without the contribution of pure water). The uncertainties associated with the different steps in the sequence of calculations are quantified and discussed. Specifically, the analysis of 48 match-ups comparing in situ irradiance reflectance with that derived from remote sensing water leaving radiance shows mean absolute differences below 20% between 490 and 555 nm and approximately 30% at 443 and 670 nm. Lower discrepancies are obtained if more stringent criteria for the selection of match-ups are implemented (12-15% and 20-22%, respectively). The results obtained with 42 match-ups show a reasonable agreement for the absorption coefficient from 412 to 490 nm (approximately 35%), the scattering coefficient from 443 to 555 nm (approximately 30%), and the attenuation coefficient in the spectral range 412-555 nm (approximately 30%). Based on 17 match-ups, the comparison for the backscattering coefficient gives mean absolute differences in the range of 31-53%. The comparison between field and derived scattering properties suggests that the particulate scattering phase function inherent to the inverse model is not appropriate for the site considered. Finally, in the framework of the selected inversion scheme, uncertainties associated with the satellite derived irradiance reflectance in the blue and the determination of K_d at 490 nm through an empirical band ratio algorithm appear as the elements where improvements would be particularly needed to derive high quality spectra of inherent optical properties.     

Pinecone-shaped ZnO nanostructures: Growth, optical and gas sensor properties.

Pinecone-shaped ZnO nanostructures have been fabricated on Si substrate by pulsed laser deposition. The scanning electron microscope images showed that pinecone-shaped ZnO nanostructure was 6-fold symmetry and has the rough surface on one end. X-ray diffraction, Raman spectra and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicated that the ZnO nanostructures have high crystal quality and a large amount of surface states. Compared with ZnO nanowires and nanobelts, the oxygen gas sensor based on pinecone-shaped ZnO nanostructures has excellent selectivity, fast response and recover, and lower operating temperature. Meanwhile, the response properties are very stable over several circles.     

AVHRR satellite remote sensing and shipboard measurements of the thermal plume from the Daya Bay, nuclear power station, China

The 1800 MW Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station (DNPS), China's first nuclear power station, is located on the coast of the South China Sea. DNPS discharges 29 10×10⁵ m³ year⁻¹ of warm water from its cooling system into Daya Bay, which could have ecological consequences. This study examines satellite sea surface temperature data and shipboard water column measurements from Daya Bay. Field observations of water temperature, salinity, and chlorophyll a data were conducted four times per year at 12 sampling stations in Daya Bay during January 1997 to January 1999. Sea surface temperatures were derived from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) onboard National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) polar orbiting satellites during November 1997 to February 1999. A total of 2905 images with 1.1×1.1 km resolution were examined; among those images, 342 have sufficient quality for quantitative analysis. The results show a seasonal pattern of thermal plumes in Daya Bay. During the winter months (December to March), the thermal plume is localized to an area within a few km of the power plant, and the temperature difference between the plume and non-plume areas is about 1.5 °C. During the summer and fall months (May to November), there is a larger thermal plume extending 8-10 km south along the coast from DNPS, and the temperature change is about 1.0 °C. Monthly variation of SST in the thermal plume is analyzed. AVHRR SST is higher in daytime than in nighttime in the bay during the whole year. The strong seasonal difference in the thermal plume is related to vertical mixing of the water column in winter and to stratification in summer. Further investigations are needed to determine any other ecological effects of the Daya Bay thermal plume.