Algorithm for retrieval of aerosol optical properties over the ocean from the Geostationary Ocean Color Imager

An aerosol retrieval algorithm for the first Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI) to be launched in March 2010 onboard the Communication, Ocean, and Meteorological Satellite (COMS) is presented. The algorithm retrieves aerosol optical depth (AOD), fine-mode fraction (FMF), and aerosol type in 500 m × 500 m resolution. All the products are retrieved over clear water which is defined by surface reflectance ratio between 640 nm and 860 nm (SRR) less or equal to 2.5, while only AOD is retrieved over turbid water (SRR > 2.5) due to high surface reflectance. To develop optimized algorithm for the target area of GOCI, optical properties of aerosol are analyzed from extensive observation of AERONET sunphotometers to generate lookup table. Surface reflectance of turbid water is determined from 30-day composite of Rayleigh- and gas corrected reflectance. By applying the present algorithm to MODIS top-of-the atmosphere reflectance, three different aerosol cases dominated by anthropogenic aerosol contains black carbon (BC), dust, and non-absorbing aerosol are analyzed to test the algorithm. The algorithm retrieves AOD, and size information together with aerosol type which are consistent with results inferred by RGB image in a qualitative way. The comparison of the retrieved AOD with those of MODIS collection 5 and AERONET sunphotometer observations shows reliable results. Especially, the application of turbid water algorithm significantly increases the accuracy in retrieving AOD at Anmyon station. The sensitivity study between MODIS and GOCI instruments in terms of relative sensitivity and scattering angle shows promising applicability of the present algorithm to future GOCI measurements.     

Validation of MODIS derived aerosol optical depth over the Yangtze River Delta in China

MODIS derived aerosol optical depths (AODs) at 550 nm are compared with sunphotometer CE318 measurements at 7 sites located at Yangtze River Delta (YRD) in China from July to October, 2007. The evaluation result indicates that MODIS AODs (Collection 5, C005) are in good agreement with those from CE318 in dense vegetation regions, but show more differences in those regions with complex underlying surface (such as at lake water and urban surface sites). Reasons for these differences are discussed after removing cases with significant errors caused by validation scheme. The final validation result shows that MODIS AODs are in good agreement with CE318 with a correlation coefficient of 0.85 and RMS of 0.15. 90% of MODIS cases fall in the range of Δτ = ± 0.05 ± 0.20τ, indicating MODIS aerosol retrieval algorithm, aerosol models and surface reflectance estimate are generally suitably reasonable for aerosol retrieval in YRD. However, MODIS AODs show a systemic errors with fitted line of y = 0.75x + 0.13, indicating underestimation of AOD when aerosol loadings are high. Aerosol models and surface reflectance estimations are dominant sources of MODIS aerosol retrieval errors.     

A semi-empirical model for predicting hourly ground-level fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentration in southern Ontario from satellite remote sensing and ground-based meteorological measurements

A semi-empirical model is developed to predict the hourly concentration of ground-level fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) coincident to satellite overpass, at a regional scale. The model corrects the aerosol optical depth (AOD) data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) by the assimilated parameters characterizing the boundary layer and further adjusts the corrected value according to meteorological conditions near the ground. The model was built and validated using the data collected for southern Ontario, Canada for 2004. Overall, the model is able to explain 65% of the variability in ground-level PM_2.5 concentration. The model-predicted values of PM_2.5 mass concentration are highly correlated with the actual observations. The root-mean-square error of the model is 6.1 µg/m³. The incorporation of ground-level temperature and relative humidity is found to be significant in improving the model predictability. The coarse resolution of the assimilated meteorological fields limits their value in the AOD correction. Although MODIS AOD data is acquired on a daily basis and the valid data coverage can sometimes be very limited due to unfavourable weather conditions, the model provides a cost-effective approach for obtaining supplemental PM_2.5 concentration information in addition to the ground-based monitoring station measurement.