Dust aerosol retrieval results from MISR

Olga V. Kalashnikova; David J. Diner; Ralph A. Kahn; Barbara J. Gaitley

doi:10.1117/12.606657

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30 December 2004 Dust aerosol retrieval results from MISR

Olga V. Kalashnikova, David J. Diner, Ralph A. Kahn, Barbara J. Gaitley

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Proceedings Volume 5652, Passive Optical Remote Sensing of the Atmosphere and Clouds IV; (2004) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.606657
Event: Fourth International Asia-Pacific Environmental Remote Sensing Symposium 2004: Remote Sensing of the Atmosphere, Ocean, Environment, and Space, 2004, Honolulu, Hawai'i, United States

Abstract

Satellite measurements provide important tools for understanding the effect of mineral dust aerosols on past and present climate and climate predictions. Multi-angle instruments such as Multi-angle Imaging Spectro-Radiometer (MISR) provide independent constraints on aerosol properties based on their sensitivity to the shape of aerosol scattering phase functions. The current MISR operational retrieval algorithm (version 16 and higher) was modified by incorporating new non-spherical dust models that account for naturally occurring dust shapes and compositions. We present selected examples of MISR version 16 retrievals over AERONET sunphotometer land and ocean sites during the passage of dust fronts. Our analysis shows that during such events MISR retrieves Angstrom exponents characteristic of large particles, having little spectral variation in extinction over the MISR wavelength range (442, 550, 672 and 866 nm channels), as expected. The retrieved fraction of non-spherical particles is also very high. This quantity is not retrieved by satellite instruments having only nadir-viewing cameras. Our comparison of current (version 16) MISR-retrieved aerosol optical thickness (AOT) with AERONET instantaneous AOT shows better coverage and stronger correlations than when making identical comparisons with previous AOT retrievals (version 15). The MISR algorithm successful mixtures include a non-spherical dust component with high frequency in retrievals over dark water and slightly lower frequency over land. Selection frequencies of non-spherical dust models also decrease in dusty regions affected by pollution.

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Olga V. Kalashnikova, David J. Diner, Ralph A. Kahn, and Barbara J. Gaitley "Dust aerosol retrieval results from MISR", Proc. SPIE 5652, Passive Optical Remote Sensing of the Atmosphere and Clouds IV, (30 December 2004); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.606657

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