Analysis of Aerosol Optical Depth Variation Characteristics for 10 years in Urumqi Based on MODIS_C006

Abstract

Based on the MYD04_L2_C006 dataset gained from Moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer MODIS Level 2 at 10 km resolution of NASA's EOS (Earth Observing System) from 2006 to 2015, the aerosol optical depths (AODs) for 10 years under the condition of mild above atmospheric pollution (including mild) were analyzed for Urumqi City. The results showed that the average AODs in Urumqi were unimodally distribution over the 10 years. From January to April, the AODs gradually increased. During a year, the annual peak of 0.37±0.19 was in April, and the lowest value of 0.22±0.20 was in October. Owing to the frequent occurrence of dust weather conditions in spring, the largest seasonal variation of AOD was in spring, as the air pollution in the entire area was very serious, followed by summer and winter, with the smallest in autumn. In addition, the urban area was the high AOD value area in Urumqi, as its air pollution was more severe than that in the suburbs. The average value of AOD during the 10 years was 0.293. The highest value of AOD was 0.33 in 2006, and the lowest value of 0.24 was in 2008, which declined to 23.3% of that in 2007. The annual change in AOD in Urumqi over the 10 years rose steadily. Compared with previous studies, the lowest and highest values were both higher to different degrees. Despite the deduction trend in 2015, air pollution in Urumqi was serious in the studied decade, and thus control of such needs to be strengthened.