Convolutional Autoencoder-Based Deep Learning Approach for Aerosol Emission Detection Using LiDAR Dataset

Abstract

Quantifying atmospheric aerosols and their linkages to climatic repercussions is necessary to understand the dynamics of climate forcing and enhance our knowledge of climate change. Because of this reactivity to precipitation, temperature, topography, and human activity, the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) is one of the most dynamic atmospheric regions: ABL aerosols have a big impact on the evolution of climate change’s radiative forcing, human health, food security, and, eventually, the local and global economy. Continuous monitoring and instrumental and computational approaches are required for the detection and analysis of ABL pattern behavior. This paper provides a deep learning-based outer layer aerosol detection system based on Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data fusion. The suggested method applies sequential models to turn low-level data into compressed features using object-based analysis, feature-level fusion, and autoencoder-based dimensionality reduction. Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) were used to convert compressed data into high-level properties that could be used to categorize air particles in the outer layer. This research describes deep learning approaches that allowed for detecting 40% more atmospheric features at a horizontal resolution of 5 km during daytime operations when applied to LiDAR data. Compared to existing deep learning algorithms for edges and complicated near-surface sceneries during the day, a convolutional autoencoder (CAE) trained using LiDAR dataset standard data products showed the potential for improved aerosol discrimination with 98% accuracy.