Discriminating heavy aerosol, clouds, and fires during SCAR‐B: Application of airborne multispectral MAS data

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A multispectral scanning spectrometer was used to obtain measurements of the reflection function and brightness temperature of smoke, clouds, and terrestrial surfaces at 50 discrete wavelengths between 0.55 and 14.2 μm. These observations were obtained from the NASA ER‐2 aircraft as part of the Smoke, Clouds, and Radiation‐Brazil (SCAR‐B) campaign, conducted over a 1500×1500 km region of cerrado and rain forest throughout Brazil between August 16 and September 11, 1995. Multispectral images of the reflection function and brightness temperature in 10 distinct bands of the MODIS airborne simulator (MAS) were used to derive a confidence in clear sky (or alternatively the probability of cloud), shadow, fire, and heavy aerosol. In addition to multispectral imagery, monostatic lidar data were obtained along the nadir ground track of the aircraft and used to assess the accuracy of the cloud mask results. This analysis shows that the cloud and aerosol mask being developed for operational use on the moderate‐resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS), and tested using MAS data in Brazil, is quite capable of separating cloud, aerosol, shadow, and fires during daytime conditions over land.