Evaluating the Potential for Retrieving Aerosol Optical Depth over Land from AVHRR Pathfinder Atmosphere Data

Abstract

In spite of numerous studies on the remote sensing of aerosols from satellites, the magnitude of aerosol climate forcing remains uncertain. However, data from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) Pathfinder-Atmosphere (PATMOS) dataset—a statistical reduction of more than 19 yr of AVHRR data (1981–2000)—could provide nearly 20 yr of aerosol history. PATMOS data have a daily 110 × 110 km2 equal-area grid that contains means and standard deviations of AVHRR observations within each grid cell. This research is a first step toward understanding aerosols over land with PATMOS data. Herein, the aerosol optical depth is retrieved over land at numerous Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) sites around the globe using PATMOS cloud-free reflectances. First, the surface bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) is retrieved using a lookup table created with a radiative transfer model and the Rahman BRDF. Aerosol optical depths are then retrieved using the retrieved BRDF parameters and the PATMOS reflectances assuming a globally constant aerosol model. This method is applied to locations with ground truth measurements, where comparisons show that the best retrievals are made by estimating the surface reflectance using observations grouped by month. Random errors (i.e., correlation coefficients and standard error of estimate) in this case are lower than those where the surface BRDF is allowed year-to-year variations. By grouping the comparison results by land cover type, it was found that less noise is expected over forested regions, with a significant potential for retrieval for 80% of all land surfaces. These results and analyses suggest that the PATMOS data can provide valuable information on aerosols over land.