<title>Lessons learned from synergistic use of polar and geostationary satellite sensors for the retrieval of aerosol characteristics</title>

Abstract

The interest in aerosol observations from satellite passive instrument is steadily increasing since satellite instruments supply unique global observations for establishing an aerosol climatology. A correct characterization of single aerosol events from satellite requires adequate temporal and spatial resolution. Most state-of-the-art algorithms are based on a single sensor, so that they often suffer from specific limitations: poor spatial or spectral resolution, large re-visitation time, poor de-clouding,... A method to exploit the synergy between the polar orbiting instrument GOME (Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment) and the METEOSAT geostationary system was proposed, aiming at increasing the accuracy of the aerosol characterization over the ocean by determining with GOME the actual aerosol model to be adopted for aerosol optical thickness determination with METEOSAT. Applications of the algorithm to relevant aerosol events are presented characterizing aerosol optical properties and thickness. The comparison with results obtained via independent space-time co-located ground-based measurements and retrievals from other algorithms that make use of satellite measurements such as POLDER, allows for a first validation of the algorithm. Comparisons also address limitations of the retrieved aerosol model in terms of time-space coverage.© (2002) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.