Abstract
Abstract. The primary goal of this study was to generate a near-real time (NRT) aerosol optical depth (AOD) product capable of providing a comprehensive understanding of the aerosol spatial distribution over the Pacific Ocean, in order to better monitor and track the trans-Pacific transport of aerosols. Therefore, we developed a NRT product that takes advantage of observations from both low-earth orbiting and geostationary satellites. In particular, we utilize AOD products from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) satellites. Then, we combine these AOD products with our own retrieval algorithms developed for the NOAA Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-15) and Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) Multi-functional Transport Satellite (MTSAT-2) to generate a NRT daily AOD composite product. We present examples of the daily AOD composite product for a case study of trans-Pacific transport of Asian pollution and dust aerosols in mid-March 2014. Overall, the new product successfully tracks this aerosol plume during its trans-Pacific transport to the west coast of North America as the frequent geostationary observations lead to a greater coverage of cloud-free AOD retrievals equatorward of about 35° N, while the polar-orbiting satellites provide a greater coverage of AOD poleward of 35° N. However, we note several areas across the domain of interest from Asia to North America where the GOES-15 and MTSAT-2 retrieval algorithms can introduce significant uncertainties into the new product.
Highlights
Stricter emission control standards in the United States have led to a reduction in the domestic emissions of particulates since the 1980s, degraded air quality conditions over the western United States have occurred due to foreign dust and pollution aerosols (Yu et al, 2012)
AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) stations are located throughout the globe, but we focus on 10 of those set across eastern Asia, since aerosols usually propagate over this region prior to their trans-Pacific transport
The same approach is taken to generate the ρmin for the GOES-15 imager except that the ρsat is calculated based on calibration coefficients provided by the NOAA NESDIS Center for Satellite Applications and Research (STAR)
Summary
Stricter emission control standards in the United States have led to a reduction in the domestic emissions of particulates since the 1980s, degraded air quality conditions over the western United States have occurred due to foreign dust and pollution aerosols (Yu et al, 2012). Frequent dust storms originate from the Taklamakan and Gobi deserts in the late winter and early spring, with a daily average dust emission of 1.58 million tons in April (Zhao et al, 2006). These smoke and dust aerosols combine with the other pollutants in a trans-Pacific transport that occurs frequently during late winter and early spring when the East Asian winter monsoon is near its peak strength (Gong et al, 2006).
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