Abstract
Within the framework of the Satellite-based Monitoring Initiative for Regional Air quality (SAMIRA) project, the near-real-time (NRT) operation has been documented for an in-house developed algorithm used for the retrieval of aerosol optical depth (AOD) maps from the Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) sensor onboard the Meteosat Second Generation (MSG). With the frequency of 15 min at a spatial resolution of roughly 5.5 × 5.5 km the AOD maps are provided for the country domains of Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, and Southern Norway. A significant improvement has been reported in terms of modification of the existing prototype algorithm that it suits the operational NRT AOD retrieval for an extended area. This is mainly due to the application of the optimal interpolation method for the AOD estimation on reference days with the use of ground-based measurements of the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) and the Aerosol Research Network (PolandAOD-NET) as well as simulations of the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS). The main issues that have been addressed regarding surface reflectance estimation, cloud screening and uncertainty calculation. Exemplary maps of the NRT retrieval have been presented.
Highlights
Despite all the efforts to reduce aerosol emissions and improve air quality in Europe, atmospheric pollution is still a source of health and environmental hazards in many parts of the continent [1]
For the relatively high spatial resolution (5 × 5 km) of the Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) data, the derived aerosol optical depth (AOD) maps over each territory have a large number of pixels (Table 1), which results in time-consuming calculations
For the area of Romania, an additional factor was considered, which is the elevation above sea level (a.s.l.), i.e., for all pixels that cover the area located > 1 km a.s.l., the total uncertainty was increased by 10%. These adjustments were included in NRT calculations performed from April 2019 for all domains, whereby from onwards, the maps are stored at the PolandAOD-NET Server and the High-Performance Computing Server of the Babes, -Bolyai University
Summary
Despite all the efforts to reduce aerosol emissions and improve air quality in Europe, atmospheric pollution is still a source of health and environmental hazards in many parts of the continent [1]. Special attention should be paid to countries where the emission of air pollutants is still high, especially in large cities and industrial regions, such as Silesia in Poland and Gorj county in Romania. Only the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) provides an operational product from SEVIRI AOD data, but it is available only for pixels that cover the sea [19]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
