On the classification and sub-classification of aerosol key types over south central peninsular India: MODIS–OMI algorithm

Abstract

Long-term (8years), simultaneous data on aerosol optical properties from MODIS and OMI satellite sensors are analyzed to study their temporal characteristics and to infer on the major aerosol types present over the study location, Bangalore situated in south central peninsular India. Investigations are carried out on Aerosol Optical Depths (AODs), Angstrom exponent (α) and Aerosol Index (AI) for the purpose. Aerosol parameters exhibited significant seasonal variations: AODs peaking during monsoon, α during post-monsoon and AI during summer. Seasonal air mass back trajectories are computed to infer on the transport component over the study region. By assigning proper thresholds (depending on the nature of the location and transport pathways) on AOD and α values, aerosols are discriminated into their major types viz., marine influenced, desert dust, urban/industrialized and mixed types. Further sub-categorization of the aerosols has been done on an annual scale taking into account of their absorptance information in terms of the OMI-AI values. Mixed type aerosols contributed the most during all the seasons. Next to mixed type aerosols, marine influenced aerosols dominated during winter, desert dust during monsoon and summer, urban/industrialized aerosols during post-monsoon. Considering the urban nature of the study location, urban/industrialized/carbonaceous type aerosols have been significantly underestimated in these methodologies. Finally, discussion has been made on the consistency of the results obtained from the methodologies (i) based on AODs and α; (ii) based on AODs, α and AI.