Spatial and temporal changes of aerosol optical depth in three most populated countries of Asia over the last decade

Abstract

This study considers the seasonal and annual analysis of aerosol optical depth (AOD) in three most populated countries of Asia namely: China, India and Indonesia. These countries are having increasing rates of population, industrialization, transportation etc., due to which aerosol loading in these nations is becoming a subject of great concern. This study is done using data from two satellite sensors i.e. MODIS (Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectrometer) and MISR (Multi-angle Imaging Spectrometer). Level-3 monthly data sets have been used in the study for last ten years. The present work discusses both annual and seasonal variation of AOD in three most populated countries of Asia i.e. China, India and Indonesia. Seasons referred here are winter (December-February), premonsoon (March-May), monsoon (June-September) and postmonsoon (October-November). Annual and seasonal average aerosol optical depths have been quantified along with the relative AOD variation in the three countries.