Use of Satellite Remote Sensing for Studying the Intense Saharan Dust Event of April 17, 2005

Abstract

This paper presents the results from the use of Earth Observation (EO) data from different sources (NOAA, AQUA, TERRA, TOMS) for the detection and mapping of the intense Saharan dust event of April 17, 2005, in Greece. Different remote sensing techniques were introduced in order to depict the potentiality of using EO data for monitoring and mapping dust at a full extent. A description of the meteorological conditions was also presented. It was proved that the more EO data is available the more information is received and analytical characterisation of the dust event is succeeded. One of the limitations concerned is the coarse spatial resolution of the EO data used that did not allow an analytical study on a more local scale and the limitation of clouds that did not allow, in some cases, the extraction of all possible information regarding the estimation of the atmospheric conditions.