Generalized Retrieval Of Aerosol And Surface Properties Research Articles

Evaluation of the Accuracy of the Aerosol Optical and Microphysical Retrievals by the GRASP Algorithm from Combined Measurements of a Polarized Sun-Sky-Lunar Photometer and a Three-Wavelength Elastic Lidar

The versatile Generalized Retrieval of Aerosol and Surface Properties (GRASP) algorithm exploits the advantages of synergic ground-based aerosol observations such as radiometric (sensitive to columnar aerosol optical and microphysical properties) and lidar (sensitive to vertical distribution of the optical properties) observations. The synergy is possible when the complementary data is mutually constrained by GRASP parametrization that includes, for the first time ever, the degree of linear polarization (DoLP) parameter measured by a polarized sun-sky-lunar AERONET photometer (380, 440, 500, 675, 870, 1020, and 1640 nm) in synergy with the vertical profiles from an elastic lidar (355, 532, and 1064 nm). First, a series of numerical tests is performed using simulated data generated using a climatology of data and ground-based measurements. The inversions are performed with and without random noise for five different combinations of input data, starting from the AERONET-like dataset and increasing to the complex one by adding more information for three aerosol scenarios: I—high aerosol optical depth (AOD) with dominant coarse mode; II—low AOD with dominant coarse mode; III—high AOD with dominant fine mode. The inclusion of DoLP improves (i) the retrieval accuracy of the fine-mode properties when it is not dominant; (ii) the retrieval accuracy of the coarse-mode properties at longer wavelengths and that of the fine-mode properties at shorter wavelengths; (iii) the retrieval accuracy of the coarse-mode real part of the refractive index (up to 36% reduction), but has no effect on the retrieval of the imaginary part; (iv) reduces up to 83% the bias of the sphere fraction (SF) retrieval in coarse-mode dominated regimes; and (v) the root mean square error (RMSE) of the retrieval for most of the parameters in all scenarios. In addition, the addition of more photometer channels in synergy with a three-wavelength elastic lidar reduces the RMSE for the real part (67% in the coarse mode) and the imaginary part (35% in the fine mode) of the refractive index, the single scattering albedo (38% in the fine mode), the lidar ratio (20% in the coarse mode), and the SF (43%).

Comparison of the Performance of the GRASP and MERRA2 Models in Reproducing Tropospheric Aerosol Layers

Two approaches, based on Generalized Retrieval of Aerosol and Surface Properties (GRASP) and Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications version 2 (MERRA-2) models, are investigated for reproducing aerosol layers in the troposphere. The GRASP algorithm is supplied with synergistic LIDAR and sunphotometer measurements to obtain aerosol extinction profiles. MERRA-2 is an atmospheric reanalysis coupling model that includes an external mixture of sea salt, dust, organic carbon, black carbon, and sulfate aerosols. A data set from Racibórz observatory, obtained with LIDAR and a sunphotometer in the 2017–2020 period, is analysed with GRASP along with the closest grid point data given by MERRA-2. The models demonstrate satisfactory agreement, yet some discrepancies were observed, indicating the presence of biases. For vertically integrated profiles, the correlation coefficient (R) between aerosol optical thickness was calculated to be 0.84, indicating a strong linear relationship. The Pearson correlation coefficient calculated between profiles for the selected altitude sectors varies between 0.428 and 0.824, indicating moderate to good agreement at all altitudes. GRASP shows denser aerosol layers in the mid-troposphere, while MERRA-2 gives higher aerosol extinctions throughout the high troposphere to low stratosphere region. Moreover, GRASP does not provide vertical variability in the extinction profile near the ground, due to a lack of data in the LIDAR’s incomplete overlap range. Lastly, the aerosol layer identification and type recognition are validated with statistical analysis of air mass backward trajectories with endpoints spatially and temporally collocated with individual identified layers. These reveal potential source regions that are located within areas known to be significant sources for the different identified aerosol types.

A robust and flexible satellite aerosol retrieval algorithm for multi-angle polarimetric measurements with physics-informed deep learning method

The multi-angle polarimetric (MAP) satellite measurements provide abundant information concerning aerosol optical/microphysical properties. In this study, we present a robust and flexible aerosol retrieval algorithm for MAP measurements based on physics-informed deep learning (PDL) method. Different from optimized inversion that needs iterative Radiative Transfer (RT) calculations of all the unknowns, the PDL method can model the whole MAP observations with each retrieved aerosol parameter separately with the pre-training of RT simulations. Furthermore, the training of PDL can make full use of the prior information from ground-based aerosol inversions and satellite surface products, and provides an effective constraint to avoid unphysical values. To examine performance of PDL algorithm, we retrieve aerosols over eastern China from POLDER-3 measurements during 2007–2009. Comparison with AERONET products shows high correlations (R > 0.91) for both POLDER-3 PDL Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) and fine AOD. Despite lower correlations caused by a small portion of poor retrievals, PDL coarse AOD and Single Scattering Albdeo (SSA) is very consistent with AERONET results. Also, PDL retrievals perform well as the best estimates of optimized methods such as GRASP (Generalized Retrieval of Aerosol and Surface Properties). With an outstanding performance in accuracy and efficiency, the flexible PDL algorithm exhibits great potential for operational retrieval of MAP satellite measurements.

Concept, absolute calibration, and validation of a new benchtop laser imaging polar nephelometer

Abstract. Polar nephelometers provide in situ measurements of aerosol angular light scattering and play an essential role in validating numerically calculated phase functions or inversion algorithms used in space-borne and land-based aerosol remote sensing. In this study, we present a prototype of a new polar nephelometer called uNeph. The instrument is designed to measure the phase function, F11, and polarized phase function, -F12/F11, over the scattering range of around 5 to 175∘, with an angular resolution of 1∘ at a wavelength of 532 nm. In this work, we present details of the data processing procedures and instrument calibration approaches. uNeph was validated in a laboratory setting using monodisperse polystyrene latex (PSL) and di-ethyl-hexyl-sebacate (DEHS) aerosol particles over a variety of sizes ranging from 200 to 800 nm. An error model was developed, and the level of agreement between the uNeph measurements and Mie theory was found to be consistent within the uncertainties in the measurements and the uncertainties in the input parameters for the theoretical calculations. The estimated measurement errors were between 5 % and 10 % (relative) for F11 and smaller than ∼ 0.1 (absolute) for -F12/F11. Additionally, by applying the Generalized Retrieval of Aerosol and Surface Properties (GRASP) inversion algorithm to the measurements conducted with broad unimodal DEHS aerosol particles, the volume concentration, size distribution, and refractive index of the ensemble of aerosol particles were accurately retrieved. This paper demonstrates that the uNeph prototype can be used to conduct accurate measurements of aerosol phase function and polarized phase function and to retrieve aerosol properties through inversion algorithms.

Evaluation of the vertically-resolved aerosol radiative effect on shortwave and longwave ranges using sun-sky photometer and ceilometer measurements

The aerosol radiative effect (ARE) is one of the atmospheric components still affected by large uncertainty. One of the causes is related to the fact that the longwave (LW) component is usually neglected, even though it is necessary for an accurate quantification of the ARE together with the shortwave component (SW). In this study we have developed a methodology based on the GAME (Global Atmospheric Model) radiative transfer model (RTM) that allows to obtain the radiative effect of the atmospheric aerosol for both spectral ranges in an automated way. The microphysical and optical properties necessary to feed the RTM have been obtained through the GRASP (Generalized Retrieval of Aerosol and Surface Properties) algorithm, with the combination of ceilometer and sun-sky photometer data. Data measured in Granada (Spain) during 2017 have been used for the evaluation and implementation of this methodology. According to the results, the ARE in the SW spectral range (ARESW) varies between 0 and − 50 Wm−2 for most of the data, whereas the ARE in the LW range (ARELW) varies between 0 and 5 Wm−2, at heights near the surface. In general, the obtained results agree with those found in the literature, with negative values in the SW range (cooling effect) and positive values in the LW (heating effect). The seasonal analysis shows that, for both components, the ARE is more important during the spring and summer seasons, when the aerosol load is greater, as expected. The analysis of the aerosol heating rate (AHR) shows positive values in the SW and negative values in the LW range. The majority of the AHRSW data varies between 0 and 1 Kd−1 during the year whereas the AHRLW does it between 0 and − 0.15 Kd−1. The seasonal analysis of the AHR shows that the greater monthly average values are found during spring, however there is not much variability along the year, with the exception of February, under the effects of an extreme dust intrusion. The mineral dust particles in this event cause an ARESW of −130 Wm−2 and an ARELW of 23 Wm−2 (ARELW/ARESW = 17%), thus pointing out that the LW component should not be neglected for coarse mode particles. Additionally, it is observed that the vertical distribution of the aerosol layers strongly influences the ARE and the AHR obtained profiles, affecting the way the atmospheric cooling/heating occurs in the vertical coordinate.

First triple-wavelength lidar observations of depolarization and extinction-to-backscatter ratios of Saharan dust

Abstract. Two layers of Saharan dust observed over Leipzig, Germany, in February and March 2021 were used to provide the first-ever lidar measurements of the dust lidar ratio (extinction-to-backscatter ratio) and linear depolarization ratio at all three classical lidar wavelengths (355, 532 and 1064 nm). The pure-dust conditions during the first event exhibit lidar ratios of 47 ± 8, 50 ± 5 and 69 ± 14 sr and particle linear depolarization ratios of 0.242 ± 0.024, 0.299 ± 0.018 and 0.206 ± 0.010 at wavelengths of 355, 532 and 1064 nm, respectively. The second, slightly polluted-dust case shows a similar spectral behavior of the lidar and depolarization ratio with values of the lidar ratio of 49 ± 4, 46 ± 5 and 57 ± 9 sr and the depolarization ratio of 0.174 ± 0.041, 0.298 ± 0.016 and 0.242 ± 0.007 at 355, 532 and 1064 nm, respectively. The results were compared with Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) version 3 (v3) inversion solutions and the Generalized Retrieval of Aerosol and Surface Properties (GRASP) at six and seven wavelengths. Both retrieval schemes make use of a spheroid shape model for mineral dust. The spectral slope of the lidar ratio from 532 to 1064 nm could be well reproduced by the AERONET and GRASP retrieval schemes. Higher lidar ratios in the UV were retrieved by AERONET and GRASP. The enhancement was probably caused by the influence of fine-mode pollution particles in the boundary layer which are included in the columnar photometer measurements. Significant differences between the measured and retrieved wavelength dependence of the particle linear depolarization ratio were found. The potential sources for these uncertainties are discussed.

Retrieval of aerosol fine-mode fraction over China from satellite multiangle polarized observations: validation and comparison

Abstract. The aerosol fine-mode fraction (FMF) is an important optical parameter of aerosols, and the FMF is difficult to accurately retrieve by traditional satellite remote sensing methods. In this study, FMF retrieval was carried out based on the multiangle polarization data of Polarization and Anisotropy of Reflectances for Atmospheric Science coupled with Observations from Lidar (PARASOL), which overcame the shortcomings of the FMF retrieval algorithm in our previous research. In this research, FMF retrieval was carried out in China and compared with the AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) ground-based observation results, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) FMF products, and Generalized Retrieval of Aerosol and Surface Properties (GRASP) FMF results. In addition, the FMF retrieval algorithm was applied, a new FMF dataset was produced, and the annual and quarterly average FMF results from 2006 to 2013 were obtained for all of China. The research results show that the FMF retrieval results of this study are comparable with the AERONET ground-based observation results in China and the correlation coefficient (r), mean absolute error (MAE), root mean square error (RMSE), and the proportion of results that fall within the expected error (Within EE) are 0.770, 0.143, 0.170, and 65.01 %, respectively. Compared with the MODIS FMF products, the FMF results of this study are closer to the AERONET ground-based observations. Compared with the FMF results of GRASP, the FMF results of this study are closer to the spatial variation in the ratio of PM2.5 to PM10 near the ground.

Retrievals of fine mode light-absorbing carbonaceous aerosols from POLDER/PARASOL observations over East and South Asia

A new aerosol component approach that infers aerosol species fractions from satellite observations was developed and incorporated by Li et al. (2019) into Generalized Retrieval of Aerosol and Surface Properties (GRASP) algorithm. In the current work we employ this aerosol component approach for derivation and analysis of temporal and spatial characteristics of black and brown carbon (BC and BrC) concentrations in East and South Asia using POLDER/PARASOL satellite observations during 2005–2013. The inter-comparison of the satellite retrieved and in situ measured BC in China shows a reasonably good agreement for both monthly averaged and daily values. The distribution of light-absorbing carbon (BC and BrC) shows a significant temporal variation cycle with increases matching the months known for strong biomass burning or fossil fuels combustion emissions. The main concentrations of BC are found near the fire or anthropogenic emission regions, while concentrations of BrC are predominantly distanced from the emission sources. Seasonal means of BC/(BC + BrC) ratio in East and South Asia are also presented. High ratios (above 0.5) in Northeast India and North China during December, January, and February can be attributed to fossil fuels combustion and anthropogenic emissions. Medium ratios (around 0.2–0.3) over the Indo-China Peninsula and Northeast China during March, April, and May are associated with the biomass burning (e.g., forest fires, agriculture waste burning). The provided observationally-based retrievals of BC, BrC, and BC/(BC + BrC) are believed to be of high importance for constraining the aerosol modeling and reducing the uncertainties of the model estimations.

Retrieval of aerosol components directly from satellite and ground-based measurements

Abstract. This study presents a novel methodology for the remote monitoring of aerosol components over large spatial and temporal domains. The concept is realized within the GRASP (Generalized Retrieval of Aerosol and Surface Properties) algorithm to directly infer aerosol components from the measured radiances. The observed aerosols are assumed to be mixtures of hydrated soluble particles embedded with black carbon, brown carbon, iron oxide, and other (non-absorbing) insoluble inclusions. The complex refractive indices of the dry components are fixed a priori (although the refractive index of the soluble host is allowed to vary with hydration), and the complex refractive indices of the mixture are computed using mixing rules. The volume fractions of these components are derived along with the size distribution and the fraction of spherical particles, as well as the spectral surface reflectance in cases when the satellite data are inverted. The retrieval is implemented as a statistically optimized fit in a continuous space of solutions. This contrasts with most conventional approaches in which the type of aerosol is either associated with a pre-assumed aerosol model that is included in a set of look-up tables, or determined from the analysis of the retrieved aerosol optical parameters (e.g., single scattering albedo, refractive index, among others, provided by the AERONET retrieval algorithm); here, we retrieve the aerosol components explicitly. The approach also bridges directly to the quantities used in global chemical transport models. We first tested the approach with synthetic data to estimate the uncertainty, and then applied it to real ground-based AERONET and spaceborne POLDER/PARASOL observations; thus, the study presents a first attempt to derive aerosol components from satellite observations specifically tied to global chemical transport model quantities. Our results indicate aerosol optical characteristics that are highly consistent with standard products (e.g., R of ∼0.9 for aerosol optical thickness) and demonstrate an ability to separate intrinsic optical properties of fine- and coarse-sized aerosols. We applied our method to POLDER/PARASOL radiances on the global scale and obtained spatial and temporal patterns of the aerosol components that agree well with existing knowledge on aerosol sources and transport features. Finally, we discuss limitations and perspectives of this new technique.

Retrievals of Aerosol Size Distribution, Spherical Fraction, and Complex Refractive Index From Airborne In Situ Angular Light Scattering and Absorption Measurements

AbstractAerosol models, composed of size distribution, complex refractive index, and spherical fraction, are derived from a new synergistic retrieval of airborne in situ angular scattering measurements made by the Polarized Imaging Nephelometer and absorption measurements from the Particle Soot Absorption Photometer. The data utilized include phase function (F11), degree of polarization (−F12/F11), and absorption coefficient (βabs) measured at low relative humidities during the Studies of Emissions and Atmospheric Composition, Clouds, and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys (SEAC4RS) and Deep Convection Clouds and Chemistry (DC3) field campaigns. The Generalized Retrieval of Aerosol and Surface Properties (GRASP) is applied to these measurements to obtain summaries of particle properties that are optically consistent with the original measurements. A classification scheme is then used to categorize the corresponding retrieval results. Inversions performed on the DC3 measurements indicate the presence of a significant amount of dust‐like aerosol in the inflow of storms sampled during this campaign, with the quantity of dust present depending strongly on the underlying surface features. In the SEAC4RS data, the retrieved size distributions were found to be remarkably similar among a range of aerosol types, including urban and industrial, biogenic, and biomass burning (BB) emissions. These aerosol types were found to have average fine mode volume median radii 0.155 ≤ rvf ≤ 0.163μm and lognormal standard deviations 0.32 ≤ σf ≤ 0.36. There were, however, consistent differences between the angular scattering patterns of the BB samples and the other particle types. The GRASP retrieval predominantly attributed these differences to elevated real and imaginary refractive indices in the BB samples (m532nm≈1.55+0.007i) relative to the two other categories (m532nm≈1.51+0.004i).

Evaluation of retrieved aerosol extinction profiles using as reference the aerosol optical depth differences between various heights

Aerosol extinction vertical profiles at Granada (Spain) are calculated with the GRASP (Generalized Retrieval of Aerosol and Surface Properties) code using as input Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) and sky radiance measurements from AERONET (AEerosol RObotic NETwork) and ceilometer RCS (Range Corrected Signal) profiles, both corresponding to the Granada (Spain) station. This methodology is so called GRASPpac due to the combination of sun/sky photometer and ceilometer on GRASP. In order to evaluate the accuracy of these retrieved extinction profiles at Granada, two more nearby AERONET stations, located at different altitudes, are used. The AOD difference of the three choosen AERONET sun/sky photometers have been used to calculate the Integrated Aerosol Extinction (IAE) at different height layers. These three AERONET sun/sky photometers are used as a reference and compared against the integrated extinction at the same layers from the extinction profiles retrieved by GRASPpac. The differences between AERONET and GRASPpac retrieved IAE values indicate that GRASPpac aerosol extinction profiles are at least within the uncertainty of the sun/sky photometer measurements, but GRASPpac method overestimates the AERONET extinction at low altitudes and underestimates it at high levels. The most accurate and precise retrieved extinction correspond to the intermediate layer with a mean bias error (MBE ± standard deviation) of 0.00 ± 0.01 (0 ± 59%) for 1020 nm, and the worst integrated extinction results were obtained for the upper layers with a MBE of −0.01 ± 0.02 (28 ± 36%) for 1020 nm. In general these MBE values increases for shorter wavelengths. In order to obtain a complete characterization of this bias, the dependence of the obtained differences on the aerosol size and the solar zenith angle, among others, are analysed in detail. Finally, the behaviour of vertically-resolved aerosol extinction at Granada is evaluated using averages of the retrieved profiles from November of 2012 to December of 2017. The highest IAE values are found in Summer with mean values of 0.09 for the lower layers and 0.07 for the upper ones, both at 440 nm wavelength.

Retrieval of aerosol properties from ceilometer and photometer measurements: long-term evaluation with in situ data and statistical analysis at Montsec (southern Pyrenees)

Abstract. Given the need for accurate knowledge of aerosol microphysical and optical properties with height resolution, various algorithms combining vertically resolved and column-integrated aerosol information have been developed in the last years. Here we present new results of vertically resolved extensive aerosol optical properties (backscattering, scattering and extinction) and volume concentrations retrieved with the GRASP (Generalized Retrieval of Aerosol and Surface Properties) algorithm over a 3-year period. The range-corrected signal (RCS) at 1064 nm measured with a ceilometer and the aerosol optical depth (AOD) and sky radiances from a sun/sky photometer have been used as input for this algorithm. We perform a detailed evaluation of GRASP retrievals with simultaneous in situ measurements performed at the same height, at the Montsec mountaintop observatory (MSA) in the Pre-Pyrenees (northeastern Spain). This is the first long-term evaluation of various outputs of this algorithm; previous evaluations focused only on the study of aerosol volume concentration for short-term periods. In general, our results show good agreement between techniques although GRASP inversions yield higher values than those measured in situ. The statistical analysis of the extinction coefficient vertical profiles shows a clear seasonality as well as significant differences depending on the air mass origin. The observed seasonal cycle is mainly modulated by a higher development of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) during warm months, which favors the transport of pollutants to MSA, and higher influence of regional and North African episodes. On the other hand, in winter, MSA is frequently influenced by free-troposphere conditions and venting periods and therefore lower extinction coefficients that markedly decrease with height. This study shows the potentiality of implementing GRASP in ceilometer and lidar networks for obtaining aerosol optical properties and volume concentrations at multiple sites, which will definitely contribute to enhancing the representativeness of the aerosol vertical distribution as well as to providing useful information for satellite and global model evaluation.

A Laboratory Experiment for the Statistical Evaluation of Aerosol Retrieval (STEAR) Algorithms

We have developed a method for evaluating the fidelity of the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) retrieval algorithms by mimicking atmospheric extinction and radiance measurements in a laboratory experiment. This enables radiometric retrievals that use the same sampling volumes, relative humidities, and particle size ranges as observed by other in situ instrumentation in the experiment. We use three Cavity Attenuated Phase Shift (CAPS) monitors for extinction and University of Maryland Baltimore County’s (UMBC) three-wavelength Polarized Imaging Nephelometer (PI-Neph) for angular scattering measurements. We subsample the PI-Neph radiance measurements to angles that correspond to AERONET almucantar scans, with simulated solar zenith angles ranging from 50 ∘ to 77 ∘ . These measurements are then used as input to the Generalized Retrieval of Aerosol and Surface Properties (GRASP) algorithm, which retrieves size distributions, complex refractive indices, single-scatter albedos, and bistatic LiDAR ratios for the in situ samples. We obtained retrievals with residuals less than 8% for about 90 samples. Samples were alternately dried or humidified, and size distributions were limited to diameters of less than 1.0 or 2.5 μ m by using a cyclone. The single-scatter albedo at 532 nm for these samples ranged from 0.59 to 1.00 when computed with CAPS extinction and Particle Soot Absorption Photometer (PSAP) absorption measurements. The GRASP retrieval provided single-scatter albedos that are highly correlated with the in situ single-scatter albedos, and the correlation coefficients ranged from 0.916 to 0.976, depending upon the simulated solar zenith angle. The GRASP single-scatter albedos exhibited an average absolute bias of +0.023–0.026 with respect to the extinction and absorption measurements for the entire dataset. We also compared the GRASP size distributions to aerodynamic particle size measurements, using densities and aerodynamic shape factors that produce extinctions consistent with our CAPS measurements. The GRASP effective radii are highly correlated (R = 0.80) and biased under the corrected aerodynamic effective radii by 1.3% (for a simulated solar zenith angle of θ ∘ = 50 ∘ ); the effective variance indicated a correlation of R = 0.51 and a relative bias of 280%. Finally, our apparatus was not capable of measuring backscatter LiDAR ratios, so we measured bistatic LiDAR ratios at a scattering angle of 173 degrees. The GRASP bistatic LiDAR ratios had correlations of 0.71 to 0.86 (depending upon simulated θ ∘ ) with respect to in situ measurements, positive relative biases of 2–10%, and average absolute biases of 1.8–7.9 sr.

The truncation problem

The truncation procedure is an approximation commonly used in plane-parallel radiative transfer codes, which consists in removing the forward scattering peak observed in the phase function of large particles (few microns) or cloud droplets, due to diffraction. This approximation allows faster calculations but introduces biases in the radiances modelled at the ground-based level and also at the top of the atmosphere in narrow angular intervals (cloud bows and glory). In this study, we recalled the principle of the truncation and present a new method to correct its flaws. In comparison with previous studies, we present here a full comprehensive correction and analysis of the truncation biases for the downward and upward radiances. For ground-level measurements, we add to truncated calculations an approximate expression of the successive scatterings in the truncated forward peak to restore the solar aureole. In case of satellite measurements, we reduce the biases found for narrow angular signatures simply by changing the expression of the primary scattering. After correction, maximal errors do not exceed 0.001 for the degree of linear polarization for optical thickness smaller than 2.0, which is a sufficient accuracy for most applications based on polarimetric measurements. This correction is available for both total and polarized radiances and is now implemented in successive order of scattering code used in the Generalized Retrieval of Aerosol and Surface Properties (GRASP) algorithm. The analysis of the problem is based on the method of successive orders, but the suggested corrections are applicable for any other resolution method (e.g. adding-doubling).

Advanced characterisation of aerosol size properties from measurements of spectral optical depth using the GRASP algorithm.

This study evaluates the potential of using aerosol optical depth (τa) measurements to characterise the microphysical and optical properties of atmospheric aerosols. With this aim, we used the recently developed GRASP (Generalized Retrieval of Aerosol and Surface Properties) code for numerical testing of six different aerosol models with different aerosol loads. The direct numerical simulations (self-consistency tests) indicate that the GRASP-AOD retrieval provides modal aerosol optical depths (fine and coarse) to within 0.01 of the input values. The retrieval of the fine-mode radius, width and volume concentration are stable and precise if the real part of the refractive index is known. The coarse-mode properties are less accurate, but they are significantly improved when additional a priori information is available. The tests with random simulated errors show that the uncertainty in the bimodal log-normal size distribution parameters increases as the aerosol load decreases. Similarly, the reduction in the spectral range diminishes the stability of the retrieved parameters. In addition to these numerical studies, we used optical depth observations at eight AERONET locations to validate our results with the standard AERONET inversion products. We found that bimodal log-normal size distributions serve as useful input assumptions, especially when the measurements have inadequate spectral coverage and/or limited accuracy, such as moon photometry. Comparisons of the mode median radii between GRASP-AOD and AERONET indicate average differences of 0.013 μm for the fine mode and typical values of 0.2–0.3 μm for the coarse mode. The dominant mode (i.e. fine or coarse) indicates a 10 % difference in mode radii between the GRASP-AOD and AERONET inversions, and the average of the difference in volume concentration is around 17 % for both modes. The retrieved values of the fine-mode τa(500) using GRASP-AOD are generally between those values obtained by the standard AERONET inversion and the values obtained by the AERONET spectral deconvolution algorithm (SDA), with differences typically lower than 0.02 between GRASP-AOD and both algorithms. Finally, we present some examples of application of GRASP-AOD inversion using moon photometry and the airborne PLASMA sun photometer during the ChArMEx summer 2013 campaign in the western Mediterranean.

Retrievals of aerosol optical and microphysical properties from Imaging Polar Nephelometer scattering measurements.

A method for the retrieval of aerosol optical and microphysical properties from in situ light-scattering measurements is presented and the results are compared with existing measurement techniques. The Generalized Retrieval of Aerosol and Surface Properties (GRASP) is applied to airborne and laboratory measurements made by a novel polar nephelometer. This instrument, the Polarized Imaging Nephelometer (PI-Neph), is capable of making high-accuracy field measurements of phase function and degree of linear polarization, at three visible wavelengths, over a wide angular range of 3 to 177°. The resulting retrieval produces particle size distributions (PSDs) that agree, within experimental error, with measurements made by commercial optical particle counters (OPCs). Additionally, the retrieved real part of the refractive index is generally found to be within the predicted error of 0.02 from the expected values for three species of humidified salt particles, with a refractive index that is well established. The airborne measurements used in this work were made aboard the NASA DC-8 aircraft during the Studies of Emissions and Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys (SEAC4RS) field campaign, and the inversion of this data represents the first aerosol retrievals of airborne polar nephelometer data. The results provide confidence in the real refractive index product, as well as in the retrieval’s ability to accurately determine PSD, without assumptions about refractive index that are required by the majority of OPCs.

Comprehensive tool for calculation of radiative fluxes: illustration of shortwave aerosol radiative effect sensitivities to the details in aerosol and underlying surface characteristics

Abstract. The evaluation of aerosol radiative effect on broadband hemispherical solar flux is often performed using simplified spectral and directional scattering characteristics of atmospheric aerosol and underlying surface reflectance. In this study we present a rigorous yet fast computational tool that accurately accounts for detailed variability of both spectral and angular scattering properties of aerosol and surface reflectance in calculation of direct aerosol radiative effect. The tool is developed as part of the GRASP (Generalized Retrieval of Aerosol and Surface Properties) project. We use the tool to evaluate instantaneous and daily average radiative efficiencies (radiative effect per unit aerosol optical thickness) of several key atmospheric aerosol models over different surface types. We then examine the differences due to neglect of surface reflectance anisotropy, nonsphericity of aerosol particle shape and accounting only for aerosol angular scattering asymmetry instead of using full phase function. For example, it is shown that neglecting aerosol particle nonsphericity causes mainly overestimation of the aerosol cooling effect and that magnitude of this overestimate changes significantly as a function of solar zenith angle (SZA) if the asymmetry parameter is used instead of detailed phase function. It was also found that the nonspherical–spherical differences in the calculated aerosol radiative effect are not modified significantly if detailed BRDF (bidirectional reflectance distribution function) is used instead of Lambertian approximation of surface reflectance. Additionally, calculations show that usage of only angular scattering asymmetry, even for the case of spherical aerosols, modifies the dependence of instantaneous aerosol radiative effect on SZA. This effect can be canceled for daily average values, but only if sun reaches the zenith; otherwise a systematic bias remains. Since the daily average radiative effect is obtained by integration over a range of SZAs, the errors vary with latitude and season. In summary, the present analysis showed that use of simplified assumptions causes systematic biases, rather than random uncertainties, in calculation of both instantaneous and daily average aerosol radiative effect. Finally, we illustrate application of the rigorous aerosol radiative effect calculations performed as part of GRASP aerosol retrieval from real POLDER/PARASOL satellite observations.

New satellite project Aerosol-UA: Remote sensing of aerosols in the terrestrial atmosphere

We discuss the development of the Ukrainian space project Aerosol-UA which has the following three main objectives: (1) to monitor the spatial distribution of key characteristics of terrestrial tropospheric and stratospheric aerosols; (2) to provide a comprehensive observational database enabling accurate quantitative estimates of the aerosol contribution to the energy budget of the climate system; and (3) quantify the contribution of anthropogenic aerosols to climate and ecological processes. The remote sensing concept of the project is based on precise orbital measurements of the intensity and polarization of sunlight scattered by the atmosphere and the surface with a scanning polarimeter accompanied by a wide-angle multispectral imager–polarimeter.Preparations have already been made for the development of the instrument suite for the Aerosol-UA project, in particular, of the multi-channel scanning polarimeter (ScanPol) designed for remote sensing studies of the global distribution of aerosol and cloud properties (such as particle size, morphology, and composition) in the terrestrial atmosphere by polarimetric and spectrophotometric measurements of the scattered sunlight in a wide range of wavelengths and viewing directions from which a scene location is observed. ScanPol is accompanied by multispectral wide-angle imager–polarimeter (MSIP) that serves to collect information on cloud conditions and Earth’s surface image. Various components of the polarimeter ScanPol have been prototyped, including the opto-mechanical and electronic assemblies and the scanning mirror controller. Preliminary synthetic data simulations for the retrieval of aerosol parameters over land surfaces have been performed using the Generalized Retrieval of Aerosol and Surface Properties (GRASP) algorithm. Methods for the validation of satellite data using ground-based observations of aerosol properties are also discussed. We assume that designing, building, and launching into orbit a multi-functional high-precision scanning polarimeter and an imager–polarimeter should make a significant contribution to the study of natural and anthropogenic aerosols and their climatic and ecological effects.

Retrieval of Aerosol Properties for Fine/Coarse Mode Aerosol Mixtures over Beijing from PARASOL Measurements

Beijing is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world with relatively high aerosol loading. The population of Beijing is approximately 21.5 million based on statistics from 2014. In order to improve the air quality of Beijing by monitoring and better understanding of high aerosol loading at fine spatial resolution, an extended version of the Look Up Table (LUT) aerosol retrieval algorithm from PARASOL (Polarization and Anisotropy of Reflectances for Atmospheric Science coupled with Observations from a Lidar) measurements of total intensity and polarization was tested over this region. Instead of using the surface reflectance model introduced in the GRASP (Generalized Retrieval of Aerosol and Surface Properties) algorithm, the assumption of spectral reflectance shape invariance principle is used to separate the total radiance contribution of surface and aerosols. Case studies were conducted in Beijing and evaluated preliminarily using the coincident AERONET measurements. The results indicate a significant agreement with a slope of 1.083 and a correlation coefficient of 0.913. A high Gfrac (fraction of accurate retrievals) of 78% is also observed. Analysis on the retrieval accuracy illustrates that the algorithm capability depends significantly on the data quality index, as the AOD (Aerosol Optical Depth) retrieval accuracy is relatively lower for the data with quality index less than 0.75.

GRASP: a versatile algorithm for characterizing the atmosphere

GRASP (Generalized Retrieval of Aerosol and Surface Properties) is the first unified algorithm to be developed for characterizing atmospheric properties gathered from a variety of remote sensing observations (an introductory video is available elsewhere1). GRASP is based on a recent algorithm2 created to improve aerosol retrieval from the French Space Agency’s PARASOL3 imager over bright surfaces like deserts where high surface reflectance dwarfs the signal from aerosols. Moreover, GRASP relies on the heritage of retrieval advances4–7 implemented for AERONET,8 a worldwide network of over 200 radiometer sites that generate the data used to validate nearly all satellite observations of atmospheric aerosols. The AERONET retrievals derive detailed aerosol properties,6 including absorption, providing information of vital importance for reducing uncertainty in assessments of climate change. GRASP is based on several generalization principles with the idea of developing a scientifically rigorous, versatile, practically efficient, transparent, and accessible algorithm. There are two main independent modules. The first, numerical inversion, includes general mathematical operations not related to the particular physical nature of the inverted data (in this case, remote sensing observations). The second module, the forward model, was developed to simulate various atmospheric remote sensing observations. Numerical inversion is implemented as a statistically optimized fitting of observations following the multi-term least squares method (LSM) strategy, which combines9 the advantages of a variety of approaches and provides transparency and flexibility in developing algorithms that invert passive and/or active observations and derive several groups of Figure 1. Diagram illustrating the principle of combined synergetic processing of complementary observations using a multi-pixel2 retrieval approach. CALIPSO is a joint lidar mission of NASA and the French Space Agency, which also manages the PARASOL imager. AERONET is a worldwide network of radiometer sites.