SeaWiFS Ocean Aerosol Retrieval (SOAR): Algorithm, validation, and comparison with other data sets

The Sea‐viewing Wide Field‐of‐view Sensor (SeaWiFS) provides a well‐calibrated 13‐year (1997–2010) record of top‐of‐atmosphere radiance, suitable for use in retrieval of atmospheric aerosol optical depth (AOD). This paper presents and validates a SeaWiFS Ocean Aerosol Retrieval (SOAR) algorithm, whi...

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Published in:Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres Vol. 117; no. D3
Main Authors: Sayer, A. M., Hsu, N. C., Bettenhausen, C., Ahmad, Z., Holben, B. N., Smirnov, A., Thomas, G. E., Zhang, J.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Washington, DC Blackwell Publishing Ltd 16.02.2012
American Geophysical Union
Subjects:
AERONET
aerosol
Aerosols
Algorithms
Atmospheric aerosols
Atmospheric sciences
Climate change
Earth
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
Geobiology
Geophysics
ocean
Optical analysis
Quality control
Remote sensing
retrieval
Scientific apparatus & instruments
SeaWiFS
Troposphere
Canada, Maritime Prov
atmosphere
Validation
algorithms
aerosols
quality controls
Space remote sensing
Regional scope
fine-grained materials
Satellite observation
clouds
loading
quality
correlation
Shielding effect
Optical thickness
Measuring network
data bases
particles
SeaStar satellite
uncertainties
seasonal variations
Comparative study
radiance
ISSN:0148-0227, 2169-897X, 2156-2202, 2169-8996
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The Sea‐viewing Wide Field‐of‐view Sensor (SeaWiFS) provides a well‐calibrated 13‐year (1997–2010) record of top‐of‐atmosphere radiance, suitable for use in retrieval of atmospheric aerosol optical depth (AOD). This paper presents and validates a SeaWiFS Ocean Aerosol Retrieval (SOAR) algorithm, which retrieves the AOD at 550 nm and the partition of aerosol particle volume between fine and coarse modes. The algorithm has been applied over water to the whole SeaWiFS record. The data set includes quality flags to identify those retrievals suitable for quantitative use. SOAR has been validated against Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) and Maritime Aerosol Network (MAN) data and found to compare well (correlation 0.86 at 550 nm and 0.88 at 870 nm for AERONET, and 0.87 at 550 nm and 0.85 at 870 nm for MAN, using recommended quality control settings). These comparisons are used to identify the typical level of uncertainty on the AOD, estimated as 0.03 + 15% at 550 nm and 0.03 + 10% at 870 nm. The data set also includes the Ångström exponent, although as expected this is noisy for low aerosol loadings (correlation 0.50; 0.78 for points where the AOD at 550 nm is 0.3 or more). Retrieved AOD is compared with colocated observations from other satellite sensors; regional and seasonal patterns are found to be common between all data sets, and differences generally linked to factors such as cloud screening and retrieval assumptions. Key Points SeaWiFS provides a long, well‐calibrated time series for aerosol retrievals We describe, validate, and compare a new over‐ocean aerosol retrieval algorithm The new data set is freely available
Bibliography:Tab-delimited Table 1.Tab-delimited Table 2.Tab-delimited Table 3.
ArticleID:2011JD016599
NASA Measures program - No. 547714.04.14.01.04
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istex:197C6C32B5D3C54952454597E08F981F372B6B71
This is a companion to DOI
10.1029/2011JD016689
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ISSN:0148-0227
2169-897X
2156-2202
2169-8996
DOI:10.1029/2011JD016599