Logo image
First lunar-light mapping of nighttime dust season oceanic aerosol optical depth over North Atlantic from space
Journal article   Peer reviewed

First lunar-light mapping of nighttime dust season oceanic aerosol optical depth over North Atlantic from space

Meng Zhou, Jun Wang, Xi Chen, Yi Wang, Peter R. Colarco, Robert C. Levy and Steven D. Miller
Remote sensing of environment, Vol.312, 114315
10/01/2024
DOI: 10.1016/j.rse.2024.114315

View Online

Abstract

This paper presents the Nighttime Ocean Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) Retrieval Algorithm (NOARA), an innovative method for deriving the oceanic AOD from the reflected moonlight observation of Day-Night Band (DNB) aboard the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) over ocean surfaces. Building upon the recent development of nighttime AOD retrievals for rural/wild areas over land, the NOARA introduces several advancements tailored for oceanic application: (a) the new dust and sea salt optical property models based on the AERONET observation; (b) the Cox-Munk bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) model that better represents the ocean surface reflectance; (c) the new internal cloud and dust masking schemes for the ocean areas. Case studies show that the nighttime AODs are in good consistency with multiple AOD measurements such as from AERONET and CALIOP. The algorithm fills the observational gap for a comprehensive understanding of the diurnal cycle of the dust transport over the ocean and has the potential to provide vital information to better constrain the chemical transport model. •First nighttime oceanic AOD retrieval algorithm from VIIRS lunar observation.•AOD retrievals agree well with the nighttime AERONET and CALIOP observations.•Day/night AOD together enable more coherent monitoring of the Sahara dust transport.•Assimilation of daytime AOD is insufficient to constrain dust transport in CTM.•Nighttime oceanic AOD provides insights on the evolution of diurnal dust transport.
Algorithm development DNB Dust transport Nighttime aerosol optical depth Oceanic AOD Passive remote sensing over ocean Reflected moonlight Sahara dust plume VIIRS Visible band AOD

Details

Metrics

Logo image