Journal article
Passive remote sensing of altitude and optical depth of dust plumes using the oxygen A and B bands: First results from EPIC/DSCOVR at Lagrange‐1 point
Geophysical research letters, Vol.44(14), pp.7544-7554
07/28/2017
DOI: 10.1002/2017GL073939
PMCID: PMC7357207
PMID: 32661445
Abstract
We presented an algorithm for inferring aerosol layer height (ALH) and optical depth (AOD) over ocean surface from radiances in oxygen A and B bands measured by the Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) on the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) orbiting at Lagrangian‐1 point. The algorithm was applied to EPIC imagery of a 2 day dust outbreak over the North Atlantic Ocean. Retrieved ALHs and AODs were evaluated against counterparts observed by Cloud‐Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP), Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, and Aerosol Robotic Network. The comparisons showed 71.5% of EPIC‐retrieved ALHs were within ±0.5 km of those determined from CALIOP and 74.4% of EPIC AOD retrievals fell within a ± (0.1 + 10%) envelope of MODIS retrievals. This study demonstrates the potential of EPIC measurements for retrieving global aerosol height multiple times daily, which are essential for evaluating aerosol profile simulated in climate models and for better estimating aerosol radiative effects.
Key Points
Algorithm to retrieve dust optical depth and centroid height using the O2 A and B bands is developed
First retrieval results of dust optical depth and altitude from EPIC/DSCOVR are shown in good agreement with the counterparts from MODIS and CALIPSO
Passive remote sensing of aerosol height multiple times within a day is demonstrated with EPIC and discussed for future studies
Plain Language Summary
DSCOVR is a satellite parked at Lagrange‐1 point, ~1.5 million kilometers from Earth. It was launched in February 2015 and started the data collection in June 2015. It carries a sensor called EPIC that looks at the sunlit surface every 1 to 2 h. This paper presents a new technique to retrieve dust optical depth and dust altitude from EPIC's measurements within and outside of oxygen A and B absorption bands. The results are validated with MODIS and CALIOP data. The technique represents, for the first time, that we can reliably retrieve dust plume height from passive remote sensing multiple times a day.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Passive remote sensing of altitude and optical depth of dust plumes using the oxygen A and B bands: First results from EPIC/DSCOVR at Lagrange‐1 point
- Creators
- Xiaoguang Xu - University of IowaJun Wang - University of IowaYi Wang - University of IowaJing Zeng - University of IowaOmar Torres - NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterYuekui Yang - NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterAlexander Marshak - NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterJeffrey Reid - Naval Research LaboratorySteve Miller - Colorado State University
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Geophysical research letters, Vol.44(14), pp.7544-7554
- DOI
- 10.1002/2017GL073939
- PMID
- 32661445
- PMCID
- PMC7357207
- NLM abbreviation
- Geophys Res Lett
- ISSN
- 0094-8276
- eISSN
- 1944-8007
- Number of pages
- 11
- Grant note
- NASA's GEO‐CAPE science working group Office of Naval Research (ONR's) Multidisciplinary University Research Initiatives (MURI) Program (N00014‐16‐1‐2040) NASA's DSCOVR Earth Science Algorithms Program (NNX17AB05G)
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 07/28/2017
- Academic Unit
- Electrical and Computer Engineering; Civil and Environmental Engineering; Iowa Technology Institute; Physics and Astronomy; Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
- Record Identifier
- 9984104812902771
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