Global monitoring of air pollution over land from the Earth observing System-Terra Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS

• Main Authors: D. A. Chu, Y. J. Kaufman, G. Zibordi, J. D. Chern, Jietai Mao, Chengcai Li, B. N. Holben
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2003
• Subjects: Aerosol Robotic Network
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.385.6414; http://modis-atmos.gsfc.nasa.gov/_docs/Chu_et_al._(2003).pdf

(7 channels: 0.47–2.1 mm, 250–500 m resolutions) provide us with new insights into the characteristics of global aerosols. MODIS retrieves not only aerosol loading but also the fraction of fine mode particle. In this paper we demonstrate MODIS capability for use in monitoring global, regional, and local air pollution. Three case studies in northern Italy, Los Angeles, and Beijing showed the conclusive results of applying MODIS-derived aerosol optical depths (ta) to regional and local air pollution in terms of accuracy ( ta = ±0.05 ± 0.2ta) and spatial sensitivity of the retrievals. Under stagnant condition, accumulated aerosol abundance can reach ta> 1 (at 0.55 mm) before being removed by wind or precipitation. The correlation found between Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) daily averaged ta and 24-hour PM10 (particulate matter with diameter <10 mm) concentration (mg/m 3) in northern Italy is encouraging with correlation coefficient 0.82. The derivation of PM concentration from satellite measurements may be possible once we know the detailed aerosol vertical distribution. To compare aerosol loading in different regions of the globe, we choose the two most populated regions (eastern China and India) and the two most industrialized regions (the eastern United