Aerosol Optical Depth Model Assessment With High Resolution Multiple Angle Sensors

• Main Author: Martin, Joseph S.
• Other Authors: NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY CA DEPT OF METEOROLOGY
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2004
• Subjects: Optics; Unmanned Spacecraft; *OPTICAL PROPERTIES; *ARTIFICIAL SATELLITES; *SPECTRORADIOMETERS; SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION; AEROSOLS; DETECTORS; RESOLUTION; THESES; HIGH RESOLUTION; RADIANCE; TELEMETERING DATA; UNITED ARAB EMIRATES; Aerosol Robotic Network
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA429833; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA429833

This thesis assesses the performance of the Naval Postgraduate School Aerosol Optical Depth (NPS AOD) model utilizing very high spatial resolution QuickBird (QB) satellite data. QuickBird derived AOD results are compared to other satellite and ground based AOD results, specifically, AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET), MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR), and Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR). Data is collected around Sir Bu Nuair Island, United Arab Emirates in September 2004 as part of the UAE2 Campaign. Satellite measured radiances are calibrated and due to spatial resolution differences between sensors, modal radiances are calculated for areas matching the highest resolution sensor. The AOD model is based on AVHRR wavelengths; hence, the modal satellite measured radiances are linearly extrapolated to the effective wavelengths of AVHRR. Results show application of the NPS AOD model to QuickBird data yields findings that are consistent with other satellite and ground based retrievals. In general, the NPS AOD model works well for nadir and near-nadir view angles, but not for high zenith angles. The original document contains color images.