satellitedetectionofatmosphericaerosols.docVIP

Satellite Measurements of Atmospheric Aerosols Introduction Aerosol sensors on Earth orbiting satellites provide near-real time, kilometer resolution data on the global distribution of atmospheric aerosols. The data from satellite sensors with global coverage and kilometer-scale spatial resolution now provide real-time snapshots which depict the pattern of haze, smoke and dust in stunning detail. Space-borne sensors are contributing to Earth system science and support societal decision making in many areas, including weather forecasting, climate change, and disaster management. Atmospheric aerosols are exceptionally well suitable for satellite remote sensing, because the sun provides the light source and the scattered light by aerosols is easily detectable by spectral radiation sensors with high spatial resolution. In situ aerosol sensors can detect the aerosol characteristics in a small volume of air, in some cases the size, the composition, and the shape of individual particles. With the aid of such sensors, it is possible to construct the full size-chemical composition distribution function as defined by Friedlander [dust smoke and Haze]. Satellite sensors on the other hand, can only detect integral measures of the aerosol population, While the science of aerosol remote sensing is based on well established theory of radiative energy transfer, the engineering of satellite remote sensing systems has not been fully mastered. The design of radiation sensors, the satellite platforms, the transmission and near-real time processing of high-bandwidth digital data streams, and the distribution of derived data products to the end users are among most complex large scale information-engineering systems. Given the strong demand for satellite data products in many societal benefit areas, it is expected that these remote sensing systems will continue to expand their utility. This chapter is a brief overview of satellite aerosol remote sensing systems. We begin wit