satelliteaerosoldetectioninthenpoessera.docVIP

Satellite Aerosol Detection in the NPOESS Era Prepared by Leslie O. Belsma The Aerospace Corporation, P.O. Box 92957, Los Angeles, CA 90009-2957 ABSTRACT Agencies responsible for monitoring air quality have traditionally relied on ground-based measurements to detect and predict fine particulates while satellite data has been underexploited. By providing observations over large spatial domains (and in some cases, vertical information) not available from traditional monitoring stations, satellite data can aid in the detection, tracking and understanding of aerosol transport. Satellite aerosol data can also be used quantitatively to initialize and validate air quality models. Just as new satellite data assimilation techniques are at the forefront of weather prediction science, satellite aerosol data assimilation should become an integral part of regional or local haze predictions. The detection of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from the ground or space is technologically challenging; however, there are numerous satellite sensors that already provide some type of aerosol detection capability and future sensors promise significant enhancements. Each type of satellite system has strengths and weaknesses for aerosol detection. Typically sensors aboard polar orbiters yield high spatial resolution, but satellites passes are infrequent, particularly for science missions. Aerosol optical thickness derived from geostationary data yields frequent refresh at the expense of global coverage. Most satellite aerosol retrievals provide total column aerosol information, though some state-of-the-art science missions also provide vertical profiles. The future generation National Polar-orbiting Operational Environment Satellite System (NPOESS) will become operational in 2010. NPOESS merges today’s science environmental satellites and operational weather satellites into an integrated operational environmental observing system. It is a three orbit plane system that will provide s