A Study of Global Aerosol Optical Climatology with Two-Channel AVHRR Remote Sensing

Abstract

Global distributions of the aerosol optical thickness and Ångström exponent are estimated from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer channel-1 and -2 radiances for four months in 1990. Global distributions of those Ångström parameters are consistent with present knowledge on the distributions of desert-derived, biomass-burning, and anthropogenic pollutant aerosols obtained by ground-based and aircraft measurements. Especially, it is found that thin anthropogenic aerosols can be identified with large Ångström exponent values around the east coast of North America, Europe, and eastern Asia. Satellite-retrieved values of Ångström parameters are further compared with measured spectral optical thickness obtained by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Aerosol Robotic Network sky radiometer network.