Air and Waste Management Association Professional Development Course

AIR-257: Satellite Detection of Aerosols

Issues and Opportunities

0 10020 40 60 80Fraction of Days Retrieved

Syllabus

9:00-9:30 Introduction to satellite aerosol detection and monitoring9:30-10:00 Satellite Types and their Usage10:00-10:30 Satellite detection of aerosol events: fires, dust storms,

haze

10:30-10:45 Break

10:45-11:00 Satellite data and tools for the RPO FASTNET project11:15-11:30 Satellite Data Use in AQ Management: Issues and Opportunities11:30-12:00 Class-defined problems, feedback, discussion, exam(?)

Scientific Challenge: Description of PM

• Gaseous concentration: g (X, Y, Z, T)• Aerosol concentration: a (X, Y, Z, T, D, C, F,

M)• The ‘aerosol dimensions’ size D, composition C, shape F,

and mixing M determine the impact on health, and welfare.

Dimension Abbr.

Data SourcesSpatial dimensions X, Y Satellites, dense networks

Height Z Lidar, soundings

Time T Continuous monitoring

Particle size D Size-segregated sampling

Particle Composition C Speciated analysis

Particle Shape/Form F Microscopy

Ext/Internal Mixture M Microscopy

Particulate matter is complex because of its multi-dimensionality

It takes at leas 8 independent dimensions to describe the PM concentration pattern

Satellite Data Issue: Bright Surface

(Cloud, Snow, Desert)

• Aerosol data are not retrievable over bright surfaces

• Thus half or more of the data are unavailable (some could be the most significant

• The data loss from clouds is sporadic, unpredictable

Spring Summer

Autumn Winter

0 10020 40 60 80%

Fraction of aerosol retrievals – MODIS 2001(March - May 2001) (June - August 2001)

(September - November 2001) (December 2000 - January 2001)

Kaufman, 2002

20% (winter)-70%(summer)

Vertical Distribution Aerosol

• Windblown Dust (crustal elements)• Biomass Smoke (organics, H20 )

• Sea H20 salt (NaCl. H20)• Stratospheric (Volcanic) (H2SO4)• Biogenic (Non-sea salt sulfate, org) • Urban-Industrial Haze (SO4, org. H20)

• Dust, smoke, volcanic aerosol and industrial haze originate from land

• The global aerosol concentration is highest over land and near the continents over the oceans (coastal regions)

• Sea salt is significant over some of the windy oceanic regions and biogenic sulfate and organic aerosols also occur …

July 2020 Quebec Smoke Event

Superposition of ASOS visibility data (NWS) and SeaWiFS reflectance data for July 7, 2002

–

• PM2.5 time series for New England sites. Note the high values at White Face Mtn.

• Micropulse Lidar data for July 6 and July 7, 2002 - intense smoke layer over D.C. at 2km altitude.

Remote sensing of Aerosol Open questions: - Where does aerosol begin and cloud ends? - Does aerosol in cloud free area represent the aerosol that interacts with clouds?

- How to handle the spatial and temporal variability of aerosol properties?

”Toxic trucks” Washington Post 11/19/00

“Trouble in the greenhouse” Nature, Sept., 2000

Haze layer

Haze layer

Clean atmosphere

Y. Kaufman, 2002

Retrieved Optical Depth

2000.08.15

Information ‘Refinery’ Value Chain (Taylor, 1975)

•

Informing Knowledge

ActionProductive Knowledge

InformationData

Organizing

Grouping Classifying Formatting Displaying

Analyzing

SeparatingEvaluating Interpreting

Synthesizing

Judging

Options Quality

Advantages Disadvantages

Deciding

Matching goals, Compromising

Bargaining Deciding

e.g. CIRA VIEWS

e.g. Langley IDEA

RAW System

e.g. WG Summary Rpt

e.g. RPO Manager

Future Observation and Information Systems

Question to Class Participants:(Exam! )

• How do YOU see the incorporation of satellite data into your activities?– Describe context: (what kind of AQ-related activity)– What problem could use satellite data?

• Specific satellite? • Region of interest?• Data ‘products? • Delivery (frequency, latency,

– What tools you whish you had for satellites?• Assess and viewing/prowsing?• Processing?

– Add and answer your own question• (The quality of your question will determine your final grade)