Water Vapor Influence on Satellite-Measured Aerosol Characteristics

Abstract

This study demonstrates the significance of water vapor's influence on satellite retrieved aerosol characteristics using NOAA's AVHRR. An improvement to optical depth and Aerosol Particle Size Index (S12) estimations derived from channels 1 (0.63 microns and 2(0.86 microns), is made through knowledge of column water vapor derived from channels 4 (10.8 microns), and 5 (12.0 microns). A 2.0 gm cm-2 column water vapor produces a 5% increase in S12. This results in a 15% error in the variable scattering phase function P and retrieved aerosol optical depth (delta-a). The error introduced by water vapor is quantified through use of the LOWTRAN7 atmospheric propagation model to be applied as a reformulated parameterization.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 1991
Accession Number
ADA241918

Entities

People

  • Timothy P. Mahony

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Artificial Satellites
  • Atmospheric Sciences
  • Brightness
  • Coefficients
  • Directed Energy Weapons
  • High Resolution
  • Measurement
  • Meteorology
  • Oceanography
  • Optical Properties
  • Particle Size
  • Radiative Transfer
  • Remote Sensing
  • Scattering
  • Sea Surface Temperature
  • Surface Temperature
  • Water Vapor

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Atmospheric Remote Sensing.
  • Computational Modeling and Simulation
  • Mathematics or Statistics

Technology Areas

  • Space