Publications

Lee, Kwon Ho; Wong, Man Sing; Kim, Kyungwon; Park, Seung Shik (2014). Analytical approach to estimating aerosol extinction and visibility from satellite observations. ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT, 91, 127-136.

Abstract
This study investigates the application of satellite data to the evaluation of aerosol extinction and visibility, for a better understanding of the spatio-temporal variation of local air quality in urban areas. A new analytical model based on aerosol microphysics and non-linear exponential fitting was applied to the analysis of aerosol extinction using aerosol optical thickness (AOT, tau(alpha)) data retrieved from the MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), over one of the largest global megacities: Seoul, Korea. The relationship between the MODIS tau(alpha) and ground-based aerosol measurements of particulate matter mass concentration, extinction, and surface visibility was assessed over Seoul, Korea, during eight intensive observation periods in 2007-2009. The results clearly demonstrate that satellite-derived tau(alpha) is a good surrogate for monitoring aerosol extinction and visibility over this study area. In particular, it is found that MODIS-estimated visibility values have a closer relation to the observed values than traditionally assumed Koschemeider's relation. The analytical results shown in this study can provide a better understanding of aerosol extinction and visibility in megacity, as well as for routine visibility monitoring. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DOI:
10.1016/j.atmosenv.2014.03.050

ISSN:
1352-2310; 1873-2844