Publications

Kalaitzi, N; Hatzianastassiou, N; Gkikas, A; Papadimas, CD (2017). A Satellite Based Algorithm for Identification of Biomass Burning Aerosols Over the Southern Atlantic Ocean. PERSPECTIVES ON ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES, 919-924.

Abstract
In the present study, an algorithm is developed for identifying the presence of biomass-urban (BU) aerosols all over the globe, with emphasis to the southern Atlantic Ocean, which is neighbour to the greatest global biomass burning source areas, namely the Amazonian basin and sub-Sahel, central and southern Africa. The algorithm uses NASA's satellite daily aerosol optical properties, at 1 degrees x 1 degrees latitude-longitude resolution, for the period 2005-2015. The identification of BU aerosols is achieved by using a variety of aerosol properties, namely spectral Aerosol Optical Depth, angstrom ngstrom Exponent and Fine Fraction (FF) from Collection 006 MODIS-Aqua and Aerosol Index (AI) from OMI-Aura. Maximum frequencies of BU aerosols, reaching 57 days/year and 22 days/month) are found over global areas with the greatest biomass burning activities, namely in South Africa and South America. The algorithm outputs are in line with the known seasonality of biomass burning, with two distinct periods (local dry seasons) in Africa and a single one in Amazonia. The good performance of the algorithm is supported by the agreement with MODIS satellite active fire counts data, which enable the distinction between BU and BB aerosols.

DOI:
10.1007/978-3-319-35095-0_131

ISSN:
2194-5217