Publications

Zhou, M; Wang, J; Chen, X; Wang, Y; Colarco, PR; Levy, RC; Miller, SD (2024). First lunar-light mapping of nighttime dust season oceanic aerosol optical depth over North Atlantic from space. REMOTE SENSING OF ENVIRONMENT, 312, 114315.

Abstract
This paper presents the Nighttime Ocean Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) Retrieval Algorithm (NOARA), an innovative method for deriving the oceanic AOD from the reflected moonlight observation of Day-Night Band (DNB) aboard the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) over ocean surfaces. Building upon the recent development of nighttime AOD retrievals for rural/wild areas over land, the NOARA introduces several advancements tailored for oceanic application: (a) the new dust and sea salt optical property models based on the AERONET observation; (b) the Cox-Munk bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) model that better represents the ocean surface reflectance; (c) the new internal cloud and dust masking schemes for the ocean areas. Case studies show that the nighttime AODs are in good consistency with multiple AOD measurements such as from AERONET and CALIOP. The algorithm fills the observational gap for a comprehensive understanding of the diurnal cycle of the dust transport over the ocean and has the potential to provide vital information to better constrain the chemical transport model.

DOI:
10.1016/j.rse.2024.114315

ISSN:
1879-0704