Satellite-based study of physico-optical properties of aerosols over a westernmost location of Brahmaputra valley
Journal Title: Satellite Oceanography and Meteorology - Year 2018, Vol 3, Issue 2
Abstract
This study examines the long term trend of the radiatively active atmospheric aerosols which can influence the Earth’s energy budget directly by scattering and absorbing radiation and indirectly by acting as cloud condensation nuclei. MODIS sensor on board the NASA Earth Observing System Terra and Aqua satellite based Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) data are used for long term analysis of aerosols over Bongaigaon, Assam for the period August, 2002 to March, 2017. Highest AOD values are observed in pre-monsoon (March-May) season due to long range transportation as well as intense biomass burning activities especially as a part of Jhum cultivation. In general, AOD values are low in post-monsoon (October-November) season which may be due to wash out of aerosols by rain in the preceding months without enough replacement. The monthly AOD values vary from its highest value 0.949 in April, 2016 to its lowest value 0.107 in November, 2002 for the study period. From the comparison of MODIS Terra and Aqua AOD at 550 nm, it is clearly seen that generally Terra AOD at 10:30 hr is higher than the Aqua AOD at 13:30hr. A slowly increasing trend of both Aqua and Terra AOD at 550 nm is observed over the study location. The observed Ångström exponent value varies from its minimum value in monsoon season to its maximum value in winter season. With increasing AOD values, horizontal visibility decreases over Bongaigaon.
Authors and Affiliations
Jhuma Biswas
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP678918
- DOI -
- Views 227
- Downloads 0
Annual sea level variations off Atlantic Canada from satellite altimetry
Annual cycle of sea level off Atlantic Canada has been investigated based on a merged satellite altimetry dataset and a monthly temperature and salinity dataset. The altimetric results were compared with coastal tide-gau...
The sea-ice detection capability of synthetic aperture radar
Climate change, increasing activities in areas like offshore oil and gas exploration, marine transport, eco-tourism, in additional to the usual activities of northerners resident are leading to reductions in sea ice. The...
Coupled data assimilation in climate research: A brief review of applications in ocean and land
Regions of the cryosphere, including the poles, that are currently unmonitored are expanding, therefore increasing the importance of satellite observations for such regions. With the increasing availability of satellite...
An attitude determination method based on convected Euler angle error model for SINS/CNS integrated system
The attitude determination method plays an important role in SINS/CNS integrated system for spacecraft. Since the misalignment angels are indirect measurements, the misalignment angle model used in the existing attitude...
Sea level pressure response to the specification of eddy-resolving sea surface temperature in simulations of Australian east coast lows
Four east coast lows (ECLs) were simulated with the Weather Research and Forecast model to investigate the influence of the sea surface temperature (SST) distribution on the sea level pressure (SLP). Each ECL was simulat...