Orbital Observations of Dust Lofted by Daytime Convective Turbulence

Over the past several decades, orbital observations of lofted dust have revealed the importance of mineral aerosols as a climate forcing mechanism on both Earth and Mars. Increasingly detailed and diverse data sets have provided an ever-improving understanding of dust sources, transport pathways, and sinks on both planets, but the role of dust in modulating atmospheric processes is complex and not always well understood. We present a review of orbital observations of entrained dust on Earth and Mars, particularly that produced by the dust-laden structures produced by daytime convective turbulence called “dust devils”. On Earth, dust devils are thought to contribute only a small fraction of the atmospheric dust budget; accordingly, there are not yet any published accounts of their occurrence from orbit. In contrast, dust devils on Mars are thought to account for several tens of percent of the planet’s atmospheric dust budget; the literature regarding martian dust devils is quite rich. Because terrestrial dust devils may temporarily contribute significantly to local dust loading and lowered air quality, we suggest that martian dust devil studies may inform future studies of convectively-lofted dust on Earth

Dust altitude and infrared optical depth retrieved from 6 years of AIRS observations : a focus on Saharan dust using A-Train synergy (MODIS, CALIOP)

International audienceObservation from space, being global and quasi-continuous, is a first importance tool for aerosol studies. Remote sensing in the visible domain has been widely used to obtain better characterization of these particles and their effect on solar radiation. On the opposite, remote sensing of aerosols in the thermal infrared domain still remains marginal. However, knowledge of the effect of aerosols on terrestrial radiation is needed for the evaluation of their total radiative forcing. Infrared remote sensing provides a way to retrieve other aerosol characteristics, including their mean altitude. Moreover, observations are possible at night and day, over ocean and over land. In this context, six years (2003-2008) of the 2nd generation vertical sounder AIRS observations have been processed over the tropical belt (30°N-30°S). Our results of the dust optical depth at 10 µm have been compared to the 0.55 µm Aqua/MODIS optical depth product for this period. The detailed study of Atlantic regions shows a very good agreement between the two products, with a VIS/IR ratio around 0.3-0.5 during the Saharan dust season. Comparing these two AOD products should allow separating different aerosols signals, given that our retrieval algorithm is specifically designed for dust coarse mode whereas MODIS retrieves both accumulation and fine aerosol modes. Mean aerosol layer altitude has also been retrieved from AIRS data and we show global maps and time series of altitude retrieved from space. Altitude retrievals are compared to the CALIOP/Calipso Level-2 product starting June 2006. This comparison, for a region located downwind from the Sahara, again shows a good agreement demonstrating that our algorithm effectively allows retrieving reliable mean dust layer altitude. A global climatology of the dust optical depth at 10 µm and of the aerosol layer mean altitude has also been established. An interesting conclusion is the fact that if the AOD decreases from Africa to the Caribbean as a result of transport and dilution, altitude decreases less rapidly. This is in agreement with in situ measurements made during the Puerto Rico Dust Experiment (PRIDE) campaign and modelled forward trajectories

Retrieving dust aerosols properties (optical depth and altitude) from very high resolution infrared sounders : from AIRS to IASI.

International audienceObservation from space, being global and quasi-continuous, is a first importance tool for aerosol studies. Remote sensing in the visible domain has been widely used to obtain better characterization of these particles and their effect on solar radiation. On the opposite, remote sensing of aerosols in the thermal infrared domain still remains marginal. However, knowledge of the effect of aerosols on terrestrial radiation is needed for the evaluation of their total radiative forcing. Infrared remote sensing provides a way to retrieve other aerosol characteristics, including their mean altitude. Moreover, observations are possible at night and day, over ocean and over land. In this context, six years (2003-2008) of the 2nd generation vertical sounder AIRS observations have been processed over the tropical belt (30°N-30°S). Aerosol properties (10 µm infrared optical depth and mean layer altitude) are retrieved using a Look-Up Table (LUT) approach. The forward radiative transfer model 4A (Automatized Atmospheric Absorption Atlas) coupled with the DISORT algorithm accounting for atmospheric diffusion is used to feed the LUTs with simulations of the brightness temperatures of AIRS channels selected for their sensitivity to dust aerosols. LUTs degrees of freedom are : instrument viewing angle, surface pressure and surface emissivity, a parameter particularly important for dust retrieval over bright surfaces, such as deserts. AODs (resp. altitude) are sampled over the range 0.0-0.8 (resp. 0-5800 m). The retrieval algorithm follows two main steps : (i) retrieval of the atmospheric situation observed (temperature and water vapour profiles) ; (ii) retrieval of aerosol properties. Results have been compared to instruments commonly used in aerosol studies and also part of the Aqua Train : MODIS/Aqua and CALIOP/CALIPSO. The agreement obtained from these comparisons is quite satisfactory, demonstrating that our algorithm effectively allows the simultaneous retrieval of dust AOD and mean altitude. This algorithm has been designed for processing high spectral resolution infrared sounders in general. Here applied to AIRS, it will soon be extended to the processing of IASI observations, and should allow an even more accurate determination of aerosol properties

Dust altitude and infrared optical depth retrieved from 6 years of AIRS observations : a focus on Saharan dust using A-Train synergy (MODIS, CALIOP)

International audienceObservation from space, being global and quasi-continuous, is a first importance tool for aerosol studies. Remote sensing in the visible domain has been widely used to obtain better characterization of these particles and their effect on solar radiation. On the opposite, remote sensing of aerosols in the thermal infrared domain still remains marginal. However, knowledge of the effect of aerosols on terrestrial radiation is needed for the evaluation of their total radiative forcing. Infrared remote sensing provides a way to retrieve other aerosol characteristics, including their mean altitude. Moreover, observations are possible at night and day, over ocean and over land. In this context, six years (2003-2008) of the 2nd generation vertical sounder AIRS observations have been processed over the tropical belt (30°N-30°S). Our results of the dust optical depth at 10 µm have been compared to the 0.55 µm Aqua/MODIS optical depth product for this period. The detailed study of Atlantic regions shows a very good agreement between the two products, with a VIS/IR ratio around 0.3-0.5 during the Saharan dust season. Comparing these two AOD products should allow separating different aerosols signals, given that our retrieval algorithm is specifically designed for dust coarse mode whereas MODIS retrieves both accumulation and fine aerosol modes. Mean aerosol layer altitude has also been retrieved from AIRS data and we show global maps and time series of altitude retrieved from space. Altitude retrievals are compared to the CALIOP/Calipso Level-2 product starting June 2006. This comparison, for a region located downwind from the Sahara, again shows a good agreement demonstrating that our algorithm effectively allows retrieving reliable mean dust layer altitude. A global climatology of the dust optical depth at 10 µm and of the aerosol layer mean altitude has also been established. An interesting conclusion is the fact that if the AOD decreases from Africa to the Caribbean as a result of transport and dilution, altitude decreases less rapidly. This is in agreement with in situ measurements made during the Puerto Rico Dust Experiment (PRIDE) campaign and modelled forward trajectories

Retrieving dust aerosols properties (optical depth and altitude) from very high resolution infrared sounders : from AIRS to IASI.

International audienceObservation from space, being global and quasi-continuous, is a first importance tool for aerosol studies. Remote sensing in the visible domain has been widely used to obtain better characterization of these particles and their effect on solar radiation. On the opposite, remote sensing of aerosols in the thermal infrared domain still remains marginal. However, knowledge of the effect of aerosols on terrestrial radiation is needed for the evaluation of their total radiative forcing. Infrared remote sensing provides a way to retrieve other aerosol characteristics, including their mean altitude. Moreover, observations are possible at night and day, over ocean and over land. In this context, six years (2003-2008) of the 2nd generation vertical sounder AIRS observations have been processed over the tropical belt (30°N-30°S). Aerosol properties (10 µm infrared optical depth and mean layer altitude) are retrieved using a Look-Up Table (LUT) approach. The forward radiative transfer model 4A (Automatized Atmospheric Absorption Atlas) coupled with the DISORT algorithm accounting for atmospheric diffusion is used to feed the LUTs with simulations of the brightness temperatures of AIRS channels selected for their sensitivity to dust aerosols. LUTs degrees of freedom are : instrument viewing angle, surface pressure and surface emissivity, a parameter particularly important for dust retrieval over bright surfaces, such as deserts. AODs (resp. altitude) are sampled over the range 0.0-0.8 (resp. 0-5800 m). The retrieval algorithm follows two main steps : (i) retrieval of the atmospheric situation observed (temperature and water vapour profiles) ; (ii) retrieval of aerosol properties. Results have been compared to instruments commonly used in aerosol studies and also part of the Aqua Train : MODIS/Aqua and CALIOP/CALIPSO. The agreement obtained from these comparisons is quite satisfactory, demonstrating that our algorithm effectively allows the simultaneous retrieval of dust AOD and mean altitude. This algorithm has been designed for processing high spectral resolution infrared sounders in general. Here applied to AIRS, it will soon be extended to the processing of IASI observations, and should allow an even more accurate determination of aerosol properties

Dust aerosol optical depth and altitude retrieved from hyperspectral infrared observations (AIRS, IASI) and comparison with other aerosol datasets (MODIS, CALIOP, PARASOL)

International audienceRemote sensing of aerosol properties in the visible domain has been widely used for a better characterization of these particles and of their effect on solar radiation. On the opposite, remote sensing of aerosols in the thermal infrared domain still remains marginal. However, knowledge of the effect of aerosols on terrestrial radiation is needed for the evaluation of their total radiative forcing. A key point of infrared remote sensing is its ability to retrieve aerosol optical depth as well as mean dust layer altitude, a variable required for measuring their impact on climate. Moreover, observations are possible night and day, over ocean and over land. Our algorithm is specifically designed to retrieve simultaneously coarse mode dust aerosol 10 µm optical depth (AOD) and mean layer altitude from high spectral resolution infrared sounders observations. In this context, results obtained from 6 years (2003-2008) of AIRS observations have been compared to other aerosol sensors on the A-Train. First, our AIRS-retrieved 10 µm dust optical depth shows a very good agreement with the 0.55 µm Aqua/MODIS optical depth product, particularly for tropical Atlantic regions downwind of the Sahara during the dust season, even far from the sources. Comparisons with PARASOL non-spherical coarse mode product confirm the agreement found between AIRS and other AOD products from A-Train instruments. Second, time series of the mean aerosol layer altitude are compared to the CALIOP Level-2 products starting June 2006. For regions located downwind of the Sahara, the comparison again shows a good agreement with a mean standard deviation between the two products of about 400 m over the period processed, demonstrating that our algorithm effectively allows retrieving accurate mean dust layer altitude. A 6-year global climatology of the aerosol 10 µm dust optical depth and of the layer mean altitude has also been established, emphasizing the natural cycles of Saharan dust. This algorithm has been designed for processing high spectral resolution infrared sounders in general and is now applied to IASI observations. Thanks to IASI higher spectral resolution, the selection of finer channels for aerosol detection allows an even more accurate determination of aerosol properties. Results obtained from the first year of IASI observations will be presented and compared to other aerosol products and measurements

Saharan dust infrared optical depth and altitude retrieved from AIRS: a focus over North Atlantic - comparison to MODIS and CALIPSO

International audienceMonthly mean infrared (10 μm) dust layer aerosol optical depth (AOD) and mean altitude are simultaneously retrieved over the tropics (30° S-30° N) from almost seven years of Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) observations covering the period January 2003 to September 2009. The method developed relies on the construction of look-up-tables computed for a large selection of atmospheric situations and follows two main steps: first, determination of the observed atmospheric thermodynamic situation and, second, determination of the dust properties. A very good agreement is found between AIRS-retrieved AODs and visible optical depths from the Moderate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS/Aqua) during the main (summer) dust season, in particular for three regions of the tropical North Atlantic and one region of the north-western Indian Ocean. Outside this season, differences are mostly due to the sensitivity of MODIS to aerosol species other than dust and to the more specific sensitivity of AIRS to the dust coarse mode. AIRS-retrieved dust layer mean altitudes are compared to the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP/CALIPSO) aerosol mean layer altitude for the period June 2006 to June 2009. Results for a region of the north tropical Atlantic downwind of the Sahara show a good agreement between the two products (σ≍360 m). Differences observed in the peak-to-trough seasonal amplitude, smaller from AIRS, are principally attributed to the large difference in spatial sampling of the two instruments. They also come from the intrinsic limit in sensitivity of the passive infrared sounders for low altitudes. These results demonstrate the capability of high resolution infrared sounders to measure not only dust aerosol AOD but also the mean dust layer altitude

Dust aerosol optical depth and altitude retrieved from hyperspectral infrared observations (AIRS, IASI) and comparison with other aerosol datasets (MODIS, CALIOP, PARASOL)

International audienceRemote sensing of aerosol properties in the visible domain has been widely used for a better characterization of these particles and of their effect on solar radiation. On the opposite, remote sensing of aerosols in the thermal infrared domain still remains marginal. However, knowledge of the effect of aerosols on terrestrial radiation is needed for the evaluation of their total radiative forcing. A key point of infrared remote sensing is its ability to retrieve aerosol optical depth as well as mean dust layer altitude, a variable required for measuring their impact on climate. Moreover, observations are possible night and day, over ocean and over land. Our algorithm is specifically designed to retrieve simultaneously coarse mode dust aerosol 10 µm optical depth (AOD) and mean layer altitude from high spectral resolution infrared sounders observations. In this context, results obtained from 6 years (2003-2008) of AIRS observations have been compared to other aerosol sensors on the A-Train. First, our AIRS-retrieved 10 µm dust optical depth shows a very good agreement with the 0.55 µm Aqua/MODIS optical depth product, particularly for tropical Atlantic regions downwind of the Sahara during the dust season, even far from the sources. Comparisons with PARASOL non-spherical coarse mode product confirm the agreement found between AIRS and other AOD products from A-Train instruments. Second, time series of the mean aerosol layer altitude are compared to the CALIOP Level-2 products starting June 2006. For regions located downwind of the Sahara, the comparison again shows a good agreement with a mean standard deviation between the two products of about 400 m over the period processed, demonstrating that our algorithm effectively allows retrieving accurate mean dust layer altitude. A 6-year global climatology of the aerosol 10 µm dust optical depth and of the layer mean altitude has also been established, emphasizing the natural cycles of Saharan dust. This algorithm has been designed for processing high spectral resolution infrared sounders in general and is now applied to IASI observations. Thanks to IASI higher spectral resolution, the selection of finer channels for aerosol detection allows an even more accurate determination of aerosol properties. Results obtained from the first year of IASI observations will be presented and compared to other aerosol products and measurements

Dust altitude and infrared optical depth retrieved from 6 years of AIRS observations : a focus on Saharan dust using A-Train synergy (MODIS, CALIOP)

International audienceObservation from space, being global and quasi-continuous, is a first importance tool for aerosol studies. Remote sensing in the visible domain has been widely used to obtain better characterization of these particles and their effect on solar radiation. On the opposite, remote sensing of aerosols in the thermal infrared domain still remains marginal. However, knowledge of the effect of aerosols on terrestrial radiation is needed for the evaluation of their total radiative forcing. Infrared remote sensing provides a way to retrieve other aerosol characteristics, including their mean altitude. Moreover, observations are possible at night and day, over ocean and over land. In this context, six years (2003-2008) of the 2nd generation vertical sounder AIRS observations have been processed over the tropical belt (30°N-30°S). Our results of the dust optical depth at 10 µm have been compared to the 0.55 µm Aqua/MODIS optical depth product for this period. The detailed study of Atlantic regions shows a very good agreement between the two products, with a VIS/IR ratio around 0.3-0.5 during the Saharan dust season. Comparing these two AOD products should allow separating different aerosols signals, given that our retrieval algorithm is specifically designed for dust coarse mode whereas MODIS retrieves both accumulation and fine aerosol modes. Mean aerosol layer altitude has also been retrieved from AIRS data and we show global maps and time series of altitude retrieved from space. Altitude retrievals are compared to the CALIOP/Calipso Level-2 product starting June 2006. This comparison, for a region located downwind from the Sahara, again shows a good agreement demonstrating that our algorithm effectively allows retrieving reliable mean dust layer altitude. A global climatology of the dust optical depth at 10 µm and of the aerosol layer mean altitude has also been established. An interesting conclusion is the fact that if the AOD decreases from Africa to the Caribbean as a result of transport and dilution, altitude decreases less rapidly. This is in agreement with in situ measurements made during the Puerto Rico Dust Experiment (PRIDE) campaign and modelled forward trajectories

Dust aerosol optical depth and altitude retrieved from hyperspectral infrared observations (AIRS, IASI) and comparison with other aerosol datasets (MODIS, CALIOP, PARASOL)

International audienceRemote sensing of aerosol properties in the visible domain has been widely used for a better characterization of these particles and of their effect on solar radiation. On the opposite, remote sensing of aerosols in the thermal infrared domain still remains marginal. However, knowledge of the effect of aerosols on terrestrial radiation is needed for the evaluation of their total radiative forcing. A key point of infrared remote sensing is its ability to retrieve aerosol optical depth as well as mean dust layer altitude, a variable required for measuring their impact on climate. Moreover, observations are possible night and day, over ocean and over land. Our algorithm is specifically designed to retrieve simultaneously coarse mode dust aerosol 10 µm optical depth (AOD) and mean layer altitude from high spectral resolution infrared sounders observations. In this context, results obtained from 6 years (2003-2008) of AIRS observations have been compared to other aerosol sensors on the A-Train. First, our AIRS-retrieved 10 µm dust optical depth shows a very good agreement with the 0.55 µm Aqua/MODIS optical depth product, particularly for tropical Atlantic regions downwind of the Sahara during the dust season, even far from the sources. Comparisons with PARASOL non-spherical coarse mode product confirm the agreement found between AIRS and other AOD products from A-Train instruments. Second, time series of the mean aerosol layer altitude are compared to the CALIOP Level-2 products starting June 2006. For regions located downwind of the Sahara, the comparison again shows a good agreement with a mean standard deviation between the two products of about 400 m over the period processed, demonstrating that our algorithm effectively allows retrieving accurate mean dust layer altitude. A 6-year global climatology of the aerosol 10 µm dust optical depth and of the layer mean altitude has also been established, emphasizing the natural cycles of Saharan dust. This algorithm has been designed for processing high spectral resolution infrared sounders in general and is now applied to IASI observations. Thanks to IASI higher spectral resolution, the selection of finer channels for aerosol detection allows an even more accurate determination of aerosol properties. Results obtained from the first year of IASI observations will be presented and compared to other aerosol products and measurements