Size-resolved particulate matter concentrations derived from 4.4 km-resolution size-fractionated Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) aerosol optical depth over Southern California

摘要

There is significant public health interest in gaining a better understanding of the health effects associated with particulate matter (PM) of differing sizes and compositions. Unfortunately the PM monitoring data needed for such studies are limited. Satellite observations of aerosol optical depth (AOD) have been used to overcome this limitation, but existing techniques using AOD to estimate surface concentrations of PMhave limited ability to differentiate particle size and type, and the spatial resolution is often too coarse to evaluate PM variability on local scales. Fortunately there has been a significant breakthrough in aerosol product from the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument onboard the NASA Terra satellite. Recent computational advances have made it possible to derive a "local mode" MISR aerosol product at a spatial resolution of 4.4 km that maintains the quality of the 17.6 km resolution Version 22 operational aerosol product. MISR is uniquely capable of providing total AOD as well as AOD fractionated by size (small, medium, and large), enabling estimation of size-resolved surface PM concentrations.