Summary of First Year Activities of the United Arab Emirates Unified Aerosol Experiment: UAE(2)

摘要

In August and September of 2004, scientists from two dozen international research organizations converged in the Arabian Gulf region to participate in the United Arab Emirates Unified Aerosol Experiment (UAE). The four primary goals of the mission were to (a) provide the first ground truth of a variety of environmental satellite and model products in this extremely complicated region of the world, (b) perform the first assessment of the nature of aerosol particles in the Arabian Gulf, (c) determine the role of aerosol particles on the radiative balance of desert regions, and (d) understand how perturbations in the earth's radiative balance can influence atmospheric flow patterns from local to regional scales. This progress report is compiled for mission sponsors and other interested parties. Given, is an overview of the program and individual reports from key investigators. Specific areas of intense interest include understanding the atmospheric flow patterns of Southwest Asia using a suite of mesoscale and global models. The calibration/validation of satellite sensors such as the Multi-angle Imaging Spectro-radiometer (MISR), the MODerate resolution Imaging Spectro-radiometer (MODIS), the Advanced Along Tract Scanning Radiometer (AATSR), and the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) was also very successful. Lastly, this mission has provided the very first complete study of the chemical, physical, and optical properties of pollution and dust particles in the Arabian Gulf.