United States Naval Research Laboratory
Bio-Optical/Physical Processes and Remote Sensing Section
Application of a Global Aerosol Forecast Model for Multi-Spectral Ocean Color Atmospheric Corrections
Objective:
The presence of tropospheric aerosols obscures the ocean and reduces the ability of satellites to retrieve ocean color products from water-leaving radiances. NASA standard atmospheric
corrections are based on the Gordon and Wang method and use 80 aerosol models with varying relative humidities and size fractions to account for the presence of aerosols; however, if the wrong aerosol model is selected, negative water-le
aving radiances are often returned. Our goal is to reduce the number of negative water-leaving radiances by improving the model selection process through the incorporation of external data derived from the Navy Aerosol Analysis and Predi
ction System (NAAPS). NAAPS is a global aerosol forecast model capable of providing the location, composition and optical properties, including optical depth, of dust, smoke and sulfates in the atmosphere. We will investigate applicatio
n of NAAPS-derived composition and aerosol optical depths to select the appropriate aerosol model for retrievals using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data. Spectral aerosol optical depths and water-leaving radianc
es from both the standard and NAAPS-based aerosol correction methods will then be compared to in-situ NASA AERONET data.
