Spatiotemporal variability and contribution of different aerosol types to the Aerosol Optical Depth over the Eastern Mediterranean.

ABSTRACT: This study characterizes the spatiotemporal variability and relative contribution of different types of aerosols to the Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) over the Eastern Mediterranean as derived from MODIS Terra (3/2000-12/2012) and Aqua (7/2002-12/2012) satellite instruments. For this purpose, a 0.1° × 0.1° gridded MODIS dataset was compiled and validated against sunphotometric observations from the AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET). The high spatial resolution and long temporal coverage of the dataset allows for the determination of local hot spots like megacities, medium sized cities, industrial zones, and power plant complexes, seasonal variabilities, and decadal averages. The average AOD at 550 nm (AOD₅₅₀) for the entire region is ~ 0.22 ± 0.19 with maximum values in summer and

SUBMITTER: Georgoulias AK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5946319 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature