MODIS Collection 6 e-Deep Blue Aerosols: Overview and Validation

Abstract:

A reprocessing of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aerosol data products has recently been performed and the new ‘Collection 6’ (C6) data products are now being distributed to users. Collection 6 represents a significant advancement of the Deep Blue aerosol products.

The Deep Blue aerosol algorithm was first introduced into the MODIS operational stream for Collection 5.1 (C51). It was originally only applied over bright, non-snow surfaces such as deserts and urban areas and complemented the existing aerosol products that provided retrievals over dark vegetation. However, since then, an enhanced Deep Blue (e-Deep Blue) algorithm has been developed. Now, e-Deep Blue covers all snow-free land surfaces, including both deserts and vegetated regions, by utilizing more dynamic surface reflectance estimation techniques to account for seasonal cycles in vegetation. Cloud screening and aerosol model selection schemes have also been updated. Since the MODIS instrument on Terra continues to degrade, we’ve also applied the latest polarization and response-vs-scan-angle corrections to the MODIS C6 L1B data to improve the performance of the resulting e-Deep Blue aerosol products.

Here we introduce our latest e-Deep Blue algorithm and C6 data products along with validation against Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) measurements for both Aqua and Terra MODIS instruments.