Development of ATLID-MSI synergy for retrieving the vertical profiles of aerosol components

Abstract:

EarthCARE is an earth observation satellite and will be launched in 2016. Using its two sensors, ATLID (High spectral resolution lidar) and MSI (Multi-spectral imager), we are developing the synergy algorithm to retrieve the vertical profiles of extinction coefficients at 355 nm of four aerosol components (Water-soluble, black carbon, dust, and sea-salt particles), and the column mean of mode radii of water-soluble and dust particles. The ATLID data are extinction coefficient, backscatter coefficient, and depolarization ratio for total aerosols at 355 nm. The MSI data are radiances at 670 and 865 nm. The dry volume concentrations of four aerosol components at each altitude and the mode radii of water-soluble and dust particles in the column are simultaneously optimized to ATLID and MSI data by the gauss newton method. After the optimization, the vertical profiles of the extinction coefficient at 355 nm of four aerosol components are obtained. The size distributions of four aerosol components are assumed to be a lognormal distribution. The refractive indices of four aerosol components are given from previously observational studies. The humidity growth is considered for water-soluble and sea-salt particles. The volume concentration and the mode radius of the sea-salt particle are parameterized using the surface wind speed on the ocean. We assumed that the shape of the water-soluble, black carbon, and sea-salt particles are spherical, and the shape of the dust particle is spheroidal. We tested the algorithm using the ATLID and MSI data simulated using clean, dust-transported, and smoke-transported aerosols. The extinction coefficients of each component at 355 nm are retrieved well. The mode radius of water-soluble and dust particles were somehow overestimated.