MODIS Aqua Near-Real-Time Aerosol Swath Data at 10km Resolution

MODIS/Aqua Near Real Time (NRT) Aerosol 5-Min L2 Swath 10km provides global aerosol properties from NASA's Aqua satellite. Each file covers a five-minute interval with a spatial grid of 135 by 203 pixels at 10 km resolution. The dataset is produced by the MODIS science team using Dark Target and Deep Blue retrieval algorithms.

Use Cases

• Modeling regional air pollution by analyzing the Optical_Depth_Land_And_Ocean and Aerosol_Type_Land fields.
• Studying aerosol-cloud interactions using the Aerosol_Cldmask_Land_Ocean and Cloud_Pixel_Distance_Land_Ocean parameters.
• Assessing retrieval algorithm performance by comparing Deep_Blue_Aerosol_Optical_Depth_550_Land_Best_Estimate with its Estimated_Uncertainty field.
• Analyzing diurnal aerosol patterns by joining data using the Scan_Start_Time and geographic coordinates (Longitude, Latitude).
• Creating merged aerosol products using the AOD_550_Dark_Target_Deep_Blue_Combined Science Data Set (SDS).

Strengths

• Global coverage from the MODIS instrument on the Aqua satellite.
• Near-real-time data delivery for monitoring current atmospheric conditions.
• Combines retrievals from two algorithms (Dark Target and Deep Blue) for broader surface type coverage.
• Provides pixel-level parameters including solar and sensor viewing geometry (Solar_Zenith, Sensor_Azimuth).

Limitations

• Spatial resolution is 10 km at nadir, which may be too coarse for local-scale air quality studies.
• Algorithm changes between Collection 5 and 6 caused significant changes in regional statistics, complicating time-series analysis.
• Data is stored in HDF-EOS format, requiring specialized libraries for access and processing.

Provenance

Source

NASA MODIS science team, processed and distributed via NASA's Level-1 and Atmosphere Archive & Distribution System (LAADS).

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing data from the MODIS instrument on the Aqua platform, processed with Dark Target and Deep Blue algorithms.

Time Range

Coverage from the Aqua satellite launch (2002) onward; specific range for NRT product is null.

Freshness

Near-real-time (NRT) product.

Geography

Full global coverage.