MODIS Terra Near Real-Time Aerosol Optical Depth Swath Data

Satellite-derived aerosol optical properties, including optical thickness and size distribution, are provided globally over ocean and near-globally over land. The MODIS/Terra sensor produces this Level-2 product at a 3-kilometer spatial resolution for near-real-time applications. The dataset is generated by the LANCEMODIS organization using the Dark Target algorithm.

Use Cases

• Analyzing local air pollution patterns using the Optical_Depth_Land_And_Ocean and Land_Ocean_Quality_Flag columns.
• Studying aerosol-cloud interactions by correlating aerosol parameters like Aerosol_Type_Land with sensor geometry data (Sensor_Zenith, Sensor_Azimuth).
• Validating atmospheric models with the Corrected_Optical_Depth_Land and Corrected_Optical_Depth_Land_wav2p1 features.
• Mapping aerosol transport over urban landscapes using the 3km resolution Longitude, Latitude, and Scan_Start_Time fields.
• Assessing retrieval algorithm performance by examining the Fitting_Error_Land and Surface_Reflectance_Land parameters.

Strengths

• Provides aerosol data at a 3-kilometer spatial resolution, finer than the standard 10km product.
• Includes specific parameters for both land (Aerosol_Type_Land) and ocean retrievals.
• Offers near-real-time (NRT) data delivery for timely analysis.

Limitations

• The product has known artifacts over urban surfaces, limiting accuracy in city studies.
• Aerosol-cloud studies are cautioned as effects near clouds are not fully understood.
• Only AOD at 550 nm has been studied in depth; differences at other wavelengths are possible.

Provenance

Source

NASA Earthdata (MODIS/Terra sensor)

Collection Method

Retrieved from satellite sensor measurements using the Dark Target (DT) aerosol algorithm.

Freshness

Near Real-Time (NRT)

Geography

Global over ocean, near-global over land.