NOAA-21 satellite observations provide Aerosol Optical Thickness (AOT) measurements over land and ocean every 6 minutes globally. The Level-2 Dark Target product aggregates 64 native 750-meter pixels into a 6 km x 6 km at-nadir resolution. This version 2.1 dataset is produced by the LAADS organization using the established Dark Target algorithm.
Use Cases
- Model global aerosol transport by analyzing Aerosol Optical Thickness (AOT) values over ocean and land surfaces.
- Compare aerosol size parameters over oceans from spectral AOT data against in-situ measurements.
- Track temporal changes in atmospheric particulates using the 6-minute acquisition intervals of the swath data.
- Validate climate models by correlating satellite-derived AOT with model-predicted aerosol concentrations.
- Assess regional air quality trends by mapping AOT retrievals over vegetated and dark-soiled land areas.
Strengths
- Global coverage with measurements over both land and ocean.
- At-nadir spatial resolution of 6 km x 6 km, derived from 64 native sensor pixels.
- Based on the established Dark Target algorithm used for MODIS instruments on Terra and Aqua.
Limitations
- Spatial resolution decreases progressively away from nadir due to sensor scanning geometry.
- Specific row count, file size, and temporal coverage range are not provided.
- Separate retrieval algorithms for land and ocean may introduce consistency challenges at boundaries.
Provenance
- Source
- LAADS (Level-1 and Atmosphere Archive & Distribution System), NASA.
- Collection Method
- Satellite remote sensing data from the NOAA-21 Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), processed with the Dark Target aerosol retrieval algorithm.
- Time Range
- null
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- Global.