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J Tackett

Publications and source records attributed to J Tackett.

TPSAS-NF1676L-20108-DND

This presentation describes several enhancements planned for the version 4 aerosol subtyping and lidar ratio selection algorithms of the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) instrument. The CALIOP subtyping algorithm determines the most likely aerosol type from CALIOP measurements (attenuated backscatter, estimated particulate depolarization ratios de, layer altitude), and surface type. The aerosol type, so determined, is associated with a lidar ratio (LR) from a discrete set of values. In the version 3 algorithms, there are 6 pairs of 532 and 1064 nm lidar ratios. Some of these lidar ratios will be updated in the version 4 algorithms. In particular, the dust and polluted dust will be adjusted to reflect the latest measurements and model studies of these types. The algorithms are being updated to eliminate the occasional confusion between smoke and clean marine aerosols seen in version 3 by modifications to the elevated layer flag definitions that are used to determine the presence of smoke aerosols over the ocean. In the subtyping algorithms pure dust is determined by high estimated particulate depolarization ratios [de > 0.20]. Mixtures of dust and other aerosol types are determined by intermediate values of the estimated depolarization ratio [0.075< de <0.2]. The version 3 algorithms are limited to mixtures of dust and smoke, the so-called polluted dust aerosol type. To differentiate between mixtures of dust and smoke, and dust and marine aerosols, a new aerosol type will be added in the version 4 data products. In the revised classification algorithms, polluted dust will still defined as dust + smoke/pollution but in the marine boundary layer instances of moderate depolarization will be typed as dusty marine aerosols with a lower lidar ratio [LR = 35 sr] than polluted dust [currently LR = 55 sr]. The dusty marine type introduced in version 4 is modeled as a mixture of dust + marine aerosol. In the v3 algorithms the frequency of dust and polluted dust aerosols at daytime is higher than at nighttime. We present possible reasons for this and present the v4 distributions resulting from both improved background slope corrections of the daytime depolarization ratios and changes to the daytime thresholds for the polluted dust and dusty marine types of version 4. To gauge the impact of the enhancements, we contrast the following between versions 3 and 4: aerosol type, parameter distributions of each type, layer heights of maximum frequency, and distributions of smoke in biomass burning regions. To illustrate specific impacts the presentation shows case studies of version 3 and version 4 vertical feature masks of the aerosol subtypes, where appropriate, for the above enhancements.

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Sea Salt and Dust Optical Depths in the Caribbean and Equatorial Western Atlantic: A Multi-technique Analysis

Many instruments and algorithms can estimate aerosol optical depth (AOD) of the atmosphere. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) onboard the Aqua spacecraft provides estimates at several wavelengths. The Synergized Optical Depth of Aerosols (SODA) algorithm utilizes the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) onboard the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) spacecraft and the Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR) onboard the CloudSat spacecraft’s ocean returns to estimate AOD. CALIOP routinely estimates AOD for all individual layers detected within a column and these can be summed to generate a total column approximation. With the release of the Version 4.51 Lidar Level 2 data products in October 2023, direct estimates of total column optical depth are now derived using the Ocean Derived Column Optical Depths (ODCOD) algorithm. In this poster we investigate the multispectral AOD estimates, and derived Angstrom exponents of marine sea salt and dust provided by MODIS, SODA, CALIOP, and ODCOD in a major dust transport and deposition region of the equatorial Atlantic Ocean.

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