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NASA NTRS1987

Comet rendezvous - The next step

Features of a proposed NASA-West Germany Comet Rendezvous Asteroid Flyby mission (CRAF) are summarized. The spacecraft would carry an imaging system, visual and IR mapping spectrometers, an IR radiometer, an instrumented lander probe, ion mass, neutral-gas, secondary-ion mass, superthermal-ion and retarding potential ion mass spectrometers, etc. The spacecraft would fly alongside the nucleus, hover near it, and circle it. The earliest potential encounter would be with Comet Tempel 2 in October 1996, followed by a flyby of the asteroid 46 Hestia. The science goals of the mission are explored, mainly with reference to unanswered questions remaining after the Halley missions.

Neugebauer, Marcia↗

NASA NTRS1987

Update of NASA's ocean colour activities

The NIMBUS-7 Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS) status and processing are reviewed, and future American ocean color instruments are introduced. The CZCS is probably dead, but an attempt to restart it is planned. A wide field instrument for LANDSAT-6 and 7 (WIFS) and a wiskbroom imaging spectrometer (MODIS-T) for Columbus Polar Platforms are outlined. The WIFS and MODIS-T specifications are similar: 64 bands in the range 400 to 1030 nm, with 15 to 30 nm bandwidth; 1 km resolution from 850 km altitude; 64 km footprint along track; 1500 km scan across track; and 10 yr continuous operation life.

Yoder, J. A.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Infrared photometric behavior and opposition effect of Mars

Although the instrument wasn't designed for this purpose, data from the imaging spectrometer ISM may be used for studying photometric variations of Mars reflectance, that are related to the surface materials and aerosols physical properties. ISM flew aboard the Phobos-2 spacecraft which orbited Mars from January to March, 1989. About 40,000 spectra were acquired in 128 channels ranging from 0.76 to 3.16 micro-m, with a spatial resolution of 25 km and a signal-to-noise ratio ranging up to 1000. Analysis of the results leads to the following conclusions: width variations of the opposition surge can be related to differences in porosity or grain size distribution on the various domains, with little or no effect from suspended dust. As the biggest effects are observed on dark and bright materials, intermediate behaviors on average-bright regions cannot result from a mixing process, but are more likely to come from either cementation processes or modification of the grain size distribution under the influence of wind, which under Martian conditions preferentially removes the biggest particles. Thus, a surface dust consisting in big bright and small dark grains could explain the observations.

Erard, S.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Imaging IR spectrometer, phase 2

The development is examined of a prototype multi-channel infrared imaging spectrometer. The design, construction and preliminary performance is described. This instrument is intended for use with JPL Table Mountain telescope as well as the 88 inch UH telescope on Mauna Kea. The instrument is capable of sampling simultaneously the spectral region of 0.9 to 2.6 um at an average spectral resolution of 1 percent using a cooled (77 K) optical bench, a concave holographic grating and a special order sorting filter to allow the acquisition of the full spectral range on a 128 x 128 HgCdTe infrared detector array. The field of view of the spectrometer is 0.5 arcsec/pixel in mapping mode and designed to be 5 arcsec/pixel in spot mode. The innovative optical design has resulted in a small, transportable spectrometer, capable of remote operation. Commercial applications of this spectrometer design include remote sensing from both space and aircraft platforms as well as groundbased astronomical observations.

Gradie, Jonathan↗

NASA NTRS1994

Factors affecting the identification of phytoplankton groups by means of remote sensing

A literature review was conducted on the state of the art as to whether or not information about communities and populations of phytoplankton in aquatic environments can be derived by remote sensing. In order to arrive at this goal, the spectral characteristics of various types of phytoplankton were compared to determine first, whether there are characteristic differences in pigmentation among the types and second, whether such differences can be detected remotely. In addition to the literature review, an extensive, but not exhaustive, annotated bibliography of the literature that bears on these questions is included as an appendix, since it constitutes a convenient resource for anyone wishing an overview of the field of ocean color. The review found some progress has already been made in remote sensing of assemblages such as coccolithophorid blooms, mats of cyanobacteria, and red tides. Much more information about the composition of algal groups is potentially available by remote sensing particularly in water bodies having higher phytoplankton concentrations, but it will be necessary to develop the remote sensing techniques required for working in so-called Case 2 waters. It is also clear that none of the satellite sensors presently available or soon to be launched is ideal from the point of view of what we might wish to know; it would seem wise to pursue instruments with the planned characteristics of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer-Tilt (MODIS-T) or Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS).

Weaver, Ellen C.↗

NASA NTRS2005

Lunar and Planetary Science XXXVI, Part 20

The topics include: 1) Virtual Reality Technology as a Tool to Enhance Collaboration Between Space Exploration and Public Outreach: The Case Using the Mars Exploration Rover Images; 2) Atmospheric Electron-induced X-Ray Spectrometer (AEXS) Instrument Development; 3) Impact of Low Thermal Conductivity Layers on the Bulk Conductivity of a Martian Crustal Column; 4) Impacting Classroom Teachers Through Long-Term Professional Development; 5) Oxygen, Ca, and Ti Isotopic Compositions of Hibonite-bearing Inclusions; 6) Phenomenological Excitation Functions of Xe Isotopes with Protons on Nuclei of Cs, La and Ce; 7) Double-Diffusive Convection and Other Modes of Salinity-modulated Heat and Material Transport in Europa s Ocean; 8) Slope Morphologies of the Hellas Mensae Constructs, Eastern Hellas Planitia, Mars; 9) Development of Polygonal Thermal Contraction Patterns in a South Polar Trough, Mars 3 Years of Observations; 10) Martian Relevance of Dehydration and Rehydration in the Mg-Sulfate System; 11) Formation of Martian Volcanic Provinces by Lower Mantle Flushing? 12) Can Glasses Help Us to Unravel the Origin of Barred Olivine Chondrules? 13) Loki Patera: A Magma Sea Story; 14) Compositions of Partly Altered Olivine and Replacement Serpentine in the CM2 Chondrite QUE93005; 15) Model of Light Scattering by Lunar Regolith at Moderate Phase Angles: New Results; 16) Radiation Resistance of a Silicone Polymer Grease Based Regolith Collector for the HERA Near-Earth Asteroid Sample Return Mission; 17) Analysis of the Tectonic Lineaments in the Ganiki Planitia (V14) Quadrangle, Venus; 18) Nanometer-sized Diamonds from AGB Stars; 19) Quantifying Exact Motions Along Lineaments on Europa; 20) Geometry of Thrust Faults Beneath Amenthes Rupes, Mars; 21) Mapping of the Physical Characteristics and Mineral Composition of a Superficial Layer of the Moon or Mars and Ultra-Violet Polarimetry from the Orbital Station; 22) Negative Searches for Evidence of Aqueous Alteration on Asteroid Surfaces; 23) What Processes Have Shaped Basalt Boulders on Earth and Mars? Studies of Feature Persistence Using Facet Mapping and Fractal Analysis; 24) The Popigai Fluidizites: Dense Water Inclusions in Lechatelierite; Evidence for Shock-generated Carbonate and Hydrous Silicate Melts; 25) Missing Xenon Problem and Climate of the Early Earth; and 26) More on Magnetic Spectra from Correlated Crustal Sources on Mars

Source record↗

NASA NTRS1993

Imaging Spectrometry-Concepts and System Tradeoffs

The concept of imaging spectrometry is finding broad application in scientific instrumentation for earth-based, airborne, and space applications. An imaging spectrometer is characterized by the combination of imaging with complete sampling in the spectral domain. In so doing, material identification can be accomplished and displayed in conjunction with the conventional recognizable image. An image spectrometer incorporates a wide variety of techniques, including focal plane arrays, imaging and spectrometer optics, and spectral dispersing devices. The design of a successful system involves a complex set of tradeoffs incorporating the properties and limitations of the various technologies. For applications in the infrared, additional technologies such as focal plane cooling are required, and the other technologies present more limitations and constraints.

Herring, M.↗

NASA NTRS2012

The Evolution and Fate of Saturn's Stratospheric Vortex: Infrared Spectroscopy from Cassini

The planet-encircling springtime storm in Saturn's troposphere (December 2010-July 2011) produced dramatic perturbations to stratospheric temperatures, winds and composition at mbar pressures that persisted long after the tropospheric disturbance had abated. Observations from the Cassini Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS), supported by ground-based imaging from the VISIR instrument on the Very Large Telescope,is used to track the evolution of a large, hot stratospheric anticyclone between January 2011 and the present day. The evolutionary sequence can be divided into three phases: (I) the formation and intensification of two distinct warm airmasses near 0.5 mbar between 25 and 35N (one residing directly above the convective storm head) between January-April 2011, moving westward with different zonal velocities; (II) the merging of the warm airmasses to form the large single 'stratospheric beacon' near 40N between April and June 2011, dissociated from the storm head and at a higher pressure (2 mbar) than the original beacons; and (III) the mature phase characterized by slow cooling and longitudinal shrinkage of the anticyclone since July 2011, moving west with a near-constant velocity of 2.70+/-0.04 deg/day (-24.5+/-0.4 m/s at 40N). Peak temperatures of 220 K at 2 mbar were measured on May 5th 2011 immediately after the merger, some 80 K warmer than the quiescent surroundings. Thermal winds hear calculations in August 2011 suggest clockwise peripheral velocities of 200400 mls at 2 mbar, defining a peripheral collar with a width of 65 degrees longitude (50,000 km in diameter) and 25 degrees latitude. Stratospheric acetylene (C2H2) was uniformly enhanced by a factor of three within the vortex, whereas ethane (C2H6) remained unaffected. We will discuss the thermal and chemical characteristics of Saturn's beacon in its mature phase, and implications for stratospheric vortices on other giant planets.

Fletcher, Leigh N.↗

NASA NTRS2013

Designing the X-Ray Microcalorimeter Spectrometer for Optimal Science Return

Recent advances in X-ray microcalorimeters enable a wide range of possible focal plane designs for the X-ray Microcalorimeter Spectrometer (XMS) instrument on the future Advanced X-ray Spectroscopic Imaging Observatory (AXSIO) or X-ray Astrophysics Probe (XAP). Small pixel designs (75 microns) oversample a 5-10" PSF by a factor of 3-6 for a 10 m focal length, enabling observations at both high count rates and high energy resolution. Pixel designs utilizing multiple absorbers attached to single transition-edge sensors can extend the focal plane to cover a significantly larger field of view, albeit at a cost in maximum count rate and energy resolution. Optimizing the science return for a given cost and/or complexity is therefore a non-trivial calculation that includes consideration of issues such as the mission science drivers, likely targets, mirror size, and observing efficiency. We present a range of possible designs taking these factors into account and their impacts on the science return of future large effective-area X-ray spectroscopic missions.

X-rays↗

NASA NTRS2022

Satellites quantify the spatial extent of cyanobacterial blooms across the United States at multiple scales

Previous studies indicate that cyanobacterial harmful algal bloom (cyanoHAB) frequency, extent, and magnitude have increased globally over the past few decades. However, little quantitative capability is available to assess these metrics of cyanoHABs across broad geographic scales and at regular intervals. Here, the spatial extent was quantified from a cyanobacteria algorithm applied to two European Space Agency satellite platforms—the MEdium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) onboard Envisat and the Ocean and Land Colour Instrument (OLCI) onboard Sentinel-3. CyanoHAB spatial extent was defined for each geographic area as the percentage of valid satellite pixels that exhibited cyanobacteria above the detection limit of the satellite sensor. This study quantified cyanoHAB spatial extent for over 2,000 large lakes and reservoirs across the contiguous United States (CONUS) during two time periods: 2008–2011 via MERIS and 2017–2020 via OLCI when cloud-, ice-, and snowfree imagery was available. Approximately 56% of resolvable lakes were glaciated, 13% were headwater, isolated, or terminal lakes, and the rest were primarily drainage lakes. Results were summarized at national-, regional-, state-, and lake-scales, where regions were defined as nine climate regions which represent climatically consistent states. As measured by satellite, changes in national cyanoHAB extent did have a strong increase of 6.9% from 2017 to 2020 (|Kendall’s tau (τ)| = 0.56; gamma (γ) = 2.87 years), but had negligible change (|τ| = 0.03) from 2008 to 2011. Two of the nine regions had moderate (0.3 ≤ |τ| < 0.5) increases in spatial extent from 2017 to 2020, and eight of nine regions had negligible (|τ| < 0.2) change from 2008 to 2011. Twelve states had a strong or moderate increase from 2017 to 2020 (|τ| ≥ 0.3), while only one state had a moderate increase and two states had a moderate decrease from 2008 to 2011. A decrease, or no change, in cyanoHAB spatial extent did not indicate a lack of issues related to cyanoHABs. Sensitivity results of randomly omitted daily CONUS scenes confirm that even with reduced data availability during a short four-year temporal assessment, the direction and strength of the changes in spatial extent remained consistent. We present the first set of national maps of lake cyanoHAB spatial extent across CONUS and demonstrate an approach for quantifying past and future changes at multiple spatial scales. Results presented here provide water quality managers information regarding current cyanoHAB spatial extent and quantify rates of change.

Harmful algal blooms↗

NASA NTRS2022

Satellites Quantify the Spatial Extent of Cyanobacterial Blooms Across the United States at Multiple Scales

Previous studies indicate that cyanobacterial harmful algal bloom (cyanoHAB) frequency, extent, and magnitude have increased globally over the past few decades. However, little quantitative capability is available to assess these metrics of cyanoHABs across broad geographic scales and at regular intervals. Here, the spatial extent was quantified from a cyanobacteria algorithm applied to two European Space Agency satellite platforms—the MEdium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) onboard Envisat and the Ocean and Land Colour Instrument (OLCI) onboard Sentinel-3. CyanoHAB spatial extent was defined for each geographic area as the percentage of valid satellite pixels that exhibited cyanobacteria above the detection limit of the satellite sensor. This study quantified cyanoHAB spatial extent for over 2,000 large lakes and reservoirs across the contiguous United States (CONUS) during two time periods: 2008–2011 via MERIS and 2017–2020 via OLCI when cloud-, ice-, and snow-free imagery was available. Approximately 56% of resolvable lakes were glaciated, 13% were headwater, isolated, or terminal lakes, and the rest were primarily drainage lakes. Results were summarized at national-, regional-, state-, and lake-scales, where regions were defined as nine climate regions which represent climatically consistent states. As measured by satellite, changes in national cyanoHAB extent did have a strong increase of 6.9% from 2017 to 2020 (|Kendall’s tau (τ)| = 0.56; gamma (γ) = 2.87 years), but had negligible change (|τ| = 0.03) from 2008 to 2011. Two of the nine regions had moderate (0.3 ≤ |τ| < 0.5) increases in spatial extent from 2017 to 2020, and eight of nine regions had negligible (|τ| < 0.2) change from 2008 to 2011. Twelve states had a strong or moderate increase from 2017 to 2020 (|τ| ≥ 0.3), while only one state had a moderate increase and two states had a moderate decrease from 2008 to 2011. A decrease, or no change, in cyanoHAB spatial extent did not indicate a lack of issues related to cyanoHABs. Sensitivity results of randomly omitted daily CONUS scenes confirm that even with reduced data availability during a short four-year temporal assessment, the direction and strength of the changes in spatial extent remained consistent. We present the first set of national maps of lake cyanoHAB spatial extent across CONUS and demonstrate an approach for quantifying past and future changes at multiple spatial scales. Results presented here provide water quality managers information regarding current cyanoHAB spatial extent and quantify rates of change.

Harmful Algal Blooms↗

NASA NTRS2023

Surface Biology and Geology Imaging Spectrometer: A Case Study to Optimize the Mission Design Using Intrinsic Dimensionality

The information content that can be derived from spectroscopic imagery tends to increase with finer ground sampling distance, finer spectral sampling, more frequent revisit, and higher signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs). However, these parameters are not independent, and it is thus impossible to design a space-borne imaging spectrometer to maximize all of them simultaneously. We present an instrument model and simulation environment that enable us to find the optimal combination of these four mission design parameters, using intrinsic dimensionality (ID) as the metric. ID is the size of the signal subspace – the maximum degrees of freedom when noise can be disregarded – and is a metric that is independent of any one particular algorithm or application area. This study is important for upcoming missions such as NASA's Earth System Observatory mission to study the Earth's Surface Biology and Geology (SBG), which will comprise a visible to shortwave infrared spectrometer in addition to a multi-channel thermal radiometer on a separate platform. When evaluating a desert site and a tropical forested site, we find that spectral resolution drives information content, with a significant drop in normalized ID (15–45% decrease) when simulating 15 nm spectral sampling as opposed to 10 nm spectral sampling. However, there was some variation between sites, with the forested site benefiting from 5 nm spectral sampling, whereas the desert site had poorer results at this resolution, due to the impact on noise. At 10 nm spectral sampling, ground sampling distances in the range 30–50 m provided the optimal balance between spatial resolution and SNR, although more frequent revisit, potentially by combining data from multiple missions, would maximize total information content.

Mission design↗

NASA NTRS2022

Plasma Composition Measurements in an Active Region from Solar Orbiter/SPICE and Hinode/EIS

A key goal of the Solar Orbiter mission is to connect elemental abundance measurements of the solar wind enveloping the spacecraft with extreme-UV (EUV) spectroscopic observations of their solar sources, but this is not an easy exercise. Observations from previous missions have revealed a highly complex picture of spatial and temporal variations of elemental abundances in the solar corona. We have used coordinated observations from Hinode and Solar Orbiter to attempt new abundance measurements with the Spectral Imaging of the Coronal Environment (SPICE) instrument, and benchmark them against standard analyses from the EUV Imaging Spectrometer (EIS). We use observations of several solar features in active region (AR) 12781 taken from an Earth-facing view by EIS on 2020 November 10, and SPICE data obtained one week later on 2020 November 17, when the AR had rotated into the Solar Orbiter field of view. We identify a range of spectral lines that are useful for determining the transition region and low-coronal-temperature structure with SPICE, and demonstrate that SPICE measurements are able to differentiate between photospheric and coronal magnesium/neon abundances. The combination of SPICE and EIS is able to establish the atmospheric composition structure of a fan loop/outflow area at the AR edge. We also discuss the problem of resolving the degree of elemental fractionation with SPICE, which is more challenging without further constraints on the temperature structure, and comment on what that can tell us about the sources of the solar wind and solar energetic particles.

Solar physics↗

NASA NTRS1993

Multiorder etalon sounder (MOES) development and test for balloon experiment

The Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI), with its high throughput and high spectral resolution has been used in the remote-sensing measurements of the earth's atmospheric composition, winds, and temperatures. The most recent satellite instruments include the Fabry-Perot interferometer flown on the Dynamics Explorer-2 (DE-2), the High Resolution Doppler Imager (HRDI), and the Cryogenic Limb Array Etalon Spectrometer (CLAES) flown on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS). These instruments measure the Doppler line profiles of the emission and absorption of certain atmospheric species (such as atomic oxygen) in the visible and infrared spectral region. The successful space flight of DE-FPI, HRDI, and CLAES on UARS demonstrated the extremely high spectral resolution and ruggedness of the etalon system for the remote sensing of earth and planetary atmospheres. Recently, an innovative FPI focal plane detection technique called the Circle-to-Line Interferometer Optical (CLIO) system was invented at the Space Physics Research Laboratory. The CLIO simplifies the FPI focal plane detection process by converting the circular rings or fringes into a linear pattern similar to that produced by a conventional spectrometer, while retaining the throughput advantage of the etalon interferometer. The combination of FPI and CLIO allows the development of more sensitive Fabry-Perot interferometers in the infrared for the remote sensing of the lower atmospheres of Earth and possibly other planets. The Multiorder Etalon Sounder (MOES), a combination of the rugged etalon and the CLIO, compares very favorably to other space-borne optical instruments in terms of performance versus complexity. The new instrument is expected to be rugged, compact, and very suitable for an operational temperature and moisture sounder. With this technique, the contamination of radiance measurements by emissions of other gases is also minimized. At the Space Physics Research Laboratory (SPRL), the MOES concept and laboratory experiments were worked on for the past several years. Both theoretical studies and laboratory prototype experiments showed that MOES is very competitive compared with other high resolution sounders in terms of complexity and performance and has great potential as a compact and rugged high resolution atmospheric temperature and trace species sounder from the polar platform or the geostationary platform. The logical next step is to convert our laboratory prototype to a balloon instrument, so that field test of MOES can be carried out to prove the feasibility and capability of this new technology. Some of the activities related to the development of MOES for a possible balloon flight demonstration are described. Those research activities include the imaging quality study on the CLIO, the design and construction of a MOES laboratory prototype, the test and calibration of the MOES prototype, and the design of the balloon flight gondola.

Hays, Paul B.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Precision pointing control for an orbital earth observing system

The design concept developed for the pointing system of the high-resolution imaging spectrometer (HIRIS) which will be flown on one of NASA's earth observing system platforms is presented. The instrument is an F/5.4-aperture spectrometer with a focal length of 1222 mm, and it uses a precision two-axis gimballed mirror pointing system to image and track targets. Pointing accuracy of better than 585 arcsec (peak-to-peak), and pointing jitter of less than 2.65 arcsec in 33 ms are ensured through the use of gimbal position and basebody rate sensors. A state-space controller implemented with a digital computer is used to provide a position loop bandwidth of 1 Hz and a rate loop bandwidth of 7 Hz. An overview of the system design and flight hardware is given, the development of the controller architecture is addressed, and a simulation assessment of the pointing system that takes into consideration issues such as nonlinear effects, sensor noise, and noncollocated sensors and actuators in a flexible structure is discussed.

Robeck, Linda S.↗

NASA NTRS1991

SIRTF focal plane technologies

The Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) will have three science instruments, the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) which will obtain multispectral images between 1.8 micron and 26 microns, the Infrared Spectrometer (IRS) which is a set of two dispersive spectrometers covering the wavelength range between 2.5 and 200 microns, and the Multiband Imaging Photometer for SIRTF (MIPS) which is a general-purpose photometric instrument which operates between 30 and 1,200 microns. Taken together, the full wavelength range of these instruments extends from 1.8 micron to 1,200 microns, equivalent to nearly a factor of 700 in photon energy and diffraction limited image size. In addition to supporting this unprecedented spectral and optical coupling requirement, the SIRTF detectors must operate at lower temperatures than previously demonstrated and be optimized for new levels of performance in order to achieve the goals of the science mission. Thus, development of the detector arrays for the SIRTF instruments is one of the most challenging aspects of the instrument development activities.

Capps, Richard W.↗

NASA NTRS2000

The Observed On-Orbit Background of the ACIS Instrument of the Chandra X-Ray Observatory

We have analyzed calibration data acquired during the Orbital Activation and Checkout (OAC) phase of the Chandra X-ray Observatory (CXO) mission in order to characterize the background of the Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer (ACIS) produced by charged particles and non-cosmic x-rays. The ACIS instrument contains eight Front-Illuminated (FI) CCDs and two Back-Illuminated (BI) CCDs. The FI and BI CCDs exhibit dramatically different responses to enhancements in the particle flux. The FI CCDs show relatively little increase in the overall count rate, typical increases are 1-3 counts/s; the BI CCDs show large excursions to as high as 100 counts/s. The directions of these intervals of enhanced background are highly variable ranging from 100 s to 5000 s. The spatial distribution of these background events is relatively flat across the detectors. The spectral distribution can be characterized by a simple power law. The events produce morphologies which are similar to cosmic x-ray events, so that morphology alone cannot be used as a rejection criterion. We explore the correlation of these times of high background with the data from Chandra's on-board radiation monitor, the EPHIN (Electron, Proton, Helium Instrument particle detector) instrument and archival data from the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) satellite. We discuss strategies for observers to identify and exclude times of high background and to model and subtract the background events from their data.

Plucinsky, Paul P.↗

NASA NTRS2020

Synergistic Use of Hyperspectral UV-Visible OMI and Broadband Meteorological Imager MODIS Data for a Merged Aerosol Product

The retrieval of optimal aerosol datasets by the synergistic use of hyperspectral ultraviolet(UV)–visible and broadband meteorological imager (MI) techniques was investigated. The Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) Level 1B (L1B) was used as a proxy for hyperspectral UV–visible instrument data to which the Geostationary Environment Monitoring Spectrometer (GEMS) aerosol algorithm was applied. Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) L1B and dark target aerosol Level 2 (L2) data were used with a broadband MI to take advantage of the consistent time gap between the MODIS and the OMI. First, the use of cloud mask information from the MI infrared (IR) channel was tested for synergy. High-spatial-resolution and IR channels of the MI helped mask cirrus and sub-pixel cloud contamination of GEMS aerosol, as clearly seen in aerosol optical depth (AOD) validation with Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) data. Second, dust aerosols were distinguished in the GEMS aerosol-type classification algorithm by calculating the total dust confidence index (TDCI) from MODIS L1B IR channels. Statistical analysis indicates that the Probability of Correct Detection (POCD) between the forward and inversion aerosol dust models (DS) was increased from 72% to 94% by use of the TDCI for GEMS aerosol-type classification, and updated aerosol types were then applied to the GEMS algorithm. Use of the TDCI for DS type classification in the GEMS retrieval procedure gave improved single-scattering albedo (SSA) values for absorbing fine pollution particles (BC) and DS aerosols. Aerosol layer height (ALH) retrieved from GEMS was compared with Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) data, which provides high-resolution vertical aerosol profile information. The CALIOP ALH was calculated from total attenuated backscatter data at 1064 nm, which is identical to the definition of GEMS ALH. Application of the TDCI value reduced the median bias of GEMS ALH data slightly. The GEMS ALH bias approximates zero, especially for GEMS AOD values of>~0.4 and GEMS SSA values of<~0.95.Finally, the AOD products from the GEMS algorithm and MI were used in aerosol merging with the maximum-likelihood estimation method, based on a weighting factor derived from the standard deviation of the original AOD products. With the advantage of the UV–visible channel in retrieving aerosol properties over bright surfaces, the combined AOD products demonstrated better spatial data availability than the original AOD products, with comparable accuracy. Furthermore, pixel-level error analysis of GEMS AOD data indicates improvement through MI synergy.

aerosol↗