This paper presents the Nighttime Ocean Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) Retrieval Algorithm (NOARA), an innovative method for deriving the oceanic AOD from the reflected moonlight observation of Day-Night Band (DNB) aboard the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) over ocean surfaces. Building upon the recent development of nighttime AOD retrievals for rural/wild areas over land, the NOARA introduces several advancements tailored for oceanic application: (a) the new dust and sea salt optical property models based on the AERONET observation; (b) the Cox-Munk bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) model that better represents the ocean surface reflectance; (c) the new internal cloud and dust masking schemes for the ocean areas. Case studies show that the nighttime AODs are in good consistency with multiple AOD measurements such as from AERONET and CALIOP. The algorithm fills the observational gap for a comprehensive understanding of the diurnal cycle of the dust transport over the ocean and has the potential to provide vital information to better constrain the chemical transport model.

中文翻译：

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从太空首次绘制北大西洋夜间沙尘季节海洋气溶胶光学深度的月光图


本文介绍了夜间海洋气溶胶光学深度 (AOD) 反演算法 (NOARA)，这是一种从可见红外成像辐射计套件 (VIIRS) 上的日夜波段 (DNB) 反射月光观测中推导出海洋 AOD 的创新方法。海洋表面。在陆地农村/野生地区夜间 AOD 反演的最新发展的基础上，NOARA 推出了几项专为海洋应用而设计的进步：(a) 基于 AERONET 观测的新尘埃和海盐光学特性模型； (b) Cox-Munk 双向反射率分布函数（BRDF）模型能够更好地表示海洋表面反射率； (c) 新的海洋区域内部云和灰尘遮蔽方案。案例研究表明，夜间 AOD 与 AERONET 和 CALIOP 等多个 AOD 测量结果具有良好的一致性。该算法填补了全面了解海洋灰尘输送的昼夜循环的观测空白，并有可能提供重要信息以更好地约束化学输送模型。