Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-1250
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-1250
26 Jun 2023
 | 26 Jun 2023

Expanding the coverage of MISR aerosol retrievals over shallow, turbid, and eutrophic waters

Robert R. Nelson, Marcin L. Witek, Michael J. Garay, Michael A. Bull, James A. Limbacher, Ralph A. Kahn, and David J. Diner

Abstract. Shallow and coastal waters are often rich in nutrients (eutrophic) and biologically productive, turbid from runoff, and located where the atmosphere above can be more aerosol-laden than over open ocean waters due to proximity to aerosol sources on land. Although the NASA Earth Observing System’s Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) on board the Terra satellite has been monitoring global aerosols for over 23 years, the current operational retrieval algorithm (V23) is not applied over waters less than 50 m in depth or within 5 km of land, designated as "shallow water." This is due to the simplicity of the Dark Water algorithm, applied operationally over deep waters, which assumes the surface is essentially black in the primarily-used red and near-infrared spectral bands. In this work, we describe the implementation and validation of a "Shallow Water" aerosol retrieval algorithm for MISR, which takes advantage of all four available spectral bands and includes a Lambertian surface reflectivity term to account for water-leaving radiance. This algorithm compares well to independent, surface-based observations and demonstrates better performance over shallow waters than the operational Dark Water retrieval algorithm. Globally, aerosol retrievals over shallow waters increase the total number of MISR over-water measurements by more than 7 %, including new retrievals made over some of the most biologically productive parts of the ocean.

Robert R. Nelson et al.

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2023-1250', Anonymous Referee #1, 16 Jul 2023
  • RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2023-1250', Anonymous Referee #2, 17 Jul 2023

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2023-1250', Anonymous Referee #1, 16 Jul 2023
  • RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2023-1250', Anonymous Referee #2, 17 Jul 2023

Robert R. Nelson et al.

Robert R. Nelson et al.

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Short summary
Shallow and coastal waters are nutrient-rich and turbid due to runoff. They are also located in areas where the atmosphere has more aerosols than open ocean waters. NASA's Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) has been monitoring aerosols for over 23 years but does not report results over shallow waters. We developed a new algorithm that uses all four of MISR’s bands and considers light leaving water surfaces. This algorithm performs well and increases over-water measurements by over 7 %.