An updated VIIRS dark target aerosol product for continuity with MODIS: assessing regional aerosol trends
Aerosol optical depth (AOD) is a crucial data record to understand aerosols and their direct and indirect effects on air quality and climate forcing. The Dark Target aerosol retrieval product includes AOD and other properties derived from multispectral satellite imagers, available for MODIS on Terra...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-06-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Environmental Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2025.1602145/full |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849421781857730560 |
|---|---|
| author | Virginia Sawyer Virginia Sawyer Robert C. Levy Shana Mattoo Shana Mattoo Yingxi R. Shi Yingxi R. Shi Mijin Kim Mijin Kim Lorraine A. Remer Geoff Cureton |
| author_facet | Virginia Sawyer Virginia Sawyer Robert C. Levy Shana Mattoo Shana Mattoo Yingxi R. Shi Yingxi R. Shi Mijin Kim Mijin Kim Lorraine A. Remer Geoff Cureton |
| author_sort | Virginia Sawyer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Aerosol optical depth (AOD) is a crucial data record to understand aerosols and their direct and indirect effects on air quality and climate forcing. The Dark Target aerosol retrieval product includes AOD and other properties derived from multispectral satellite imagers, available for MODIS on Terra (from 2000), MODIS on Aqua (from 2002), and VIIRS on Suomi-NPP (from 2012). Although Terra now has over 25 years of observations, the record must continue onto VIIRS beyond the end of the MODIS mission to meet requirements as a Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) climate data record. We present the recent update to version 2.0 of the VIIRS product, which now includes NOAA-20 VIIRS (from 2017) and algorithm improvements. The combined MODIS-VIIRS dataset is examined for consistency and to ascertain aerosol trends. Overall, the VIIRS products show consistency with the MODIS products. To assess regional trends, two time intervals are studied: a 22-year record that compares Terra and Aqua, and a more recent 12-year record (the VIIRS era) that compares three sensors. According to linear regressions of monthly average AOD for each global 1°×1° grid cell, AOD has decreased by between 0.003 and 0.01 per year over parts of China, the United States, Brazil, and much of Europe, while increasing on the same scale over India and parts of Canada, while more modestly but significantly increasing over the southern oceans. For seven regions with significant AOD trends, this study examines the seasonal dependence, relationship to aerosol size parameters, and whether the sign or magnitude of these trends have changed. With high agreement among sensors, we are confident that the Dark Target AOD record can extend into the 2030s and beyond. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-cf9efc46faa048ddb42efdc2c0c2301f |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2296-665X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Environmental Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-cf9efc46faa048ddb42efdc2c0c2301f2025-08-20T03:31:23ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Environmental Science2296-665X2025-06-011310.3389/fenvs.2025.16021451602145An updated VIIRS dark target aerosol product for continuity with MODIS: assessing regional aerosol trendsVirginia Sawyer0Virginia Sawyer1Robert C. Levy2Shana Mattoo3Shana Mattoo4Yingxi R. Shi5Yingxi R. Shi6Mijin Kim7Mijin Kim8Lorraine A. Remer9Geoff Cureton10Science Systems and Applications (SSAI), Lanham, MD, United StatesClimate and Radiation Laboratory, NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, MD, United StatesClimate and Radiation Laboratory, NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, MD, United StatesScience Systems and Applications (SSAI), Lanham, MD, United StatesClimate and Radiation Laboratory, NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, MD, United StatesClimate and Radiation Laboratory, NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, MD, United StatesGoddard Earth Science Technology and Research (GESTAR) II, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, United StatesClimate and Radiation Laboratory, NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, MD, United StatesGoddard Earth Sciences Technology and Research (GESTAR) II, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD, United StatesGoddard Earth Science Technology and Research (GESTAR) II, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, United StatesSpace Science and Engineering Center (SSEC), University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United StatesAerosol optical depth (AOD) is a crucial data record to understand aerosols and their direct and indirect effects on air quality and climate forcing. The Dark Target aerosol retrieval product includes AOD and other properties derived from multispectral satellite imagers, available for MODIS on Terra (from 2000), MODIS on Aqua (from 2002), and VIIRS on Suomi-NPP (from 2012). Although Terra now has over 25 years of observations, the record must continue onto VIIRS beyond the end of the MODIS mission to meet requirements as a Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) climate data record. We present the recent update to version 2.0 of the VIIRS product, which now includes NOAA-20 VIIRS (from 2017) and algorithm improvements. The combined MODIS-VIIRS dataset is examined for consistency and to ascertain aerosol trends. Overall, the VIIRS products show consistency with the MODIS products. To assess regional trends, two time intervals are studied: a 22-year record that compares Terra and Aqua, and a more recent 12-year record (the VIIRS era) that compares three sensors. According to linear regressions of monthly average AOD for each global 1°×1° grid cell, AOD has decreased by between 0.003 and 0.01 per year over parts of China, the United States, Brazil, and much of Europe, while increasing on the same scale over India and parts of Canada, while more modestly but significantly increasing over the southern oceans. For seven regions with significant AOD trends, this study examines the seasonal dependence, relationship to aerosol size parameters, and whether the sign or magnitude of these trends have changed. With high agreement among sensors, we are confident that the Dark Target AOD record can extend into the 2030s and beyond.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2025.1602145/fullmultispectral satellite remote sensingMODISVIIRScontinuitydark target algorithmaerosol optical depth (AOD) |
| spellingShingle | Virginia Sawyer Virginia Sawyer Robert C. Levy Shana Mattoo Shana Mattoo Yingxi R. Shi Yingxi R. Shi Mijin Kim Mijin Kim Lorraine A. Remer Geoff Cureton An updated VIIRS dark target aerosol product for continuity with MODIS: assessing regional aerosol trends Frontiers in Environmental Science multispectral satellite remote sensing MODIS VIIRS continuity dark target algorithm aerosol optical depth (AOD) |
| title | An updated VIIRS dark target aerosol product for continuity with MODIS: assessing regional aerosol trends |
| title_full | An updated VIIRS dark target aerosol product for continuity with MODIS: assessing regional aerosol trends |
| title_fullStr | An updated VIIRS dark target aerosol product for continuity with MODIS: assessing regional aerosol trends |
| title_full_unstemmed | An updated VIIRS dark target aerosol product for continuity with MODIS: assessing regional aerosol trends |
| title_short | An updated VIIRS dark target aerosol product for continuity with MODIS: assessing regional aerosol trends |
| title_sort | updated viirs dark target aerosol product for continuity with modis assessing regional aerosol trends |
| topic | multispectral satellite remote sensing MODIS VIIRS continuity dark target algorithm aerosol optical depth (AOD) |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2025.1602145/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT virginiasawyer anupdatedviirsdarktargetaerosolproductforcontinuitywithmodisassessingregionalaerosoltrends AT virginiasawyer anupdatedviirsdarktargetaerosolproductforcontinuitywithmodisassessingregionalaerosoltrends AT robertclevy anupdatedviirsdarktargetaerosolproductforcontinuitywithmodisassessingregionalaerosoltrends AT shanamattoo anupdatedviirsdarktargetaerosolproductforcontinuitywithmodisassessingregionalaerosoltrends AT shanamattoo anupdatedviirsdarktargetaerosolproductforcontinuitywithmodisassessingregionalaerosoltrends AT yingxirshi anupdatedviirsdarktargetaerosolproductforcontinuitywithmodisassessingregionalaerosoltrends AT yingxirshi anupdatedviirsdarktargetaerosolproductforcontinuitywithmodisassessingregionalaerosoltrends AT mijinkim anupdatedviirsdarktargetaerosolproductforcontinuitywithmodisassessingregionalaerosoltrends AT mijinkim anupdatedviirsdarktargetaerosolproductforcontinuitywithmodisassessingregionalaerosoltrends AT lorrainearemer anupdatedviirsdarktargetaerosolproductforcontinuitywithmodisassessingregionalaerosoltrends AT geoffcureton anupdatedviirsdarktargetaerosolproductforcontinuitywithmodisassessingregionalaerosoltrends AT virginiasawyer updatedviirsdarktargetaerosolproductforcontinuitywithmodisassessingregionalaerosoltrends AT virginiasawyer updatedviirsdarktargetaerosolproductforcontinuitywithmodisassessingregionalaerosoltrends AT robertclevy updatedviirsdarktargetaerosolproductforcontinuitywithmodisassessingregionalaerosoltrends AT shanamattoo updatedviirsdarktargetaerosolproductforcontinuitywithmodisassessingregionalaerosoltrends AT shanamattoo updatedviirsdarktargetaerosolproductforcontinuitywithmodisassessingregionalaerosoltrends AT yingxirshi updatedviirsdarktargetaerosolproductforcontinuitywithmodisassessingregionalaerosoltrends AT yingxirshi updatedviirsdarktargetaerosolproductforcontinuitywithmodisassessingregionalaerosoltrends AT mijinkim updatedviirsdarktargetaerosolproductforcontinuitywithmodisassessingregionalaerosoltrends AT mijinkim updatedviirsdarktargetaerosolproductforcontinuitywithmodisassessingregionalaerosoltrends AT lorrainearemer updatedviirsdarktargetaerosolproductforcontinuitywithmodisassessingregionalaerosoltrends AT geoffcureton updatedviirsdarktargetaerosolproductforcontinuitywithmodisassessingregionalaerosoltrends |