An overview of mesoscale aerosol processes, comparisons, and validation studies from DRAGON networks
Brent N. Holben1,Jhoon Kim2,Itaru Sano3,Sonoyo Mukai4,Thomas F. Eck1,5,David M. Giles1,6,Joel S. Schafer1,6,Aliaksandr Sinyuk1,6,Ilya Slutsker1,6,Alexander Smirnov1,6,Mikhail Sorokin1,6,Bruce E. Anderson7,Huizheng Che8,Myungje Choi2,James H. Crawford7,Richard A. Ferrare7,Michael J. Garay9,Ukkyo Jeong1,Mijin Kim2,Woogyung Kim2,Nichola Knox10,Zhengqiang Li11,Hwee S. Lim12,Yang Liu13,Hal Maring14,Makiko Nakata15,Kenneth E. Pickering1,Stuart Piketh16,Jens Redemann17,Jeffrey S. Reid18,Santo Salinas19,Sora Seo20,Fuyi Tan12,a,Sachchida N. Tripathi21,Owen B. Toon22,and Qingyang Xiao13Brent N. Holben et al. Brent N. Holben1,Jhoon Kim2,Itaru Sano3,Sonoyo Mukai4,Thomas F. Eck1,5,David M. Giles1,6,Joel S. Schafer1,6,Aliaksandr Sinyuk1,6,Ilya Slutsker1,6,Alexander Smirnov1,6,Mikhail Sorokin1,6,Bruce E. Anderson7,Huizheng Che8,Myungje Choi2,James H. Crawford7,Richard A. Ferrare7,Michael J. Garay9,Ukkyo Jeong1,Mijin Kim2,Woogyung Kim2,Nichola Knox10,Zhengqiang Li11,Hwee S. Lim12,Yang Liu13,Hal Maring14,Makiko Nakata15,Kenneth E. Pickering1,Stuart Piketh16,Jens Redemann17,Jeffrey S. Reid18,Santo Salinas19,Sora Seo20,Fuyi Tan12,a,Sachchida N. Tripathi21,Owen B. Toon22,and Qingyang Xiao13
1NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
2Department of Atmosphere Sciences/IEAA BK 21 plus, Yonsei University,
Seoul, Korea
3Faculty of Science and Engineering, Kindai University, Higashi-Osaka,
Japan
4The Kyoto College of Graduate Studies for Informatics, Kyoto, Japan
5Universities Space Research Association, GESTAR, Columbia, MD, USA
6Science Systems and Applications, Inc., Lanham, MD, USA
7NASA LRC, Hampton, VA, USA
8Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, China Meteorological
Administration, Beijing, China
9Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology,
Pasadena, CA, USA
10Namibia University of Science and Technology, Windhoek, Namibia
11Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, Chinese Academy of
Sciences, Beijing, China
12School of Physics, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang, Malaysia
13Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health,
Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
14NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC, USA
15Faculty of Applied Sociology, Kindai University, Higashi-Osaka, Japan
16North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
17NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, USA
18Naval Research Laboratory, Monterey, CA, USA
19Singapore National University, Center for Imaging, Sensing and
Processing, Singapore, Singapore
20Korea Polar Research Institute, Incheon, South Korea
21Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, India
22University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
acurrently at: DISTED College, Penang, Malaysia
1NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
2Department of Atmosphere Sciences/IEAA BK 21 plus, Yonsei University,
Seoul, Korea
3Faculty of Science and Engineering, Kindai University, Higashi-Osaka,
Japan
4The Kyoto College of Graduate Studies for Informatics, Kyoto, Japan
5Universities Space Research Association, GESTAR, Columbia, MD, USA
6Science Systems and Applications, Inc., Lanham, MD, USA
7NASA LRC, Hampton, VA, USA
8Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, China Meteorological
Administration, Beijing, China
9Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology,
Pasadena, CA, USA
10Namibia University of Science and Technology, Windhoek, Namibia
11Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, Chinese Academy of
Sciences, Beijing, China
12School of Physics, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang, Malaysia
13Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health,
Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
14NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC, USA
15Faculty of Applied Sociology, Kindai University, Higashi-Osaka, Japan
16North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
17NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, USA
18Naval Research Laboratory, Monterey, CA, USA
19Singapore National University, Center for Imaging, Sensing and
Processing, Singapore, Singapore
20Korea Polar Research Institute, Incheon, South Korea
21Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, India
22University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
acurrently at: DISTED College, Penang, Malaysia
Correspondence: Brent N. Holben (brent.n.holben@nasa.gov)
Received: 30 Dec 2016 – Discussion started: 15 Feb 2017 – Revised: 17 Jul 2017 – Accepted: 18 Jul 2017 – Published: 19 Jan 2018
Abstract. Over the past 24 years, the AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) program has provided highly accurate remote-sensing characterization of aerosol optical and physical properties for an increasingly extensive geographic distribution including all continents and many oceanic island and coastal sites. The measurements and retrievals from the AERONET global network have addressed satellite and model validation needs very well, but there have been challenges in making comparisons to similar parameters from in situ surface and airborne measurements. Additionally, with improved spatial and temporal satellite remote sensing of aerosols, there is a need for higher spatial-resolution ground-based remote-sensing networks. An effort to address these needs resulted in a number of field campaign networks called Distributed Regional Aerosol Gridded Observation Networks (DRAGONs) that were designed to provide a database for in situ and remote-sensing comparison and analysis of local to mesoscale variability in aerosol properties. This paper describes the DRAGON deployments that will continue to contribute to the growing body of research related to meso- and microscale aerosol features and processes. The research presented in this special issue illustrates the diversity of topics that has resulted from the application of data from these networks.
Aerosol particles, such as smoke, vary over space and time. This paper describes a series of very high-resolution ground-based aerosol measurement networks and associated studies that contributed new understanding of aerosol processes and detailed comparisons to satellite aerosol validation. Significantly, these networks also provide an opportunity to statistically relate grab samples of an aerosol parameter to companion satellite observations, a step toward air quality assessment from space.
Aerosol particles, such as smoke, vary over space and time. This paper describes a series of...
