Articles | Volume 24, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-2113-2024
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-2113-2024
Opinion
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20 Feb 2024
Opinion | Highlight paper |  | 20 Feb 2024

Opinion: Aerosol remote sensing over the next 20 years

Lorraine A. Remer, Robert C. Levy, and J. Vanderlei Martins

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Increasing aerosol optical depth spatial and temporal availability by merging datasets from geostationary and sun-synchronous satellites
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Observation and modeling of the historic “Godzilla” African dust intrusion into the Caribbean Basin and the southern US in June 2020
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Subject: Aerosols | Research Activity: Remote Sensing | Altitude Range: Troposphere | Science Focus: Physics (physical properties and processes)
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Cited articles

ACTRIS (Aerosol, Cloud and Trace gases Research Initiative): Aerosol, Cloud and Trace gases Research Initiative webpage, https://www.actris.eu (last access: 29 May 2023), 2023. 
AOS (Atmospheric Observation System): Atmospheric Observing System webpage, https://aos.gsfc.nasa.gov/mission.htm (last access: 5 February 2023), 2023. 
ASDC (Atmospheric Science Data Center): Atmospheric Science Data Center webpage, https://asdc.larc.nasa.gov/about (last access: 5 February 2023), 2023. 
Bellouin, N., Jones, A., Haywood, J., and Christopher, S. A.: Updated estimate of aerosol direct radiative forcing from satellite observations and comparison against the Hadley Centre climate model, J. Geophys. Res., 113, D10205, https://doi.org/10.1029/2007JD009385, 2008. 
Benedetti, A., Morcrette, J. J., Boucher, O., Dethof, A., Engelen, R. J., Fisher, M., Flentje, H., Huneeus, N., Jones, L., Kaiser, J. W., and Kinne, S.: Aerosol analysis and forecast in the European centre for medium-range weather forecasts integrated forecast system: 2. Data assimilation, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 114, D13205, https://doi.org/10.1029/2008JD011115, 2009. 
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Executive editor
The influence aerosols have on climate has long been recognised, but our ability to observe and quantify them on global scales came of age with the use of new satellite-based instruments and data products in recent decades. As instrumentation technologies improve alongside our abilities to handle large quantities of data and process using the latest data science approaches, the data products available to atmospheric science will only improve in decades to come. This opinion article tries to anticipate what tools and insights the community can look forward to in the near future.
Short summary
Aerosols are small liquid or solid particles suspended in the atmosphere, including smoke, particulate pollution, dust, and sea salt. Today, we rely on satellites viewing Earth's atmosphere to learn about these particles. Here, we speculate on the future to imagine how satellite viewing of aerosols will change. We expect more public and private satellites with greater capabilities, better ways to infer information from satellites, and merging of data with models.
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