Abstract

Particulate matter (PM) has become the primary pollutant in most regions of the eastern and central China, which induces substantial adverse impact on public health and ecological safety. The estimation of surface PM using satellite derived columnar aerosol optical depth (AOD) faces two primary sources of uncertainty, namely the vertical profile and the hygroscopic characteristics of aerosols. A hygroscopic growth model suitable for local aerosol characteristics and their temporal variations is necessary for accurate satellite retrieval of ground-level particulate matters (PM). This study develops an empirical method to correct the relative humidity (RH) impact on aerosol extinction coefficient and to further derive PM concentrations from satellite observations. Not relying on detailed information of aerosol chemical and microphysical properties, this method simply uses the in-situ observations of visibility (VIS), RH and PM concentrations to characterize aerosol hygroscopicity, and thus makes the RH correction capable of supporting the satellite PM estimations with large spatial and temporal coverage.

© 2015 Optical Society of America