Aerosol optical thickness determination by exploiting the synergy of TERRA and AQUA MODIS

Aerosol retrieval over land remains a difficult task because the solar light reflected by the Earth–atmospheric system mainly comes from the ground surface. The dark dense vegetation (DDV) algorithm for MODIS data has shown excellent competence at retrieving the aerosol distribution and properties. However, this algorithm is restricted to lower surface reflectance, such as water bodies and dense vegetation. In this paper, we attempt to derive aerosol optical thickness (AOT) by exploiting the synergy of TERRA and AQUA MODIS data (SYNTAM), which can be used for various ground surfaces, including for high-reflective surface. Preliminary validation results by comparing with Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) data show good accuracy and promising potential.