A use of two‐channel radiances for an aerosol characterization from space

Abstract

We report new satellite retrievals of an aerosol particle size index, Ångström exponent, along with aerosol optical thickness, obtained from a two channel algorithm for NOAA/AVHRR and ADEOS/OCTS satellite‐borne radiometers. The results show characteristic features of the global aerosol size index on global scale. Small aerosol particles were detected in fairly large‐scale areas around mid‐latitude industrial regions and tropical biomass burning regions, whereas large aerosol particles were detected over most of the ocean area and over subtropical arid areas.