The MODIS Aerosol Product monitors the ambient aerosol optical thickness over the oceans globally and over a portion of the continents. Further, the aerosol size distribution is derived over the oceans, and the aerosol type is derived over the continents. Daily Level-2 data are produced at the spatial resolution of a 10x10 1-km pixel array (at nadir).

Prior to MODIS, satellite measurements were limited to reflectance measurements in one (GOES, METEOSAT) or two (AVHRR) channels. There was no real attempt to retrieve aerosol content over land on a global scale. Algorithms had been developed for use only over dark vegetation. The blue channel on MODIS, not present on AVHRR, offers the possibility to extend the derivation of optical thickness over land to additional surfaces. The algorithms use MODIS bands 1 through 7 and 20 and require prior cloud screening using MODIS data. Over the land, the dynamic aerosol models are derived from ground-based sky measurements and used in the net retrieval process.

Over the ocean, three parameters that describe the aerosol loading and size distribution are retrieved. Pre-assumptions on the general structure of the size distribution are required in the inversion of MODIS data, and the volume-size distribution is described with two log-normal modes: a single mode to describe the accumulation mode particles (radius < 0.5 µm) and a single coarse mode to describe dust and/or salt particles (radius > 1.0 µm).

The quality assurance control of these products will be based on comparison with ground stations and climatology.

For additional details see the MODIS Atmospheres web site page on Collection 6.1 Updates.