Optical thickness and Angstrom exponent of aerosols over the land and ocean from space-borne polarimetric data

This work describes a procedure to retrieve aerosol characteristics, e.g., optical thickness of aerosols at a wavelength of 0.55 mum and its Angstrom exponent, all over the world from Polarization and Directionality of Earth Surface (POLDER) data acquired on board the Advanced Earth Observing Satellite-1 (ADEOS-1). The two parameters indicate the basic information, amount and particle size, respectively. The derived global map, presented in a color plate consisted of optical thickness and Angstrom exponent of aerosols is useful to monitor aerosol distribution. It is found that aerosol loading in central Africa and Asia is always high throughout the year. The results retrieved from ADEOS/POLDER are validated with NASA/AERONET (Aerosol Robotic Network) data. (C) 2004 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.