Articles | Volume 12, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-3209-2019
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-3209-2019
Research article
 | 
17 Jun 2019
Research article |  | 17 Jun 2019

Characterization and application of artificial light sources for nighttime aerosol optical depth retrievals using the Visible Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite Day/Night Band

Jianglong Zhang, Shawn L. Jaker, Jeffrey S. Reid, Steven D. Miller, Jeremy Solbrig, and Travis D. Toth

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Cited articles

Barreto, A., Cuevas, E., Damiri, B., Guirado, C., Berkoff, T., Berjón, A. J., Hernández, Y., Almansa, F., and Gil, M.: A new method for nocturnal aerosol measurements with a lunar photometer prototype, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 6, 585–598, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-6-585-2013, 2013. 
Berkoff, T. A., Sorokin, M., Stone, T., Eck, T. F., Raymond Hoff, R., Welton, E., and Holben, B.: Nocturnal Aerosol Optical Depth Measurements with a Small-Aperture Automated Photometer Using the Moon as a Light Source, J. Atmos. Ocean. Tech., 28, 1297–1306, 2011. 
Chen, H., Xiong, X., Sun, C., Chen, X., and Chiang, K.: Suomi-NPP VIIRS day–night band on-orbit calibration and performance, J. Appl. Remote. Sens., 11, 36019, https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JRS.11.036019, 2017. 
Choo, G. H. and Jeong, M. J.: Estimation of nighttime aerosol optical thickness from Suomi-NPP DNB observations over small cities in Korea, Korean Journal of Remote Sensing, 32, 73–86, 2016. 
Elvidge, C. D., Baugh, K., Zhizhin, M., Hsu, F. C., and Ghosh, T.: VIIRS Night-Time Lights, Int. J. Remote Sens., 38, 5860–5879, 2017. 
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Short summary
Using nighttime observations from the Visible Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Day/Night band (DNB), the characteristics of artificial light sources are evaluated as functions of observation conditions, and incremental improvements are documented on nighttime aerosol retrievals on a regional scale. Results from the study indicate the potential of this method to begin filling critical gaps in diurnal aerosol optical thickness information at both regional and global scales.
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