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Summary: Satellite-derived aerosol optical depth over dark water
from MISR and MODIS: Comparisons with AERONET
and implications for climatological studies
Ralph A. Kahn,1
Michael J. Garay,1
David L. Nelson,1
Kevin K. Yau,1
Michael A. Bull,1
Barbara J. Gaitley,1
John V. Martonchik,1
and Robert C. Levy2
Received 23 October 2006; revised 30 March 2007; accepted 26 June 2007; published 26 September 2007.
[1] Although the current Multiangle Imaging Spectroradiometer (MISR) and Moderate
Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite passive remote sensing
midvisible aerosol optical thickness (AOT) products are accurate overall to about 0.05 or
20%, they differ systematically on a global, monthly average basis, by about 0.03 to 0.05.
Some key climate change and other applications require accuracies of 0.03 or better. The
instruments are sufficiently stable and well characterized, and have adequate signal-to-
noise, to realize such precision. However, assumptions made in the current standard
aerosol retrieval algorithms produce AOT biases that must be addressed first. We identify
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