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Aerosol Optical Depth/Thickness Data Access and Tools
Access topic-specific data and resources for accessing, visualizing, preparing/manipulating (e.g. subsetting), and analyzing aerosol optical depth (AOD) data. Each observation, model, and reanalysis data has unique characteristics that should be considered when evaluating its use.
An asterisk (*) next to an entry indicates that near real-time (NRT) data products are available through NASA's Land, Atmosphere Near real-time Capability for Earth observation (LANCE). While not intended for scientific research, NRT data are good resources for monitoring ongoing or time-critical events. Learn more about the difference between near real-time versus standard products.
Commonly Used Aerosol Optical Depth Data at a Glance
| Spatial Resolution | Spatial Coverage | Temporal Resolution | Temporal Coverage | Spectral Resolution | Satellite/ Platform | Name (Instrument, Model, etc.) | Observation, Model, or Reanalysis | File Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 250 m, 500 m, 1 km, 10 km, 3 km | Global | Daily, 8-day, 16-day, monthly, quarterly, yearly | 2000 (Terra)/2002 (Aqua)-present | 36 spectral bands ranging in wavelength from 0.4 µm to 14.4 µm | Terra/Aqua | *Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) | Observation | HDF-EOS |
| 6 km, 1° | Global | *6-minute, Daily, Monthly | 2012-present | 0.600-0.680 µm, 3.55-3.93 µm, 10.5-12.4 µm | NASA/NOAA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) and NOAA-20 | Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS): Deep Blue | Observation | HDF5, HDF-EOS5 |
| 6 km | Global | <-minute | 2012-present | 0.600-0.680 µm, 3.55-3.93 µm, 10.5-12.4 µm | NASA/NOAA Suomi NPP Dark Target | *Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS): Dark Target | Observation | netCDF4 |
| 0.25°, 13 km x 24 km | Global | *~98 minutes, Daily | 2004-present | 1.0-0.45 nm Full Width and Half Maximum (FWHM) | Aura | *Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) | Observation | HDF-EOS5 |
| 10 km | Global | 12-24 per day | 2017-present | 10 channels from 317-779 nm | Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) | EPIC | Observation | HDF5 |
| 0.5° x 0.625° | Global | 1-hourly, monthly | 1980-near present | N/A | N/A | MERRA -2 | Reanalysis | netCDF |
| N/A | Varies | Sub-hourly | Varies by site | N/A | Ground-based | AERONET | Observation | ASCII |
| Point measurements | Global | Periodic flights occurred during each deployment | 2016-2018 | varies | Airborne Field Campaign | Atmospheric Tomography Mission (ATom) campaign with varying instruments | Observation | netCDF |
Aerosol Optical Depth/Thickness Data Tools
| Tool Sort descending | Description | Services | |
|---|---|---|---|
| AppEEARS | The The Application for Extracting and Exploring Analysis Ready Samples (AppEEARS) offers users a simple and efficient way to perform data access and transformation processes. | |
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| Panoply | Panoply is a cross-platform application that plots geo-referenced and other arrays from netCDF, HDF, GRIB, and other datasets. | |
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| SEDAC Population Estimator | The Population Estimator developed by NASA’s Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC) lets users visualize changes in total population over multiple decades together with basic demographic characteristics for the year 2010. | |
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| Worldview | Worldview offers the capability to interactively browse over 1,200 global, full-resolution satellite imagery layers and download the underlying data. | |
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MODIS
Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments are aboard NASA’s Terra and Aqua platforms and provide estimates about aerosol optical depth. Terra's orbit is timed so that it passes from north to south across the equator in the morning, while Aqua passes south to north over the equator in the afternoon.
GIBS will be expanding the data range and palette of the MODIS Aerosol Optical Depth products.
NASA Worldview added four layers from the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) program to provide ground-based measurements of aerosol optical depth (AOD) and Angstrom parameter.
Scientists develop routine service for wildfire detection in the continental United States with a latency of less than 60 seconds.
6 MIN READ
The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) will help ensure continuity of Earth observations after the upcoming retirement of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS).
Datasets
| Dataset Sort descending | Size | Start Date | End Date | N Lat | S Lat | E long | W Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GOES-R PLT Cloud Physics LiDAR (CPL) | 43.57 | 26.45 | -65.36 | -118.23 | |||
| GOES-R PLT Surface Radiance Red Lake V1 | 35.67 | 35.65 | -114.06 | -114.08 | |||
| GPM Ground Validation Cloud Physics LiDAR (CPL) OLYMPEX V1 | 49.63 | 34.16 | -117.77 | -130.05 | |||
| GRIP LIDAR ATMOSPHERIC SENSING EXPERIMENT (LASE) V1 | 34.75 | 12.00 | -55.32 | -117.08 | |||
| HURRICANE AND SEVERE STORM SENTINEL (HS3) GLOBAL HAWK CLOUD PHYSICS LIDAR (CPL) V1 | 48.18 | 7.56 | -19.42 | -118.55 | |||
| Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel (HS3) Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) Dust Aerosol Optical Thickness Imagery V1 | 50.00 | -10.00 | -111.00 | ||||
| MODIS/Aqua Aerosol 5-Min L2 Swath 10km - NRT | 90.00 | -90.00 | 180.00 | -180.00 | |||
| MODIS/Aqua Aerosol 5-Min L2 Swath 3km - NRT | 90.00 | -90.00 | 180.00 | -180.00 | |||
| MODIS/Aqua Aerosol Optical Thickness Daily L3 Global 0.05-Deg CMA NRT | 81.00 | -81.00 | 180.00 | -180.00 | |||
| MODIS/Aqua L3 Value-added Aerosol Optical Depth - NRT | 90.00 | -90.00 | 180.00 | -180.00 |
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Frequently Asked Questions
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