Title
Discrimination of Biomass-Burning Smoke From Clouds Over the Ocean Using MODIS Measurements
Abstract
Smokes from biomass burning can contribute substantial amounts of hazardous substances and carbon to the atmosphere. These substances can be transported seaward and deposited on the ocean surface. In this study, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) images are used to map the relative smoke concentration over the ocean between November 8 and 11, 2018 from the recent California fires, with the ultimate goal of developing a generally applicable approach to map smokes over oceans. Because both biomass-burning smokes and clouds can produce strong backscattering signals, two key differences are used to separate them: 1) water-vapor absorption in certain wavelengths only occurs in clouds and 2) cumulus and cirrus clouds occur at different altitudes, therefore, bearing different thermal signatures. Based on these observations, a decision-tree method is developed to separate smokes from clouds. First, MODIS top-of-atmosphere (TOA) reflectance at 936 nm is used to detect both clouds and smokes over oceans. Then, brightness temperature derived from the 9730-nm band is used to separate cirrus from others. Finally, a water absorption depth (WAD) index is used to distinguish cumulus clouds from smokes, whose relative concentration in each image pixel is estimated from the MODIS TOA reflectance at 859 nm. Such derived smoke distribution and concentration are validated using concurrent Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite (CALIPSO) data, which provide the fine mode aerosol optical thickness (AOT) of smokes. Test of the approach over the recent Australia fires shows promising results, suggesting that the approach might be implemented by operational agencies to monitor and quantify smokes from biomass burning on a routine basis.
Year
DOI
Venue
2022
10.1109/TGRS.2021.3084042
IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing
Keywords
DocType
Volume
Australia fires,biomass-burning smoke,California fires,Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite (CALIPSO),Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS),spectral features
Journal
60
ISSN
Citations 
PageRank 
0196-2892
0
0.34
References 
Authors
0
9
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Qing Wang134576.64
Yingcheng Lu273.09
Chuanmin Hu35415.94
Yongxiang Hu4106.17
Minwei Zhang594.18
Junnan Jiao600.34
Jilian Xiong700.34
Yongxue Liu8143.80
Zhenke Zhang900.34