Interpretation of satellite retrievals of PM2.5 over the southern African Interior
2016
Kneen, Melanie A. | Lary, David J. | Harrison, William A. | Annegarn, Harold J. | Brikowski, Tom H.
A case study is presented for using an unsupervised classification (Self-Organizing Map) of a global PM₂.₅ data product assembled from satellite retrievals (SeaWIFS, MODIS Terra and MODIS Aqua) and ground observations. The PM₂.₅ data products are available, on a daily basis, from August 1997 to the present, with 10 km resolutions and global coverage. In this study, a sub-set of the PM₂.₅ retrievals (collected over the southern African Interior) has been averaged over ten-day intervals for a period of ten years. These averaged sub-sets have been clustered using self-organizing maps to generate spatial and seasonal “PM₂.₅ climates” and air quality interpretations over southern Africa. Results are an indirect validation of the satellite based data product against available regional ground-based and airborne studies. The final PM₂.₅ aerosol climatology shows that the data product provides credible PM₂.₅ estimates for a region that is lacking routine aerosol monitoring data.
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