DOI: 10.1615/ICHMT.2007.ConfElectromagLigScat
ISBN Print: 978-1-56700-244-7
Remote sensing of tropospheric aerosols from space: from AVHRR to Glory APS
SINOPSIS
Analysis of the long-term Global Aerosol Climatology Project dataset reveals a likely decrease of the global optical thickness of tropospheric aerosols by as much as 0.03 during the period 1991-2005. This recent trend mirrors the concurrent global increase in solar radiation fluxes at Earth's surface and may have contributed to recent changes in surface climate. Existing satellite instruments cannot be used to determine unequivocally whether the recent trend is due to long-term global changes in the natural or anthropogenic aerosols. It is thus imperative to provide uninterrupted multidecadal monitoring of aerosols from space with dedicated instruments like the Glory Aerosol Polarimetry Sensor in order to detect long-term anthropogenic trends potentially having a strong impact on climate.