Spatio-temporal analysis of aerosol concentration over Saudi Arabia using satellite remote sensing techniques
Authors
Md. Arfan Ali
Department of Meteorology, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah,
Mazen Ebraheem Assiri
Department of Meteorology, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah,
Abstract
Aerosols are a principal factor in altering climatic dynamics both at regional and global scales. Saudi Arabia ishighly affected by aerosols particulates mainly due to the frequent sand and dust storm events in the region. In thiscontext, this study examined Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Deep Blue (DB) AerosolOptical Depth (AOD) variability both from Terra and Aqua satellites and its relationship with temperature for theperiod 2002-2007.A comparison between Terra and Aqua DB AOD products were also made in this study. Theannual mean AOD analysis based on Terra and Aqua showed a decreasing and increasing trend respectively. Resultsof the study also showed that the temperature had a strong correlation with Terra DB AOD (r =0.79) than Aqua DBAOD (r =0.68). Overall, DB algorithm was found to be well enough for the assessment of aerosol variability to beconducted over Saudi Arabia.Keywords: aerosol, aqua, deep blue algorithm, MODIS, temperature, terra
