Aerosol optical depth retrieval by HJ-1/CCD supported by MODIS surface reflectance data

The high spatial resolution and temporal observation frequency of HJ-1/CCD make it suitable for aerosol monitoring. However, because of the lack of a shortwave infrared band, it is difficult to use HJ-1/CCD imagery to retrieve aerosol optical depth (AOD). We developed a new algorithm for HJ-1/CCD AOD retrieval by introducing MODIS surface reflectance outputs (MOD09) as support. In this algorithm HJ-1/CCD blue band surface reflectance was retrieved through MOD09 blue band surface reflectance by band matching of the two sensors. AOD at 550 nm was then generated through a pre-calculated look-up table for HJ-1/CCD. Eighteen HJ-1/CCD images covering the Jing-Jin-Tang (Beijing-Tianjin-Tangshan) region were used to retrieve AOD using the new algorithm, and the AODs were then validated using AERONET ground measurements in Beijing and Xianghe. The validation shows that compared with AERONET ground measurements, 27/29 AODs have error less than 0.1 in absolute value.