Getting and using Deep Blue aerosol data

Information about where to obtain our Deep Blue aerosol data sets is on the 'Data' tab of this site. A list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) and their answers can also be found here. Papers detailing the algorithms used in our data sets, and their validation, are listed on the Publications tab. If you would like to contact us via email, please use the link at the bottom of this page or the Contact Us tab. We are happy to help you read and use our data files.

Aerosol remote sensing instrumentation

• MODIS Atmospheres web portal. Includes images of data, processing status, and file specifications for MODIS Atmospheres discipline products (e.g. aerosols, clouds, water vapor).
• NASA Aerocenter webinar series for MODIS Collection 6 Atmospheres data products. The series highlights changes from Collection 5 to 6 and is designed for both new and experienced MODIS data users.
• SeaWiFS sensor project page, within the Ocean Color discipline web portal.
• S-NPP VIIRS Atmospheres discipline page at the University of Wisconsin Space Science and Engineering Center.
• Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET), a widespread network of Sun photometers, with many applications, including aerosol characterization and the validation of satellite AOD data products.
• Micropulse Lidar Network (MPLNET), a network of lidar instruments used for, among other things, aerosol profiling.
• Surface-based Mobile Atmospheric Research & Testbed Laboratories (SMARTLabs), a set of mobile laboratories with a suite of instrumentation related to aerosol, cloud, chemistry, and radiation studies.

Other spaceborne sensors used to monitor aerosols

• MODIS 'Dark Target' aerosol product. Provides information over 'dark' (mainly vegetated) land surfaces, and non-turbid ocean surfaces.
• MISR, a sensor which views the Earth near-simultaneously from multiple angles and can provide information on aerosol amount and type.
• Ocean Biology Processing Group (OBPG), where aerosol information for several satellite sensors is generated as a by-product of algorithms designed for monitoring ocean color (related to e.g. chlorophyll levels from plankton) over water.
• CALIOP, spaceborne lidar on the CALIPSO mission, for aerosol/cloud vertical profiling.
• OMI, sensor designed for monitoring ozone levels but also able to detect aerosols using ultraviolet measurements.
• POLDER and PARASOL, sensors which observe the intensity and polarization of reflected solar radiation at multiple view angles, and can provide information on aerosol amount and type.
• Global Aerosol Climatology Project (GACP) at NASA GISS, providing aerosol information over ocean from the AVHRR sensors.
• VIIRS aerosol products from NOAA's algorithms (distinct from NASA's algorithms).
• EPIC aboard the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR).
• European Space Agency (ESA) Climate Change Initiative (CCI) aerosol project page. A project using multiple satellite data sets, focusing on European satellite sensors, to monitor atmospheric aerosols.
• SAM/SAGE, instrument series measuring stratospheric aerosols using limb sounding.
• The Cloud-Aerosol Transport System (CATS), a lidar on board the International Space Station (ISS).
• Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE), a forthcoming satellite mission.
• Generalized Retrieval of Aerosol and Surface Properties (GRASP), a framework which has been applied to several instruments.

For help with data file formats

• See the 'Data' tab of this site for information specific to Deep Blue data products.
• NASA Applied Remote Sensing Training (ARSET) website, where you can sign up for training events and watch webinars about remote sensing data.
• NASA GISS Panoply data reading tool, which can be used to read and plot the Deep Blue files, among many others.
• The HDF Group, for information on the various HDF formats.
• hdf4 library for Python.
• hdf5 library for Python.
• IDL's hdf4 and hdf5 routines.
• NetCDF homepage at UCAR.
• IDL's NetCDF overview.
• Some Python scripts for reading aerosol data sets from MERRA, MODIS, and OMI.

Other useful sites

• NASA main website.
• NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) main website.
• NASA Earth Observatory. Website containing lots of Earth Science images and explaining their context. Of particular relevance are two features about aerosols and air quality (here and here).
• The Earth Observer, NASA's bi-monthly Earth Observation newsletter.
• OMPS blog, including examples of UV-absorbing aerosols observed by the Ozone Mapping & Profiler Suite (OMPS).
• Giovanni, an interface to view and perform basic analyses on some NASA satellite data sets.
• NASA Worldview, an interface to view and overlay various NASA satellite data sets.
• NOAA View, an interface to view various weather/climate data sets.
• MODIS true-color imagery, from early 2000 onwards (MODIS Terra) and mid-2002 onwards (MODIS Aqua).
• SeaWiFS true-color imagery, over the period 1997-2010.