A novel methodology using MODIS and CERES for assessing the daily radiative forcing of smoke aerosols in large scale over the Amazonia

Abstract

Abstract. A new methodology was developed for obtaining daily retrievals of the direct radiative forcing of aerosols (24h-DARF) at the top of the atmosphere (TOA) using satellite remote sensing. For that, simultaneous CERES (Clouds and Earth's Radiant Energy System) shortwave flux at the top of the atmosphere (TOA) and MODIS (Moderate Resolution Spectroradiometer) aerosol optical depth (AOD) retrievals were used. This methodology is applied over a large region of Brazilian Amazonia. We focused our studies on the peak of the biomass burning season (August to September) from 2000 to 2009 to analyse the impact of forest smoke on the radiation balance. To assess the spatial distribution of the DARF, background scenes without biomass burning impacts, were defined as scenes with MODIS AOD < 0.1. The fluxes at the TOA retrieved by CERES for those clean conditions (Fcl) were estimated as a function of the illumination geometry (θ0) for each 0.5° × 0.5° grid cell. The instantaneous DARF was obtained as the difference between clean Fcl (θ0) and the polluted mean flux at the TOA measured by CERES in each cell (Fpol (θ0)). The radiative transfer code SBDART (Santa Barbara DISORT Radiative Transfer model) was used to expand instantaneous DARFs to 24 h averages. With this methodology it is possible to assess the DARF both at large scale and at high temporal resolution. This new methodology also showed to be more robust, because it considerably reduces statistical sources of uncertainties in the estimates of the DARF, when compared to previous assessments of the DARF using satellite remote sensing. The spatial distribution of the 24h-DARF shows that, for some cases, the mean 24h-DARF presents local values as high as −30 W m−2. The temporal variability of the 24h-DARF along the biomass burning season was also studied and showed large intraseasonal and interannual variability. In an attempt to validate the radiative forcing obtained in this work using CERES and MODIS, those results were compared to coincident AERONET ground based estimates of the DARF. This analysis showed that CERES-MODIS and AERONET 24h-DARF are related as DARFCERES-MODIS24 h = (1.07 ± 0.04)DARFAERONET24 h −(0.0 ± 0.6). This is a significant result, considering that the 24h-DARF retrievals were obtained by applying completely different methodologies, and using different instruments. The instantaneous CERES-MODIS DARF was also compared with radiative transfer evaluations of the forcing. To validate the aerosol and surface models used in the simulations, downward shortwave fluxes at the surface evaluated using SBDART and measured by pyranometers were compared. The simulated and measured downward fluxes are related through FBOAPYRANOMETER = (1.00 ± 0.04)FBOASBDART −(20 ± 27), indicating that the models and parameters used in the simulations were consistent. The relationship between CERES-MODIS instantaneous DARF and calculated SBDART forcing was satisfactory, with DARFCERES-MODIS = (0.86 ± 0.06)DARFSBDART −(6 ± 2). Those analysis showed a good agreement between satellite remote sensing, ground-based and radiative transfer evaluated DARF, demonstrating the robustness of the new proposed methodology for calculated radiative forcing for biomass burning aerosols. To our knowledge, this was the first time satellite remote sensing assessments of the DARF were compared with ground based DARF estimates.