Aerosol Characterization and Remote Sensing Methods
Summary
Aerosols exert a critical influence on atmospheric processes, climate forcing and air quality. Characterisation encompasses measurement of optical, physical and chemical properties such as aerosol optical depth, size distribution, refractive index and vertical distribution. Remote sensing techniques span passive instruments—sun–sky radiometers, multispectral imagers and ultraviolet sensors—and active instruments—lidar systems operating from ground, airborne or satellite platforms. Retrieval algorithms integrate radiative transfer models, cloud screening, aerosol subtyping and inversion schemes to infer columnar and height‐resolved properties. Synergies among satellite observations (for example MODIS, OMI, CALIOP and geostationary spectrometers), ground networks (AERONET, EARLINET) and reanalysis products (ERA5) enable global mapping of aerosol spatiotemporal variability. Advances in sensor technology and algorithm development support real‐time monitoring of biomass burning, dust transport and anthropogenic pollution, improve evaluation of climate models and inform air‐quality management and health impact assessments.
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Aerosol Characterization and Remote Sensing Methods publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in aerosol characterization and remote sensing methods across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Aerosol optical depth (AOD): dimensionless measure of column‐integrated aerosol extinction of solar radiation.
Lidar ratio: ratio of extinction to backscatter coefficients, used to identify aerosol types in lidar retrievals.
Backscatter coefficient: fraction of laser light scattered back toward lidar per unit path length and solid angle.
Depolarization ratio: ratio of cross‐polarised to co‐polarised backscatter, indicative of nonspherical particles such as dust.
Aerosol radiative forcing (ARF): change in radiative flux at top‐of‐atmosphere due to aerosol–radiation interactions.
Ultraviolet aerosol index (UVAI): satellite‐derived spectral contrast metric sensitive to absorbing aerosol layers.
References
- Aerosol radiative forcing of forest fires unprecedented in South Korea (2022) captured by Korean geostationary satellites, GK-2A AMI and GK-2B GEMS. Environmental Pollution (2024).
- The Net Radiative Effect of the Ill‐Defined Clear‐Sky in the Vicinity of Clouds. AGU Advances (2025).
- Incorporation of aerosol into the COSPv2 satellite lidar simulator for climate model evaluation. Geoscientific Model Development (2023).
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