Aerosol properties over the Arabian Sea during the north east monsoon

Abstract

Knowledge of the variations of the aerosol properties is essential for the development of the satellite atmospheric correction algorithms. The measurements were carried-out during a cruise using a six channel spectral sun photometer at wavelengths 440, 670, 870, 936, 940 and 1020 nm, in the Arabian Sea between 15.4-17.86 degrees N and 73.28-69.3 degrees E, during the North East monsoon period of 1-10 December, 1988. The aerosol optical properties derived from these data showed variations from the coastal region to the open ocean, with coastal regions showing comparatively higher optical depths than the open ocean. The Angstrom turbidity coefficient showed a similar trend and the mean value was found to be 0.102. The mean Angstrom exponent was found to be 1.32. The aerosols optical depths derived from the sun photometer were compared with the aerosol optical depth retrieved from the satellite data and the solar radiation model with the solar irradiance measurements. The variations observed with the satellite data and the results derived from the solar radiation model compared well with the measured values for the open ocean.