Data Products: Aerosol Optical Depth

The aerosol optical depth (AOD) product utilizes several spectral wavelengths of the ABI (Advanced Baseline Imager) to measure the reflectance properties of cloud-free pixels at the top of the atmosphere (TOA). These reflectance properties at the TOA are then fed into aerosol models to compute the surface reflectance and aerosol properties at the surface. The information provided by the AOD algorithm aids meteorologists and others in making critical air quality, visibility, and aviation forecasts. In addition, AOD product provides valuable data for climate models and helps climate scientists monitor and predict climate change.