Monitoring spatial and temporal variability of air quality using satellite observation data: A case study of MODIS-observed aerosols in Southern Ontario; Canada

Aerosol refers to solid or liquid particles suspended in the air. Aerosol particles mostly originate from the earth surface and are well mixed within the atmospheric boundary layer of the atmosphere. Aerosols scatter and/or absorb solar radiation as well as emitted and reflected radiation from the earth (Ichoku et al., 2004). As a consequence, aerosol particles can significantly affect radiative forcing of climate (Feczkó et al., 2002), and play a key role in atmospheric physics and chemistry (Figueras i Ventura and Russchenberg, 2008; Han et al., 2008). Moreover, the aerosols near the ground are one of the air pollutants responsible for human health hazard. Exposure to aerosols, both short-term and long-term, may cause considerable negative health effects. Accurate mapping of those parameters and their spatial and temporal changes is important for the evaluation of the current air dispersion modeling, air pollution control regulations, and other environmental and climate change related activities (Dockery et al., 1993).