Assessment of urban aerosols in Atlanta, GA with linkages to air quality using measurements from the ground and space

The goal of this study is to describe the nature of urban aerosols and provide a framework for analyzing air quality events in metro Atlanta on a broad scale by combining remote sensing technologies and continuous PM2.5 concentrations (particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in diameter). Analyses of both PM2.5 and satellite data will cover the time period of March 1 – August 31 2004- 2008. Additionally, the research will highlight how the Okefenokee Swamp wildfire impacted local air quality in Atlanta, GA during April16 – June 5, 2007. Satellite data includes Aerosol optical depth (AOD) and True Color Images from MODIS (available twice daily since 2002), vertical aerosol profiles from CALIPSO (available since June 2006), and Aerosol Index (AI) from OMI. Presentations of case studies involving long range transport will highlight the complimentary nature of the different datasets, and how all the datasets can be used to provide a multi-dimensional perspective of poor air quality events.