Recent advances in the monitoring of aerosol physical properties from space-borne satellite platforms have provided the aerosol modeling community with a unique opportunity for improving long-term aerosol forecasts through data assimilation. Aerosol Optical Thickness (AOT) products and, now, lidar profiling allow for three-dimensional (x, y, z) data assimilation. However, challenges remain, as large uncertainties and bias exist in satellite aerosol products. Meticulous quality assurance procedures are critical, and must be carefully designed, before implementing satellite-derived aerosol optical property measurements into numerical models.

In this talk, procedures for developing data-assimilation friendly satellite aerosol products for the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) aerosol products are presented, and progress in multi-sensor aerosol assimilation for long term aerosol forecasts is discussed. Also, we will show recent progress in assimilating quality assured Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) aerosol data. The impact of vertical representation of aerosol concentrations in the Navy Aerosol Analysis and Prediction System (NAAPS) is described.