Experiences Using the Latest Generation of Satellite Aerosol Products in a Global Aerosol Data Assimilation System

The Navy Aerosol Analysis and Prediction System (NAAPS) produces short-term forecasts of aerosol mass concentration and optical properties. These forecasts are initialized by the Navy Variational Data Assimilation System for Aerosol (NAVDAS-AOD). This system requires observations of aerosol optical depth (AOD) which are unbiased, and free from outliers to the extent possible. With a new generation of AOD data products from MODIS Collection 6 (including Dark Target and Deep Blue algorithms) as well as from NPP VIIRS, the applicability of these products for use in NAVDAS-AOD and their impact on analysis and forecast of aerosols in NAAPS has been evaluated in detail. This talk describes the evaluation of these products, the pre-processing used for quality assurance and quality control of these products for use in NAVDAS-AOD, and the impacts of assimilation of these products on the NAAPS model. Discussion of product characteristics that impact the data assimilation application is also included, as well as prospects for future aerosol products that could lead to improved utilization in atmospheric forecast models.