Using aerosol reflectance for dust detection

In this study we propose an approach for dust detection by aerosol reflectance over arid and urban region in clear sky condition. In urban and arid areas surface reflectance in red and infrared spectral is bright and hence shorter wavelength is required for this detections. Main step of our approach can be mentioned as: cloud mask for excluding cloudy pixels from our calculation, calculate Rayleigh path radiance, construct a surface reflectance data base, estimate aerosol reflectance, detect dust aerosol, dust detection and evaluations of dust detection. Spectral with wavelength 0.66, 0.55, 0.47 μm has been used in our dust detection. Estimating surface reflectance is the most challenging step of obtaining aerosol reflectance from top of atmosphere (TOA) reflectance. Hence for surface estimation we had created a surface reflectance database of 0.05 degree latitude by 0.05 degree longitude resolution by using minimum reflectivity technique (MRT). In order to evaluate our dust detection algorithm MODIS aerosol product MOD04 and common dust detection method named Brightness Temperature Difference (BTD) had been used. We had implemented this method to Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image of part of Iran (7 degree latitude and 8 degree longitude) spring 2005 dust phenomenon from April to June. This study uses MODIS LIB calibrated reflectance high spatial resolution (500 m) MOD02Hkm on TERRA spacecraft. Hence our dust detection spatial resolution will be higher spatial resolution than MODIS aerosol product MOD04 which has 10^∗10 km2 and BTD resolution is 1 km due to the band 29 (8.7μm), 31 (11μm), and 32 (12μm) spatial resolutions.