Estimating the relationship between aerosol optical thickness and PM10using lidar and meteorological data in Limassol, Cyprus

Abstract

Daily Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) values from MODIS satellite instrument may be useful to predict Particulate Matter (PM) values in local scale in accordance with vertical profile of the atmosphere and meteorological data. In the frame of 'AIRSPACE' project, correlations between the AOD retrieved from MODIS to sun photometer data from both hand-held MICROTOPS II and ground-based CIMEL from the AERONET network were applied with good correlation coefficients. This permits to use MODIS retrievals as a reliable tool for assessing PM whereas the relationship between these two quantities is not lucid. The main study area is the centre of Limassol in Cyprus. Results concerning the relation between AOD and PM are presented. In cases where high AOD values corresponded to low PM surface values, the vertical distribution of aerosols from Lidar allows the AOD to be quantified within the boundary layer as this fraction best represents the PM measurements in a well-mixed layer