Cohort Level: Cohort - III

Career Goal: After I graduate from the doctoral program, I will search for work on remote sensing, water resources, and forestry in USGS, NOAA, and other similar institutions.

Expected Graduation Date: June 2, 2024

Degree: PhD Earth and Environmental Sciences

Research Title: Uncertainties in the Ocean Color satellite sensors and their impact on reflectance spectra in coastal waters.

Research Synopsis: The proper interpretation of atmospheric aerosols is critical in the process of the derivation of the water leaving radiances from the Ocean Color (OC) imagery for ocean monitoring. For the current sensors like the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), and the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) atmospheric correction procedures include assumptions about the characteristics of atmospheric aerosol. The discrepancies between satellite and AERONET data are usually significant in coastal areas which are primarily due to the more complex vertical changing atmospheres near the coast than in the open ocean, therefore associated with a less accurate atmospheric correction. In-situ data from the AERONET-OC radiometers, at 8 stations around the Northern Hemisphere, are compared to data from the VIIRS, and MODIS sensors. The impact of wind speed and solar geometry are evaluated on the accuracies in retrieval AOD and Rrs.

The proper interpretation of atmospheric aerosols is critical in the process of the derivation of the water leaving radiances from the Ocean Color (OC) imagery for ocean monitoring. For the current sensors like the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), and the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) atmospheric correction procedures include assumptions about the characteristics of atmospheric aerosol. The discrepancies between satellite and AERONET data are usually significant in coastal areas which are primarily due to the more complex vertical changing atmospheres near the coast than in the open ocean, therefore associated with a less accurate atmospheric correction. In-situ data from the AERONET-OC radiometers, at 8 stations around the Northern Hemisphere, are compared to data from the VIIRS, and MODIS sensors. The impact of wind speed and solar geometry are evaluated on the accuracies in retrieval AOD and Rrs.