Atmospheric aerosols and climatic changes on regional scale based on radiometers in satellites

• Grant number: 04/10084-8
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Young Investigators Grants
• Start date: May 01, 2005
• End date: April 30, 2007
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Geosciences
• Principal Investigator: Alexandre Lima Correia
• Grantee: Alexandre Lima Correia
• Host Institution: Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE). Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação (Brasil). São José dos Campos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The importance of atmospheric aerosols to the climate has been discussed for several years by the international scientific community. The difficulties associated with the characterization of atmospheric aerosols contribute to the non-existent uncertainties in models of climate changes. One of the instruments used for studies of atmospheric aerosols on a large scale are sensors on board satellites, such as the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (Modis). However, because of its global cover, the Modis products are notably simplified, which attracts inferences with significant errors on regional scales. This project aims to study the interaction between aerosols and climate on regional scales in Brazil, based on the development of Modis products of microphysics and optical thickness of specific aerosols for the characteristics of national ecosystems, with results in better spatial resolution than the products currently available. At the end of the project it will be possible, in principle, to reprocess images already obtained by the Modis sensor since its launch in 1999, making it possible to study the interactions between aerosols and climate on regional scale through the years. This project is furthermore structured in such a way as to permit the later absorption of the products of aerosols in meteorological and climatic models, making it possible to improve the precisions of climatic changes due to the effects of atmospheric aerosols. (AU)