Comparison between AERONET measurements and the PARASOL and MODIS/Aqua aerosol retrievals over ocean

Simultaneous AERONET measurements and aerosol retrievals from PARASOL and MODIS/Terra are compared. Advantages of each instrument are described; for instance PARASOL can detect non-spherical particles within the coarse mode, which is not the case of MODIS. Simulations of MODIS (PARASOL respectively) measurements from PARASOL (MODIS) inverted aerosol models are also performed (cross- simulations). Directional and polarized informations from PARASOL with simultaneous MODIS spectral data can be combined to retrieve more accurately aerosol optical properties. Results from the joint inversion scheme are compared to AERONET data.