Investigating Correlations Between Satellite-Derived Aerosol Optical Depth And Ground PM2.5 Measurements in Californias San Joaquin Valley with MODIS Deep Blue

Air quality in the San Joaquin Valley has failed to meet state and federal particulate matter (PM) attainment standards for the past several years. Air quality agencies currently use ground sensors to monitor the region's air. While this method provides accurate information at specific locations, it does not provide a clear indication of conditions over large regions. Measurements from satellite imagery have the potential to provide timely air quality data for large swaths of land. While previous studies show strong correlations between MODIS-derived Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) and surface PM measurements on the East Coast of the United States, only weak correlations have been found in the West. Specific causes of this discrepancy have not been identified, nor has a solution been found. This study compares hourly and daily surface PM measurements to both traditional and Deep Blue-derived Aqua MODIS AOD data. Deep Blue is a newly developed algorithm that was recently applied to all Aqua MODIS data. Additionally, we analyzed the effects of relative humidity, surface reflectance, and aerosol vertical distribution, from CALIPSO's CALIOP sensor, on differences in PM and AOD measurements. Results show hourly PM2.5 data improved correlations with satellite AOD values. Also PM2.5 data, corresponding to sites in Bakersfield and Fresno, correlate better with Deep Blue-derived AOD values than with traditional MODIS AOD. Further investigation into the affects of seasonal variation, particle distribution and speciation is needed.