Comparison between NPP-VIIRS aerosol data products and the MODIS Aqua 'Deep Blue' Collection 6 dataset

The Suomi-NPP satellite was launched late in 2011, carrying several instruments designed to continue the biogeophysical data records of current and previous satellite sensors. The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) aboard Suomi-NPP is being used, among other things, to determine aerosol optical depth (AOD), and related activities since launch have been focussed towards validating and understanding this new dataset through comparisons with other satellite and ground-based products. We present a comparison of the operational VIIRS AOD product with that derived from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) observations using the 'Deep Blue' algorithm from the forthcoming Collection 6 of MODIS data.