Spatio-temporal variations in aerosol optical and cloud parameters over Southern India retrieved from MODIS satellite data

Remote sensing of global aerosols has generated a great scientific interest in a variety of applications related to global warming and climate change. The spatial and temporal variations in aerosol particles over Southern India were described in the present study and the impact of these variations on various optical properties of clouds, using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data retrieved from the Terra satellite. High mean Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) values were observed in almost all regions during the summer season, whereas in Pune, Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad, high AOD values were noticed during the monsoon season. The Ångström exponent that increases with AOD is opposite to what would be the case if swelling of particles due to hygroscopic growth near cloudy areas played a major role in the MODIS data. We then analyzed the relationships between AOD and four other cloud parameters, namely water vapor (WV), cloud fraction (CF), cloud top temperature (CTT) and cloud top pressure (CTP). Regional correlation maps and time series plots for aerosol (AOD) and cloud parameters were produced to provide a better understanding of aerosol–cloud interaction. The correlation between AOD and CF was greater than 0.51 in Visakhapatnam, 0.45 in Thiruvanantapuram, 0.42 in Pune and whereas in Bangalore, Hyderabad and Anantapur, it is 0.17, 0.39 and 0.12, respectively. The analyses showed strong positive correlations between AOD and WV for all cities investigated. The correlation between AOD and CF was positive for all selected cities. AOD showed a negative correlation with CTP and CTT in Southern Indian regions.

► The spatio-temporal variations of aerosols have been investigated using MODIS.
► High mean AOD was observed in almost all regions during the summer.
► The correlation between CF and AOD was found to be higher at coastal stations.
► AOD and WV have a stronger positive correlation at higher latitudes.
► CTP, CTT vs AOD showed negative correlation.