NOAA JPSS Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Aerosol Optical Thickness (AOT) and Aerosol Particle Size Parameter (APSP) Environmental Data Record (EDR) from IDPS

This dataset contains a high quality operational Environmental Data Record (EDR) of Aerosol Optical Thickness (AOT) from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument onboard the Suomi-NPP satellite and is produced by the NOAA Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS). The algorithm that is used to derive the VIIRS AOT is based on an algorithm originally developed for the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor but is adapted and improved upon for use by VIIRS. The algorithm utilizes eleven different spectral bands ranging from 0.412 to 2.250 microns as well as the Angstrom Exponent to calculate values stored as 96 x 400 arrays of 16-bit integers with a matching scale stored in each granule. The spatial resolution is 6 kilometers (km) which is derived from an intermediate product (IP) of 8 x 8 750 meter pixels. The temporal resolution provides global coverage daily. By default, IDPS VIIRS AOT data obtained from the Comprehensive Large-Array Stewardship System (CLASS) are distributed in four 86-second granules in Hierarchical Data Format v.5 (HDF5) with metadata attributes included. It is important to note that the Aerosol Particle Size Parameter (APSP) is included in this EDR and is reported as Ångström exponent.