A research team led by Prof. CHEN Cheng from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has successfully retrieved global aerosol and surface properties using advanced polarization data from China' s GF-5(02) satellite.
The two onboard instruments—Directional Polarimetric Camera (DPC) and Particulate Observing Scanning Polarization (POSP)—were independently developed by the team and launched with the GF-5(02) satellite in 2021. Leveraging these polarimetric observations, the team produced a comprehensive global dataset containing key atmospheric and surface parameters with high spatial and spectral accuracy.
The findings, published in Earth System Science Data and Atmospheric Environment, highlight the potential of satellite-based polarization techniques to enhance understanding of aerosol behavior, air quality, and Earth’s surface reflectance. Polarimetric remote sensing is particularly powerful for separating the contributions of atmospheric particles and surface signals, offering detailed insights into aerosol optical-microphysical properties, particle composition, and vertical structure.
The Generalized Retrieval of Atmosphere and Surface Properties (GRASP) algorithm was used to retrieve aerosol and surface properties from satellite observations. GRASP is an advanced inversion model that the team deeply involved in the development. Using this method, they generated Level 2 products that include aerosol absorption properties, size distributions, scattering features, aerosol layer height, as well as land and ocean surface reflectance such as albedos, BRDF (bidirectional reflectance distribution function) and NDVI (normalized difference vegetation index).
This high-quality dataset provide critical support for studies related to Earth-atmosphere radiative balance, air quality monitoring, Earth system modeling, and climate change analysis. It also supports efforts to better understand the role of aerosols in atmospheric processes and their impact on climate change.
POSP/GF-5(02) main aerosol products. (Image by CHEN Cheng)
POSP/GF-5(02) Main Surface Products. (Image by CHEN Cheng)
