Studying Satellites and Sensors of Detecting Dust and Aerosols

Remote sensing technology is nowadays used in studies of aerosols and dusts in the atmosphere and because of large extent of covered area this technology has become most efficient in the study of different climatic, atmospheric and hydrological processes. This technology provides images with extensive cover and high frequency at different times and as such it can be used for monitoring of aerosols and dust particles. There are various sensors to detect aerosols and dust and in this article we covered some sensors including MODIS, SEVIRI, OMI, POLDER-P, MISR, MERIS and AVHRR. The results showed that MODIS is a powerful sensor for detecting and monitoring dust because of its high spectral resolution. The geostationary SEVIRI images give us the possibility of continuous dust monitoring. The OMI sensor can be used in both cloudy and cloudless conditions to detect aerosols. POLDER-P is suitable for detecting fine particles and MISR for early detection of dust storms. MERIS also has global measurements, and AVHRR has a global daily coverage and high spatial resolution. We conclude that each of the sensors has different capabilities in the identification of dust and aerosols and depending on the purpose of the study, one or a mix of them can be employed.