Retrievals of aerosol single-scattering albedo and effective aerosol layer height for biomass-burning smoke: Synergy derived from ‘‘A-Train’’ sensors

In this paper, we present results from a new algorithm which provides aerosol layer height (ALH) as well as single-scattering albedo (SSA) for biomass-burning smoke aerosols by merging measurements from three of the ‘‘ATrain’’ satellite sensors: MODIS, OMI, and CALIOP. This algorithm has been applied successfully to biomass burning episodes over North America and Southeast Asia, and the corresponding SSA retrievals show good agreement with those from the AERONET. Furthermore, by combining ALH information from CALIOP with the retrieved SSA, extended information of ALH over wide areas can be obtained outside the CALIPSO track. Even when CALIPSO data are not available, this algorithm will still allow for the separation of aerosols residing within the boundary layer from those elevated in the free troposphere by combining only MODIS and OMI data. Results from this study will provide a better understanding of the height of smoke layers generated from biomass burning and thus improve aerosol models and the prediction of smoke aerosol transport.