The study of atmospheric correction of satellite remotely sensed images intended for air pollution using sun-photometers (AERONET) and lidar system in Lemesos, Cyprus

Solar radiation reflected by the Earth's surface to satellite sensors is modified by its interaction with the atmosphere. The objective of atmospheric correction is to determine true surface reflectance values by removing atmospheric effects from satellite images. Atmospheric correction is arguably the most important part of the pre-processing of satellite remotely sensed data. The most important parameter in applying any atmospheric correction is the aerosol optical thickness which is also used for assessing air pollution. This paper explores how the AOT is extracted from atmospheric corrected satellite imagery acquired from Landsat ETM + and how then AOT values are used to assess air pollution. The atmospheric correction algorihm developed by Hadjimitsis and Clayton (2009) is applied to short wavelengths like Landsat TM band 1 and 2 (0.45-0.52μm, 0.52-0.60 μm). The results are also assessed using Lidar system and Cimel Sunphotometer located in the premises of the Cyprus University of Technology in Limassol. The authors run the atmospheric correction developed by Hadjimitsis and Clayton (2009) in MATLAB and sample AOT results for the Landsat ETM+ images acquired on the 15/01/2010, 20/4/2010, 09/06/2010 are shown. For the Landsat ETM+ image acquired on 20/4/2010, the AOT was found 1.4 after the application of the atmospheric correction. Such value complies with the AOT value measured by the Cimel Sun-photometer (AERONET) during the satellite overpass. An example of how Lidar is used to assess the existing atmospheric conditions which is useful for assessing air pollution is also presented.