The Level‑1 and Atmosphere Archive & Distribution System Distributed Active Archive Center (LAADS DAAC) has released the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Version 2.1 of the Deep Blue Aerosol Product Suite, which updates the existing Version 2 of the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) VIIRS and the NOAA-20 VIIRS data products, and adds Deep Blue Aerosol products for NOAA21 VIIRS data.
Significant changes in the v2.1 VIIRS Deep Blue Aerosol Product relative to the v2.0 collection include:
- VIIRS-derived Deep Blue Aerosol Products are now available from the NOAA-21, NOAA-20, and Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) platforms.
- Dome C (a calibration site in eastern Antarctica) cross-calibration between Suomi NPP and NOAA-21 has been incorporated to ensure radiometric consistency.
- AOT spatial distribution has been improved over North Africa (particularly between the Sahara and Sahel regions) and South Asia (around the Thar Desert and Indus River Basin).
- Aerosol optical models (i.e., single-scattering albedo) have been adjusted over North America, the Sahel, Southern Africa, and India to further optimize retrieval performance.
- More rigorous sunglint screening has been implemented for over-water retrievals, reducing contamination at the expense of some spatial coverage.
- Cloud filters have been revised to better retain heavy dust plumes and to better remove thin clouds and sea fog over water.
Learn more about the Deep Blue Aerosol data products by clicking the links in the Referenced Datasets section below. The links also provide the Digital Object Identifier for the dataset, along with several suggested styles for properly citing the data.
Version 2.0 VIIRS Deep Blue Aerosol collections will remain available until March 31, 2027.
Explore and access these data products using NASA’s Earthdata Search. If you have any questions or clarifications, contact LAADS User Services or contact LAADS DAAC via Earthdata User Services with any questions.