Data products
UV Aerosol Index
DESCRIPTION
The Aerosol Index (AI) is a well-established data product that has been calculated for several different satellite instruments spanning a period of more than 40 years. The S5P/TROPOMI aerosol index is referred to as the Ultraviolet Aerosol Index (UVAI). The relatively simple calculation of the Aerosol Index is based on wavelength dependent changes in Rayleigh scattering in the UV spectral range where ozone absorption is very small. UVAI can also be calculated in the presence of clouds so that daily, global coverage is possible. AI is ideal for tracking the evolution of episodic aerosol plumes from dust outbreaks, volcanic ash, and biomass burning. The figure below shows the S5P/TROPOMI UVAI (NRTI) on 10 July 2021, Saharan dust as well as biomass burning smoke plumes over the United States and Canada are most visible.
| Version number | Version Effective Orbit Number and Date | Summary of Changes |
|---|---|---|
| OFFL: orbit 24655, 2022-07-17 NRTI: orbit 24697, 2022-07-20 |
Current version; updated L1b, 3rd wavelength pair introduced, |
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2.03.01 |
OFFL: orbit 21188, 2021-11-14 NRTI: orbit 21223, 2021-11-14 |
Current version; minor format changes |
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2.02.00 |
OFFL: orbit 19258, 2021-07-01 NRTI: orbit 19308, 2021-07-05 |
Irradiance degradation corrected; UVAI offset added |
USER DOCUMENTATION: ATBD, PUM, & README
Links to the Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document (ATBD), Product User Manual (PUM), and the Product Readme File (PRF) is provided here on the right under Documentation. Note: both the NRTI and the OFFL versions of this data product were publically released on 11 July 2018 and are available via the Copernicus Open Data Access Hub (see link on right).