An Aerosol Extinction Coefficient Retrieval Method and Characteristics Analysis of Landscape Images

Area of Science:

• Atmospheric Science
• Optical Remote Sensing
• Environmental Monitoring

Background:

• Aerosol optical properties, like extinction coefficient, are crucial for understanding atmospheric processes and air quality.
• Directly measuring aerosol extinction coefficients from RGB images is challenging due to complex factors influencing pixel values.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a straightforward method for calculating aerosol extinction coefficients from RGB image data.
• To validate the proposed method against established air quality measurements.

Main Methods:

• Utilized RGB pixel values from images to derive aerosol extinction coefficients at three effective wavelengths.
• Employed the RGB Ångström exponent to infer aerosol size information across various atmospheric conditions.
• Conducted long-term measurements over four months for validation.

Main Results:

• Successfully obtained reasonable aerosol extinction coefficients at RGB wavelengths.
• Demonstrated the method's ability to differentiate aerosol types (e.g., dust, fog).
• Long-term results showed good agreement with existing PM2.5 measurements.

Conclusions:

• The proposed RGB image-based method offers a practical approach for estimating aerosol extinction coefficients.
• This technique provides valuable insights into aerosol concentration and size distribution.
• The method shows potential for widespread application in air quality monitoring.