Exploring geometrical stereoscopic aerosol top height retrieval from geostationary satellite imagery in East Asia

Abstract. Despite the importance of aerosol height information for events such as volcanic eruptions and long-range aerosol transport, spatial coverage of its retrieval is often limited because of a lack of appropriate instruments and algorithms. Especially, geostationary satellite observations provide constant monitoring for such events. This study assessed the application of different viewing geometries for a pair of geostationary imagers to retrieve aerosol top height (ATH) information. The stereoscopic algorithm converts the lofted aerosol layer parallax, calculated using image-matching of two visible images, to ATH. The sensitivity study prospects a reliable result using a pair of Advanced Himawari Imager (AHI) and Advanced Geostationary Radiation Imager (AGRI) images at 40° longitudinal separation. The pair resolved aerosol layers above 1 km altitude over East Asia. In comparison, …