Research Initiation Award: Investigating optical properties of urban aerosols for monitoring fine air particulate matter

研究启动奖为传统黑人学院和大学的初级和中期职业教师提供支持，他们正在建立新的研究项目或重新指导和重建现有的研究项目。期望该奖项有助于进一步提高教师的研究能力和效率，改善其所在机构的研究和教学，并使本科生参与研究经验。北卡罗来纳中央大学（North Carolina Central University）获得的奖项可能在许多领域产生更广泛的影响。该项目的目标是开发一种新的气溶胶光学深度（AOD）检索方法，以解决空气颗粒物（PM2.5）遥感应用的突出挑战。由各种燃烧活动和某些工业过程产生的直径小于2.5微米的颗粒（PM2.5）被称为“细”颗粒，被认为对健康构成很大风险。由于它们的体积小，细颗粒可以深入肺部。该项目还将提高北卡罗来纳中央大学本科生的研究经验和培训。该项目的目标是开发一种新的方法，用于在1公里分辨率下检索气溶胶光学深度，适用于北卡罗来纳州的气溶胶微物理环境和陆地表面类型。该项目旨在更好地表征光谱气溶胶光学深度的时空变化，从而提高对气溶胶光学特性的理解，包括对单次散射反照率和不对称参数的估计。具体目标是调查城市地区气溶胶的光谱特征；建立回归模型，利用地面AOD测量值估算PM2.5；并开发一种从1公里分辨率的卫星数据中检索AOD的新方法。

Research Initiation Awards provide support for junior and mid-career faculty at Historically Black Colleges and Universities who are building new research programs or redirecting and rebuilding existing research programs. It is expected that the award helps to further the faculty member's research capability and effectiveness, improves research and teaching at his home institution, and involves undergraduate students in research experiences. The award to North Carolina Central University has potential broader impact in a number of areas. The goal of the project is develop a new Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) retrieval approach that addresses outstanding challenges of remote sensing applications to air particulate matter (PM2.5). Particles less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter (PM2.5), which are generated by all types of combustion activities and certain industrial processes, are referred to as "fine" particles and are believed to pose a great health risks. Because of their small size, fine particles can lodge deeply into the lungs. This project will also enhance the research experience and training of undergraduate students at North Carolina Central University. The goal of this project is to develop a new methodology for retrieving Aerosol Optical Depth at a 1 kilometer resolution suitable for the aerosol microphysical environments and land surface types in North Carolina. This project seeks to allow better characterization of spatial and temporal variations in spectral Aerosol Optical Depth and thus improve the understanding of aerosol optical properties including estimation of the single scattering albedo and the asymmetry parameter. The specific objectives are to investigate the spectral characteristics of aerosols in urban areas; to develop a regression model to estimate PM2.5 using ground AOD measurements; and to develop a new method to retrieve AOD from satellite data at a 1 kilometer resolution.