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.
