Use of satellite data for air quality applications in northern China

Mineral dust has a significant impact on air quality by reducing visibility and causing adverse health effects on humans such as increased respiratory symptoms and decreased lung function. Ground-based monitoring of PM10 and PM2.5 is the common metric used for assessing air quality degradation. Because of vast dust sources in Northern China and Mongolia, a limited number of existing ground-based sites across this region renders air quality monitoring difficult. Information about air quality within these regions can only be gained by the use of models or satellite data. The goal of this study is to determine satellite value-added information from three passive and one active satellite sensors for the assessment and improvement of local air quality modeling.