Aerosol optical depth retrieval at the Izaña Atmospheric Observatory from 1941 to 2013 by using artificial neural networks [Póster]

Abstract

A 73-year time series of the daily aerosol optical depth (AOD) at 500 nm has been reconstructed from 1941 to 2013 at the subtropical high-mountain Izaña Global Atmospheric Watch (GAW) Observatory (IZO) located in Tenerife Island (The Canary Islands, Spain ; 28º 18’ N, 16º 29’W, 2.367 ma.s.l) For this purpose, we have combined AOD estimates from Artificial Neuronal Networks (ANNs) from 1941 to 2001, and AOD measurements directly performed with Precision Filter Radiometer (PFR) between 2003 and 2013. Theanalysis is limited to cloud-free conditions (Oktas=0) and to the summer season (JAS), where the largest aerosol load is observed at IZO (Saharan mineral dust particles). In order to account for the observed AOD inter-annual/decadal variations, we have done a preliminary study about the relationship between AOD time series and the large-scale climatic indexes, such as the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO), obtaining a significant anti-correlation.