August 2024

Global (GL) Annual PM2.5 Grids from MODIS, MISR, SeaWiFS and VIIRS Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD), v5.04 (1998-2022)


PURPOSE

To provide annual global surface concentrations (micrograms per cubic meter) of all composition ground-level fine particulate matter less than or equal to 2.5 microns in diameter (PM2.5) for large-scale health and environmental research.


DESCRIPTION

The Global Annual PM2.5 Grids from MODIS, MISR, SeaWiFS and VIIRS Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD), 1998-2022, V5.GL.04 consists of annual concentrations (micrograms per cubic meter) of all composition (i.e. total) ground-level fine particulate matter (PM2.5). This data set combines AOD retrievals from multiple satellite algorithms including the NASA MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer Collection 6.1 (MODIS C6.1), Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer Version 23 (MISRv23), MODIS Multi-Angle Implementation of Atmospheric Correction Collection 6 (MAIAC C6), the Sea-Viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor (SeaWiFS) Deep Blue Version 4, along with the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS). The GEOS-Chem chemical transport model is used to initially relate this total column measure of aerosol to near-surface PM2.5 concentration. Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) is used with global ground-based measurements from the World Health Organization (WHO) database and available regional networks to predict and adjust for the residual PM2.5 bias per grid cell in the initial satellite-derived values. These estimates are primarily intended to aid in large-scale studies. Gridded data sets are provided at a resolution of 0.01 degrees to allow users to agglomerate data as best meets their particular needs. Data sets are gridded at the finest resolution of the information sources that were incorporated, but do not fully resolve PM2.5 gradients at the gridded resolution due to influence by information sources at coarser resolution. The data are distributed as GeoTIFF and netCDF files and are in WGS84 projection.


ACCESSING THE DATA

The data may be downloaded at https://sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/data/set/sdei-global-annual-gwr-pm2-5-modis-misr-seawifs-viirs-aod-v5-gl-04/data-download


DATA FORMAT

This archive contains data in netCDF and GeoTIFF.

The data files are compressed zipfiles. Downloaded files need to be uncompressed in a single folder using either WinZip (Windows file compression utility) or similar application. Users should expect an increase in the size of downloaded data after decompression.


DATA UNIT

The unit for PM2.5 is micrograms (one-millionth of a gram) per cubic meter air (µg/m^3).


SPATIAL EXTENT

Global


DISCLAIMER

CIESIN follows procedures designed to ensure that data disseminated by CIESIN are of reasonable quality. If, despite these procedures, users encounter apparent errors or misstatements in the data, they should contact SEDAC User Services at ciesin.info@ciesin.columbia.edu. Neither CIESIN nor NASA verifies or guarantees the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of any data provided. CIESIN provides this data without warranty of any kind whatsoever, either expressed or implied. CIESIN shall not be liable for incidental, consequential, or special damages arising out of the use of any data provided by CIESIN.


USE CONSTRAINTS

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0). Users are free to use, copy, distribute, transmit, and adapt the work for commercial and non-commercial purposes, without restriction, as long as clear attribution of the source is provided.


RECOMMENDED CITATION(s)

Data Set:

van Donkelaar, A., M. S. Hammer, L. Bindle, M. Brauer, J. R. Brook, M. J. Garay, N. C. Hsu, O. V. Kalashnikova, R. A. Kahn, C. Lee, R. C. Levy, A. Lyapustin, A. M. Sayer, and R. V. Martin. 2024. Global Annual PM2.5 Grids from MODIS, MISR, SeaWiFS and VIIRS Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD), 1998-2022, V5.GL.04. Palisades, New York: NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC). https://doi.org/10.7927/as2r-9p42. Accessed DAY MONTH YEAR.

Scientific Publication:

van Donkelaar, A., M. S. Hammer, L. Bindle, M. Brauer, J. R. Brook, M. J. Garay, N. C. Hsu, O. V. Kalashnikova, R. A. Kahn, C. Lee, R. C. Levy, A. Lyapustin, A. M. Sayer, and R. V. Martin. 2021. Monthly global estimates of fine particulate matter and their uncertainty. Environmental Science & Technology, 55, 22, 15287–1530. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.1c05309.


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 

Funding for dissemination of this data set was provided under the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) contract 80GSFC23CA001 for the continued operation of the Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC), which is operated by the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) of Columbia University.  


POTENTIAL USE CASES

This work is expected to be used for new studies on individual and combined health risks of total PM2.5 concentration, as well as understanding fine-scale spatiotemporal variabilities of PM2.5. It will facilitate studies on the relationships and impacts of PM2.5 on time-sensitive health effects, such as in-utero infant development. Additionally, this work will enable future research to investigate the effects of hybrid PM2.5 uncertainties on health impact assessments and epidemiological studies.