A Web portal for the Polar-AOD network

Analyses of measurements carried out in polar regions indicate significant contrasts in aerosol concentrations as well as spectral signatures, highlighting the importance of assimilating similar data from many sites to better characterize aerosols spatially and temporally, and to gain a perspective on how aerosols differ from pole to pole. To meet the goal of producing a global aerosol climatology, historical and ongoing observations from all Antarctic and Arctic stations must be assimilated into a central archive and then be analyzed to characterize different species of aerosols and quantify their radiative impacts on climate. To accomplish this we need to determine aerosol abundance in terms of spectral AOD and derive their physico-chemical characteristics on regional scales. This information is necessary to better constrain climate model simulations and improve the interpretation of remotely sensed data.