Oceanic Aerosol Network: A Maritime Component of AERONET

We suggest the establishment of the Oceanic Aerosol Network as a new component of the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) that adheres to AERONET calibration and processing. Climate change studies, atmospheric correction of the satellite data, satellite data validation, and aerosol modeling creates a strong demand for new data acquisition. Ship-based measurements can at least partly fill the gap in our knowledge on the global aerosol distribution over the oceans and complement island-based AERONET sites. We plan to reestablish NASA's ship-based aerosol optical depth measurement network by deploying hand-held sun photometers on various ships of opportunity; developing an archival system, similar to the AERONET browser, but specifically designed for "moving" objects (i.e., ships); developing a calibration protocol; developing stand alone processing, utilizing AERONET's Version 2 algorithm; and developing a centralized archiving and distribution system allowing for public domain, web-based access. The suggested Oceanic Aerosol Network (AERONET - OAN) will provide important information for the Ocean Color community as well as global ocean and global climate studies.