Atmospheric aerosol measurements from the ATSR-SLSTR series of dual-view satellite instruments 1995–2022

A data record, spanning 24 years, is presented of global atmospheric total aerosol optical depth and also the aerosol optical depth due to fine-mode constituents, typically of anthropogenic origin. Original measurements of reflectance were provided at approximately 1-km resolution by a series of dual-view satellite instruments: the Along-Track Scanning Radiometer 2 (ATSR-2), Advanced Along-Track Scanning Radiometer (AATSR), and Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometers (SLSTRs). These were processed to retrieve aerosol properties at 10-km resolution and then collated over daily and monthly timescales on a 1° × 1° latitude-longitude grid. Retrievals are evaluated against ground-based sun-photometer measurements from the Aerosol Robotic Network and Maritime Aerosol Network and compared to other satellite-derived datasets. The data record has implications for directly constraining the Earth's radiation budget, allowing benchmarking and improvement of models to represent aerosol in the climate system, air quality monitoring and adding to the long-term record of emission trends related to sources such as fire, dust and sulphate pollution. After release, the SLSTR datasets will be regularly extended in time.