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Secular Changes In Atmospheric Turbidity Over Iraq And A Possible Link To Military Activity, Alexandra Chudnovsky, A. Kostinski

Michigan Tech Publications

We examine satellite-derived aerosol optical depth (AOD) data during the period 2000-2018 over the Middle East to evaluate the contribution of anthropogenic pollution. We focus on Iraq, where US troops were present for nearly nine years. We begin with a plausibility argument linking anthropogenic influence and AOD signature. We then calculate the percent change in AOD every two years. To pinpoint the causes for changes in AOD on a spatial basis, we distinguish between synoptically "calm" periods and those with vigorous synoptic activity. This was done on high-resolution 10 km AOD retrievals from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor …