ABSTRACT
PM2.5, also known as fine particulate matter, is the general term for air-suspended particles whose diameter is less than or equal to 2.5 micron. It can be suspended in air for a long time. The higher the concentration is in the air, the severer air pollution will become. With the help of ground monitoring stations, one can be kept informed of the PM2.5 levels around the monitoring stations, but these conventional monitoring methods lack the ability of an effective large-scale monitor. Remote sensing data have the characteristics of large-scale covered, quasi real-time accessing, dynamical updating, and low cost and therefore, the use of the satellite remote sensing technology to monitor PM2.5 embraces the features of large-scale monitoring, faster data accessing, shorter accessing cycle, less restricted conditions, etc. With the continuous development of China’s aerospace industry, series of satellites, such as the FY, the HJ, and the GF, have been successfully launched. Among
which, the GF-1, which was successfully launched by using a Long March 2C launch vehicle at our Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on 26 April 2014, is marked as the first star of the national science and technology project under the high-resolution Earth observation system. After the successful launch of the GF-1 satellite, it is able to provide highly precise and wide-range space observation services for the Ministry of Land and Resources, Ministry of Agriculture, environmental protection department, geographic mapping, marine, water conservancy, forestry resources monitoring, and city and public health emergency area. With the advantages of high spatial resolution imaging for earth observation and significant combination, the GF-1 satellite also shows strong potential in the field of atmospheric remote sensing.
