The Navy Aerosol Analysis and Prediction System generates analyses
and short-term forecasts of aerosols for operational use by the Navy
and the public. This system relies on satellite inputs for a variety of
purposes. Satellite data are heavily used in retrospective analyses for
model development, validation, and uncertainty estimation. Satellite
data are also dynamically used in the system, for estimation of the
smoke source and for AOD data assimilation. The accuracy of the NAAPS
forecast is dependent on application of these satellite data that takes
into account the capabilities and limitations of the satellite products
used. In this talk, I will discuss properties of satellite observations
of fires and AOD that influence their use in the NAAPS system. Research
into understanding the uncertainties in the Fire Location and
Monitoring of Burning Emission (FLAMBE) smoke emission product has
shown that spatial and temporal patterns of burning emissions are
heavily influenced by the properties of the satellite fire detection
products. When these properties are correctly accounted for, the
fidelity of the spatial and temporal distribution of fire activity can
be improved. NRL has invested considerable effort into quantitative
characterization of uncertainty in satellite AOD products. These
products have advanced rapidly in recent years, but numerous biases
remain in the current generation of these products. This NRL research
has led to the creation of global AOD products over land and ocean that
are explicitly designed for data assimilation, with reduced bias and
numerical uncertainties included with each observation. Results of NRL
research to characterize these biases and correct them where possible
will be presented. These products are now publicly distributed through
the Global Ocean Data Assimilation Experiment (GODAE) data portal.