Changes in atmospheric aerosol parameters after Gujarat earthquake of January 26, 2001 Original Research Article

The analysis of Sea-Viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) data from Gujarat coast has been carried out after Gujarat earthquake of January 26, 2001. The aerosol parameters (aerosol optical depth and Angstrom coefficient) have been deduced. The aerosol parameters have been deduced along the Gujarat coast and also along the profile from the coast to remote ocean. Variation of aerosol parameters shows significant changes after Gujarat earthquake. The source of the high aerosol optical depth is located using HYbrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT4) developed by NOAA Air Resources Laboratory. The aerosol parameters from SeaWiFS and the result of HYSPLIT4 model show that the strong wind from the Gujarat region brought the aerosol particles over the Gujarat coast which is attributed to the emission of dust due to the total destruction of villages during Gujarat earthquake.