The aerosol layer height (ALH) is an important parameter that characterizes aerosol interaction with the environment. An estimation of the vertical distribution of aerosol is necessary for studies of those interactions, their effect on radiance and for aerosol transport models. ALH can be retrieved from satellite-based radiance measurements within the oxygen absorption band between 760 and 770 nm (𝑂2A band). The oxygen absorption is reduced when light is scattered by an elevated aerosol layer. The Ocean and Land Colour Imager (OLCI) has three bands within the oxygen absorption band. We show a congruent sensitivity study with respect to ALH for dust and smoke cases over oceans. Furthermore, we developed a retrieval of the ALH for those cases and an uncertainty estimation by applying linear uncertainty propagation and a bootstrap method. The sensitivity study and the uncertainty estimation are based on radiative transfer simulations. The impact of ALH, aerosol optical thickness (AOT), the surface roughness (wind speed) and the central wavelength on the top of atmosphere (TOA) radiance is discussed. The OLCI bands are sufficiently sensitive to ALH for cases with AOTs larger than 0.5 under the assumption of a known aerosol type. With an accurate spectral characterization of the OLCI 𝑂2A bands better than 0.1 nm, ALH can be retrieved with an uncertainty of a few hundred meters. The retrieval of ALH was applied successfully on an OLCI dust and smoke scene. The found ALH is similar to parallel measurements by the Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI). OLCI’s high spatial resolution and coverage allow a detailed overview of the vertical aerosol distribution over oceans.
