Publications

Stamnes, S; Stamnes, K; Li, W; Fan, YZ; Chen, N; Tanikawa, T; Stamnes, JJ (2017). What if MODIS could measure the Q Stokes parameter?. RADIATION PROCESSES IN THE ATMOSPHERE AND OCEAN, 1810, UNSP 120008.

Abstract
Simultaneous retrieval of aerosol and surface properties by means of inverse techniques based on a coupled atmosphere-surface radiative transfer model and optimal estimation can yield a considerable improvement in retrieval accuracy based on radiances measured by MERIS, MODIS, and similar instruments compared with traditional methods. There are uniqueness problems associated with radiometric remote sensing measurements (like MERIS/MODIS) that ignore polarization effects, and rely on measuring only the radiance. Use of polarization measurements is particularly important for absorbing aerosols over coastal waters as well as over bright targets such as snow-covered and bare sea ice, where it has proved difficult to retrieve aerosol single-scattering albedo from radiance-only spectrometers such as MERIS and MODIS. We use a vector radiative transfer model for the coupled atmosphere-surface system (C-VRTM) in conjunction with an Optimal Estimation/Levenberg-Marquardt (OE/LM) method to quantify how polarization measurements can be used to overcome the uniqueness problems associated with radianceonly retrieval of aerosol parameters. However, this study also indicates that even for existing radiance-only instruments like MERIS and MODIS and future instrument like OLCI, use of a C-VRTM as a forward model in the inversion can lead to significant enhancement of retrieval capabilities, and facilitate simultaneous retrieval of absorbing aerosols and marine parameters in turbid coastal environments.

DOI:
10.1063/1.4975582

ISSN:
0094-243X