Abstract
Satellite remote sensing of nighttime aerosols in the lower atmosphere poses additional challenges in comparison with daytime sensing, due to the specific features of the available light sources and the different scattering geometries. In this work we develop a detailed quantitative model for the top-of-atmosphere radiance of the halos of diffuse light observed around cities in satellite nighttime imagery. It is shown that these scattered light distributions contain relevant information about the aerosol properties, and that under some basic assumptions they can be used to estimate them. We formalize the basis of a method for retrieving the aerosol particle size number distribution function based on inverting the angular dependence of the radiance detected in near-nadir remote sensing observations. The results stress the convenience of endowing future night Earth observation missions with enhanced angular detection capabilities.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
