On the Problem of Remote Sensing of the Surface through a Planetary Atmosphere

Abstract

The problem of remote sensing of the surface through a planetary atmosphere is considered. An efficient approach to the atmospheric correction of satellite information is developed. A model for the atmospheric transfer properties is represented as a linear functional—the superposition integral underlying the classical linear-system approach. The optical transfer operator is constructed mathematically rigorously and physically correctly by the method of influence functions and spatial-frequency characteristics. The influence functions and spatial-frequency characteristics of an atmosphere–planetary surface system are the kernels of the functionals and objective characteristics, which are invariant to specific structures of the objects being sensed and to illumination and observing conditions. The spatial-frequency characteristics are introduced as Fourier transforms of the influence function in horizontal coordinates. The foundations of the spatial-filtering theory are outlined for the problem of remote sensing, which have a wide range of applications. The main problems of the theory and mathematical modeling of three-dimensional radiative transfer are pointed out.