Remote sensing of cloud parameters from multispectral radiances in the visible and near infrared

Objective

To get an overview over the potential of using multispectral
radiance meaurements in the solar spectrum for the remote sensing
of clouds.


THE REMOTE SENSING OF CLOUDS HAS BECOME A FIELD OF GREAT INTEREST WITHIN THE LAST YEARS SINCE THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CLOUDS FOR CLIMATE STUDIES AROSE GLOBAL AND FREQUENT LONG-TERM OBSERVATIONS OF CLOUD PROPERTIES (MONITORING) ARE AN IMPORTANT MEANS TO UNDERSTAND THE PRESENT SYSTEM AND TO DETECT CHANGES OF THE CLIMATE.
WE PROPOSE TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW REMOTE SENSING TECHNIQUES FOR CLOUD PROPERTIES. THE OBJECTIVES ARE:
1. GETTING AN OVERVIEW OVER THE POTENTIAL OF USING MULTISPECTRAL RADIANCE MEASUREMENTS IN THE SOLAR SPECTRUM UP TO 1800 nm FOR THE REMOTE SENSING OF CLOUDS. A THOROUGH AND COMPREHENSIVE INVESTIGATION OF THAT QUESTION IS STILL PENDING BUT STRONGLY REQUIRED FOR FUTURE ESA SATELLITE INSTRUMENTS (MERIS, GOME, SCIAMACHY).
2. FURTHER REFINEMENT OF A RECENTLY DEVELOPED ALGORITHM (UNDER CONTRACT WITH ESA/ESTEC) FOR CLOUD-TOP HEIGHT AND GEOMETRICAL AND OPTICAL THICKNESS DETECTION WHICH WILL BE APPLIED TO COMING MERIS MEASUREMENTS. 3. APPLICATION OF THE MERIS PROGRAM PACKAGE TO SPECTRA MEASURED ABOVE CLOUDS, AS SIMULATION OF UPCOMING MERIS MEASUREMENTS. COMPARISON WITH ACTIVE MEASURED CLOUD PROPERTIES.
4. DISCOVERY OF RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN SPECTRAL SIGNATURES AND MICROPHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF COULDS, WHICH WILL LEAD TO A DEVELOPMENT OF REMOTE SENSING TECHNIQUES TO DERIVE MICROPHYSICAL CLOUD PARAMETERS (DROPLET SIZE DISTRIBUTIONS ETC.).
5.INVESTIGATION OF THE "MISSING ABSORPTION WITHIN CLOUDS". SIMULATIONS AND MEASUREMENTS SHOW SIGNIFICANT DISCREPANCIES WITH RESPECT TO WATER VAPOUR ABSORPTION WITHIN CLOUDS.
6. REALISATION OF AN AIRBORNE MEASUREMENT CAMPAIGN TO MEASURE MICRO- MESO- AND MACRO-PHYSICAL CLOUD PROPERTIES WITH ACTIVE IN-SITU AS WELL AS REMOTE SENSING METHODS, COMBINED WITH PASSIVE MULTISPECTRAL HIGHLY RESOLVED RADIANCE MEASUREMENTS WITHIN THE WAVELENGTH-RANGE 300-1800 nm TO GET A DATA BASE FOR THE RASKS MENTIONED ABOVE.

Fields of science

• engineering and technology › mechanical engineering › vehicle engineering › aerospace engineering › satellite technology
• engineering and technology › environmental engineering › remote sensing
• natural sciences › earth and related environmental sciences › atmospheric sciences › climatology

Programme(s)

• FP3-ENV 1C - Specific research and technological development programme (EEC) in the field of the environment, 1990-1994

Topic(s)

• 0102 - Anthropogenic climate change

Call for proposal

Data not available

Funding Scheme

CSC - Cost-sharing contracts

Coordinator

UNIVERSITY OF HAMBURG

Address

Bundesstrasse 55
20146 Hamburg
Germany

Participants (3)

ACRI SA - MECANIQUE APPLIQUEE ET SCIENCES DE L'ENVIRONNEMENT

France

Address

260,route Du Pin Montard 260
06904 Sophia Antipolis

FREIE UNIVERSITAET BERLIN

Germany

Address

Fabeckstrasse 69
14195 Berlin

MAX-PLANCK-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FOERDERUNG DER WISSENSCHAFTEN E.V.

Germany

Address

Bundesstra¯e 55
20146 Hamburg