Determination of Atmospheric Parameters from Measurement of Polarization of Upward Radiation by Satellite or Space Probe

Zdenek Sekera

ResearchPublished 1966

An inversion method for determining the characteristics of a planet's atmosphere and the reflectivity of the planetary surface by measuring the intensity and polarization of the upward radiation at the top of the atmosphere in several vertical planes and several directions. Chandrasekhar's modifications of the Stokes parameters are used to solve the radiative transfer equations involved; the coefficients are derived by harmonic analysis. "Effective" estimates of atmospheric turbidity and aerosol content are made by treating aerosol scattering as a perturbation of the polarization field of a pure molecular atmosphere. The determination of atmosphere turbidity parameters from satellite measurements will require extensive preparatory study of the reflection characteristics of natural terrain. (See also R-413, R-452, RM-4281, RM-5056.)

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Sekera, Zdenek, Determination of Atmospheric Parameters from Measurement of Polarization of Upward Radiation by Satellite or Space Probe. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1966. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_memoranda/RM5158.html.
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