Abstract
Synoptic information on a global scale, necessary for general circulation models and climate researches, can be obtained only with passive remote sensing from space. The most relevant part of the information on atmosphere and oceans is retrieved from the radiometric measurements of the radiation emitted by the atmosphere and the surface, i.e., the Earth radiation. This chapter gives an overview of the information that can be obtained from passive infrared and microwave data, and presents some of the algorithms used to retrieve the necessary physical parameters. The parameters examined are: sea surface temperature, surface winds, surface emittance, atmospheric water vapor content, liquid water content, vertical temperature profile, and water vapor profile. The derivation of the radiative transfer equation presented is very simple, according with the objectives of the course, even if it is applicable only for the remote sensing of radiation emerging from the atmosphere.
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Dalu, G. (2003). The Earth Radiation. In: Guzzi, R. (eds) Exploring the Atmosphere by Remote Sensing Techniques. Lecture Notes in Physics, vol 607. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-36536-2_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-36536-2_6
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