Compensation for the Atmosphere in Radiance Measured by the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer and Applications to an Advanced Land Remote Sensing System

The Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer measures spatial images of the total upwelling spectral radiance from 400 to 2500 nm through 10 nm spectral channels. Quantitative research and application objectives for surface investigations require conversion of the measured radiance to surface reflectance or surface leaving radiance. To calculate apparent surface reflectance an estimation of atmospheric water vapor abundance, cirrus cloud effects, surface pressure elevation and aerosol optical depth is also required. Algorithms for the estimation of these parameters from the AVIRIS data themselves are described. Based upon these determined atmospheric parameters we show an example of the calculation of apparent surface reflectance from the AVIRIS-measured radiance using a radiative transfer code.