Determination of Aerosol Optical Depth and Land Surface Directional Reflectances Using Multiangle Imagery

Spectral aerosol optical depths, surface hemispherical-directional reflectance factors, and bihemispherical reflectances (albedos) are retrieved for an area of Glacier National Park using spectral, multiangle imagery obtained with the airborne advanced solid state array spectroradiometer (ASAS). The retrieval algorithms are described and are identical in principle to those being devised for use by the multiangle imaging spectroradiometer (MISR) which will fly on the EOS-AMI spacecraft in 1998. As part of its science mission, MISR will produce global coverage of both aerosol amounts an an surface reflection properties. The results in this paper represent the initial effort in applying the MISR algorithms to real data. These algorithms will undergo additional testing and validation as more multiangle data become available.