Lightscatteringisusedinmanyapplications,rangingfromopticalparticlesizing of powders to interstellar dust studies. At the moment there is no a specialized journal aimed at studies of exclusively light scattering problems. Instead, d- ferent aspects of the problem and also di?erent applications are considered in a varietyof specializedjournalscoveringseveralscienti?cdisciplinessuchasch- istry, physics, biology, medicine, astrophysics, and atmospheric science, to name afew. The Light Scattering Reviews (LSR) series started in 2006 with the aim of facilitating interaction between di?erent groups of scientists working in diverse scienti?c areas but using the same technique, namely light scattering, for so- tion of speci?c scienti?c tasks. This second volume of LSR is devoted mostly to applications of light scattering in atmospheric research. The book consists of eight contributions prepared by internationally recognized authorities in cor- spondent research ?elds. The ?rst paper prepared by Howard Barker deals with the recent devel- ments in solar radiative transfer in the terrestrial atmosphere and global climate modelling.
In particular, methods to compute radiative transfer characteristics needed for numerical global climate models are discussed in a great depth. Their de?cienciesareaddressedaswell.Theproblemof3Dradiativetransferincloudy atmospheres, a hot topic in modern climate modelling, is also considered.

Aerosols have a significant influence on the Earth's radiation budget, but there is considerable uncertainty about the magnitude of their effect on the Earth's climate. Currently, satellite remote sensing is being increasingly utilized to improve our understanding of the effect of atmospheric aerosols on the climate system.

Satellite Aerosol Remote Sensing Over Land is the only book that brings together in one volume the most up-to-date research and advances in this discipline. As well as describing the current academic theory, the book presents practical applications, utilizing state-of-the-art instrumentation, invaluable to the work of environmental scientists.

With contributions by an international group of experts and leaders of correspondent aerosol retrieval groups, the book is an essential tool for all those working in the field of climate change.


Aerosol Optics

by Alexander A. Kokhanovsky

Published 29 January 2008

This new text offers experienced students a comprehensive review of available techniques for the remote sensing of aerosols. These small particles influence both atmospheric visibility and the thermodynamics of the atmosphere. They are also of great importance in any consideration of climate change problems. Aerosols may also be responsible for the loss of harvests, human health problems and ecological disasters. Thus, this detailed study of aerosol properties on a global scale could not be more timely.


This is the 3rd volume of a "Light Scattering Reviews" series devoted to current knowledge of light scattering problems and both experimental and theoretical research techniques related to their solution. This volume covers applications in remote sensing, inverse problems and geophysics, with a particular focus on terrestrial clouds. The influence of clouds on climate is poorly understood. The theoretical aspects of this problem constitute the main emphasis of this work.


This fourth volume of Light Scattering Reviews is composed of three parts. The ?rstpartisconcernedwiththeoreticalandexperimentalstudiesofsinglelightsc- tering by small nonspherical particles. Light scattering by small particles such as, for instance, droplets in the terrestrial clouds is a well understood area of physical optics. On the other hand, exact theoretical calculations of light scattering p- terns for most of nonspherical and irregularly shaped particles can be performed only for the restricted values of the size parameter, which is proportional to the ratio of the characteristic size of the particle to the wavelength?. For the large nonspherical particles, approximations are used (e. g. , ray optics). The exact th- retical techniques such as the T-matrix method cannot be used for extremely large particles, such as those in ice clouds, because then the size parameter in the v- iblex=2?a/???,wherea is the characteristic size (radius for spheres), and the associated numerical codes become unstable and produce wrong answers. Yet another problem is due to the fact that particles in many turbid media (e. g. , dust clouds) cannot be characterized by a single shape. Often, refractive indices also vary. Because of problems with theoretical calculations, experimental (i. e. , la- ratory) investigations are important for the characterization and understanding of the optical properties of such types of particles. The ?rst paper in this volume, written by B. Gustafson, is aimed at the descr- tionofscaledanalogueexperimentsinelectromagneticscattering.

The theory of the scattering of light by small particles is very important in a wide range of applications in atmospheric physics and atmospheric optics, ocean optics, remote sensing, astronomy and astrophysics and biological optics. This book summarises current knowledge of the optical properties of single small particles and natural light scattering media such as snow, clouds, foam aerosols etc. The book considers both single and multiple light scattering regimes, together with light scattering and radiative transfer in close-packed media. The third edition incorporates new findings in the area of light scattering media optics in an updated version of the text.