Influence of Aerosol Scattering on Atmospheric Blurring of Surface Features

Abstract

We investigate the influence of the shape of atmospheric scattering phase functions on blurring of surface detail in images acquired from space. The effects are characterized by computing atmospheric transfer functions and by solving the multidimensional equation of radiative transfer using a Fourier transform method. We predict that increased forward scattering enhances the detectability of atmospheric blurring near reflectance boundaries. Results for off-nadir viewing are also presented. © 1985 by The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.