Research Letter

Detecting super-thin clouds with polarized sunlight

  1. Wenbo Sun1,2,*,
  2. Gorden Videen3,4 and
  3. Michael I. Mishchenko5

Article first published online: 28 JAN 2014

DOI: 10.1002/2013GL058840

Issue

Geophysical Research Letters

Geophysical Research Letters

Volume 41, Issue 2, pages 688–693, 28 January 2014


Additional Information

How to Cite

Sun, W., G. Videen, and M. I. Mishchenko (2014), Detecting super-thin clouds with polarized sunlight, Geophys. Res. Lett., 41, 688–693, doi:10.1002/2013GL058840.

Author Information

  1. 1

    Science Systems and Applications Inc., Hampton, Virginia, USA

  2. 2

    NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia, USA

  3. 3

    Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colorado, USA

  4. 4

    Army Research Laboratory, Adelphi, Maryland, USA

  5. 5

    NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, New York, USA

* Correspondence to: W. Sun,
wenbo.sun-1@nasa.gov

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 3 MAR 2014
  2. Article first published online: 28 JAN 2014
  3. Accepted manuscript online: 8 JAN 2014 12:40AM EST
  4. Manuscript Accepted: 6 JAN 2014
  5. Manuscript Revised: 2 JAN 2014
  6. Manuscript Received: 25 NOV 2013

Funded by

  • NASA Glory. Grant Number: 09-GLORY09-0027

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Keywords:

  • Reflected light;
  • angle of linear polarization;
  • detection of clouds

Abstract

We report a novel method for detecting cloud particles in the atmosphere. Solar radiation backscattered from clouds is studied with both satellite data and a radiative transfer model. A distinct feature is found in the angle of linear polarization of solar radiation that is backscattered from clouds. The dominant backscattered electric field from the clear-sky Earth-atmosphere system is nearly parallel to the Earth surface. However, when clouds are present, this electric field can rotate significantly away from the parallel direction. Model results demonstrate that this polarization feature can be used to detect super-thin cirrus clouds having an optical depth of only ~0.06 and super-thin liquid water clouds having an optical depth of only ~0.01. Such clouds are too thin to be sensed using any current passive satellite instruments.

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