This paper will summarize the current NASA Tropospheric Environmental Quality Remote Sensing Program for studying the global and regional troposphere from space, airborne and ground-based platforms. As part of the program to develop remote sensors for utilization from space, NASA has developed a series of passive and active remote sensors which have undergone field test measurements from airborne and ground platforms. Recent measurements with active lidar and passive gas filter correlation and infrared heterodyne techniques will be summarized for measurements of atmospheric aerosols, CO, SO₂, 0₃, and NH₃. These measurements provide the data base required to assess the sensitivity of remote sensors for applications to urban and regional field measurement programs. Studies of Earth Observa-tion Satellite Systems are currently being performed by the scientific community to assess the capability of satellite imagery to detect regions of elevated pollution in the troposphere. The status of NASA sponsored research efforts in interpreting satellite imagery for determining aerosol loadings over land and inland bodies of water will be presented, and comments on the potential of these measurements to supplement in situ and airborne remote sensors in detecting regional haze will be made.

Date Published: 19 December 1979
PDF: 15 pages
Proc. SPIE 0195, Atmospheric Effects on Radiative Transfer, (19 December 1979); doi: 10.1117/12.957931

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 0195:
Atmospheric Effects on Radiative Transfer
Claus B. Ludwig, Editor(s)