Snow Optics

Description

This book is the first book of its kind, focusing exclusively on the optical properties of snow. As a complex and turbid medium, snow is approached as a strongly light-scattering (in the visible spectrum) medium with large, nonspherical ice grains. The book discusses both experimental and theoretical results, as well as the remote sensing of snow using ground-based, airborne and satellite optical instrumentation. The book will be of particular importance for researchers studying snow characteristics (the size of grains, snow pollution and albedo) using various remote-sensing techniques. Preface Contents 1 Microphysics and Geometry of Snowpack 1.1 Ice Grains in Snow: Size, Density and Shape 1.2 The Snow Specific Surface Area 1.3 The Snow Water Equivalent 1.4 Layered Nature and Complex Geometry of Snow Fields 1.5 Snow Impurities: Soot, Dust, and Algae 1.6 Optical Constants of Ice References 2 Local Optical Properties of Snowpack 2.1 Geometrical Optics of Large Spherical Particles 2.1.1 Light Scattering 2.1.2 Light Absorption and Extinction 2.2 Local Optical Properties of Snowpack 2.2.1 Integral Light Scattering and Absorption Characteristics of Large Nonspherical Scatterers 2.2.2 Integral Light Scattering and Absorption Characteristics of Snowpack 2.2.3 Phase Function 2.2.4 Polarization Characteristics 2.2.5 Light Absorption by Polluted Snowpack References 3 Radiative Transfer in Snowpack 3.1 Radiative Transfer Characteristics 3.2 Radiative Transfer Equation 3.3 Light Field in Deep Layers of Semi-Infinite Weakly Absorbing Snowpack 3.4 Reflection of Light from a Semi-Infinite Snow Layer 3.4.1 Nonlinear Integral Equation for the Reflection Function 3.4.2 Reflection Function of Semi-Infinite Weakly Absorbing Snow Layers 3.4.3 Snow Albedo 3.4.4 Snow Broadband Albedo 3.5 Finite Optically Thick Snow Layers: Reflection and Transmission 3.5.1 Ambartsumian Approximation 3.5.2 Reflection and Transmission Functions of Nonabsorbing Snow Layers 3.5.3 Reflection and Transmission Functions of Weakly Absorbing Snow Layers 3.5.4 The Optically Thick Snow Layers with Arbitrary Level of Absorption 3.5.5 Account for Underlying Surface and Vertical Snow Inhomogeneity 3.6 The Polarization of Light Reflected from Snow References 4 Remote Sensing of Snow 4.1 Determination of Local Optical Parameters of Snow 4.1.1 Semi-Infinite Snow Layers 4.1.2 Finite Snow Layers 4.2 Snow Grain Size Retrieval 4.3 Determination of Snow Specific Surface Area 4.4 Determination of Snow Impurity Content 4.4.1 General Equations 4.4.2 Soot 4.4.3 Dust 4.5 Spaceborne Remote Sensing of Snow 4.5.1 Spaceborne Instrumentation 4.5.2 Cloud Screening 4.5.3 Atmospheric Correction 4.5.4 Snow Albedo, Snow Grain Size and Snow Specific Area 4.5.5 Snow Fraction and Snow Extent References Appendix A.1 Complex Refractive Index of Ice A.2 The Polarization Characteristics of Singly Scattered Light A.3 The Simplified Radiative Transfer Model References