An Improved Technique for Obtaining Clear Radiances from Cloud-Contaminated Radiances

Abstract

To obtain temperature profiles from radiances measured from satellites, the radiances are first corrected for cloud contamination in the field of view. Many current techniques assume identical cloud height in adjacent fields of view and employ a comparison of radiances measured in adjacent scan spots. When multiple cloud levels occur, the resulting radiances are in error. Until now, there has been no reliable means of identifying these areas; such a means is presented here. Use of this technique resulted in increased coverage and accuracy of the derived clear radiances when compared with the current operational method.