About this Research Topic
Satellite measurements from radiometers observing the ultraviolet-to-shortwave infrared spectral range have revolutionized our understanding of Earth’s atmospheres and oceans over the past four decades. The majority of these satellite radiometers, however, rely on the scalar treatment of light, thus neglecting the polarization components of that light. Polarized light emerging from the Earth system carries a plethora of information about both the atmosphere and the ocean that is, in particular, underutilized in ocean remote sensing.
Existing air- and space-borne multi-angle polarimeters have been successful in improving our understanding of aerosol and cloud properties, and several new satellite missions are in development that will host advanced multi-angle polarimeters – including the NASA Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, and ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission, scheduled to launch in 2023, and the ESA/EUMETSAT Meteorological Operational Satellite - Second Generation (MetOp-SG) program with six satellites to be launched from 2023 to 2037. Furthermore, there is now an increasing availability of in- and above-water instruments to measure the polarization state of seawater. Together with recent advancements in detector technology, radiative transfer modeling of the coupled ocean-atmosphere system, and satellite, aircraft, and in situ observing systems, it is time to fully assess the value of polarimetric measurements of light in, just above, and over the oceans.
The goal of this Research Topic is to showcase results that contribute to the aforementioned assessment of the value of polarimetric measurements of light in, just above, and over the oceans. Papers highlighting passive and active air- and space-borne, in situ, and radiative transfer analyses are all welcome.
Areas covered by this Research Topic include, but are not limited to:
•Simultaneous aerosol/ocean retrieval algorithms from multi-angle polarimeters;
•In situ, shipborne, airborne, and spaceborne passive polarimetry and LIDAR technologies;
•Vector radiative transfer models in complex atmosphere-ocean models;
•Single scattering and inversion models of aerosols and hydrosol optical properties;
•Derivation of geophysical atmospheric and oceanic properties;
•Combined and multi-sensor LIDAR, hyperspectral radiometer, and multi-angular polarimeter retrievals;
•Coastal ocean and atmosphere remote sensing;
•Advanced polarimetry products validation;
•Advanced machine learning algorithms.
Existing air- and space-borne multi-angle polarimeters have been successful in improving our understanding of aerosol and cloud properties, and several new satellite missions are in development that will host advanced multi-angle polarimeters – including the NASA Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, and ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission, scheduled to launch in 2023, and the ESA/EUMETSAT Meteorological Operational Satellite - Second Generation (MetOp-SG) program with six satellites to be launched from 2023 to 2037. Furthermore, there is now an increasing availability of in- and above-water instruments to measure the polarization state of seawater. Together with recent advancements in detector technology, radiative transfer modeling of the coupled ocean-atmosphere system, and satellite, aircraft, and in situ observing systems, it is time to fully assess the value of polarimetric measurements of light in, just above, and over the oceans.
The goal of this Research Topic is to showcase results that contribute to the aforementioned assessment of the value of polarimetric measurements of light in, just above, and over the oceans. Papers highlighting passive and active air- and space-borne, in situ, and radiative transfer analyses are all welcome.
Areas covered by this Research Topic include, but are not limited to:
•Simultaneous aerosol/ocean retrieval algorithms from multi-angle polarimeters;
•In situ, shipborne, airborne, and spaceborne passive polarimetry and LIDAR technologies;
•Vector radiative transfer models in complex atmosphere-ocean models;
•Single scattering and inversion models of aerosols and hydrosol optical properties;
•Derivation of geophysical atmospheric and oceanic properties;
•Combined and multi-sensor LIDAR, hyperspectral radiometer, and multi-angular polarimeter retrievals;
•Coastal ocean and atmosphere remote sensing;
•Advanced polarimetry products validation;
•Advanced machine learning algorithms.
Keywords: Polarization, Ocean, Atmosphere, Remote Sensing, Observing Systems and Instruments
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
