Masunaga H. Satellite Measurements of Clouds..Precipitation 2022

Textbook in PDF format

This book provides a thorough introductory description of the physical principles underlying the satellite remote sensing of clouds and precipitation. A diverse collection of satellite sensors is covered, including imagers, radars, and sounders over a broad spectral range from visible to microwave radiation. The progress in satellite instrument technology during the past two decades as represented by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), CloudSat, and Global Measurement Mission (GPM) satellites has drastically improved our capability of measuring clouds and precipitation across the globe. At the same time, such rapid progress makes it increasingly challenging for scientists without specialized skills in remote sensing to fully grasp how satellite measurements are being made. This book is designed to mitigate that challenge. The targeted readers are graduate students and professional scientists seeking an extended summary of the theoretical background behind observations from space, ranging from fundamental physics (the statistical mechanics and radiative processes, for instance) to more practical levels of theory such as retrieval algorithm design.
General Background
Introduction
Satellite Missions and Instruments
Satellite Orbit and Scan
Basic Physics
Principles of Statistical Mechanics
Principles of Electrodynamics and Geometrical Optics
General Theory of Radiative Processes
Measurement Principles
Infrared Sensing
Visible/Near-Infrared Imaging
Microwave Radiometry
Active Remote Sensing
Mathematical Basis of Retrieval Algorithms
Applications
Global Datasets of Clouds and Precipitation
Satellite Data Simulators