Forward Light Scattering and Radiative Transfer Modeling Capabilities in Support of Retrieving Ice Cloud and Dust Properties From Satellite Observations

In this presentation, we will summarize the light scattering and radiave transfer modeling capabilities developed at Texas A&M University in support of retrieving ice cloud and dust aerosol properties from satellite observations. For single-scattering calculations, we will briefly discuss the application of a synergetic combination of the pseudo-spectral time domain (PSTD) technique, the invariant imbedding T-matrix (II-TM) method, and an improved geometric optics method (IGOM) to the simulation of the single-scattering properties of ice crystals and dust particles. For radiative transfer simulations, we will present computationally efficient modeling capabilities. Furthermore, we will illustrate the applications of the aforementioned modeling capabilities and relevant simulation datasets to the retrievals of ice cloud and dust aerosol properties based on observations by several spaceborne sensors including MODIS, VIIRS, CALIPSO-IIR, and POLDER.