Remote Sensing of Aerosols and Clouds: Current Status and Emerging Challenges
A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433). This special issue belongs to the section "Aerosols".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 790
Special Issue Editors
Interests: climate; emissions; remote sensing; air quality
Interests: modeling; remote sensing; climate; air quality
Interests: cloud remote sensing; cloud radiative forcing; cloud detection and classification; cloud microphysical properties; surface solar irradiance
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Aerosols are fine solid or liquid particles suspended in the atmosphere, typically remaining there for days to weeks before either settling to the ground or being removed by rain or snow. They originate from both human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels, biofuels, and vegetation, and from natural sources like desert dust, sea spray, and volcanic eruptions. Tiny aerosol particles are abundant and often consist of a mix of inorganic and organic materials, and atmospheric aerosol plumes can be seen in the form of smoke, smog, haze, and dust. Clouds play a crucial role in Earth’s energy balance by scattering and absorbing solar radiation, absorbing longwave radiation emitted by Earth’s surface and the cloud-free atmosphere, and emitting longwave radiation themselves. Clouds and atmospheric circulation are closely linked as clouds indicate the state of the circulation, a fact utilized by weather observers, sailors, and pilots, as well as in numerical weather prediction. The presence—or absence—of clouds in certain circulations is related to the need for environments with supersaturated water vapor levels.
Remote sensing data plays a crucial role in enhancing our understanding of atmospheric processes and in studying the life cycles of clouds and their interactions with aerosols and radiation. This improved understanding is vital for assessing atmospheric models. Additionally, satellite remote sensing enables the measurement of total aerosol concentration and offers valuable insights into aerosol properties such as size, light absorption characteristics, and type. It also allows for the detection, profiling, and characterization of clouds. This Special Issue invites discussions on the current state and emerging challenges in aerosol and cloud remote sensing.
Dr. Lerato Shikwambana
Dr. Nkanyiso Mbatha
Dr. Filomena Romano
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- aerosol remote sensing
- cloud remote sensing
- radiative transfer
- aerosol optical thickness
- cloud optical thickness
- atmospheric pollution
- aerosol–cloud interactions
- climate change
- remote sensing
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