A 3-D polarized reversed Monte Carlo radiative transfer model for Millimeter and submillimeter passive remote sensing in cloudy atmospheres

Abstract

This paper introduces a three-dimensional (3-D) polarized radiative transfer model that has been developed to assess the influence of cirrus clouds on radiances measured by the Earth Observing System Microwave Limb Sounder (EOS-MLS) instrument. EOS-MLS is on the Aura satellite, which launched in July 2004. The radiative transfer model uses a reversed Monte Carlo algorithm and has been incorporated in the Atmospheric Radiative Transfer Simulator 1.1.x software package. The model will be used to study aspects of the scattering problem that are not considered in the existing operational EOS-MLS cloudy-sky forward model, including the influence of nonspherical, oriented hydrometeors, and 3-D inhomogeneous cloud structure. This paper presents the radiative transfer algorithm and example model results, which demonstrate significant 3-D and polarization effects. Although the development of this model was motivated by the EOS-MLS mission, it is also directly applicable to ground-based and down-looking geometries.