THE ADVANTAGES
OF AEROSOL-UA POLARIMETRY

::: Polarization is a relative measurement that can be made accurately + many scattering angles.

::: Polarimetric ScanPol measurements will be calibrated on the orbit.

::: Polarization change with scattering angle and wavelength gives microphyscs: size, refractive index and shape of aerosol.

::: Synergy of scanner and imager will produce new quality of data, hopefully different from similar aerosol missions.



The Ukrainian Aerosol-UA instrument concept at YuzhSat platform provides synergy of precision scanner-polarimeter and imaging polarimeter, and has no analog in other planned missions.


TIMELINE

ScanPol calibration
end 2018

Construction of MSIP one channel
end 2018

Data processing algorithm
end 2018

On flight ScanPol testing
end 2019

MSIP construction
2019





GEOMETRY OF MEASUREMENTS




Space mission Aerosol-UA
Aerosol remote sensing in the terrestrial atmosphere

 

MISSION GOAL

 

The main aim of the space mission Aerosol-UA is creating a database using continuous measurements of the polarization characteristics of aerosol and cloud particles and their global distribution in the Earth’s atmosphere over a long period of time. The database is critical to determine the temporal and spatial distribution of the physical characteristics and chemical composition of tropospheric and stratospheric aerosols, as well as cloud particles in the Earth's atmosphere and evaluate their impact on weather, climate and the environment.

 

PROJECT FEATURES

  • A significant improvement in the model parametrization of aerosols, their sources, transport mechanisms and processes of interaction with other components of the atmosphere;
  • Obtaining reliable quantitative estimates of direct and indirect aerosol effects and their contribution to the energy balance of the climate system;
  • Quantitative description of anthropogenic aerosols and their impact on climate and ecology.

 

MAIN OBJECTIVES OF THE MISSION

 

Providing coordinated space and ground-based photometric and polarimetric observations of tropospheric and stratospheric aerosols on a wide range of spatial and temporal scales:

  • creating a database of observational data based on high-precision measurements of the Stokes I, Q, U parameters for a large number of scattering angles in several spectral bands;
  • solving the inverse problem of remote sensing and restoring the characteristics of aerosols and clouds (optical thickness, size distribution, chemical composition, volume concentration, particle shape) with the required accuracy;
  • monitoring the temporal and spatial distribution of the physical characteristics of tropospheric and stratospheric aerosol and cloud particles in the Earth's atmosphere.

The project concept of a remote sensing is based on accurate orbital measurements of the intensity and polarization of sunlight scattered by the atmosphere and the Earth’s surface using a scanning polarimeter in tandem with a wide-angle multi-spectral imaging polarimeter.