Cloud Microphysical Properties Retrieval During Intense Biomass Burning Events Over Africa and Portugal

Abstract

Clouds are a major driving force behind climate mechanisms. They strongly modulate the energy balance of the Earth through absorption and scattering of solar radiation and absorption and emission of terrestrial radiation, and on the other hand, clouds and precipitation are the regulating factors of the hydrologic cycle. Although the importance of clouds is widely recognised, their impact is associated with great uncertainties due to the complexity and space-time variation of the cloud phenomena, therefore the global monitoring of their optical and microphysical properties retrieved from multispectral satellite sensor data becomes a main task/necessity.