INVERSE PROBLEMS RELATED TO LIGHT-SCATTERING IN THE ATMOSPHERE AND OCEAN

This chapter examines the analytical methods of solutions to light scattering problems and their application to the investigation of disperse system structures. These methods can be used in diluted systems, where there is no need of taking into account multiple scattering and interference; such conditions are typical for atmosphere and ocean suspensions. In the analytical methods, the inversion is very similar to the Fourier inversion problem; such inversions on a limited range are connected with the rise of false oscillations in the result. The refractive index is an essential parameter that determines the optical properties of aerosols and hydrosols by embodying the physicochemical properties linked to their structure and composition. A numerical search technique was applied to find the combination of parameters giving the best agreement between computed and measured data. Almost all the retrieval schemes assume particles to be homogeneous spheres, although aerosol particles are generally nonspherical. By comparing analytical and numerical methods, it is seen that the former need, the addition of very few extra pieces of information to the optical data and that they give reliable results once fed with a sufficient amount of appropriate input data. © 1993, Academic Press Inc.