Retrieval of land surface albedo from satellite observations: a simulation study

Surface albedo retrieved from satellite observations at one atmospheric condition may not be suitable for application to other atmospheric conditions. In this paper the authors separate the apparent surface albedo from the inherent surface albedo, which is independent of atmospheric conditions, based on extensive radiative transfer simulations under a variety of atmospheric conditions. The conversion coefficients of the surface inherent narrowband albedos derived from the MODIS (Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) and the MISR (Multiangle Imaging Spectroradiometer) instruments to the surface broadband inherent albedo are reported. A new approach of predicting broadband surface inherent albedos from MODIS or MISR TOA (top of atmosphere) narrowband albedos using a neural network is proposed.