Abstract

This paper presents the theoretical foundation and observational verification of a simple multi-spectral technique for determining the thermodynamic phase of clouds and discriminating clouds from snow and ice-covered surfaces. The need to identify clouds and determine their phase in remotely sensed imagery is an obvious one. At present there is no relatively simple and accurate automated technique for doing so. The technique described here is offered as one means of solving the problem for daylight observations.

© 1983 Optical Society of America