Derivation of tropospheric aerosol properties from satellite observations

Here we review the methods presently available and expected in the near future for retrieving the tropospheric aerosol properties using remote sensing. Since all aerosol properties cannot be derived from space, measurements performed from the surface of the Earth are used to adjust the parameters that are not directly accessible and to limit the variability of the parameters that present a weaker sensitivity. The aerosol properties derived include the column concentration (expressed by the aerosol optical depth), the size (given by distribution of the aerosol in 2 to 3 size modes or measurement of the Angstrِm coefficient), composition (expressed by the refractive index), shape and vertical profile. The article is restricted to aerosols that are within the troposphere since the techniques used for stratospheric aerosols are very specific.