Point spread functions in imaging a Lambert surface from zenith through a thin scattering layer

Abstract

Analytical techniques for good spatial resolution in remotely sensed images of renewable resources, such as crops, are discussed for satellite multispectral radiometry. A model is developed for an optically and geometrically thin scattering layer to account for atmospheric scattering above the object pixel of fluxes reflected from adjacent areas. The cross radiance is explored as a spread function of a point source and as a spurious component of measured radiance, and an integration over large source areas is formulated. The Henyey-Greenstein (HG) phase function is defined for an integral over a sphere and point-spread functions are presented for HG scattering. Cross radiance limited spatial resolution is also determined for the HG phase function and boundaries between reflecting and black half-planes are considered in terms of the cross radiance.