Correction of aerosol influence in Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper data

The influence of aerosols in the visible and near infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum was studied by simulations of Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper measurements. The radiative transfer model used is based on the matrix-operator-method and was applied to different surface types, represented by specific spectral albedo values. On the basis of a single scattering approach for atmospheric correction, an algorithm was developed to correct for the influences of aerosols, air molecules and athmospheric trace gases on Thematic Mapper measurements above land surfaces using additional measurements above nearby located ocean surfaces to estimate the optical properties. The optical thickness of a cloud-free atmosphere has therefore been varied in the model for different aerosol types and surface reflectances.