Solar-Terrestrial Centre of Excellence


Radiative Transfer

Responsible person: Martine De Mazière

Overall description
Radiative transfer determines how much solar light is absorbed, transmitted or scattered in the atmosphere. Radiative transfer models are therefore essential for the interpretation of optical measurements of trace gases, aerosols, and of course radiative fluxes (e.g. UV fluxes at the Earth's surface). They are also key components in both atmospheric chemistry and climate models.

Long Term Goal
  • Develop advanced modeling tools and enhance our expertise in the field of radiative transfer. More specific, we want to Improve the description of the interaction of light with clouds and aerosols in radiative transfer models.
  • Include these descriptions in inversion codes for optical remote sensing of the atmospheric composition.
  • Provide model estimates of the radiative fluxes reaching the Earth's surface, based on available distributions of gases, aerosols and clouds.
  • Develop efficient parameterizations for the impact of clouds and aerosols on photolysis frequencies of chemical compounds in a chemical/transport model.