Cloud properties retrieved from ADEOS/POLDER and OCTS

OCTS and POLDER sensors were mounted on the satellite ADEOS in August 1996. A procedure of cloud detection and distinction of a thermodynamic phase, i.e. water/ice-phase of cloud top, has been proposed based on the combination of ADEOS/POLDER and OCTS. In practice, the thermodynamic phase is distinguished by using polarized reflectance at 0.865 /spl mu/m given by POLDER and brightness temperature at 10.9 /spl mu/m by OCTS. Here, polarized reflectance at 0.670 /spl mu/m and 0.865 /spl mu/m by POLDER is used to retrieve the size distribution of water cloud particles. Molecular scattering in the atmosphere above the cloud is taken into account. It is shown that polarized reflectance at 0.443 /spl mu/m is available to estimate the contribution of Rayleigh scattering by gas molecules. As a result, the altitude of the cloud tops and the effective radii of water cloud particles are obtained.