Uncertainties in albedo derived from geostationary and polar orbiting satellite data

This investigation evaluated the uncertainties in albedo derived from geostationary and polar orbiting optical sensors with emphasis on the spectral characteristics, angular sampling and atmospheric correction issues. Albedo simulations were achieved by using satellite orbital models and the SAIL code to produce synthetic bidirectional reflectance data sets for a range of vegetation canopies. Among the list of BRDF model candidates for operational use, two BRDF models were inverted with the simulated data of MSG, AVHRR and MSG-AVHRR combined. The values of retrieved model coefficients were used to derive spectral albedo. The synergistic use of data from different sensors raised issues related to the differences in spectral bands, atmospheric effects, and the assumption of the reciprocity principle.