Zhibo Zhang is a Professor of Physics and leads the Aerosol, Cloud, Radiation-Observation, and Simulation (ACROS) group at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). His research interests include aerosol-cloud-radiation interactions, aerosol and cloud remote sensing, machine learning and big data analytics, climate modeling, and climate change. He has published over 90 peer-reviewed papers. He is Associate Editor of Remote Sensing of Environment and the Associate Director of the Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology at UMBC. He has worked at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and also served as the Graduate Program Director of the Atmospheric Physics Program at UMBC, and has been President of the Chinese-American Oceanic and Atmospheric Association. Zhang received the mid-career excellence award from the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences at UMBC in 2023 and the Young Scientist Award from the International Radiation Commission in 2016. Ping Yang is University Distinguished Professor, Regents Professor, and David Bullock Harris Chair in Geosciences at Texas A&M University. His research focuses on light scattering, radiative transfer, and remote sensing. Yang is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, OPTICA (formerly, the Optical Society of America), the Electromagnetics Academy, the American Geophysical Union (AGU), the American Meteorological Society (AMS), and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Yang has received numerous honors including the Humboldt Research Award, the quadrennial Gold Medal from the International Radiation Commission, the NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal, the Ascent Award from the Atmospheric Science Section AGU, the David and Lucille Atlas Remote Sensing Prize from AMS, and the van de Hulst Light-Scattering Award from Elsevier. He previously served as an Editor of the Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, as an Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer, and as an Editor of the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres. Feng Xu is an Associate Professor in the School of Meteorology at the University of Oklahoma. His research focuses on environmental remote sensing, atmospheric radiative transfer, and light scattering by small particles. Xu serves as an Editor and Associate Editor for several journals in atmospheric science and remote sensing. He received the NASA Early Career Achievement Medal in 2018.

Select Guide Rating

• 1. Introduction; 2. Basic definitions and principles; 3. Single and bulk scattering properties of aerosol and cloud particles; 4. Physical and optical properties of cloud particles; 5. Physical and optical properties of aerosols; 6. Radiative transfer of polarized light in a plane-parallel atmosphere; 7. Reflection of polarimetric light by surfaces; 8. Polarimetric remote sensing of cloud properties; 9. Polarimetric remote sensing of aerosols.

Zhibo Zhang is a Professor of Physics and leads the Aerosol, Cloud, Radiation-Observation, and Simulation (ACROS) group at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). His research interests include aerosol-cloud-radiation interactions, aerosol and cloud remote sensing, machine learning and big data analytics, climate modeling, and climate change. He has published over 90 peer-reviewed papers. He is Associate Editor of Remote Sensing of Environment and the Associate Director of the Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology at UMBC. He has worked at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and also served as the Graduate Program Director of the Atmospheric Physics Program at UMBC, and has been President of the Chinese-American Oceanic and Atmospheric Association. Zhang received the mid-career excellence award from the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences at UMBC in 2023 and the Young Scientist Award from the International Radiation Commission in 2016. Ping Yang is University Distinguished Professor, Regents Professor, and David Bullock Harris Chair in Geosciences at Texas A&M University. His research focuses on light scattering, radiative transfer, and remote sensing. Yang is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, OPTICA (formerly, the Optical Society of America), the Electromagnetics Academy, the American Geophysical Union (AGU), the American Meteorological Society (AMS), and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Yang has received numerous honors including the Humboldt Research Award, the quadrennial Gold Medal from the International Radiation Commission, the NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal, the Ascent Award from the Atmospheric Science Section AGU, the David and Lucille Atlas Remote Sensing Prize from AMS, and the van de Hulst Light-Scattering Award from Elsevier. He previously served as an Editor of the Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, as an Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer, and as an Editor of the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres. Feng Xu is an Associate Professor in the School of Meteorology at the University of Oklahoma. His research focuses on environmental remote sensing, atmospheric radiative transfer, and light scattering by small particles. Xu serves as an Editor and Associate Editor for several journals in atmospheric science and remote sensing. He received the NASA Early Career Achievement Medal in 2018.

Select Guide Rating

• 1. Introduction; 2. Basic definitions and principles; 3. Single and bulk scattering properties of aerosol and cloud particles; 4. Physical and optical properties of cloud particles; 5. Physical and optical properties of aerosols; 6. Radiative transfer of polarized light in a plane-parallel atmosphere; 7. Reflection of polarimetric light by surfaces; 8. Polarimetric remote sensing of cloud properties; 9. Polarimetric remote sensing of aerosols.

Zhibo Zhang is a Professor of Physics and leads the Aerosol, Cloud, Radiation-Observation, and Simulation (ACROS) group at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). His research interests include aerosol-cloud-radiation interactions, aerosol and cloud remote sensing, machine learning and big data analytics, climate modeling, and climate change. He has published over 90 peer-reviewed papers. He is Associate Editor of Remote Sensing of Environment and the Associate Director of the Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology at UMBC. He has worked at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and also served as the Graduate Program Director of the Atmospheric Physics Program at UMBC, and has been President of the Chinese-American Oceanic and Atmospheric Association. Zhang received the mid-career excellence award from the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences at UMBC in 2023 and the Young Scientist Award from the International Radiation Commission in 2016. Ping Yang is University Distinguished Professor, Regents Professor, and David Bullock Harris Chair in Geosciences at Texas A&M University. His research focuses on light scattering, radiative transfer, and remote sensing. Yang is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, OPTICA (formerly, the Optical Society of America), the Electromagnetics Academy, the American Geophysical Union (AGU), the American Meteorological Society (AMS), and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Yang has received numerous honors including the Humboldt Research Award, the quadrennial Gold Medal from the International Radiation Commission, the NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal, the Ascent Award from the Atmospheric Science Section AGU, the David and Lucille Atlas Remote Sensing Prize from AMS, and the van de Hulst Light-Scattering Award from Elsevier. He previously served as an Editor of the Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, as an Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer, and as an Editor of the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres. Feng Xu is an Associate Professor in the School of Meteorology at the University of Oklahoma. His research focuses on environmental remote sensing, atmospheric radiative transfer, and light scattering by small particles. Xu serves as an Editor and Associate Editor for several journals in atmospheric science and remote sensing. He received the NASA Early Career Achievement Medal in 2018.

Select Guide Rating

• 1. Introduction; 2. Basic definitions and principles; 3. Single and bulk scattering properties of aerosol and cloud particles; 4. Physical and optical properties of cloud particles; 5. Physical and optical properties of aerosols; 6. Radiative transfer of polarized light in a plane-parallel atmosphere; 7. Reflection of polarimetric light by surfaces; 8. Polarimetric remote sensing of cloud properties; 9. Polarimetric remote sensing of aerosols.