Table of contents : Front Matter....Pages i-xxxviii Introduction....Pages 1-11 Absorption and scattering by molecules and particles....Pages 13-51 Radiative transfer in the Earth’s atmosphere....Pages 53-86 Direct observation of the sun for aerosol retrieval....Pages 87-99 Determination of aerosol optical properties from inverse methods....Pages 101-136 Passive shortwave remote sensing from the Ground....Pages 137-157 History of passive remote sensing of aerosol from space....Pages 159-183 Recent instruments and algorithms for passive shortwave remote sensing....Pages 185-222 Longwave passive remote sensing....Pages 223-281 Active lidar remote sensing....Pages 283-313 Conclusion: Results and suggestions for future research....Pages 315-326 Back Matter....Pages 327-390