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The retrieval of photometric properties of desert surfaces is an important first step in the parameterization of land surface components of regional dust emission and global radiation models and in Earth system modeling. In this study, the values of Hapke’s photometric parameters (omega, h, b, c, B0, and (theta) over bar) were retrieved from the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument at locations in China’s deserts. Four pixels represented the typical surface characteristics of the Taklimakan Desert, sand dunes of Kumtag Desert, relatively smooth areas of the Kumtag Desert and the aeolian sandy soil of Loulan. In contrast to earlier studies, we found that the retrieved parameter values were largely affected by the initial value. To combat this problem we used a Monte Carlo method with physical constraints and a conformity indicator to ensure physically meaningful inversion.

The results showed that the angular domain of MISR observations was sufficiently large to determine confidently the values of Hapke’s photometric parameters with the exception of the opposition effect width (h). Retrieved values for the single scattering albedo (omega) and macroscopic roughness ((theta) over bar) were consistent with qualitative observations about the structure and composition of the surface material and the nature of the dune forms, respectively. At Loulan, where the surface was smoother than other sites, retrieved values exhibited the strongest backward scattering. These results indicated that at the sensor scale, a rough surface (e.g., dunes) does not necessarily mean more backward scattering than a smooth surface. This finding has significant implications for empirical methods (e.g., using the normalized index of backward-scattered radiance minus forward-scattered radiance as an indicator to indicate surface roughness) which should be used carefully for analyzing surface roughness from remote sensing data. Future research is needed to 1) understand how surface roughness at the sub-pixel scale modifies the angular characteristics of reflectance and to 2) find practical methods for rapid whole image processing for mapping the photometric parameters. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.