Optical depth retrievals from HRSC stereo images

Kurzfassung

Mars Express is due to arrive in orbit around Mars during the last days of 2003. A primary task of its mission is to map Mars in stereo with the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) at a spatial resolution of up to 12 m. The Martian atmosphere contains large amounts of dust as well as other aerosols that scatter light and influence the images. Therefore, image analysis requires careful consideration of these atmospheric effects. An essential parameter to consider is the total optical depth. It will be possible to map the optical depth of the Martian atmosphere from HRSC stereo images by analyzing contrast differences. Software for this purpose has been developed at the Max-Planck Institute for Aeronomy in Lindau Germany. We present examples of optical depth-retrievals from airborne HRSC-A images of a region in the French Alps.