Picard iteration methods for a spherical atmosphere

Kurzfassung

Several methods for solving the radiative transfer equation in a spherical atmosphere are presented. These methods include the long characteristic Picard iteration, and the conventional and the accelerated short characteristic Picard iteration. Approximate methods as for instance the Picard iteration methods with open boundaries are also discussed. The analysis is focussed on the computational efficiency and accuracy of the proposed method and their applicability to atmospheric remote sensing.