Field measurements of aerosol content and optical properties of polar atmospheres are difficult and therefore very scarce, especially over ice-covered marine areas of the Arctic and Antarctic regions. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the opportunity to retrieve these properties from the blurring effect of the atmosphere on high resolution satellite imagery over sea ice. The obtained results are consistent with field measurements and show the reliability of this method in order to monitor temporal changes in the aerosol content of polar atmospheres. Uncertainties remain however in absolute measurements due to the unknown size distribution of aerosol particles and vertical structure of aerosol layers. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1989