Sample records for above-cloud precipitable water

  1. Above-Cloud Precipitable Water Retrievals using the MODIS 0.94 micron Band with Applications for Multi-Layer Cloud Detection

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Platnick, S.; Wind, G.

    2004-01-01

    In order to perform satellite retrievals of cloud properties, it is important to account for the effect of the above-cloud atmosphere on the observations. The solar bands used in the operational MODIS Terra and Aqua cloud optical and microphysical algorithms (visible, NIR, and SWIR spectral windows) are primarily affected by water vapor, and to a lesser extent by well-mixed gases. For water vapor, the above-cloud column amount, or precipitable water, provides adequate information for an atmospheric correction; details of the vertical vapor distribution are not typically necessary for the level of correction required. Cloud-top pressure has a secondary effect due to pressure broadening influences. For well- mixed gases, cloud-top pressure is also required for estimates of above-cloud abundances. We present a method for obtaining above-cloud precipitable water over dark Ocean surfaces using the MODIS 0.94 pm vapor absorption band. The retrieval includes an iterative procedure for establishing cloud-top temperature and pressure, and is useful for both single layer water and ice clouds. Knowledge of cloud thermodynamic phase is fundamental in retrieving cloud optical and microphysical properties. However, in cases of optically thin cirrus overlapping lower water clouds, the concept of a single unique phase is ill- defined and depends, at least, on the spectral region of interest. We will present a method for multi-layer and multi-phase cloud detection which uses above-cloud precipitable water retrievals along with several existing MODIS operational cloud products (cloud-top pressure derived from a C02 slicing algorithm, IR and SWIR phase retrievals). Results are catagorized by whether the radiative signature in the MODIS solar bands is primarily that of a water cloud with ice cloud contamination, or visa-versa. Examples in polar and mid-latitude regions will be shown.

  2. Study on Cloud Water Resources and Precipitation Efficiency Characteristic over China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhou, Y., Sr.; Cai, M., Jr.

    2017-12-01

    The original concept and quantitative assessment method of cloud water resource and its related physical parameters are proposed based on the atmospheric water circulation and precipitation enhancement. A diagnosis method of the three-dimensional (3-D) cloud and cloud water field are proposed , based on cloud observation and atmospheric reanalysis data. Furthermore, using analysis data and precipitation products, Chinese cloud water resources in 2008-2010 are assessed preliminarily. The results show that: 1. Atmospheric water cycle and water balance plays an important part of the climate system. Water substance includes water vapor and hydrometeors, and the water cycle is the process of phase transition of water substances. Water vapor changes its phase into solid or liquid hydrometeors by lifting and condensation, and after that, the hydrometeors grow lager through cloud physical processes and then precipitate to ground, which is the mainly resource of available fresh water .Therefore, it's far from enough to only focus on the amount of water vapor, more attention should be transfered to the hydrometeors (cloud water resources) which is formed by the process of phase transition including lifting and condensation. The core task of rainfall enhancement is to develop the cloud water resources and raise the precipitation efficiency by proper technological measures. 2. Comparing with the water vapor, the hydrometeor content is much smaller. Besides, the horizontal delivery amount also shows two orders of magnitude lower than water vapor. But the update cycle is faster and the precipitation efficiency is higher. The amount of cloud water resources in the atmosphere is determined by the instantaneous quantity, the advection transport, condensation and precipitation from the water balance.The cloud water resources vary a lot in different regions. In southeast China, hydrometeor has the fastest renewal cycle and the highest precipitation efficiency. The total amount of

  3. The Relationships Between Insoluble Precipitation Residues, Clouds, and Precipitation Over California's Southern Sierra Nevada During Winter Storms

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Creamean, Jessie M.; White, Allen B.; Minnis, Patrick; Palikonda, Rabindra; Spangenberg, Douglas A.; Prather, Kimberly A.

    2016-01-01

    Ice formation in orographic mixed-phase clouds can enhance precipitation and depends on the type of aerosols that serve as ice nucleating particles (INP). The resulting precipitation from these clouds is a viable source of water, especially for regions such as the California Sierra Nevada. Thus, a better understanding of the sources of INP that impact orographic clouds is important for assessing water availability in California. This study presents a multi-site, multi-year analysis of single particle insoluble residues in precipitation samples that likely influenced cloud ice and precipitation formation above Yosemite National Park. Dust and biological particles represented the dominant fraction of the residues (64% on average). Cloud glaciation, determined using GOES satellite observations, not only depended on high cloud tops (greater than 6.2 km) and low temperatures (less than -26 C), but also on the composition of the dust and biological residues. The greatest prevalence of ice-phase clouds occurred in conjunction with biologically-rich residues and mineral dust rich in calcium, followed by iron and aluminosilicates. Dust and biological particles are known to be efficient INP, thus these residues are what likely influenced ice formation in clouds above the sites and subsequent precipitation quantities reaching the surface during events with similar meteorology. The goal of this study is to use precipitation chemistry information to gain a better understanding of the potential sources of INP in the south-central Sierra Nevada, where cloud-aerosol-precipitation interactions are under-studied and where mixed-phase orographic clouds represent a key element in the generation of precipitation and thus the water supply in California.

  4. Snow precipitation on Mars driven by cloud-induced night-time convection

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Spiga, Aymeric; Hinson, David P.; Madeleine, Jean-Baptiste; Navarro, Thomas; Millour, Ehouarn; Forget, François; Montmessin, Franck

    2017-09-01

    Although it contains less water vapour than Earth's atmosphere, the Martian atmosphere hosts clouds. These clouds, composed of water-ice particles, influence the global transport of water vapour and the seasonal variations of ice deposits. However, the influence of water-ice clouds on local weather is unclear: it is thought that Martian clouds are devoid of moist convective motions, and snow precipitation occurs only by the slow sedimentation of individual particles. Here we present numerical simulations of the meteorology in Martian cloudy regions that demonstrate that localized convective snowstorms can occur on Mars. We show that such snowstorms--or ice microbursts--can explain deep night-time mixing layers detected from orbit and precipitation signatures detected below water-ice clouds by the Phoenix lander. In our simulations, convective snowstorms occur only during the Martian night, and result from atmospheric instability due to radiative cooling of water-ice cloud particles. This triggers strong convective plumes within and below clouds, with fast snow precipitation resulting from the vigorous descending currents. Night-time convection in Martian water-ice clouds and the associated snow precipitation lead to transport of water both above and below the mixing layers, and thus would affect Mars' water cycle past and present, especially under the high-obliquity conditions associated with a more intense water cycle.

  5. Short-range precipitation forecasts using assimilation of simulated satellite water vapor profiles and column cloud liquid water amounts

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wu, Xiaohua; Diak, George R.; Hayden, Cristopher M.; Young, John A.

    1995-01-01

    These observing system simulation experiments investigate the assimilation of satellite-observed water vapor and cloud liquid water data in the initialization of a limited-area primitive equations model with the goal of improving short-range precipitation forecasts. The assimilation procedure presented includes two aspects: specification of an initial cloud liquid water vertical distribution and diabatic initialization. The satellite data is simulated for the next generation of polar-orbiting satellite instruments, the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU) and the High-Resolution Infrared Sounder (HIRS), which are scheduled to be launched on the NOAA-K satellite in the mid-1990s. Based on cloud-top height and total column cloud liquid water amounts simulated for satellite data a diagnostic method is used to specify an initial cloud water vertical distribution and to modify the initial moisture distribution in cloudy areas. Using a diabatic initialization procedure, the associated latent heating profiles are directly assimilated into the numerical model. The initial heating is estimated by time averaging the latent heat release from convective and large-scale condensation during the early forecast stage after insertion of satellite-observed temperature, water vapor, and cloud water formation. The assimilation of satellite-observed moisture and cloud water, together withy three-mode diabatic initialization, significantly alleviates the model precipitation spinup problem, especially in the first 3 h of the forecast. Experimental forecasts indicate that the impact of satellite-observed temperature and water vapor profiles and cloud water alone in the initialization procedure shortens the spinup time for precipitation rates by 1-2 h and for regeneration of the areal coverage by 3 h. The diabatic initialization further reduces the precipitation spinup time (compared to adiabatic initialization) by 1 h.

  6. Cloud vertical structure, precipitation, and cloud radiative effects over Tibetan Plateau

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Y.; Yan, Y.; Lu, J.

    2017-12-01

    The vertical structure of clouds and its connection with precipitation and cloud radiative effects (CRE) over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) are analyzed and compared with its neighboring land and tropical oceans based on CloudSat and Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) products and the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) precipitation data. Unique characteristics of cloud vertical structure and CRE over the TP are found. The cloud amount shows seasonal variation over the TP, which presents a single peak (located in 7-11 km) during January to April and two peaks (located in 5-8 km and 11-17 km separately) after mid-June, and then resumes to one peak (located in 5-10 km) after mid-August. Topography-induced restriction on moisture supply leads to a compression effect on clouds, i.e., the reduction in both cloud thickness and number of cloud layers, over the TP. The topography-induced compression effect is also shown in the range in the variation of cloud thickness and cloud-top height corresponding to different precipitation intensity, which is much smaller over the TP than its neighboring regions. In summer, cloud ice particles over the TP are mostly located at lower altitude (5-10 km) with richer variety of sizes and aggregation in no rain conditions compared to other regions. Ice water content becomes abundant and the number concentration tends to be dense at higher levels when precipitation is enhanced. The longwave CRE in the atmosphere over the TP is a net cooling effect. The vertical structure of CRE over the TP is unique compared to other regions: there exists a strong cooling layer of net CRE at the altitude of 8 km, from June to the beginning of October; the net radiative heating layer above the surface is shallower but stronger underneath 7 km and with a stronger seasonal variation over the TP.

  7. Re-evaluating the Cloud Lifetime Effect: Does Precipitation Suppression Always Lead to an Increased Cloud Extent in Warm Clouds?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Douglas, A.; L'Ecuyer, T.

    2017-12-01

    Aerosol influences on cloud lifetime remain a poorly understood pathway of aerosol-cloud-radiation interaction with large margins of error according to the fifth IPCC report. Increases in cloud lifetime are attributed to changes in cloud extent due to the suppression of precipitation by increased aerosol concentrations. The dependence of changes in cloud fraction and probability of precipitation on aerosol perturbations for controlled cloud regimes will be investigated using A-Train measurements. CloudSat, MODIS, and AMSR-E measurements from 2006 to 2010 are sorted into regimes established using stability to describe local meteorology, and relative humidity and liquid water path to describe cloud morphology. Holding the thermodynamic and meteorological environments constant allows variations in precipitation and cloud extent owing to regime-specific cloud lifetime effects to be attributed to aerosol perturbations. The relationship between precipitation suppression, cloud extent, and liquid water path will be analyzed. The cloud lifetime effect will be constrained using regimes in the hopes of improving our understanding of precipitation-aerosol interactions.

  8. Precipitating Condensation Clouds in Substellar Atmospheres

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ackerman, Andrew S.; Marley, Mark S.; Gore, Warren J. (Technical Monitor)

    2000-01-01

    We present a method to calculate vertical profiles of particle size distributions in condensation clouds of giant planets and brown dwarfs. The method assumes a balance between turbulent diffusion and precipitation in horizontally uniform cloud decks. Calculations for the Jovian ammonia cloud are compared with previous methods. An adjustable parameter describing the efficiency of precipitation allows the new model to span the range of predictions from previous models. Calculations for the Jovian ammonia cloud are found to be consistent with observational constraints. Example calculations are provided for water, silicate, and iron clouds on brown dwarfs and on a cool extrasolar giant planet.

  9. Two-channel microwave radiometer for observations of total column precipitable water vapor and cloud liquid water path

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Liljegren, J.C.

    1994-01-01

    The Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program is focused on improving the treatment of radiation transfer in models of the atmospheric general circulation, as well as on improving parameterizations of cloud properties and formation processes in these models (USDOE, 1990). To help achieve these objectives, ARM is deploying several two-channel, microwave radiometers at the Cloud and Radiation Testbed (CART) site in Oklahoma for the purpose of obtaining long time series observations of total precipitable water vapor (PWV) and cloud liquid water path (LWP). The performance of the WVR-1100 microwave radiometer deployed by ARM at the Oklahoma CART site central facility tomore » provide time series measurements precipitable water vapor (PWV) and liquid water path (LWP) has been presented. The instrument has proven to be durable and reliable in continuous field operation since June, 1992. The accuracy of the PWV has been demonstrated to achieve the limiting accuracy of the statistical retrieval under clear sky conditions, degrading with increasing LWP. Improvements are planned to address moisture accumulation on the Teflon window, as well as to identity the presence of clouds with LWP at or below the retrieval uncertainty.« less

  10. Observed Cloud Properties Above the Northern Indian Ocean During CARDEX 2012

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gao, L.; Wilcox, E. M.

    2016-12-01

    An analysis of cloud microphysical, macrophysical and radiative properties during the dry winter monsoon season above the northern Indian Ocean is presented. The Cloud Aerosol Radiative Forcing Experiment (CARDEX), conducted from 16 February to 30 March 2012 at the Maldives Climate Observatory on Hanimaadhoo (MCOH), used autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to measure the aerosol profiles, water vapor flux and cloud properties concurrent with continuous ground measurements of surface aerosol and meteorological variables as well as the total-column precipitable water vapor (PWV) and the cloud liquid water path (LWP). Here we present the cloud properties only for the cases with lower atmospheric water vapor using the criterion that the PWV less than 40 kg/m2. This criterion acts to filter the data to control for the natural meteorological variability in the region according to previous studies. The high polluted case is found to correlate with warmer temperature, higher relative humidity in boundary layer and lower lifted condensation level (LCL). Micro Pulse Lidar (MPL) retrieved cloud base height coincides with calculated LCL height which is lower for high polluted case. Meanwhile satellite retrieved cloud top height didn't show obvious variation indicating cloud deepening which is consistent with the observed greater cloud LWP in high polluted case. Those high polluted clouds are associated with more cloud droplets and smaller effective radius and are generally becoming narrower due to the stronger cloud side evaporation-entrainment effect and becoming deeper due to more moist static energy. Clouds in high polluted condition become brighter with higher albedo which can cause a net shortwave forcing over -40 W/m2 in this region.

  11. Multi-wavelength dual polarisation lidar for monitoring precipitation process in the cloud seeding technique

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sudhakar, P.; Sheela, K. Anitha; Ramakrishna Rao, D.; Malladi, Satyanarayana

    2016-05-01

    In recent years weather modification activities are being pursued in many countries through cloud seeding techniques to facilitate the increased and timely precipitation from the clouds. In order to induce and accelerate the precipitation process clouds are artificially seeded with suitable materials like silver iodide, sodium chloride or other hygroscopic materials. The success of cloud seeding can be predicted with confidence if the precipitation process involving aerosol, the ice water balance, water vapor content and size of the seeding material in relation to aerosol in the cloud is monitored in real time and optimized. A project on the enhancement of rain fall through cloud seeding is being implemented jointly with Kerala State Electricity Board Ltd. Trivandrum, Kerala, India at the catchment areas of the reservoir of one of the Hydro electric projects. The dual polarization lidar is being used to monitor and measure the microphysical properties, the extinction coefficient, size distribution and related parameters of the clouds. The lidar makes use of the Mie, Rayleigh and Raman scattering techniques for the various measurement proposed. The measurements with the dual polarization lidar as above are being carried out in real time to obtain the various parameters during cloud seeding operations. In this paper we present the details of the multi-wavelength dual polarization lidar being used and the methodology to monitor the various cloud parameters involved in the precipitation process. The necessary retrieval algorithms for deriving the microphysical properties of clouds, aerosols characteristics and water vapor profiles are incorporated as a software package working under Lab-view for online and off line analysis. Details on the simulation studies and the theoretical model developed in this regard for the optimization of various parameters are discussed.

  12. Constraining Aerosol-Cloud-Precipitation Interactions of Orographic Mixed-Phase Clouds with Trajectory Budgets

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Glassmeier, F.; Lohmann, U.

    2016-12-01

    Orographic precipitation is prone to strong aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions because the time for precipitation development is limited to the ascending section of mountain flow. At the same time, cloud microphysical development is constraint by the strong dynamical forcing of the orography. In this contribution, we discuss how changes in the amount and composition of droplet- and ice-forming aerosols influence precipitation in idealized simulations of stratiform orographic mixed-phase clouds. We find that aerosol perturbations trigger compensating responses of different precipitation formation pathways. The effect of aerosols is thus buffered. We explain this buffering by the requirement to fulfill aerosol-independent dynamical constraints. For our simulations, we use the regional atmospheric model COSMO-ART-M7 in a 2D setup with a bell-shaped mountain. The model is coupled to a 2-moment warm and cold cloud microphysics scheme. Activation and freezing rates are parameterized based on prescribed aerosol fields that are varied in number, size and composition. Our analysis is based on the budget of droplet water along trajectories of cloud parcels. The budget equates condensation as source term with precipitation formation from autoconversion, accretion, riming and the Wegener-Bergeron-Findeisen process as sink terms. Condensation, and consequently precipitation formation, is determined by dynamics and largely independent of the aerosol conditions. An aerosol-induced change in the number of droplets or crystals perturbs the droplet budget by affecting precipitation formation processes. We observe that this perturbation triggers adjustments in liquid and ice water content that re-equilibrate the budget. As an example, an increase in crystal number triggers a stronger glaciation of the cloud and redistributes precipitation formation from collision-coalescence to riming and from riming to vapor deposition. We theoretically confirm the dominant effect of water

  13. Coupled Retrieval of Liquid Water Cloud and Above-Cloud Aerosol Properties Using the Airborne Multiangle SpectroPolarimetric Imager (AirMSPI)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xu, Feng; van Harten, Gerard; Diner, David J.; Davis, Anthony B.; Seidel, Felix C.; Rheingans, Brian; Tosca, Mika; Alexandrov, Mikhail D.; Cairns, Brian; Ferrare, Richard A.; Burton, Sharon P.; Fenn, Marta A.; Hostetler, Chris A.; Wood, Robert; Redemann, Jens

    2018-03-01

    An optimization algorithm is developed to retrieve liquid water cloud properties including cloud optical depth (COD), droplet size distribution and cloud top height (CTH), and above-cloud aerosol properties including aerosol optical depth (AOD), single-scattering albedo, and microphysical properties from sweep-mode observations by Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Airborne Multiangle SpectroPolarimetric Imager (AirMSPI) instrument. The retrieval is composed of three major steps: (1) initial estimate of the mean droplet size distribution across the entire image of 80-100 km along track by 10-25 km across track from polarimetric cloudbow observations, (2) coupled retrieval of image-scale cloud and above-cloud aerosol properties by fitting the polarimetric data at all observation angles, and (3) iterative retrieval of 1-D radiative transfer-based COD and droplet size distribution at pixel scale (25 m) by establishing relationships between COD and droplet size and fitting the total radiance measurements. Our retrieval is tested using 134 AirMSPI data sets acquired during the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) field campaign ObseRvations of Aerosols above CLouds and their intEractionS. The retrieved above-cloud AOD and CTH are compared to coincident HSRL-2 (HSRL-2, NASA Langley Research Center) data, and COD and droplet size distribution parameters (effective radius reff and effective variance veff) are compared to coincident Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP) (NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies) data. Mean absolute differences between AirMSPI and HSRL-2 retrievals of above-cloud AOD at 532 nm and CTH are 0.03 and <0.5 km, respectively. At RSP's footprint scale ( 323 m), mean absolute differences between RSP and AirMSPI retrievals of COD, reff, and veff in the cloudbow area are 2.33, 0.69 μm, and 0.020, respectively. Neglect of smoke aerosols above cloud leads to an underestimate of image-averaged COD by 15%.

  14. Global Analysis of Aerosol Properties Above Clouds

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Waquet, F.; Peers, F.; Ducos, F.; Goloub, P.; Platnick, S. E.; Riedi, J.; Tanre, D.; Thieuleux, F.

    2013-01-01

    The seasonal and spatial varability of Aerosol Above Cloud (AAC) properties are derived from passive satellite data for the year 2008. A significant amount of aerosols are transported above liquid water clouds on the global scale. For particles in the fine mode (i.e., radius smaller than 0.3 m), including both clear sky and AAC retrievals increases the global mean aerosol optical thickness by 25(+/- 6%). The two main regions with man-made AAC are the tropical Southeast Atlantic, for biomass burning aerosols, and the North Pacific, mainly for pollutants. Man-made AAC are also detected over the Arctic during the spring. Mineral dust particles are detected above clouds within the so-called dust belt region (5-40 N). AAC may cause a warming effect and bias the retrieval of the cloud properties. This study will then help to better quantify the impacts of aerosols on clouds and climate.

  15. Campaign datasets for ARM Cloud Aerosol Precipitation Experiment (ACAPEX)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Leung, L. Ruby; Mei, Fan; Comstock, Jennifer

    This campaign consisted of the deployment of the DOE ARM Mobile Facility 2 (AMF2) and the ARM Aerial Facility (AAF) G-1 in a field campaign called ARM Cloud Aerosol Precipitation Experiment (ACAPEX), which took place in conjunction with CalWater 2- a NOAA field campaign. The joint CalWater 2/ACAPEX field campaign aimed to improve understanding and modeling of large-scale dynamics and cloud and precipitation processes associated with ARs and aerosol-cloud interactions that influence precipitation variability and extremes in the western U.S. The observational strategy consisted of the use of land and offshore assets to monitor: 1. the evolution and structure ofmore » ARs from near their regions of development 2. the long-range transport of aerosols in the eastern North Pacific and potential interactions with ARs 3. how aerosols from long-range transport and local sources influence cloud and precipitation in the U.S. West Coast where ARs make landfall and post-frontal clouds are frequent.« less

  16. Global analyses of water vapor, cloud and precipitation derived from a diagnostic assimilation of SSM/I geophysical retrievals

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Robertson, Franklin R.; Cohen, Charles

    1990-01-01

    An analytical approach is described for diagnostically assimilating moisture data from Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) into a global analysis of water vapor, cloud content, and precipitation. In this method, 3D fields of wind and temperature values taken from ECMWF gridded analysis are used to drive moisture conservation equations with parameterized microphysical treatment of vapor, liquid, and ice; the evolving field of water vapor is periodically updated or constrained by SSM/I retrievals of precipitable water. Initial results indicate that this diagnostic model can produce realistic large-scale fields of cloud and precipitation. The resulting water vapor analyses agree well with SSM/I and have an additional advantage of being synoptic.

  17. A CloudSat Perspective of the Atmospheric Water Cycle and Precipitation: Recent Progress and Grand Challenges

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Stephens, Graeme L.; Im, Eastwood; Vane, Deborah

    2012-01-01

    Summary Global - mean precipitation - is controlled by Earth's energy balance and is a quantifiable consequence of the water vapor feedback. Predictability rests on the degree to which the water vapor feedback is predictable. Regional scale - to a significant extent, changes are shaped by atmospheric circulation changes but we do not know the extent to which regional scale changes are predictable. The impacts of changes to atmospheric circulation on regional scale water cycle changes can be dramatic. Process - scale - significant biases to the CHARACTER of precipitation (frequency and intensity) is related to how the precipitation process is parameterized in models. Aerosol - We still do not know the extent to which the water cycle is influenced by aerosol but anecdotal evidence is building. The character of precipitation is affected by the way aerosol influence clouds and thus affects the forcing of the climate system through the albedo effect. Observations - we still have a way to go and need to approach the problem in a more integrated way (tie clouds, aerosol and precipitation together and then link to soil moisture, etc). Globally our capabilities seriously lag behind the science and model development.

  18. Cloud water in windward and leeward mountain forests: The stable isotope signature of orographic cloud water

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Scholl, M.A.; Giambelluca, T.W.; Gingerich, S.B.; Nullet, M.A.; Loope, L.L.

    2007-01-01

    Cloud water can be a significant hydrologic input to mountain forests. Because it is a precipitation source that is vulnerable to climate change, it is important to quantify amounts of cloud water input at watershed and regional scales. During this study, cloud water and rain samples were collected monthly for 2 years at sites on windward and leeward East Maui. The difference in isotopic composition between volume‐weighted average cloud water and rain samples was 1.4‰ δ18O and 12‰ δ2H for the windward site and 2.8‰ δ18O and 25‰ δ2H for the leeward site, with the cloud water samples enriched in 18O and 2H relative to the rain samples. A summary of previous literature shows that fog and/or cloud water is enriched in 18O and 2H compared to rain at many locations around the world; this study documents cloud water and rain isotopic composition resulting from weather patterns common to montane environments in the trade wind latitudes. An end‐member isotopic composition for cloud water was identified for each site and was used in an isotopic mixing model to estimate the proportion of precipitation input from orographic clouds. Orographic cloud water input was 37% of the total precipitation at the windward site and 46% at the leeward site. This represents an estimate of water input to the forest that could be altered by changes in cloud base altitude resulting from global climate change or deforestation.

  19. The Impact of Assimilating Precipitation-affected Radiance on Cloud and Precipitation in Goddard WRF-EDAS Analyses

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lin, Xin; Zhang, Sara Q.; Zupanski, M.; Hou, Arthur Y.; Zhang, J.

    2015-01-01

    High-frequency TMI and AMSR-E radiances, which are sensitive to precipitation over land, are assimilated into the Goddard Weather Research and Forecasting Model- Ensemble Data Assimilation System (WRF-EDAS) for a few heavy rain events over the continental US. Independent observations from surface rainfall, satellite IR brightness temperatures, as well as ground-radar reflectivity profiles are used to evaluate the impact of assimilating rain-sensitive radiances on cloud and precipitation within WRF-EDAS. The evaluations go beyond comparisons of forecast skills and domain-mean statistics, and focus on studying the cloud and precipitation features in the jointed rainradiance and rain-cloud space, with particular attentions on vertical distributions of height-dependent cloud types and collective effect of cloud hydrometers. Such a methodology is very helpful to understand limitations and sources of errors in rainaffected radiance assimilations. It is found that the assimilation of rain-sensitive radiances can reduce the mismatch between model analyses and observations by reasonably enhancing/reducing convective intensity over areas where the observation indicates precipitation, and suppressing convection over areas where the model forecast indicates rain but the observation does not. It is also noted that instead of generating sufficient low-level warmrain clouds as in observations, the model analysis tends to produce many spurious upperlevel clouds containing small amount of ice water content. This discrepancy is associated with insufficient information in ice-water-sensitive radiances to address the vertical distribution of clouds with small amount of ice water content. Such a problem will likely be mitigated when multi-channel multi-frequency radiances/reflectivity are assimilated over land along with sufficiently accurate surface emissivity information to better constrain the vertical distribution of cloud hydrometers.

  20. ARM Cloud Aerosol Precipitation Experiment (ACAPEX) Science Plan

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Leung, L. R.; Prather, K.; Ralph, R.

    The western U.S. receives precipitation predominantly during the cold season when storms approach from the Pacific Ocean. The snowpack that accumulates during winter storms provides about 70-90% of water supply for the region. Understanding and modeling the fundamental processes that govern the large precipitation variability and extremes in the western U.S. is a critical test for the ability of climate models to predict the regional water cycle, including floods and droughts. Two elements of significant importance in predicting precipitation variability in the western U.S. are atmospheric rivers and aerosols. Atmospheric rivers (ARs) are narrow bands of enhanced water vapor associatedmore » with the warm sector of extratropical cyclones over the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Because of the large lower-tropospheric water vapor content, strong atmospheric winds and neutral moist static stability, some ARs can produce heavy precipitation by orographic enhancement during landfall on the U.S. West Coast. While ARs are responsible for a large fraction of heavy precipitation in that region during winter, much of the rest of the orographic precipitation occurs in post-frontal clouds, which are typically quite shallow, with tops just high enough to pass the mountain barrier. Such clouds are inherently quite susceptible to aerosol effects on both warm rain and ice precipitation-forming processes.« less

  1. Aerosol effects on clouds and precipitation over the eastern China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, W. C.; Chen, G.; Song, Y.

    2017-12-01

    Anthropogenic aerosols (sulfates, nitrates and black carbons) can act as cloud condensation nuclei to regulate cloud droplet number and size, thereby changing cloud radiative properties and atmospheric short- and long-wave radiation. These together with aerosol direct radiative effects in turn alter the circulation with likely effects on the spatial distribution of cloud and precipitation. We conduct WRF model simulations over the eastern China to investigate the aerosol-cloud-climate interactions. In general, more aerosols yield more but smaller cloud droplets and larger cloud water content, whereas the changes of vertical distribution of cloud cover exhibit strong regional variations. For example, the low-cloud fraction and water content increase by more than 10% over the west part of the Yangtze-Huai River Valley (YHRV) and the southeast coastal region, but decrease over the east part of the YHRV, and high-cloud fraction decreases in South and North China but increases in the YHRV. The radiative forcing of aerosols and cloud changes are compared, with focus on the effects of changes of vertical distribution of cloud properties (microphysics and fraction). The precipitation changes are found to be closely associated with the circulation change, which favors more (and longer duration) rainfall over the YHRV but less (and shorter) rainfall over other regions. Details of the circulation change and its associations with clouds and precipitation will be presented.

  2. ARM Cloud-Aerosol-Precipitation Experiment (ACAPEX) Field Campaign Report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Leung, L Ruby

    The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility’s ARM Cloud-Aerosol-Precipitation Experiment (ACAPEX) field campaign contributes to CalWater 2015, a multi-agency field campaign that aims to improve understanding of atmospheric rivers and aerosol sources and transport that influence cloud and precipitation processes. The ultimate goal is to reduce uncertainties in weather predictions and climate projections of droughts and floods in California. With the DOE G-1 aircraft and ARM Mobile Facility 2 (AMF2) well equipped for making aerosol and cloud measurements, ACAPEX focuses specifically on understanding how aerosols from local pollution and long-range transport affect the amountmore » and phase of precipitation associated with atmospheric rivers. ACAPEX took place between January 12, 2015 and March 8, 2015 as part of CalWater 2015, which included four aircraft (DOE G-1, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA] G-IV and P-3, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration [NASA] ER-2), the NOAA research ship Ron Brown, carrying onboard the AMF2, National Science Foundation (NSF)-sponsored aerosol and precipitation measurements at Bodega Bay, and the California Department of Water Resources extreme precipitation network.« less

  3. Precipitation formation from orographic cloud seeding.

    PubMed

    French, Jeffrey R; Friedrich, Katja; Tessendorf, Sarah A; Rauber, Robert M; Geerts, Bart; Rasmussen, Roy M; Xue, Lulin; Kunkel, Melvin L; Blestrud, Derek R

    2018-02-06

    Throughout the western United States and other semiarid mountainous regions across the globe, water supplies are fed primarily through the melting of snowpack. Growing populations place higher demands on water, while warmer winters and earlier springs reduce its supply. Water managers are tantalized by the prospect of cloud seeding as a way to increase winter snowfall, thereby shifting the balance between water supply and demand. Little direct scientific evidence exists that confirms even the basic physical hypothesis upon which cloud seeding relies. The intent of glaciogenic seeding of orographic clouds is to introduce aerosol into a cloud to alter the natural development of cloud particles and enhance wintertime precipitation in a targeted region. The hypothesized chain of events begins with the introduction of silver iodide aerosol into cloud regions containing supercooled liquid water, leading to the nucleation of ice crystals, followed by ice particle growth to sizes sufficiently large such that snow falls to the ground. Despite numerous experiments spanning several decades, no direct observations of this process exist. Here, measurements from radars and aircraft-mounted cloud physics probes are presented that together show the initiation, growth, and fallout to the mountain surface of ice crystals resulting from glaciogenic seeding. These data, by themselves, do not address the question of cloud seeding efficacy, but rather form a critical set of observations necessary for such investigations. These observations are unambiguous and provide details of the physical chain of events following the introduction of glaciogenic cloud seeding aerosol into supercooled liquid orographic clouds.

  4. Recent Findings Related to Giant Cloud Condensation Nuclei in the Marine Boundary Layer and Impacts on Clouds and Precipitation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sorooshian, Armin; Dadashazar, Hossein; Wang, Zhen; Crosbie, Ewan; Brunke, Michael; Zeng, Xubin; Jonsson, Haflidi; Woods, Roy; Flagan, Richard; Seinfeld, John

    2017-04-01

    This presentation reports on findings from multiple airborne field campaigns off the California coast to understand the sources, nature, and impacts of giant cloud condensation nuclei (GCCN). Aside from sea spray emissions, measurements have revealed that ocean-going ships can be a source of GCCN due to wake and stack emissions off the California coast. Observed particle number concentrations behind 10 ships exceeded those in "control" areas, exhibiting number concentration enhancement ratios (ERs) for minimum threshold diameters of 2, 10, and 20 μm as high as 2.7, 5.5, and 7.5, respectively. The data provide insights into how ER is related to a variety of factors (downwind distance, altitude, ship characteristics such as gross tonnage, length, and beam). The data also provide insight into the extent to which a size distribution parameter and a cloud water chemical measurement can capture the effect of sea salt on marine stratocumulus cloud properties. The two GCCN proxy variables, near-surface particle number concentration for diameter > 5 µm and cloud water chloride concentration, are significantly correlated with each other, and both exhibit expected relationships with other parameters that typically coincide with sea salt emissions. Factors influencing the relationship between these two GCCN proxy measurements will be discussed. When comparing twelve pairs of high and low chloride cloud cases (at fixed liquid water path and cloud drop number concentration), the average drop spectra for high chloride cases exhibit enhanced drop number at diameters exceeding 20 µm, especially above 30 µm. In addition, high chloride cases coincide with enhanced mean columnar R and negative values of precipitation susceptibility. The difference in drop effective radius (re) between high and low chloride conditions decreases with height in cloud, suggesting that some GCCN-produced rain drops precipitate before reaching cloud tops. The sign of cloud responses (i.e., re, R) to

  5. The relationships among cloud microphysics, chemistry, and precipitation rate in cold mountain clouds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Borys, Randolph D.; Lowenthal, Douglas H.; Mitchell, David L.

    A study was conducted to examine the relationships among air pollutant loadings, cloud microphysics, and snowfall rates in cold mountain clouds. It was hypothesized that variations in pollutant loadings would be reflected in shifts in the cloud droplet size distribution. A field program was conducted at Storm Peak Laboratory (SPL) at an elevation of 3210 m MSL in northwestern Colorado. Cold precipitating clouds were sampled during January, 1995. Cloud water was collected and analyzed for major ion and trace element chemistry. Cloud droplet concentrations and size were measured continuously using a PMS FSSP-100. The results indicate a direct relationship between clear-air equivalent (CAE) sulfate concentrations in cloud water and cloud droplet concentrations, an indirect relationship between droplet number and droplet size, a direct relationship between droplet size and snowfall rate, and an indirect relationship between CAE sulfate concentration and snowfall rate.

  6. Aerosol Impacts on California Winter Clouds and Precipitation during CalWater 2011: Local Pollution versus Long-Range Transported Dust

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Fan, Jiwen; Leung, Lai-Yung R.; DeMott, Paul J.

    2014-01-03

    Mineral dust aerosols often observed over California in winter and spring, associated with long-range transport from Asia and Sahara, have been linked to enhanced precipitation based on observations. Local anthropogenic pollution, on the other hand, was shown in previous observational and modeling studies to reduce precipitation. Here we incorporate recent developments in ice nucleation parameterizations to link aerosols with ice crystal formation in a spectral-bin cloud microphysical model coupled with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, to examine the relative and combined impacts of dust and local pollution particles on cloud properties and precipitation type and intensity. Simulations aremore » carried out for two cloud cases with contrasting meteorology and cloud dynamics that occurred on February 16 (FEB16) and March 02 (MAR02) from the CalWater 2011 field campaign. In both cases, observations show the presence of dust and biological particles in a relative pristine environment. The simulated cloud microphysical properties and precipitation show reasonable agreement with aircraft and surface measurements. Model sensitivity experiments indicate that in the pristine environment, the dust and biological aerosol layers increase the accumulated precipitation by 10-20% from the Central Valley to the Sierra Nevada Mountains for both FEB16 and MAR02 due to a ~40% increase in snow formation, validating the observational hypothesis. Model results show that local pollution increases precipitation over the windward slope of the mountains by few percent due to increased snow formation when dust is present but reduces precipitation by 5-8% if dust is removed on FEB16. The effects of local pollution on cloud microphysics and precipitation strongly depend on meteorology including the strength of the Sierra Barrier Jet, and cloud dynamics. This study further underscores the importance of the interactions between local pollution, dust, and environmental

  7. Characterization of Cloud Water-Content Distribution

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lee, Seungwon

    2010-01-01

    The development of realistic cloud parameterizations for climate models requires accurate characterizations of subgrid distributions of thermodynamic variables. To this end, a software tool was developed to characterize cloud water-content distributions in climate-model sub-grid scales. This software characterizes distributions of cloud water content with respect to cloud phase, cloud type, precipitation occurrence, and geo-location using CloudSat radar measurements. It uses a statistical method called maximum likelihood estimation to estimate the probability density function of the cloud water content.

  8. Evaluation of Cloud-Resolving Model Intercomparison Simulations Using TWP-ICE Observations: Precipitation and Cloud Structure

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Varble, Adam; Fridlind, Ann M.; Zipser, Edward J.; Ackerman, Andrew S.; Chaboureau, Jean-Pierre; Fan, Jiwen; Hill, Adrian; McFarlane, Sally A.; Pinty, Jean-Pierre; Shipway, Ben

    2011-01-01

    The Tropical Warm Pool.International Cloud Experiment (TWP ]ICE) provided extensive observational data sets designed to initialize, force, and constrain atmospheric model simulations. In this first of a two ]part study, precipitation and cloud structures within nine cloud ]resolving model simulations are compared with scanning radar reflectivity and satellite infrared brightness temperature observations during an active monsoon period from 19 to 25 January 2006. Seven of nine simulations overestimate convective area by 20% or more leading to general overestimation of convective rainfall. This is balanced by underestimation of stratiform rainfall by 5% to 50% despite overestimation of stratiform area by up to 65% because of a preponderance of very low stratiform rain rates in all simulations. All simulations fail to reproduce observed radar reflectivity distributions above the melting level in convective regions and throughout the troposphere in stratiform regions. Observed precipitation ]sized ice reaches higher altitudes than simulated precipitation ]sized ice despite some simulations that predict lower than observed top ]of ]atmosphere infrared brightness temperatures. For the simulations that overestimate radar reflectivity aloft, graupel is the cause with one ]moment microphysics schemes whereas snow is the cause with two ]moment microphysics schemes. Differences in simulated radar reflectivity are more highly correlated with differences in mass mean melted diameter (Dm) than differences in ice water content. Dm is largely dependent on the mass ]dimension relationship and gamma size distribution parameters such as size intercept (N0) and shape parameter (m). Having variable density, variable N0, or m greater than zero produces radar reflectivities closest to those observed.

  9. Coupled retrieval of water cloud and above-cloud aerosol properties using the Airborne Multiangle SpectroPolarimetric Imager (AirMSPI)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xu, F.; van Harten, G.; Diner, D. J.; Rheingans, B. E.; Tosca, M.; Seidel, F. C.; Bull, M. A.; Tkatcheva, I. N.; McDuffie, J. L.; Garay, M. J.; Davis, A. B.; Jovanovic, V. M.; Brian, C.; Alexandrov, M. D.; Hostetler, C. A.; Ferrare, R. A.; Burton, S. P.

    2017-12-01

    The Airborne Multiangle SpectroPolarimetric Imager (AirMSPI) has been flying aboard the NASA ER-2 high altitude aircraft since October 2010. AirMSPI acquires radiance and polarization data in bands centered at 355, 380, 445, 470*, 555, 660*, 865*, and 935 nm (*denotes polarimetric bands). In sweep mode, georectified images cover an area of 80-100 km (along track) by 10-25 km (across track) between ±66° off nadir, with a map-projected spatial resolution of 25 meters. An efficient and flexible retrieval algorithm has been developed using AirMSPI polarimetric bands for simultaneous retrieval of cloud and above-cloud aerosol microphysical properties. We design a three-step retrieval approach, namely 1) estimating effective droplet size distribution using polarimetric cloudbow observations and using it as initial guess for Step 2; 2) combining water cloud and aerosol above cloud retrieval by fitting polarimetric signals at all scattering angles (e.g. from 80° to 180°); and 3) constructing a lookup table of radiance for a set of cloud optical depth grids using aerosol and cloud information retrieved from Step 2 and then estimating pixel-scale cloud optical depth based on 1D radiative transfer (RT) theory by fitting the AirMSPI radiance. Retrieval uncertainty is formulated by accounting for instrumental errors and constraints imposed on spectral variations of aerosol and cloud droplet optical properties. As the forward RT model, a hybrid approach is developed to combine the computational strengths of Markov-chain and adding-doubling methods to model polarized RT in a coupled aerosol, Rayleigh and cloud system. Our retrieval approach is tested using 134 AirMSPI datasets acquired during NASA ORACLES field campaign in 09/2016, with low to high aerosol loadings. For validation, the retrieved aerosol optical depths and cloud-top heights are compared to coincident High Spectral Resolution Lidar-2 (HSRL-2) data, and the droplet size parameters including effective radius and

  10. Drivers in the Scaling Between Precipitation and Cloud Radiative Impacts in Deep Convection

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rapp, A. D.; Sun, L.; Smalley, K.

    2017-12-01

    The coupling between changes in radiation and precipitation has been demonstrated by a number of studies and suggests an important link between cloud and precipitation processes for defining climate sensitivity. Precipitation and radiative fluxes from CloudSat/CALIPSO retrieval products are used to examine the relationship between precipitation and cloud radiative impacts through two dimensionless parameters. The surface radiative cooling impact, Rc, represents the ratio of the surface shortwave cloud radiative effect to latent heating (LH) from precipitation. The atmospheric radiative heating impact, Rh, represents the ratio of the atmospheric cloud radiative effect to LH from precipitation. Together, these parameters describe the relationship between precipitation processes and how efficiently clouds cools the surface or heats the atmosphere. Deep convective clouds are identified using the 2B-GEOPROF-LIDAR joint radar-lidar product and the cloud radiative impact parameters are calculated from the 2B-FLXHR-LIDAR fluxes and 2C-RAIN-PROFILE precipitation. Deep convective clouds will be sampled according to their dynamic and thermodynamic regimes to provide insights into the factors that control the scaling between precipitation and radiative impacts. Preliminary results from analysis of precipitating deep convective pixels indicates a strong increase (decrease) in the ratio of atmospheric heating (surface cooling) and precipitation with thermodynamic environment, especially increasing water vapor; however, it remains to be seen whether these results hold when integrated over an entire deep convective cloud system. Analysis of the dependence of Rc and Rh on the cloud horizontal and vertical structure is also planned, which should lead to a better understanding of the role of non-precipitating anvil characteristics in modulating the relationship between precipitation and surface and atmospheric radiative effects.

  11. Multilayer Cloud Detection with the MODIS Near-Infrared Water Vapor Absorption Band

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wind, Galina; Platnick, Steven; King, Michael D.; Hubanks, Paul A,; Pavolonis, Michael J.; Heidinger, Andrew K.; Yang, Ping; Baum, Bryan A.

    2009-01-01

    Data Collection 5 processing for the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) onboard the NASA Earth Observing System EOS Terra and Aqua spacecraft includes an algorithm for detecting multilayered clouds in daytime. The main objective of this algorithm is to detect multilayered cloud scenes, specifically optically thin ice cloud overlying a lower-level water cloud, that presents difficulties for retrieving cloud effective radius using single layer plane-parallel cloud models. The algorithm uses the MODIS 0.94 micron water vapor band along with CO2 bands to obtain two above-cloud precipitable water retrievals, the difference of which, in conjunction with additional tests, provides a map of where multilayered clouds might potentially exist. The presence of a multilayered cloud results in a large difference in retrievals of above-cloud properties between the CO2 and the 0.94 micron methods. In this paper the MODIS multilayered cloud algorithm is described, results of using the algorithm over example scenes are shown, and global statistics for multilayered clouds as observed by MODIS are discussed. A theoretical study of the algorithm behavior for simulated multilayered clouds is also given. Results are compared to two other comparable passive imager methods. A set of standard cloudy atmospheric profiles developed during the course of this investigation is also presented. The results lead to the conclusion that the MODIS multilayer cloud detection algorithm has some skill in identifying multilayered clouds with different thermodynamic phases

  12. Super-cooled liquid water topped sub-arctic clouds and precipitation - investigation based on combination of ground-based in-situ and remote-sensing observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hirsikko, Anne; Brus, David; O'Connor, Ewan J.; Filioglou, Maria; Komppula, Mika; Romakkaniemi, Sami

    2017-04-01

    In the high and mid latitudes super-cooled liquid water layers are frequently observed on top of clouds. These layers are difficult to forecast with numerical weather prediction models, even though, they have strong influence on atmospheric radiative properties, cloud microphysical properties, and subsequently, precipitation. This work investigates properties of super-cooled liquid water layer topped sub-arctic clouds and precipitation observed with ground-based in-situ (cloud probes) and remote-sensing (a cloud radar, Doppler and multi-wavelength lidars) instrumentation during two-month long Pallas Cloud Experiment (PaCE 2015) in autumn 2015. Analysis is based on standard Cloudnet scheme supplemented with new retrieval products of the specific clouds and their properties. Combination of two scales of observation provides new information on properties of clouds and precipitation in the sub-arctic Pallas region. Current status of results will be presented during the conference. The authors acknowledge financial support by the Academy of Finland (Centre of Excellence Programme, grant no 272041; and ICINA project, grant no 285068), the ACTRIS2 - European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 654109, the KONE foundation, and the EU FP7 project BACCHUS (grant no 603445).

  13. Estimating precipitation susceptibility in warm marine clouds using multi-sensor aerosol and cloud products from A-Train satellites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bai, Heming; Gong, Cheng; Wang, Minghuai; Zhang, Zhibo; L'Ecuyer, Tristan

    2018-02-01

    Precipitation susceptibility to aerosol perturbation plays a key role in understanding aerosol-cloud interactions and constraining aerosol indirect effects. However, large discrepancies exist in the previous satellite estimates of precipitation susceptibility. In this paper, multi-sensor aerosol and cloud products, including those from the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO), CloudSat, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), and Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for the Earth Observing System (AMSR-E) from June 2006 to April 2011 are analyzed to estimate precipitation frequency susceptibility SPOP, precipitation intensity susceptibility SI, and precipitation rate susceptibility SR in warm marine clouds. We find that SPOP strongly depends on atmospheric stability, with larger values under more stable environments. Our results show that precipitation susceptibility for drizzle (with a -15 dBZ rainfall threshold) is significantly different than that for rain (with a 0 dBZ rainfall threshold). Onset of drizzle is not as readily suppressed in warm clouds as rainfall while precipitation intensity susceptibility is generally smaller for rain than for drizzle. We find that SPOP derived with respect to aerosol index (AI) is about one-third of SPOP derived with respect to cloud droplet number concentration (CDNC). Overall, SPOP demonstrates relatively robust features throughout independent liquid water path (LWP) products and diverse rain products. In contrast, the behaviors of SI and SR are subject to LWP or rain products used to derive them. Recommendations are further made for how to better use these metrics to quantify aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions in observations and models.

  14. Ice nucleation active particles are efficiently removed by precipitating clouds.

    PubMed

    Stopelli, Emiliano; Conen, Franz; Morris, Cindy E; Herrmann, Erik; Bukowiecki, Nicolas; Alewell, Christine

    2015-11-10

    Ice nucleation in cold clouds is a decisive step in the formation of rain and snow. Observations and modelling suggest that variations in the concentrations of ice nucleating particles (INPs) affect timing, location and amount of precipitation. A quantitative description of the abundance and variability of INPs is crucial to assess and predict their influence on precipitation. Here we used the hydrological indicator δ(18)O to derive the fraction of water vapour lost from precipitating clouds and correlated it with the abundance of INPs in freshly fallen snow. Results show that the number of INPs active at temperatures ≥ -10 °C (INPs-10) halves for every 10% of vapour lost through precipitation. Particles of similar size (>0.5 μm) halve in number for only every 20% of vapour lost, suggesting effective microphysical processing of INPs during precipitation. We show that INPs active at moderate supercooling are rapidly depleted by precipitating clouds, limiting their impact on subsequent rainfall development in time and space.

  15. Improving aerosol interaction with clouds and precipitation in a regional chemical weather modeling system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhou, C.; Zhang, X.; Gong, S.

    2015-12-01

    A comprehensive aerosol-cloud-precipitation interaction (ACI) scheme has been developed under CMA chemical weather modeling system GRAPES/CUACE. Calculated by a sectional aerosol activation scheme based on the information of size and mass from CUACE and the thermal-dynamic and humid states from the weather model GRAPES at each time step, the cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) is fed online interactively into a two-moment cloud scheme (WDM6) and a convective parameterization to drive the cloud physics and precipitation formation processes. The modeling system has been applied to study the ACI for January 2013 when several persistent haze-fog events and eight precipitation events occurred. The results show that interactive aerosols with the WDM6 in GRAPES/CUACE obviously increase the total cloud water, liquid water content and cloud droplet number concentrations while decrease the mean diameter of cloud droplets with varying magnitudes of the changes in each case and region. These interactive micro-physical properties of clouds improve the calculation of their collection growth rates in some regions and hence the precipitation rate and distributions in the model, showing 24% to 48% enhancements of TS scoring for 6-h precipitation in almost all regions. The interactive aerosols with the WDM6 also reduce the regional mean bias of temperature by 3 °C during certain precipitation events, but the monthly means bias is only reduced by about 0.3°C.

  16. Satellite estimates of precipitation susceptibility in low-level marine stratiform clouds

    DOE PAGES

    Terai, C. R.; Wood, R.; Kubar, T. L.

    2015-09-05

    Quantifying the sensitivity of warm rain to aerosols is important for constraining climate model estimates of aerosol indirect effects. In this study, the precipitation sensitivity to cloud droplet number concentration (N d) in satellite retrievals is quantified by applying the precipitation susceptibility metric to a combined CloudSat/Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer data set of stratus and stratocumulus clouds that cover the tropical and subtropical Pacific Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. We note that consistent with previous observational studies of marine stratocumulus, precipitation susceptibility decreases with increasing liquid water path (LWP), and the susceptibility of the mean precipitation rate R is nearlymore » equal to the sum of the susceptibilities of precipitation intensity and of probability of precipitation. Consistent with previous modeling studies, the satellite retrievals reveal that precipitation susceptibility varies not only with LWP but also with N d. Puzzlingly, negative values of precipitation susceptibility are found at low LWP and high N d. There is marked regional variation in precipitation susceptibility values that cannot simply be explained by regional variations in LWP and N d. This suggests other controls on precipitation apart from LWP and N d and that precipitation susceptibility will need to be quantified and understood at the regional scale when relating to its role in controlling possible aerosol-induced cloud lifetime effects.« less

  17. The Impact of Aerosols on Cloud and Precipitation Processes: Cloud-Resolving Model Simulations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tao, Wei-Kuo; Li, Xiaowen; Khain, Alexander; Matsui, Toshihisa; Lang, Stephen; Simpson, Joanne

    2008-01-01

    Aerosols and especially their effect on clouds are one of the key components of the climate system and the hydrological cycle [Ramanathan et al., 2001]. Yet, the aerosol effect on clouds remains largely unknown and the processes involved not well understood. A recent report published by the National Academy of Science states "The greatest uncertainty about the aerosol climate forcing - indeed, the largest of all the uncertainties about global climate forcing - is probably the indirect effect of aerosols on clouds [NRC, 2001]." The aerosol effect on clouds is often categorized into the traditional "first indirect (i.e., Twomey)" effect on the cloud droplet sizes for a constant liquid water path [Twomey, 1977] and the "semi-direct" effect on cloud coverage [e.g., Ackerman et al ., 2001]." Enhanced aerosol concentrations can also suppress warm rain processes by producing a narrow droplet spectrum that inhibits collision and coalescence processes [e.g., Squires and Twomey, 1961; Warner and Twomey, 1967; Warner, 1968; Rosenfeld, 19991. The aerosol effect on precipitation processes, also known as the second type of aerosol indirect effect [Albrecht, 1989], is even more complex, especially for mixed-phase convective clouds. Table 1 summarizes the key observational studies identifying the microphysical properties, cloud characteristics, thermodynamics and dynamics associated with cloud systems from high-aerosol continental environments. For example, atmospheric aerosol concentrations can influence cloud droplet size distributions, warm-rain process, cold-rain process, cloud-top height, the depth of the mixed phase region, and occurrence of lightning. In addition, high aerosol concentrations in urban environments could affect precipitation variability by providing an enhanced source of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). Hypotheses have been developed to explain the effect of urban regions on convection and precipitation [van den Heever and Cotton, 2007 and Shepherd, 2005

  18. Characteristic Vertical Profiles of Cloud Water Composition in Marine Stratocumulus Clouds and Relationships With Precipitation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    MacDonald, Alexander B.; Dadashazar, Hossein; Chuang, Patrick Y.; Crosbie, Ewan; Wang, Hailong; Wang, Zhen; Jonsson, Haflidi H.; Flagan, Richard C.; Seinfeld, John H.; Sorooshian, Armin

    2018-04-01

    This study uses airborne cloud water composition measurements to characterize the vertical structure of air-equivalent mass concentrations of water-soluble species in marine stratocumulus clouds off the California coast. A total of 385 cloud water samples were collected in the months of July and August between 2011 and 2016 and analyzed for water-soluble ionic and elemental composition. Three characteristic profiles emerge: (i) a reduction of concentration with in-cloud altitude for particulate species directly emitted from sources below cloud without in-cloud sources (e.g., Cl- and Na+), (ii) an increase of concentration with in-cloud altitude (e.g., NO2- and formate), and (iii) species exhibiting a peak in concentration in the middle of cloud (e.g., non-sea-salt SO42-, NO3-, and organic acids). Vertical profiles of rainout parameters such as loss frequency, lifetime, and change in concentration with respect to time show that the scavenging efficiency throughout the cloud depth depends strongly on the thickness of the cloud. Thin clouds exhibit a greater scavenging loss frequency at cloud top, while thick clouds have a greater scavenging loss frequency at cloud base. The implications of these results for treatment of wet scavenging in models are discussed.

  19. Characteristic Vertical Profiles of Cloud Water Composition in Marine Stratocumulus Clouds and Relationships With Precipitation

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    MacDonald, Alexander B.; Dadashazar, Hossein; Chuang, Patrick Y.

    This study uses airborne cloud water composition measurements to characterize the vertical structure of air-equivalent mass concentrations of water-soluble species in marine stratocumulus clouds off the California coast. A total of 385 cloud water samples were collected in the months of July and August between 2011 and 2016 and analyzed for water-soluble ionic and elemental composition. Three characteristic profiles emerge: (i) a reduction of concentration with in-cloud altitude for particulate species directly emitted from sources below cloud without in-cloud sources (e.g., Cl-, Na+); (ii) an increase of concentration with in-cloud altitude (e.g., NO2-, formate); and (iii) species exhibiting a peakmore » in concentration in the middle of cloud (e.g., non-sea salt SO42-, NO3-, organic acids). Vertical profiles of rainout parameters such as loss frequency, lifetime, and change in concentration with respect to time show that the scavenging efficiency throughout the cloud depth depends strongly on the thickness of the cloud. Thin clouds exhibit a greater scavenging loss frequency at cloud top, while thick clouds have a greater scavenging loss frequency at cloud base. The implications of these results for treatment of wet scavenging in models are discussed.« less

  20. Improving aerosol interaction with clouds and precipitation in a regional chemical weather modeling system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhou, C.; Zhang, X.; Gong, S.; Wang, Y.; Xue, M.

    2016-01-01

    A comprehensive aerosol-cloud-precipitation interaction (ACI) scheme has been developed under a China Meteorological Administration (CMA) chemical weather modeling system, GRAPES/CUACE (Global/Regional Assimilation and PrEdiction System, CMA Unified Atmospheric Chemistry Environment). Calculated by a sectional aerosol activation scheme based on the information of size and mass from CUACE and the thermal-dynamic and humid states from the weather model GRAPES at each time step, the cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) are interactively fed online into a two-moment cloud scheme (WRF Double-Moment 6-class scheme - WDM6) and a convective parameterization to drive cloud physics and precipitation formation processes. The modeling system has been applied to study the ACI for January 2013 when several persistent haze-fog events and eight precipitation events occurred.

    The results show that aerosols that interact with the WDM6 in GRAPES/CUACE obviously increase the total cloud water, liquid water content, and cloud droplet number concentrations, while decreasing the mean diameters of cloud droplets with varying magnitudes of the changes in each case and region. These interactive microphysical properties of clouds improve the calculation of their collection growth rates in some regions and hence the precipitation rate and distributions in the model, showing 24 to 48 % enhancements of threat score for 6 h precipitation in almost all regions. The aerosols that interact with the WDM6 also reduce the regional mean bias of temperature by 3 °C during certain precipitation events, but the monthly means bias is only reduced by about 0.3 °C.

  1. Intercomparison of aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions in stratiform orographic mixed-phase clouds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Muhlbauer, A.; Hashino, T.; Xue, L.; Teller, A.; Lohmann, U.; Rasmussen, R. M.; Geresdi, I.; Pan, Z.

    2010-09-01

    Anthropogenic aerosols serve as a source of both cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) and ice nuclei (IN) and affect microphysical properties of clouds. Increasing aerosol number concentrations is hypothesized to retard the cloud droplet coalescence and the riming in mixed-phase clouds, thereby decreasing orographic precipitation. This study presents results from a model intercomparison of 2-D simulations of aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions in stratiform orographic mixed-phase clouds. The sensitivity of orographic precipitation to changes in the aerosol number concentrations is analysed and compared for various dynamical and thermodynamical situations. Furthermore, the sensitivities of microphysical processes such as coalescence, aggregation, riming and diffusional growth to changes in the aerosol number concentrations are evaluated and compared. The participating numerical models are the model from the Consortium for Small-Scale Modeling (COSMO) with bulk microphysics, the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model with bin microphysics and the University of Wisconsin modeling system (UWNMS) with a spectral ice habit prediction microphysics scheme. All models are operated on a cloud-resolving scale with 2 km horizontal grid spacing. The results of the model intercomparison suggest that the sensitivity of orographic precipitation to aerosol modifications varies greatly from case to case and from model to model. Neither a precipitation decrease nor a precipitation increase is found robustly in all simulations. Qualitative robust results can only be found for a subset of the simulations but even then quantitative agreement is scarce. Estimates of the aerosol effect on orographic precipitation are found to range from -19% to 0% depending on the simulated case and the model. Similarly, riming is shown to decrease in some cases and models whereas it increases in others, which implies that a decrease in riming with increasing aerosol load is not a robust result

  2. Precipitation-generated oscillations in open cellular cloud fields.

    PubMed

    Feingold, Graham; Koren, Ilan; Wang, Hailong; Xue, Huiwen; Brewer, Wm Alan

    2010-08-12

    Cloud fields adopt many different patterns that can have a profound effect on the amount of sunlight reflected back to space, with important implications for the Earth's climate. These cloud patterns can be observed in satellite images of the Earth and often exhibit distinct cell-like structures associated with organized convection at scales of tens of kilometres. Recent evidence has shown that atmospheric aerosol particles-through their influence on precipitation formation-help to determine whether cloud fields take on closed (more reflective) or open (less reflective) cellular patterns. The physical mechanisms controlling the formation and evolution of these cells, however, are still poorly understood, limiting our ability to simulate realistically the effects of clouds on global reflectance. Here we use satellite imagery and numerical models to show how precipitating clouds produce an open cellular cloud pattern that oscillates between different, weakly stable states. The oscillations are a result of precipitation causing downward motion and outflow from clouds that were previously positively buoyant. The evaporating precipitation drives air down to the Earth's surface, where it diverges and collides with the outflows of neighbouring precipitating cells. These colliding outflows form surface convergence zones and new cloud formation. In turn, the newly formed clouds produce precipitation and new colliding outflow patterns that are displaced from the previous ones. As successive cycles of this kind unfold, convergence zones alternate with divergence zones and new cloud patterns emerge to replace old ones. The result is an oscillating, self-organized system with a characteristic cell size and precipitation frequency.

  3. Effects of cloud condensation nuclei and ice nucleating particles on precipitation processes and supercooled liquid in mixed-phase orographic clouds

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Fan, Jiwen; Leung, L. Ruby; Rosenfeld, Daniel

    How orographic mixed-phase clouds respond to the change in cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) and ice nucleating particles (INPs) are highly uncertain. The main snow production mechanism in warm and cold mixed-phase orographic clouds (referred to as WMOCs and CMOCs, respectively, distinguished here as those having cloud tops warmer and colder than -20°C) could be very different. We quantify the CCN and INP impacts on supercooled water content, cloud phases, and precipitation for a WMOC case and a CMOC case, with sensitivity tests using the same CCN and INP concentrations between the WMOC and CMOC cases. It was found that depositionmore » plays a more important role than riming for forming snow in the CMOC case, while the role of riming is dominant in the WMOC case. As expected, adding CCN suppresses precipitation, especially in WMOCs and low INPs. However, this reverses strongly for CCN of 1000 cm -3 and larger. We found a new mechanism through which CCN can invigorate mixed-phase clouds over the Sierra Nevada and drastically intensify snow precipitation when CCN concentrations are high (1000 cm -3 or higher). In this situation, more widespread shallow clouds with a greater amount of cloud water form in the Central Valley and foothills west of the mountain range. The increased latent heat release associated with the formation of these clouds strengthens the local transport of moisture to the windward slope, invigorating mixed-phase clouds over the mountains, and thereby producing higher amounts of snow precipitation. Under all CCN conditions, increasing the INPs leads to decreased riming and mixed-phase fraction in the CMOC as a result of liquid-limited conditions, but has the opposite effects in the WMOC as a result of ice-limited conditions. However, precipitation in both cases is increased by increasing INPs due to an increase in deposition for the CMOC but enhanced riming and deposition in the WMOC. Increasing the INPs dramatically reduces supercooled water

  4. Effects of cloud condensation nuclei and ice nucleating particles on precipitation processes and supercooled liquid in mixed-phase orographic clouds

    DOE PAGES

    Fan, Jiwen; Leung, L. Ruby; Rosenfeld, Daniel; ...

    2017-01-23

    How orographic mixed-phase clouds respond to the change in cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) and ice nucleating particles (INPs) are highly uncertain. The main snow production mechanism in warm and cold mixed-phase orographic clouds (referred to as WMOCs and CMOCs, respectively, distinguished here as those having cloud tops warmer and colder than -20°C) could be very different. We quantify the CCN and INP impacts on supercooled water content, cloud phases, and precipitation for a WMOC case and a CMOC case, with sensitivity tests using the same CCN and INP concentrations between the WMOC and CMOC cases. It was found that depositionmore » plays a more important role than riming for forming snow in the CMOC case, while the role of riming is dominant in the WMOC case. As expected, adding CCN suppresses precipitation, especially in WMOCs and low INPs. However, this reverses strongly for CCN of 1000 cm -3 and larger. We found a new mechanism through which CCN can invigorate mixed-phase clouds over the Sierra Nevada and drastically intensify snow precipitation when CCN concentrations are high (1000 cm -3 or higher). In this situation, more widespread shallow clouds with a greater amount of cloud water form in the Central Valley and foothills west of the mountain range. The increased latent heat release associated with the formation of these clouds strengthens the local transport of moisture to the windward slope, invigorating mixed-phase clouds over the mountains, and thereby producing higher amounts of snow precipitation. Under all CCN conditions, increasing the INPs leads to decreased riming and mixed-phase fraction in the CMOC as a result of liquid-limited conditions, but has the opposite effects in the WMOC as a result of ice-limited conditions. However, precipitation in both cases is increased by increasing INPs due to an increase in deposition for the CMOC but enhanced riming and deposition in the WMOC. Increasing the INPs dramatically reduces supercooled water

  5. Illinois Precipitation Research: A Focus on Cloud and Precipitation Modification.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Changnon, Stanley A.; Czys, Robert R.; Scott, Robert W.; Westcott, Nancy E.

    1991-05-01

    At the heart of the 40-year atmospheric research endeavors of the Illinois State Water Survey have been studies to understand precipitation processes in order to learn how precipitation is modified purposefully and accidentally, and to measure the physical and socio-economic consequences of cloud and precipitation modification. Major field and laboratory activities of past years or briefly treated as a basis for describing the key findings of the past ten years. Recent studies of inadvertent and purposeful cloud and rain modification and their effects are emphasized, including a 1989 field project conducted in Illinois and key findings from an on-going exploratory experiment addressing cloud and rain modification. Results are encouraging for the use of dynamic seeding on summer cumuliform clouds of the Midwest.Typical in-cloud results at 10°C reveal multiple updrafts that tend to be filled with large amounts of supercooled drizzle and raindrops. Natural ice production is vigorous, and initial concentrations are larger than expected from ice nuclei. However, natural ice production is not so vigorous as to preclude opportunities for seeding. Radar-based studies of such clouds reveal that their echo cores usually can be identified prior to desired seeding times, which is significant for the evaluation of their behavior. Cell characteristics show considerable variance under different types of meteorological conditions. Analysis of cell mergers reveals that under conditions of weak vertical shear, mid-level intercell flow at 4 km occurs as the reflectivity bridge between cells rapidly intensifies. The degree of intensification of single-echo cores after they merge is strongly related to the age and vigor of the cores before they join. Hence, cloud growth may be enhanced if seeding can encourage echo cores to merge at critical times. Forecasting research has developed a technique for objectively distinguishing between operational seeding and nonoperational days and for

  6. Using Observations from GPM and CloudSat to Produce a Climatology of Precipitation over the Ocean

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hayden, L.; Liu, C.

    2017-12-01

    Satellite based instruments are essential to the observation of precipitation at a global scale, especially over remote oceanic regions. Each instrument has its own strengths and limitations when it comes to accurately determining the rate of precipitation occurring at the surface. By using the complementary strengths of two satellite based instruments, we attempt to produce a more complete climatology of global oceanic precipitation. The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Osbervatory's Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) is capable of measuring precipitation producing radar reflectivity above 12 dBZ [Hamada and Takayabu 2016]. The CloudSat satellite's Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR) uses higher frequency C band (94 GHz) radiation, and is therefore capable of measuring precipitation occurring at low precipitation rates which are not detected by the GPM DPR. The precipitation estimates derived by the two satellites are combined and the results are examined. CloudSat data from July 2006 to December 2010 are used. GPM data from March 2014 through May 2016 are used. Since the two datasets do not temporally overlap, this study is conducted from a climatological standpoint. The average occurrence for different precipitation rates is calculated for both satellites. To produce the combined dataset, the precipitation from CloudSat are used for the low precipitation rates while CloudSat precipitation amount is greater than that from GPM DPR, until GPM DPR precipitation amount is higher than that from CloudSat, at which precipitation rate data from the GPM are used. By combining the two datasets, we discuss the seasonal and geo-graphical distribution of weak precipitation detected by CloudSat that is beyond the sensitivity of GPM DPR. We also hope to gain a more complete picture of the precipitation that occurs over oceanic regions.

  7. Intercomparison of aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions in stratiform orographic mixed-phase clouds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Muhlbauer, A.; Hashino, T.; Xue, L.; Teller, A.; Lohmann, U.; Rasmussen, R. M.; Geresdi, I.; Pan, Z.

    2010-04-01

    Anthropogenic aerosols serve as a source of both cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) and ice nuclei (IN) and affect microphysical properties of clouds. Increasing aerosol number concentrations is hypothesized to retard the cloud droplet collision/coalescence and the riming in mixed-phase clouds, thereby decreasing orographic precipitation. This study presents results from a model intercomparison of 2-D simulations of aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions in stratiform orographic mixed-phase clouds. The sensitivity of orographic precipitation to changes in the aerosol number concentrations is analyzed and compared for various dynamical and thermodynamical situations. Furthermore, the sensitivities of microphysical processes such as collision/coalescence, aggregation and riming to changes in the aerosol number concentrations are evaluated and compared. The participating models are the Consortium for Small-Scale Modeling's (COSMO) model with bulk-microphysics, the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model with bin-microphysics and the University of Wisconsin modeling system (UWNMS) with a spectral ice-habit prediction microphysics scheme. All models are operated on a cloud-resolving scale with 2 km horizontal grid spacing. The results of the model intercomparison suggest that the sensitivity of orographic precipitation to aerosol modifications varies greatly from case to case and from model to model. Neither a precipitation decrease nor a precipitation increase is found robustly in all simulations. Qualitative robust results can only be found for a subset of the simulations but even then quantitative agreement is scarce. Estimates of the second indirect aerosol effect on orographic precipitation are found to range from -19% to 0% depending on the simulated case and the model. Similarly, riming is shown to decrease in some cases and models whereas it increases in others which implies that a decrease in riming with increasing aerosol load is not a robust result

  8. Cloud and Aerosol Properties, Precipitable Water, and Profiles of Temperature and Water Vapor from MODIS

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    King, Michael D.; Menzel, W. Paul; Kaufman, Yoram J.; Tanre, Didier; Gao, Bo-Cai; Platnick, Steven; Ackerman, Steven A.; Remer, Lorraine A.; Pincus, Robert; Hubanks, Paul A.

    2003-01-01

    The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) is an earth-viewing sensor that flies on the Earth Observing System (EOS) Terra and Aqua satellites, launched in 1999 and 2002, respectively. MODIS scans a swath width of 2330 km that is sufficiently wide to provide nearly complete global coverage every two days from a polar-orbiting, sun-synchronous, platform at an altitude of 705 km. MODIS provides images in 36 spectral bands between 0.415 and 14.235 pm with spatial resolutions of 250 m (2 bands), 500 m (5 bands) and 1000 m (29 bands). These bands have been carefully selected to en- able advanced studies of land, ocean, and atmospheric properties. Twenty-six bands are used to derive atmospheric properties such as cloud mask, atmospheric profiles, aerosol properties, total precipitable water, and cloud properties. In this paper we describe each of these atmospheric data products, including characteristics of each of these products such as file size, spatial resolution used in producing the product, and data availability.

  9. The pH and ionic composition of stratiform cloud water

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Castillo, Raymond A.; Jiusto, James E.; Mclaren, Eugene

    Over 50 cloud water samples were collected during five comprehensive case studies of the water chemistry of stratiform clouds at Whiteface Mountain, New York. The water samples were analyzed for pH, conductivity and ions of sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, ammonium, sulfate, chloride and nitrate. Trajectory analyses and cloud condensation nucleus concentrations at 0.5 % confirmed that the air masses in all five of these cases represented continental air that was relatively clean (low aerosol concentration) for the northeystern United States. The major ions related to cloud water pH were found to be sulfate, nitrate, potassium, ammonium and calcium. The results revealed a mean hydrogen ion concentration [ H+] = 0.239 meq ℓ -1 ( σ = ± 0.21) which converts to a mean pH = 3.6 for all collected cloud samples. The low pH values are related to a normal background of nitrate ions found in the rural continental air masses plus sulfate ions largely from the industrial emissions of the midwestern United States. The [NO -3], in two of the three cases presented, demonstrates the importance of the nitrate ions' contribution to the pH of cloud water. A dependent means analysis of 40 events yielded a significant difference (0.04 level of significance), with the mean pH of precipitation (4.2) being greater than the mean pH of cloud water (4.0) for event samples. The ion concentrations indicated that the cloud rainout process contributed from 67 % to almost 100% of the total ion concentration of the precipitation. The washout process, i.e. precipitation scavenging below the cloud base, contributed considerably less than the cloud/rainout process of those total precipitation anions associated with air pollution.

  10. The relationship of Arctic precipitation rates to stratus cloud thickness

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Z.; Garrett, T. J.

    2013-12-01

    Cloud properties are changing with a warming Arctic, yet it is unclear how precipitation rates will respond. For mid-latitude stratiform clouds, van Zanten et al. (2005) have shown that precipitation rates R decrease with droplet concentration N, but that they increase with the cube of cloud depth H. Furthermore, Kostinski (2008) used physical reasoning to show that the drizzle rate is related to the water content volume fraction (f) and the size dependent fall speed of particles u(r), i.e. R = f u(r). Kostinski's result suggests that R = f u(r) ~ H^ (1+2a), where a = 1 and 0.5 in the intermediate and turbulent regimes of fall speed, respectively. In general, mid-latitude stratocumuli tend to produce drizzles whose fall speed u(r) = k r^1 (a = 1) falls within the intermediate regime. Thus, the physically derived R ~ H^ (1+2 x 1) =H^3 relationship agrees well with the van Zanten et al. (2005) observations. To evaluate Kostinski's hypotheses with respect to Arctic stratus, cloud and precipitation retrieval techniques developed by Zhao and Garrett (2008) and Garrett and Zhao (2012) are used from the ARM NSA-AAO site near Barrow, Alaska. Specifically, cloud top height, cloud base height, and rain rate at cloud base and ground are used to develop dependence relationships. These data show that R ~ H^1.54 in the summer of Arctic, implying that a = 0.27. A low value of parameter a in the relationship u(r) = k r^a suggests wake turbulence behind falling precipitation particles. In the Arctic, stratocumuli often generate ice phase precipitation (or snow crystals). Snow crystals falling in air generate wake turbulence more than the drizzle that is characteristic of stratocumuli in mid-latitudes. A fall speed versus size dependence of u(r) = k r^0.27 suggests that a parameterization R ~ H^ (1+2 x 0.27) = H^1.54 is most suitable for Arctic cloud and climate models that do not explicitly resolve small and fast scale microphysical processes.

  11. A cloud, precipitation and electrification modeling effort for COHMEX

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Orville, Harold D.; Helsdon, John H.; Farley, Richard D.

    1991-01-01

    In mid-1987, the Modeling Group of the Institute of Atmospheric Sciences (IAS) began to simulate and analyze cloud runs that were made during the Cooperative Huntsville Meteorological Experiment (COHMEX) Project and later. The cloud model was run nearly every day during the summer 1986 COHMEX Project. The Modeling Group was then funded to analyze the results, make further modeling tests, and help explain the precipitation processes in the Southeastern United States. The main science objectives of COHMEX were: (1) to observe the prestorm environment and understand the physical mechanisms leading to the formation of small convective systems and processes controlling the production of precipitation; (2) to describe the structure of small convective systems producing precipitation including the large and small scale events in the environment surrounding the developing and mature convective system; (3) to understand the interrelationships between electrical activity within the convective system and the process of precipitation; and (4) to develop and test numerical models describing the boundary layer, tropospheric, and cloud scale thermodynamics and dynamics associated with small convective systems. The latter three of these objectives were addressed by the modeling activities of the IAS. A series of cloud modes were used to simulate the clouds that formed during the operational project. The primary models used to date on the project were a two dimensional bulk water model, a two dimensional electrical model, and to a lesser extent, a two dimensional detailed microphysical cloud model. All of the models are based on fully interacting microphysics, dynamics, thermodynamics, and electrical equations. Only the 20 July 1986 case was analyzed in detail, although all of the cases run during the summer were analyzed as to how well they did in predicting the characteristics of the convection for that day.

  12. Characterizing the summer convective clouds and precipitation over Tibetan Plateau

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guo, X.; Chang, Y.

    2016-12-01

    Tibetan Plateau plays an important role in regional even in global water cycle, ecosystem and atmospheric circulation. China has conducted the Third Tibetan Plateau Experiment-Observation of Boundary Layer and Troposphere (2014-2017) Project in order to reveal the physical process of meteorology and atmosphere over the Tibetan Plateau. The field campaign used state-of-the-art observational instruments for observing clouds and precipitation processes including multiband radar system such as the C-band continuous wave radar and Ka-band millimetre wave cloud radar, as well as raindrop disdrometer and lidar ceilometer etc. Here, we characterize the summer convective clouds and precipitation and raindrop size distribution based on observation data and FY-2E satellite TBB data from July 1 to August 31, 2014. The result shows that the summer convective activities mainly distributed in the central and southeast regions over the Tibetan Plateau, and the precipitation process had a quasi-two-week cycle during the observational period. Due to the strong solar heating effect over the plateau, both convective clouds and precipitation processes had obvious daily variation. The convections first appeared at 11:00 in the morning, and the first peak of precipitation occurred at around 12:00, which was mainly caused by local thermal convection with relative lower cloud-top height and wider drop spectrum. The mean cloud-top height was around 11.5 km (ASL), and its maximum value exceeded 19 km, and the mean cloud-base height was 6.88 km (ASL) during the observation period. The precipitation in summer time over the plateau was mainly short-lasting and showery, and usually lasted less than 1 h, and the mean precipitation intensity was around 1.2 mm/h. The result also shows that the raindrop size distribution over the Tibetan Plateau was wider than that over plain at the same latitude and season, because of which the rainfall could be more easily produced over the plateau than that over

  13. Effects of turbulence on warm clouds and precipitation with various aerosol concentrations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, Hyunho; Baik, Jong-Jin; Han, Ji-Young

    2015-02-01

    This study investigates the effects of turbulence-induced collision enhancement (TICE) on warm clouds and precipitation by changing the cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) number concentration using a two-dimensional dynamic model with bin microphysics. TICE is determined according to the Taylor microscale Reynolds number and the turbulent dissipation rate. The thermodynamic sounding used in this study is characterized by a warm and humid atmosphere with a capping inversion layer, which is suitable for simulating warm clouds. For all CCN concentrations, TICE slightly reduces the liquid water path during the early stage of cloud development and accelerates the onset of surface precipitation. However, changes in the rainwater path and in the amount of surface precipitation that are caused by TICE depend on the CCN concentrations. For high CCN concentrations, the mean cloud drop number concentration (CDNC) decreases and the mean effective radius increases due to TICE. These changes cause an increase in the amount of surface precipitation. However, for low CCN concentrations, changes in the mean CDNC and in the mean effective radius induced by TICE are small and the amount of surface precipitation decreases slightly due to TICE. A decrease in condensation due to the accelerated coalescence between droplets explains the surface precipitation decrease. In addition, an increase in the CCN concentration can lead to an increase in the amount of surface precipitation, and the relationship between the CCN concentration and the amount of surface precipitation is affected by TICE. It is shown that these results depend on the atmospheric relative humidity.

  14. Precipitation Characteristics of ISCCP Cloud Regimes for Improving Model Hydrological Budgets

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lee, D.; Oreopoulos, L.

    2011-01-01

    The key in unraveling relationships between precipitation and atmospheric circulations is their common linkage to clouds. Clouds can be described in a variety of ways and several approaches can be adopted to examine their connections to precipitation. We claim that when cloud regimes (aka weather states) from the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) are used to conditionally sample/sort and average precipitation data, useful insight and GCM-appropriate diagnostics on the origins and distribution of precipitation can be obtained. The ISCCP cloud regimes are mesoscale (2.5 ) cloud mixtures determined by cluster analysis on joint histograms of cloud optical thickness and cloud top pressure inferred from geostationary and polar orbiter satellite passive retrievals. The ISCCP cloud regime data are combined with GPCP IDD merged surface precipitation data and/or higher temporal and spatial resolution TRMM Multi-Satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA) data. The analysis is performed separately for three geographical zones, tropics, and northern/southern midlatitudes (for GPCP; only the tropics can be examined with TMPA data). Our presentation aspires to provide answers to the following questions: (l) What is the mean and variability of surface precipitation produced by each cloud regime at the time of regime occurrence? (2) What is the relative contribution of each cloud regime to the total precipitation within its geographical zone? (3) What is the geographical distribution of precipitation corresponding to particular cloud regime? (4) To what extent are the cloud regimes distinct in terms of their precipitation characteristics and is the regime ordering in terms of convective strength consistent with the observed precipitation intensity?

  15. The Global Distribution of Precipitation and Clouds. Chapter 2.4

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shepherd, J. Marshall; Adler, Robert; Huffman, George; Rossow, William; Ritter, Michael; Curtis, Scott

    2004-01-01

    The water cycle is the key circuit moving water through the Earth's system. This large system, powered by energy from the sun, is a continuous exchange of moisture between the oceans, the atmosphere, and the land. Precipitation (including rain, snow, sleet, freezing rain, and hail), is the primary mechanism for transporting water from the atmosphere back to the Earth's surface and is the key physical process that links aspects of climate, weather, and the global water cycle. Global precipitation and associate cloud processes are critical for understanding the water cycle balance on a global scale and interactions with the Earth's climate system. However, unlike measurement of less dynamic and more homogenous meteorological fields such as pressure or even temperature, accurate assessment of global precipitation is particularly challenging due to its highly stochastic and rapidly changing nature. It is not uncommon to observe a broad spectrum of precipitation rates and distributions over very localized time scales. Furthermore, precipitating systems generally exhibit nonhomogeneous spatial distributions of rain rates over local to global domains.

  16. Clouds above the Martin Limb: Viking observations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Martin, L. J.; Baum, W. A.; Wasserman, L. H.; Kreidl, T. J.

    1984-01-01

    Whenever Viking Orbiter images included the limb of Mars, they recorded one or more layers of clouds above the limb. The height above the limb and the brightness (reflectivity) of these clouds were determined in a selected group of these images. Normalized individual brightness profiles of three separate traverses across the limb of each image are shown. The most notable finding is that some of these clouds can be very high. Many reach heights of over 60 km, and several are over 70 km above the limb. Statistically, the reflectivity of the clouds increases with phase angle. Reflectivity and height both appear to vary with season, but the selected images spanned only one Martian year, so the role of seasons cannot be isolated. Limb clouds in red-filter images tend to be brighter than violet-filter images, but both season and phase appear to be more dominant factors. Due to the limited sample available, the possible influences of latitude and longitude are less clear. The layering of these clouds ranges from a single layer to five or more layers. Reflectivity gradients range from smooth and gentle to steep and irregular.

  17. The Microphysical Properties of Convective Precipitation Over the Tibetan Plateau by a Subkilometer Resolution Cloud-Resolving Simulation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gao, Wenhua; Liu, Liping; Li, Jian; Lu, Chunsong

    2018-03-01

    The microphysical properties of convective precipitation over the Tibetan Plateau are unique because of the extremely high topography and special atmospheric conditions. In this study, the ground-based cloud radar and disdrometer observations as well as high-resolution Weather Research and Forecasting simulations with the Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences microphysics and four other microphysical schemes are used to investigate the microphysics and precipitation mechanisms of a convection event on 24 July 2014. The Weather Research and Forecasting-Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences simulation reasonably reproduces the spatial distribution of 24-hr accumulated rainfall, yet the temporal evolution of rain rate has a delay of 1-3 hr. The model reflectivity shares the common features with the cloud radar observations. The simulated raindrop size distributions demonstrate more of small- and large-size raindrops produced with the increase of rain rate, suggesting that changeable shape parameter should be used in size distribution. Results show that abundant supercooled water exists through condensation of water vapor above the freezing layer. The prevailing ice crystal microphysical processes are depositional growth and autoconversion of ice crystal to snow. The dominant source term of snow/graupel is riming of supercooled water. Sedimentation of graupel can play a vital role in the formation of precipitation, but melting of snow is rather small and quite different from that in other regions. Furthermore, water vapor budgets suggest that surface moisture flux be the principal source of water vapor and self-circulation of moisture happen at the beginning of convection, while total moisture flux convergence determine condensation and precipitation during the convective process over the Tibetan Plateau.

  18. Microphysical Properties and Water Budget for Summer Convective Clouds over the Tibetan Plateau

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guo, X.; Tang, J.; Chang, Y.

    2017-12-01

    During the Third Tibetan Plateau Atmospheric Scientific Experiment (TIPEX-III), the clouds and precipitation processes over the Tibetan Plateau have been intensively investigated. On basis of field campaign, the cloud microphysical structure, water transformation and budget properties for typical convective precipitation processes in the summer season of 2014 over the plateau are studied using mesoscale numerical prediction model (WRF) combined with observational data collected during the experiment. The results indicate that WRF model could reproduce the general characteristics of diurnal variation of clouds and precipitation process over the plateau, however, the temporal and spatial distribution and intensity of cloud bands and precipitation simulated by WRF model still had large differences with those observed. Ice process played a critical role in the development of summer convective clouds and precipitation over the plateau. The surface precipitation was primarily formed by the melting process of graupel particles. Although the warm cloud microphysical process had small direct contribution on the surface precipitation, it had an important contribution in the formation of graupel embryos. High amount of supercooled cloud water content and graupel particles could be found in the clouds. The formation and growth of snow particles relied on the conversion of ice crystal and the aggregation with ice crystal over 12 km (-40°), but the formation of snow particles below 12 km (-40°)was dependent on the conversion of Bergeron process of ice crystals and its growth resulted from riming process with supercooled cloud water. The accretion process of supercooled raindrops by ice crystal and snow particles contributed to the production of graupel embryos and their growth mainly relied on the riming process with supercooled cloud water and aggregation process with snow particles. The mean daily conversion rate from vapor to precipitation was as high as 27.27%, which is

  19. Liquid water content variation with altitude in clouds over Europe

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Andreea, Boscornea; Sabina, Stefan

    2013-04-01

    Cloud water content is one of the most fundamental measurements in cloud physics. Knowledge of the vertical variability of cloud microphysical characteristics is important for a variety of reasons. The profile of liquid water content (LWC) partially governs the radiative transfer for cloudy atmospheres, LWC profiles improves our understanding of processes acting to form and maintain cloud systems and may lead to improvements in the representation of clouds in numerical models. Presently, in situ airborne measurements provide the most accurate information about cloud microphysical characteristics. This information can be used for verification of both numerical models and cloud remote sensing techniques. The aim of this paper was to analyze the liquid water content (LWC) measurements in clouds, in time of the aircraft flights. The aircraft and its platform ATMOSLAB - Airborne Laboratory for Environmental Atmospheric Research is property of the National Institute for Aerospace Research "Elie Carafoli" (INCAS), Bucharest, Romania. The airborne laboratory equipped for special research missions is based on a Hawker Beechcraft - King Air C90 GTx aircraft and is equipped with a sensors system CAPS - Cloud, Aerosol and Precipitation Spectrometer (30 bins, 0.51-50 m). The processed and analyzed measurements are acquired during 4 flights from Romania (Bucharest, 44°25'57″N 26°06'14″E) to Germany (Berlin 52°30'2″N 13°23'56″E) above the same region of Europe. The flight path was starting from Bucharest to the western part of Romania above Hungary, Austria at a cruse altitude between 6000-8500 m, and after 5 hours reaching Berlin. In total we acquired data during approximately 20 flight hours and we presented the vertical and horizontal LWC variations for different cloud types. The LWC values are similar for each type of cloud to values from literature. The vertical LWC profiles in the atmosphere measured during takeoff and landing of the aircraft have shown their

  20. Vertical overlap of probability density functions of cloud and precipitation hydrometeors: CLOUD AND PRECIPITATION PDF OVERLAP

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ovchinnikov, Mikhail; Lim, Kyo-Sun Sunny; Larson, Vincent E.

    Coarse-resolution climate models increasingly rely on probability density functions (PDFs) to represent subgrid-scale variability of prognostic variables. While PDFs characterize the horizontal variability, a separate treatment is needed to account for the vertical structure of clouds and precipitation. When sub-columns are drawn from these PDFs for microphysics or radiation parameterizations, appropriate vertical correlations must be enforced via PDF overlap specifications. This study evaluates the representation of PDF overlap in the Subgrid Importance Latin Hypercube Sampler (SILHS) employed in the assumed PDF turbulence and cloud scheme called the Cloud Layers Unified By Binormals (CLUBB). PDF overlap in CLUBB-SILHS simulations of continentalmore » and tropical oceanic deep convection is compared with overlap of PDF of various microphysics variables in cloud-resolving model (CRM) simulations of the same cases that explicitly predict the 3D structure of cloud and precipitation fields. CRM results show that PDF overlap varies significantly between different hydrometeor types, as well as between PDFs of mass and number mixing ratios for each species, - a distinction that the current SILHS implementation does not make. In CRM simulations that explicitly resolve cloud and precipitation structures, faster falling species, such as rain and graupel, exhibit significantly higher coherence in their vertical distributions than slow falling cloud liquid and ice. These results suggest that to improve the overlap treatment in the sub-column generator, the PDF correlations need to depend on hydrometeor properties, such as fall speeds, in addition to the currently implemented dependency on the turbulent convective length scale.« less

  1. MODIS Microphysical Regimes for Examining Apparent Aerosol Effects on Clouds and Precipitation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Oreopoulos, L.; Cho, N.; Lee, D.; Kato, S.; Lebsock, M. D.; Yuan, T.; Huffman, G. J.

    2014-12-01

    We use a 10-year record of MODIS Terra and Aqua Level-3 joint histograms of cloud optical thickness (COT) and cloud effective radius (CER) to derive so-called cloud microphysical regimes by means of clustering analysis. The regimes reveal the dominant modes of COT and CER co-variations around the globe for both liquid and ice phases. The clustering analysis is capable of separating regimes so that each is dominated by one of the two water phases and can be associated with previously derived "dynamical" regimes. The microphysical regimes serve as an appropriate basis to study possible effects of aerosols on cloud microphysical changes and precipitation. To this end, we employ MODIS aerosol loading measurements either in terms of aerosol index or aerosol optical depth and spatiotemporally matched precipitation (from either GPCP, TRMM or CloudSat) to examine intra-regime variability, regime transitions from morning (Terra) to afternoon (Aqua), and regime precipitation characteristics for locally low, average, and high aerosol loadings. Breakdowns by ocean/land and geographical zone (e.g., tropics vs. midlatitudes) are essential for physical interpretation of the results. The analysis conducted so far reveals notable differences in apparent characteristics of low- and high-cloud dominated microphysical regimes when in different aerosol environments. The presentation will attempt to examine whether the picture painted by our work is consistent with prevailing expectations, rooted to either modeling or prior observational studies, on how clouds and precipitation respond to distinct aerosol environments.

  2. Aerosol-Cloud-Precipitation Interactions over Indo-Gangetic Basin

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tsay, S.-C.; Lau, K. .; Holben, B. N.; Hsu, N. C.; Bhartia, P. K.

    2005-01-01

    About 60% of world population reside in Asia, in term of which sheer population density presents a major environmental stress. Economic expansion in this region is, in fact, accompanied by increases in bio-fuel burning, industrial pollution, and land cover and land use changes. With a growth rate of approx. 8%/yr for Indian economy, more than 600 million people from Lahore, Pakistan to Calcutta, India over the Indo-Gangetic Basin have particularly witnessed increased frequencies of floods and droughts as well as a dramatic increase in atmospheric loading of aerosols (i.e., anthropogenic and natural aerosol) in recent decades. This regional change (e.g., aerosol, cloud, precipitation, etc.) will constitute a vital part of the global change in the 21st century. Better understanding of the impacts of aerosols in affecting monsoon climate and water cycles is crucial in providing the physical basis to improve monsoon climate prediction and for disaster mitigation. Based on climate model simulations, absorbing aerosols (dust and black carbon) play a critical role in affecting interannual and intraseasonal variability of the Indian monsoon. An initiative on the integrated (aerosols, clouds, and precipitation) measurements approach over the Indo-Gangetic Basin will be discussed. An array of ground-based (e.g., AERONET, MPLNET, SMART-COMMIT, etc.) and satellite (e.g., Terra, A-Train, etc.) sensors will be utilized to acquire aerosol characteristics, sources/sinks, and transport processes during the pre-monsoon (April-May, aerosol forcing) season, and to obtain cloud and precipitation properties during the monsoon (May-June, water cycle response) season. Close collaboration with other international programs, such as ABC, CLIVAR, GEWEX, and CEOP in the region is anticipated.

  3. Convective Cloud Towers and Precipitation Initiation, Frequency and Intensity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vant-hull, B.; Mahani, S. E.; Autones, F.; Rabin, R.; Mecikalski, J. R.; Khanbilvardi, R.

    2012-12-01

    : Geosynchronous satellite retrieval of precipitation is desirable because it would provide continuous observation throughout most of the globe in regions where radar data is not available. In the current work the distribution of precipitation rates is examined as a function of cloud tower area and cloud top temperature. A thunderstorm tracking algorithm developed at Meteo-France is used to track cumulus towers that are matched up with radar data at 5 minute 1 km resolution. It is found that roughly half of the precipitation occurs in the cloud mass that surrounds the towers, and when a tower is first detected the precipitation is already in progress 50% of the time. The average density of precipitation per area is greater as the towers become smaller and colder, yet the averaged shape of the precipitation intensity distribution is remarkably constant in all convective situations with cloud tops warmer than 220 K. This suggests that on average all convective precipitation events look the same, unaffected by the higher frequency of occurrence per area inside the convective towers. Only once the cloud tops are colder than 220 K does the precipitation intensity distribution become weighted towards higher instantaneous intensities. Radar precipitation shown in shades of green to blue, lightning in orange; black diamonds are coldest points in each tower. Ratio of number of pixels of given precipitation inside versus outside the convective towers, for various average cloud top temperatures. A flat plot indicates the distribution of rainfall inside and outside the towers has the same shape.

  4. Physical retrieval of precipitation water contents from Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) data. Part 1: A cloud ensemble/radiative parameterization for sensor response (report version)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Olson, William S.; Raymond, William H.

    1990-01-01

    The physical retrieval of geophysical parameters based upon remotely sensed data requires a sensor response model which relates the upwelling radiances that the sensor observes to the parameters to be retrieved. In the retrieval of precipitation water contents from satellite passive microwave observations, the sensor response model has two basic components. First, a description of the radiative transfer of microwaves through a precipitating atmosphere must be considered, because it is necessary to establish the physical relationship between precipitation water content and upwelling microwave brightness temperature. Also the spatial response of the satellite microwave sensor (or antenna pattern) must be included in the description of sensor response, since precipitation and the associated brightness temperature field can vary over a typical microwave sensor resolution footprint. A 'population' of convective cells, as well as stratiform clouds, are simulated using a computationally-efficient multi-cylinder cloud model. Ensembles of clouds selected at random from the population, distributed over a 25 km x 25 km model domain, serve as the basis for radiative transfer calculations of upwelling brightness temperatures at the SSM/I frequencies. Sensor spatial response is treated explicitly by convolving the upwelling brightness temperature by the domain-integrated SSM/I antenna patterns. The sensor response model is utilized in precipitation water content retrievals.

  5. Clouds, Precipitation, and Marine Boundary Layer Structure during the MAGIC Field Campaign

    DOE PAGES

    Zhou, Xiaoli; Kollias, Pavlos; Lewis, Ernie R.

    2015-03-01

    The recent ship-based MAGIC (Marine ARM GCSS Pacific Cross-Section Intercomparison (GPCI) Investigation of Clouds) field campaign with the marine-capable Second ARM Mobile Facility (AMF2) deployed on the Horizon Lines cargo container M/V Spirit provided nearly 200 days of intraseasonal high-resolution observations of clouds, precipitation, and marine boundary layer (MBL) structure on multiple legs between Los Angeles, California, and Honolulu, Hawaii. During the deployment, MBL clouds exhibited a much higher frequency of occurrence than other cloud types and occurred more often in the warm season than in the cold season. MBL clouds demonstrated a propensity to produce precipitation, which often evaporatedmore » before reaching the ocean surface. The formation of stratocumulus is strongly correlated to a shallow MBL with a strong inversion and a weak transition, while cumulus formation is associated with a much weaker inversion and stronger transition. The estimated inversion strength is shown to depend seasonally on the potential temperature at 700 hPa. The location of the commencement of systematic MBL decoupling always occurred eastward of the locations of cloud breakup, and the systematic decoupling showed a strong moisture stratification. The entrainment of the dry warm air above the inversion appears to be the dominant factor triggering the systematic decoupling, while surface latent heat flux, precipitation, and diurnal circulation did not play major roles. MBL clouds broke up over a short spatial region due to the changes in the synoptic conditions, implying that in real atmospheric conditions the MBL clouds do not have enough time to evolve as in the idealized models. (auth)« less

  6. Cloud Regimes as a Tool for Systematic Study of Various Aerosol-Cloud-Precipitation Interactions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Oreopoulos, Lazaros; Cho, Nayeong; Lee, Dongmin

    2016-01-01

    Systematic changes of clouds and precipitation are notoriously difficult to ascribe to aerosols. This presentation will showcase yet one more attempt to at least credibly detect the signal of aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions. We surmise that the concept of cloud regimes (CRs) is appropriate to conduct such an investigation. Previous studies focused on what we call here dynamical CRs, and while we continue to adopt those too for our analysis, we have found that a different way of organizing cloud systems, namely via microphysical regimes is also promising. Our analysis relies on MODIS Collection 6 Level-3 data for clouds and aerosols, and TRMM-TMPA data for precipitation. The regimes are derived by applying clustering analysis on MODIS joint histograms, and once each grid cell is assigned a regime, aerosol and precipitation data can be spatiotemporally matched and composited by regime. The composites of various cloud and precipitation variables for high (upper quartile of distribution) and low (lower quartile) aerosol loadings can then be contrasted. We seek evidence of aerosol effects both in regimes with large fractions of deep ice-rich clouds, as well as regimes where low liquid phase clouds dominate. Signals can be seen, especially when the analysis is broken by land-ocean and when additional filters are applied, but there are of course caveats which will be discussed.

  7. Impact of Aerosols on Convective Clouds and Precipitation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tao, Wei-Kuo; Chen, Jen-Ping; Li, Zhanqing; Wang, Chien; Zhang, Chidong

    2012-01-01

    Aerosols are a critical factor in the atmospheric hydrological cycle and radiation budget. As a major agent for clouds to form and a significant attenuator of solar radiation, aerosols affect climate in several ways. Current research suggests that aerosol effects on clouds could further extend to precipitation, both through the formation of cloud particles and by exerting persistent radiative forcing on the climate system that disturbs dynamics. However, the various mechanisms behind these effects, in particular the ones connected to precipitation, are not yet well understood. The atmospheric and climate communities have long been working to gain a better grasp of these critical effects and hence to reduce the significant uncertainties in climate prediction resulting from such a lack of adequate knowledge. Here we review past efforts and summarize our current understanding of the effect of aerosols on convective precipitation processes from theoretical analysis of microphysics, observational evidence, and a range of numerical model simulations. In addition, the discrepancy between results simulated by models, as well as that between simulations and observations, are presented. Specifically, this paper addresses the following topics: (1) fundamental theories of aerosol effects on microphysics and precipitation processes, (2) observational evidence of the effect of aerosols on precipitation processes, (3) signatures of the aerosol impact on precipitation from largescale analyses, (4) results from cloud-resolving model simulations, and (5) results from large-scale numerical model simulations. Finally, several future research directions for gaining a better understanding of aerosol--cloud-precipitation interactions are suggested.

  8. Physical attributes of some clouds amid a forest ecosystem's trees

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    DeFelice, Thomas P.

    2002-01-01

    Cloud or fog water collected by forest canopies of any elevation could represent significant sources of required moisture and nutrients for forest ecosystems, human consumption, and as an alternative source of water for agriculture and domestic use. The physical characteristics of fogs and other clouds have been well studied, and this information can be useful to water balance or canopy–cloud interaction model verification and to calibration or training of satellite-borne sensors to recognize atmospheric attributes, such as optical thickness, albedo, and cloud properties. These studies have taken place above-canopy or within canopy clearings and rarely amid the canopy. Simultaneous physical and chemical characteristics of clouds amid and above the trees of a mountain forest, located about 3.3 km southwest of Mt. Mitchell, NC, were collected between 13 and 22 June 1993. This paper summarizes the physical characteristics of the cloud portions amid the trees. The characteristic cloud amid the trees (including cloud and precipitation periods) contained 250 droplet/cm3 with a mean diameter of 9.5 μm and liquid water content (LWC) of 0.11 g m−3. The cloud droplets exhibited a bimodal distribution with modes at about 2 and 8 μm and a mean diameter near 5 μm during precipitation-free periods, whereas the concurrent above-canopy cloud droplets had a unimodal distribution with a mode near 6 μm and a mean diameter of 6 μm. The horizontal cloud water flux is nonlinearly related to the rate of collection onto that surface amid the trees, especially for the Atmospheric Sciences Research Center (ASRC) sampling device, whereas it is linear when the forward scattering spectrometer probe (FSSP) are is used. These findings suggest that statements about the effects clouds have on surfaces they encounter, which are based on above-canopy or canopy-clearing data, can be misleading, if not erroneous.

  9. Measurement-based estimates of direct radiative effects of absorbing aerosols above clouds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Feng, Nan; Christopher, Sundar A.

    2015-07-01

    The elevated layers of absorbing smoke aerosols from western African (e.g., Gabon and Congo) biomass burning activities have been frequently observed above low-level stratocumulus clouds off the African coast, which presents an excellent natural laboratory for studying the effects of aerosols above clouds (AAC) on regional energy balance in tropical and subtropical environments. Using spatially and temporally collocated Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), and Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System data sets, the top-of-atmosphere shortwave aerosol direct shortwave radiative effects (ARE) of absorbing aerosols above low-level water clouds in the southeast Atlantic Ocean was examined in this study. The regional averaged instantaneous ARE has been estimated to be 36.7 ± 20.5 Wm-2 (regional mean ± standard deviation) along with a mean positive OMI Aerosol Index at 1.3 in August 2006 based on multisensors measurements. The highest magnitude of instantaneous ARE can even reach 138.2 Wm-2. We assess that the 660 nm cloud optical depth (COD) values of 8-12 is the critical value above (below) which aerosol absorption (scattering) effect dominates and further produces positive (negative) ARE values. The results further show that ARE values are more sensitive to aerosols above lower COD values than cases for higher COD values. This is among the first studies to provide quantitative estimates of shortwave ARE due to AAC events from an observational perspective.

  10. Impact of aerosols, dust, water vapor and clouds on fair weather PG and implications for the Carnegie curve

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kourtidis, Konstantinos; Georgoulias, Aristeidis

    2017-04-01

    We studied the impact of anthropogenic aerosols, fine mode natural aerosols, Saharan dust, atmospheric water vapor, cloud fraction, cloud optical depth and cloud top height on the magnitude of fair weather PG at the rural station of Xanthi. Fair weather PG was measured in situ while the other parameters were obtained from the MODIS instrument onboard the Terra and Aqua satellites. All of the above parameteres were found to impact fair weather PG magnitude. Regarding aerosols, the impact was larger for Saharan dust and fine mode natural aerosols whereas regarding clouds the impact was larger for cloud fraction while less than that of aerosols. Water vapour and ice precipitable water were also found to influence fair weather PG. Since aerosols and water are ubiquitous in the atmosphere and exhibit large spatial and temporal variability, we postulate that our understanding of the Carnegie curve might need revision.

  11. The diurnal cycle of clouds and precipitation at the ARM SGP site: Cloud radar observations and simulations from the multiscale modeling framework

    DOE PAGES

    Zhao, Wei; Marchand, Roger; Fu, Qiang

    2017-07-08

    Millimeter Wavelength Cloud Radar (MMCR) data from December 1996 to December 2010, collected at the U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program Southern Great Plains (SGP) site, are used to examine the diurnal cycle of hydrometeor occurrence. These data are categorized into clouds (-40 dBZ e ≤ reflectivity < -10 dBZ e), drizzle and light precipitation (-10 dBZ e ≤ reflectivity < 10 dBZ e), and heavy precipitation (reflectivity ≥ 10 dBZ e). The same criteria are implemented for the observation-equivalent reflectivity calculated by feeding outputs from a Multiscale Modeling Framework (MMF) climate model into a radar simulator.more » The MMF model consists of the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Atmosphere Model with conventional cloud parameterizations replaced by a cloud-resolving model. We find that a radar simulator combined with the simple reflectivity categories can be an effective approach for evaluating diurnal variations in model hydrometeor occurrence. It is shown that the MMF only marginally captures observed increases in the occurrence of boundary layer clouds after sunrise in spring and autumn and does not capture diurnal changes in boundary layer clouds during the summer. Above the boundary layer, the MMF captures reasonably well diurnal variations in the vertical structure of clouds and light and heavy precipitation in the summer but not in the spring.« less

  12. A CloudSat-CALIPSO View of Cloud and Precipitation Properties Across Cold Fronts over the Global Oceans

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Naud, Catherine M.; Posselt, Derek J.; van den Heever, Susan C.

    2015-01-01

    The distribution of cloud and precipitation properties across oceanic extratropical cyclone cold fronts is examined using four years of combined CloudSat radar and CALIPSO lidar retrievals. The global annual mean cloud and precipitation distributions show that low-level clouds are ubiquitous in the post frontal zone while higher-level cloud frequency and precipitation peak in the warm sector along the surface front. Increases in temperature and moisture within the cold front region are associated with larger high-level but lower mid-/low level cloud frequencies and precipitation decreases in the cold sector. This behavior seems to be related to a shift from stratiform to convective clouds and precipitation. Stronger ascent in the warm conveyor belt tends to enhance cloudiness and precipitation across the cold front. A strong temperature contrast between the warm and cold sectors also encourages greater post-cold-frontal cloud occurrence. While the seasonal contrasts in environmental temperature, moisture, and ascent strength are enough to explain most of the variations in cloud and precipitation across cold fronts in both hemispheres, they do not fully explain the differences between Northern and Southern Hemisphere cold fronts. These differences are better explained when the impact of the contrast in temperature across the cold front is also considered. In addition, these large-scale parameters do not explain the relatively large frequency in springtime post frontal precipitation.

  13. Evaluating the impact of above-cloud aerosols on cloud optical depth retrievals from MODIS

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alfaro, Ricardo

    Using two different operational Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) cloud optical depth (COD) retrievals (visible and shortwave infrared), the impacts of above-cloud absorbing aerosols on the standard COD retrievals are evaluated. For fine-mode aerosol particles, aerosol optical depth (AOD) values diminish sharply from the visible to the shortwave infrared channels. Thus, a suppressed above-cloud particle radiance aliasing effect occurs for COD retrievals using shortwave infrared channels. Aerosol Index (AI) from the spatially and temporally collocated Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) are used to identify above-cloud aerosol particle loading over the southern Atlantic Ocean, including both smoke and dust from the African sub-continent. MODIS and OMI Collocated Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) data are used to constrain cloud phase and provide contextual above-cloud AOD values. The frequency of occurrence of above-cloud aerosols is depicted on a global scale for the spring and summer seasons from OMI and CALIOP, thus indicating the significance of the problem. Seasonal frequencies for smoke-over-cloud off the southwestern Africa coastline reach 20--50% in boreal summer. We find a corresponding low COD bias of 10--20% for standard MODIS COD retrievals when averaged OMI AI are larger than 1.0. No such bias is found over the Saharan dust outflow region off northern Africa, since both MODIS visible and shortwave in channels are vulnerable to dust particle aliasing, and thus a COD impact cannot be isolated with this method. A similar result is found for a smaller domain, in the Gulf of Tonkin region, from smoke advection over marine stratocumulus clouds and outflow into the northern South China Sea in spring. This study shows the necessity of accounting for the above-cloud aerosol events for future studies using standard MODIS cloud products in biomass burning outflow regions, through the use of

  14. a 33GHZ and 95GHZ Cloud Profiling Radar System (cprs): Preliminary Estimates of Particle Size in Precipitation and Clouds.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sekelsky, Stephen Michael

    1995-11-01

    The Microwave Remote Sensing Laboratory (MIRSL) st the University of Massachusetts has developed a unique single antenna, dual-frequency polarimetric Cloud Profiling Radar System (CPRS). This project was funded by the Department of Energy's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program, and was intended to help fill the void of ground-based remote sensors capable of characterizing cloud microphysical properties. CPRS is unique in that it can simultaneously measure the complex power backscattered from clouds at 33 GHz and 95 GHz through the same aperture. Both the 33 GHz and 95 GHz channels can transmit pulse-to-pulse selectable vertical or horizontal polarization, and simultaneously record both the copolarized and crosspolarized backscatter. CPRS Doppler, polarimetric and dual-wavelength reflectivity measurements combined with in situ cloud measurements should lead to the development of empirical models that can more accurately classify cloud-particle phase and habit, and make better quantitative estimates of particle size distribution parameters. This dissertation describes the CPRS hardware, and presents colocated 33 GHz and 95 GHz measurements that illustrate the use of dual-frequency measurements to estimate particle size when Mie scattering, is observed in backscatter from rain and ice-phase clouds. Polarimetric measurements are presented as a means of discriminating cloud phase (ice-water) and estimating crystal shape in cirrus clouds. Polarimetric and dual-wavelength observations of insects are also presented with a brief discussion of their impact on the interpretation of precipitation and liquid cloud measurements. In precipitation, Diermendjian's equations for Mie backscatter (1) and the Marshal-Palmer drop-size distribution are used to develop models relating differences in the reflectivity and mean velocity at 33 GHz and 95 GHz to the microphysical parameters of rain. These models are then used to estimate mean droplet size from CPRS measurements of

  15. Sulfur dioxide-hydrogen peroxide relationships in clean air, clouds, and precipitation

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Schwartz, S.E.; Daum, P.H.

    1988-01-01

    In-cloud oxidation by H/sub 2/O/sub 2/ is a major route for conversion of atmospheric SO/sub 2/ to sulfate, as indicated by kinetic calculations for representative H/sub 2/O/sub 2/ concentrations and supported by the observation of mutual exclusivity of gaseous SO/sub 2/ and aqueous H/sub 2/O/sub 2/ in non-precipitating liquid-water stratiform clouds, which generally persist sufficiently for reaction to proceed to completion. Measurements reported here indicate the aqueous S(IV) and H/sub 2/O/sub 2/ are also mutually exclusive in surface precipitation samples, but that SO/sub 2/ and aqueous H/sub 2/O/sub 2/ often coexist in precipitating clouds. Gaseous SO/sub 2/ and H/sub 2/O/submore » 2/ are also commonly simultaneously present in clear air; in the mixed layer either species maybe in excess, but H/sub 2/O/sub 2/ present with SO/sub 2/ in precipitating clouds is attributed to material dissolved in falling hydrometeors which has not had time to react with SO/sub 2/. This supported by model calculations evaluating the characteristic time and distance for reaction of aqueous H/sub 2/O/sub 2/ in droplets falling through an SO/sub 2/-containing layer. 29 refs., 6 figs.« less

  16. Precipitation growth in convective clouds. [hail

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Srivastava, R. C.

    1981-01-01

    Analytical solutions to the equations of both the growth and motion of hailstones in updrafts and of cloud water contents which vary linearly with height were used to investigate hail growth in a model cloud. A strong correlation was found between the hail embyro starting position and its trajectory and final size. A simple model of the evolution of particle size distribution by coalescence and spontaneous and binary disintegrations was formulated. Solutions for the mean mass of the distribution and the equilibrium size distribution were obtained for the case of constant collection kernel and disintegration parameters. Azimuthal scans of Doppler velocity at a number of elevation angles were used to calculate high resolution vertical profiles of particle speed and horizontal divergence (the vertical air velocity) in a region of widespread precipitation trailing a mid-latitude squall line.

  17. The Incorporation and Initialization of Cloud Water/ice in AN Operational Forecast Model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, Qingyun

    Quantitative precipitation forecasts have been one of the weakest aspects of numerical weather prediction models. Theoretical studies show that the errors in precipitation calculation can arise from three sources: errors in the large-scale forecasts of primary variables, errors in the crude treatment of condensation/evaporation and precipitation processes, and errors in the model initial conditions. A new precipitation parameterization scheme has been developed to investigate the forecast value of improved precipitation physics via the introduction of cloud water and cloud ice into a numerical prediction model. The main feature of this scheme is the explicit calculation of cloud water and cloud ice in both the convective and stratiform precipitation parameterization. This scheme has been applied to the eta model at the National Meteorological Center. Four extensive tests have been performed. The statistical results showed a significant improvement in the model precipitation forecasts. Diagnostic studies suggest that the inclusion of cloud ice is important in transferring water vapor to precipitation and in the enhancement of latent heat release; the latter subsequently affects the vertical motion field significantly. Since three-dimensional cloud data is absent from the analysis/assimilation system for most numerical models, a method has been proposed to incorporate observed precipitation and nephanalysis data into the data assimilation system to obtain the initial cloud field for the eta model. In this scheme, the initial moisture and vertical motion fields are also improved at the same time as cloud initialization. The physical initialization is performed in a dynamical initialization framework that uses the Newtonian dynamical relaxation method to nudge the model's wind and mass fields toward analyses during a 12-hour data assimilation period. Results from a case study showed that a realistic cloud field was produced by this method at the end of the data

  18. Clouds Sailing Above Martian Horizon, Enhanced

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-08-09

    Clouds drift across the sky above a Martian horizon in this accelerated sequence of enhanced images from NASA's Curiosity Mars rover. The rover's Navigation Camera (Navcam) took these eight images over a span of four minutes early in the morning of the mission's 1,758th Martian day, or sol (July 17, 2017), aiming toward the south horizon. They have been processed by first making a "flat field' adjustment for known differences in sensitivity among pixels and correcting for camera artifacts due to light reflecting within the camera, and then generating an "average" of all the frames and subtracting that average from each frame. This subtraction emphasizes changes whether due to movement -- such as the clouds' motion -- or due to lighting -- such as changing shadows on the ground as the morning sunlight angle changed. On the same Martian morning, Curiosity also observed clouds nearly straight overhead. The clouds resemble Earth's cirrus clouds, which are ice crystals at high altitudes. These Martian clouds are likely composed of crystals of water ice that condense onto dust grains in the cold Martian atmosphere. Cirrus wisps appear as ice crystals fall and evaporate in patterns known as "fall streaks" or "mare's tails." Such patterns have been seen before at high latitudes on Mars, for instance by the Phoenix Mars Lander in 2008, and seasonally nearer the equator, for instance by the Opportunity rover. However, Curiosity has not previously observed such clouds so clearly visible from the rover's study area about five degrees south of the equator. The Hubble Space Telescope and spacecraft orbiting Mars have observed a band of clouds to appear near the Martian equator around the time of the Martian year when the planet is farthest from the Sun. With a more elliptical orbit than Earth's, Mars experiences more annual variation than Earth in its distance from the Sun. The most distant point in an orbit around the Sun is called the aphelion. The near-equatorial Martian

  19. CAUSES: Clouds Above the United States and Errors at the Surface

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ma, H. Y.; Klein, S. A.; Xie, S.; Morcrette, C. J.; Van Weverberg, K.; Zhang, Y.; Lo, M. H.

    2015-12-01

    The Clouds Above the United States and Errors at the Surface (CAUSES) is a new joint Global Atmospheric System Studies/Regional and Global Climate model/Atmospheric System Research (GASS/RGCM/ASR) intercomparison project to evaluate the central U.S. summertime surface warm biases seen in many weather and climate models. The main focus is to identify the role of cloud, radiation, and precipitation processes in contributing to surface air temperature biases. In this project, we use short-term hindcast approach and examine the growth of the error as a function of hindcast lead time. The study period covers from April 1 to August 31, 2011, which also covers the entire Midlatitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment (MC3E) campaign. Preliminary results from several models will be presented. (http://portal.nersc.gov/project/capt/CAUSES/) (This study is funded by the RGCM and ASR programs of the U.S. Department of Energy as part of the Cloud-Associated Parameterizations Testbed. This work is performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344. LLNL-ABS-658017)

  20. CAUSES: Clouds Above the United States and Errors at the Surface

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ma, H. Y.; Klein, S. A.; Xie, S.; Zhang, Y.; Morcrette, C. J.; Van Weverberg, K.; Petch, J.; Lo, M. H.

    2014-12-01

    The Clouds Above the United States and Errors at the Surface (CAUSES) is a new joint Global Atmospheric System Studies/Regional and Global Climate model/Atmospheric System Research (GASS/RGCM/ASR) intercomparison project to evaluate the central U.S. summertime surface warm biases seen in many weather and climate models. The main focus is to identify the role of cloud, radiation, and precipitation processes in contributing to surface air temperature biases. In this project, we use short-term hindcast approach and examine the growth of the error as a function of hindcast lead time. The study period covers from April 1 to August 31, 2011, which also covers the entire Midlatitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment (MC3E) campaign. Preliminary results from several models will be presented. (http://portal.nersc.gov/project/capt/CAUSES/) (This study is funded by the RGCM and ASR programs of the U.S. Department of Energy as part of the Cloud-Associated Parameterizations Testbed. This work is performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344. LLNL-ABS-658017)

  1. Using MODIS Cloud Regimes to Sort Diagnostic Signals of Aerosol-Cloud-Precipitation Interactions

    PubMed Central

    Oreopoulos, Lazaros; Cho, Nayeong; Lee, Dongmin

    2018-01-01

    Coincident multi-year measurements of aerosol, cloud, precipitation and radiation at near-global scales are analyzed to diagnose their apparent relationships as suggestive of interactions previously proposed based on theoretical, observational, and model constructs. Specifically, we examine whether differences in aerosol loading in separate observations go along with consistently different precipitation, cloud properties, and cloud radiative effects. Our analysis uses a cloud regime (CR) framework to dissect and sort the results. The CRs come from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor and are defined as distinct groups of cloud systems with similar co-variations of cloud top pressure and cloud optical thickness. Aerosol optical depth used as proxy for aerosol loading comes from two sources, MODIS observations, and the MERRA-2 re-analysis, and its variability is defined with respect to local seasonal climatologies. The choice of aerosol dataset impacts our results substantially. We also find that the responses of the marine and continental component of a CR are frequently quite disparate. Overall, CRs dominated by warm clouds tend to exhibit less ambiguous signals, but also have more uncertainty with regard to precipitation changes. Finally, we find weak, but occasionally systematic co-variations of select meteorological indicators and aerosol, which serves as a sober reminder that ascribing changes in cloud and cloud-affected variables solely to aerosol variations is precarious. PMID:29651373

  2. Using MODIS Cloud Regimes to Sort Diagnostic Signals of Aerosol-Cloud-Precipitation Interactions.

    PubMed

    Oreopoulos, Lazaros; Cho, Nayeong; Lee, Dongmin

    2017-05-27

    Coincident multi-year measurements of aerosol, cloud, precipitation and radiation at near-global scales are analyzed to diagnose their apparent relationships as suggestive of interactions previously proposed based on theoretical, observational, and model constructs. Specifically, we examine whether differences in aerosol loading in separate observations go along with consistently different precipitation, cloud properties, and cloud radiative effects. Our analysis uses a cloud regime (CR) framework to dissect and sort the results. The CRs come from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor and are defined as distinct groups of cloud systems with similar co-variations of cloud top pressure and cloud optical thickness. Aerosol optical depth used as proxy for aerosol loading comes from two sources, MODIS observations, and the MERRA-2 re-analysis, and its variability is defined with respect to local seasonal climatologies. The choice of aerosol dataset impacts our results substantially. We also find that the responses of the marine and continental component of a CR are frequently quite disparate. Overall, CRs dominated by warm clouds tend to exhibit less ambiguous signals, but also have more uncertainty with regard to precipitation changes. Finally, we find weak, but occasionally systematic co-variations of select meteorological indicators and aerosol, which serves as a sober reminder that ascribing changes in cloud and cloud-affected variables solely to aerosol variations is precarious.

  3. The relationships between precipitation, convective cloud and tropical cyclone intensity change

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ruan, Z.; Wu, Q.

    2017-12-01

    Using 16 years precipitation, brightness temperature (IR BT) data and tropical cyclone (TC) information, this study explores the relationship between precipitation, convective cloud and tropical cyclone (TC) intensity change in the Western North Pacific Ocean. It is found that TC intensity has positive relation with TC precipitation. TC precipitation increases with increased TC intensity. Based on the different phase of diurnal cycle, convective TC clouds were divided into very cold deep convective clouds (IR BTs<208K) and cold high clouds (208K

  4. Analysis of clouds and precipitation during Baiu period over the East China Sea with cloud database CTOP and precipitation database GSMaP

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nishi, N.; Hamada, A.; Hirose, H.; Hotta, S.; Suzuki, J.

    2016-12-01

    We have made a quantitative research of the clouds and precipitation during Baiu: the rainy season within the East Asia, using recent satellite observation datasets. As the precipitation dataset, we utilized the Global Satellite Mapping of Precipitation (GSMaP), whose primary source is passive microwave observations. As the cloud dataset, we used our original database CTOP, in which the cloud top height and optical depth are estimated only with the infrared split-window channels of the geostationary satellites. Lookup tables are made by training the infrared observations with the direct cloud observation by CloudSat and CALIPSO. This technique was originally developed only for the tropics but we extended it to the mid-latitude by estimating temperature at the cloud top instead of the height. We analyzed the properties of northward shift of the Baiu precipitation zone over the East China Sea. Abrupt northward shift in mid-June has already been reported. We showed here that the abrupt shift is limited to the western half of the East China Sea. We also analyzed the zonal difference of the precipitation amount in the East China Sea. In the central latitudinal range (30-33N), the amount is larger in the eastern part of the sea. There is no significant zonal contrast in both the activity of the low pressure and the front, while the sea surface temperature in the eastern part is slightly larger than in the western part. The zonal gradient is much smaller than that in the southern region near the Kuroshio Current, but may possibly affect the zonal contrast of the precipitation. By using CTOP cloud top data, we also calculated the occurrence ratio of the cloud with various thresholds of the top height. The ratio of clouds with the tops higher than 12 km in the East China Sea is clearly lower than those over the Continental area and the main Japanese islands.

  5. Precipitation regimes over central Greenland inferred from 5 years of ICECAPS observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pettersen, Claire; Bennartz, Ralf; Merrelli, Aronne J.; Shupe, Matthew D.; Turner, David D.; Walden, Von P.

    2018-04-01

    A novel method for classifying Arctic precipitation using ground based remote sensors is presented. Using differences in the spectral variation of microwave absorption and scattering properties of cloud liquid water and ice, this method can distinguish between different types of snowfall events depending on the presence or absence of condensed liquid water in the clouds that generate the precipitation. The classification reveals two distinct, primary regimes of precipitation over the Greenland Ice Sheet (GIS): one originating from fully glaciated ice clouds and the other from mixed-phase clouds. Five years of co-located, multi-instrument data from the Integrated Characterization of Energy, Clouds, Atmospheric state, and Precipitation at Summit (ICECAPS) are used to examine cloud and meteorological properties and patterns associated with each precipitation regime. The occurrence and accumulation of the precipitation regimes are identified and quantified. Cloud and precipitation observations from additional ICECAPS instruments illustrate distinct characteristics for each regime. Additionally, reanalysis products and back-trajectory analysis show different synoptic-scale forcings associated with each regime. Precipitation over the central GIS exhibits unique microphysical characteristics due to the high surface elevations as well as connections to specific large-scale flow patterns. Snowfall originating from the ice clouds is coupled to deep, frontal cloud systems advecting up and over the southeast Greenland coast to the central GIS. These events appear to be associated with individual storm systems generated by low pressure over Baffin Bay and Greenland lee cyclogenesis. Snowfall originating from mixed-phase clouds is shallower and has characteristics typical of supercooled cloud liquid water layers, and slowly propagates from the south and southwest of Greenland along a quiescent flow above the GIS.

  6. Evaluating the impact of aerosol particles above cloud on cloud optical depth retrievals from MODIS

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alfaro-Contreras, Ricardo; Zhang, Jianglong; Campbell, James R.; Holz, Robert E.; Reid, Jeffrey S.

    2014-05-01

    Using two different operational Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) cloud optical depth (COD) retrievals (0.86 versus 1.6 µm), we evaluate the impact of above-cloud smoke aerosol particles on near-IR (0.86 µm) COD retrievals. Aerosol Index (AI) from the collocated Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) are used to identify above-cloud aerosol particle loading over the southern Atlantic Ocean, including both smoke and dust from the African subcontinent. Collocated Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation data constrain cloud phase and provide contextual above-cloud aerosol optical depth. The frequency of occurrence of above-cloud aerosol events is depicted on a global scale for the spring and summer seasons from OMI and Cloud Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization. Seasonal frequencies for smoke-over-cloud off the southwestern Africa coastline reach 20-50% in boreal summer. We find a corresponding low COD bias of 10-20% for standard MODIS COD retrievals when averaged OMI AI are larger than 1. No such bias is found over the Saharan dust outflow region off northern Africa, since both MODIS 0.86 and 1.6 µm channels are vulnerable to radiance attenuation due to dust particles. A similar result is found for a smaller domain, in the Gulf of Tonkin region, from smoke advection over marine stratocumulus clouds and outflow into the northern South China Sea in spring. This study shows the necessity of accounting for the above-cloud aerosol events for future studies using standard MODIS cloud products in biomass burning outflow regions, through the use of collocated OMI AI and supplementary MODIS 1.6 µm COD products.

  7. Observational Analysis of Cloud and Precipitation in Midlatitude Cyclones: Northern Versus Southern Hemisphere Warm Fronts

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Naud, Catherine M.; Posselt, Derek J.; van den Heever, Susan C.

    2012-01-01

    Extratropical cyclones are responsible for most of the precipitation and wind damage in the midlatitudes during the cold season, but there are still uncertainties on how they will change in a warming climate. An ubiquitous problem amongst General Circulation Models (GCMs) is a lack of cloudiness over the southern oceans that may be in part caused by a lack of clouds in cyclones. We analyze CloudSat, CALIPSO and AMSR-E observations for 3 austral and boreal cold seasons and composite cloud frequency of occurrence and precipitation at the warm fronts for northern and southern hemisphere oceanic cyclones. We find that cloud frequency of occurrence and precipitation rate are similar in the early stage of the cyclone life cycle in both northern and southern hemispheres. As cyclones evolve and reach their mature stage, cloudiness and precipitation at the warm front increase in the northern hemisphere but decrease in the southern hemisphere. This is partly caused by lower amounts of precipitable water being available to southern hemisphere cyclones, and smaller increases in wind speed as the cyclones evolve. Southern hemisphere cloud occurrence at the warm front is found to be more sensitive to the amount of moisture in the warm sector than to wind speeds. This suggests that cloudiness in southern hemisphere storms may be more susceptible to changes in atmospheric water vapor content, and thus to changes in surface temperature than their northern hemisphere counterparts. These differences between northern and southern hemisphere cyclones are statistically robust, indicating A-Train-based analyses as useful tools for evaluation of GCMs in the next IPCC report.

  8. A study of cloud microphysics and precipitation over the Tibetan Plateau by radar observations and cloud-resolving model simulations: Cloud Microphysics over Tibetan Plateau

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Gao, Wenhua; Sui, Chung-Hsiung; Fan, Jiwen

    Cloud microphysical properties and precipitation over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) are unique because of the high terrains, clean atmosphere, and sufficient water vapor. With dual-polarization precipitation radar and cloud radar measurements during the Third Tibetan Plateau Atmospheric Scientific Experiment (TIPEX-III), the simulated microphysics and precipitation by the Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF) with the Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences (CAMS) microphysics and other microphysical schemes are investigated through a typical plateau rainfall event on 22 July 2014. Results show that the WRF-CAMS simulation reasonably reproduces the spatial distribution of 24-h accumulated precipitation, but has limitations in simulating time evolutionmore » of precipitation rates. The model-calculated polarimetric radar variables have biases as well, suggesting bias in modeled hydrometeor types. The raindrop sizes in convective region are larger than those in stratiform region indicated by the small intercept of raindrop size distribution in the former. The sensitivity experiments show that precipitation processes are sensitive to the changes of warm rain processes in condensation and nucleated droplet size (but less sensitive to evaporation process). Increasing droplet condensation produces the best area-averaged rain rate during weak convection period compared with the observation, suggesting a considerable bias in thermodynamics in the baseline simulation. Increasing the initial cloud droplet size causes the rain rate reduced by half, an opposite effect to that of increasing droplet condensation.« less

  9. Impact of Aerosols on Convective Clouds and Precipitation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tao, Wei-Kuo; Chen, Jen-Ping; Li, Zhanqing; Wang, Chien; Zhang, Chidong

    2011-01-01

    Aerosols are a critical factor in the atmospheric hydrological cycle and radiation budget. As a major reason for clouds to form and a significant attenuator of solar radiation, aerosols affect climate in several ways. Current research suggests that aerosol effects on clouds could further extend to precipitation, both through the formation of cloud particles and by exerting persistent radiative forcing on the climate system that disturbs dynamics. However, the various mechanisms behind these effects, in particular the ones connected to precipitation, are not yet well understood. The atmospheric and climate communities have long been working to gain a better grasp of these critical effects and hence to reduce the significant uncertainties in climate prediction resulting from such a lack of adequate knowledge. The central theme of this paper is to review past efforts and summarize our current understanding of the effect of aerosols on precipitation processes from theoretical analysis of microphysics, observational evidence, and a range of numerical model simulations. In addition, the discrepancy between results simulated by models, as well as that between simulations and observations will be presented. Specifically, this paper will address the following topics: (1) fundamental theories of aerosol effects on microphysics and precipitation processes, (2) observational evidence of the effect of aerosols on precipitation processes, (3) signatures of the aerosol impact on precipitation from large-scale analyses, (4) results from cloud-resolving model simulations, and (5) results from large-scale numerical model simulations. Finally, several future research directions on aerosol - precipitation interactions are suggested.

  10. The tropical precipitation pickup threshold and clouds in a radiative convective equilibrium model: 2. Two-layer moisture

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Igel, Matthew R.

    2017-06-01

    This paper complements Part 1 in which cloud processes of aggregated convection are examined in a large-domain radiative convective equilibrium simulation in order to uncover those responsible for a consistently observed, abrupt increase in mean precipitation at a column relative humidity value of approximately 77%. In Part 2, the focus is on how the transition is affected independently by total moisture above and below the base of the melting layer. When mean precipitation rates are examined as simultaneous functions of these two moisture layers, four distinct behaviors are observed. These four behaviors suggest unique, yet familiar, physical regimes in which (i) little rain is produced by infrequent clouds, (ii) shallow convection produces increasing warm rain with increasing low-level moisture, (iii) deep convection produces progressively heavier rain above the transition point with increasing total moisture, and (iv) deep stratiform cloud produces increasingly intense precipitation from melting for increasing upper level moisture. The independent thresholds separating regimes in upper and lower layer humidity are shown to result in the value of total column humidity at which a transition between clear air and deep convection, and therefore a pickup in precipitation, is possible. All four regimes force atmospheric columns toward the pickup value at 77% column humidity, but each does so through a unique set of physical processes. Layer moisture and microphysical budgets are analyzed and contrasted with column budgets.

  11. Evidence of Mineral Dust Altering Cloud Microphysics and Precipitation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Min, Qilong; Li, Rui; Lin, Bing; Joseph, Everette; Wang, Shuyu; Hu, Yongxiang; Morris, Vernon; Chang, F.

    2008-01-01

    Multi-platform and multi-sensor observations are employed to investigate the impact of mineral dust on cloud microphysical and precipitation processes in mesoscale convective systems. It is clearly evident that for a given convection strength,small hydrometeors were more prevalent in the stratiform rain regions with dust than in those regions that were dust free. Evidence of abundant cloud ice particles in the dust sector, particularly at altitudes where heterogeneous nucleation process of mineral dust prevails, further supports the observed changes of precipitation. The consequences of the microphysical effects of the dust aerosols were to shift the precipitation size spectrum from heavy precipitation to light precipitation and ultimately suppressing precipitation.

  12. Estimating Precipitation Susceptibility in Warm Marine Clouds Using Multi-sensor Aerosol and Cloud Products from A-Train Satellites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bai, H.; Gong, C.; Wang, M.; Zhang, Z.

    2017-12-01

    Precipitation susceptibility to aerosol perturbation plays a key role in understanding aerosol-cloud interactions and constraining aerosol indirect effects. However, large discrepancies exist in the previous satellite estimates of precipitation susceptibility. In this paper, multi-sensor aerosol and cloud products, including those from CALIPSO, CloudSat, MODIS, and AMSR-E from June 2006 to April 2011 are analyzed to estimate precipitation susceptibility (including precipitation frequency susceptibility SPOP, precipitation intensity susceptibility SI, and precipitation rate susceptibility SR) in warm marine clouds. Our results show that SPOP demonstrates relatively robust features throughout independent LWP products and diverse rain products. In contrast, the behaviors of SI are more subject to LWP or rain products. Our results further show that SPOP strongly depends on atmospherics stability, with larger value under more stable environment. Precipitation susceptibility calculated with respect to cloud droplet number concentration (CDNC) is generally much larger than that estimated with respect to aerosol index (AI), which results from the weak dependency of CDNC on AI.

  13. Aerosols, clouds, and precipitation in the North Atlantic trades observed during the Barbados aerosol cloud experiment - Part 1: Distributions and variability

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jung, Eunsil; Albrecht, Bruce A.; Feingold, Graham; Jonsson, Haflidi H.; Chuang, Patrick; Donaher, Shaunna L.

    2016-07-01

    Shallow marine cumulus clouds are by far the most frequently observed cloud type over the Earth's oceans; but they are poorly understood and have not been investigated as extensively as stratocumulus clouds. This study describes and discusses the properties and variations of aerosol, cloud, and precipitation associated with shallow marine cumulus clouds observed in the North Atlantic trades during a field campaign (Barbados Aerosol Cloud Experiment- BACEX, March-April 2010), which took place off Barbados where African dust periodically affects the region. The principal observing platform was the Center for Interdisciplinary Remotely Piloted Aircraft Studies (CIRPAS) Twin Otter (TO) research aircraft, which was equipped with standard meteorological instruments, a zenith pointing cloud radar and probes that measured aerosol, cloud, and precipitation characteristics.The temporal variation and vertical distribution of aerosols observed from the 15 flights, which included the most intense African dust event during all of 2010 in Barbados, showed a wide range of aerosol conditions. During dusty periods, aerosol concentrations increased substantially in the size range between 0.5 and 10 µm (diameter), particles that are large enough to be effective giant cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). The 10-day back trajectories showed three distinct air masses with distinct vertical structures associated with air masses originating in the Atlantic (typical maritime air mass with relatively low aerosol concentrations in the marine boundary layer), Africa (Saharan air layer), and mid-latitudes (continental pollution plumes). Despite the large differences in the total mass loading and the origin of the aerosols, the overall shapes of the aerosol particle size distributions were consistent, with the exception of the transition period.The TO was able to sample many clouds at various phases of growth. Maximum cloud depth observed was less than ˜ 3 km, while most clouds were less than 1 km

  14. Vertical profile of cloud optical parameters derived from airborne measurements above, inside and below clouds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Melnikova, Irina; Gatebe, Charles K.

    2018-07-01

    Past strategies for retrieving cloud optical properties from remote sensing assumed significant limits for desired parameters such as semi-infinite optical thickness, single scattering albedo equaling unity (non-absorbing scattering), absence of spectral dependence of the optical thickness, etc., and only one optical parameter could be retrieved (either optical thickness or single scattering albedo). Here, we demonstrate a new method based on asymptotic theory for thick atmospheres, and the presence of a diffusion domain within the clouds that does not put restrictions and makes it possible to get two or even three optical parameters (optical thickness, single scattering albedo and phase function asymmetry parameter) for every wavelength independently. We applied this method to measurements of angular distribution of solar radiation above, inside and below clouds, obtained with NASA's Cloud Absorption Radiometer (CAR) over two cases of marine stratocumulus clouds; first case, offshore of Namibia and the second case, offshore of California. The observational and retrieval errors are accounted for by regularization, which allows stable and smooth solutions. Results show good potential for parameterization of the shortwave radiative properties (reflection, transmission, radiative divergence and heating rate) of water clouds.

  15. Quantifying Above-Cloud Aerosols through Integrating Multi-Sensor Measurements from A-Train Satellites

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zhang, Yan

    2012-01-01

    Quantifying above-cloud aerosols can help improve the assessment of aerosol intercontinental transport and climate impacts. Large-scale measurements of aerosol above low-level clouds had been generally unexplored until very recently when CALIPSO lidar started to acquire aerosol and cloud profiles in June 2006. Despite CALIPSO s unique capability of measuring above-cloud aerosol optical depth (AOD), such observations are substantially limited in spatial coverage because of the lidar s near-zero swath. We developed an approach that integrates measurements from A-Train satellite sensors (including CALIPSO lidar, OMI, and MODIS) to extend CALIPSO above-cloud AOD observations to substantially larger areas. We first examine relationships between collocated CALIPSO above-cloud AOD and OMI absorbing aerosol index (AI, a qualitative measure of AOD for elevated dust and smoke aerosol) as a function of MODIS cloud optical depth (COD) by using 8-month data in the Saharan dust outflow and southwest African smoke outflow regions. The analysis shows that for a given cloud albedo, above-cloud AOD correlates positively with AI in a linear manner. We then apply the derived relationships with MODIS COD and OMI AI measurements to derive above-cloud AOD over the whole outflow regions. In this talk, we will present spatial and day-to-day variations of the above-cloud AOD and the estimated direct radiative forcing by the above-cloud aerosols.

  16. Impact of Aerosols on Convective Clouds and Precipitation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tao, Wei-Kuo; Chen, Jen-Ping; Li, Zhanqing; Wang, Chien; Zhang, Chidong; Li, Xiaowen

    2012-01-01

    Aerosols are a critical.factor in the atmospheric hydrological cycle and radiation budget. As a major agent for clouds to form and a significant attenuator of solar radiation, aerosols affect climate in several ways. Current research suggests that aerosols have a major impact on the dynamics, microphysics, and electrification properties of continental mixed-phase convective clouds. In addition, high aerosol concentrations in urban environments could affect precipitation variability by providing a significant source of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). Such pollution . effects on precipitation potentially have enormous climatic consequences both in terms of feedbacks involving the land surface via rainfall as well as the surface energy budget and changes in latent heat input to the atmosphere. Basically, aerosol concentrations can influence cloud droplet size distributions, the warm-rain process, the cold-rain process, cloud-top heights, the depth of the mixed-phase region, and the occurrence of lightning. Recently, many cloud resolution models (CRMs) have been used to examine the role of aerosols on mixed-phase convective clouds. These modeling studies have many differences in terms of model configuration (two- or three-dimensional), domain size, grid spacing (150-3000 m), microphysics (two-moment bulk, simple or sophisticated spectral-bin), turbulence (1st or 1.5 order turbulent kinetic energy (TKE)), radiation, lateral boundary conditions (i.e., closed, radiative open or cyclic), cases (isolated convection, tropical or midlatitude squall lines) and model integration time (e.g., 2.5 to 48 hours). Among these modeling studies, the most striking difference is that cumulative precipitation can either increase or decrease in response to higher concentrations of CCN. In this presentation, we review past efforts and summarize our current understanding of the effect of aerosols on convective precipitation processes. Specifically, this paper addresses the following topics

  17. Daytime variations of absorbing aerosols above clouds in the southeast Atlantic

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chang, Y. Y.; Christopher, S. A.

    2016-12-01

    The daytime variation of aerosol optical depth (AOD) above maritime stratocumulus clouds in the southeast Atlantic is investigated by merging geostationary data from the Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) with NASA A-Train data sets. SEVIRI's 15-minute above cloud AOD and below aerosol cloud optical depth (COD) retrieval provides the opportunity to assess their direct radiative forcing using actual cloud and aerosol properties instead of using fixed values from polar-orbiting measurements. The impact of overlying aerosols above clouds on the cloud mask products are compared with active spaceborne lidar to examine the performance of the product. Uncertainty analyses of aerosol properties on the estimation of optical properties and radiative forcing are addressed.

  18. Evaluation of Daily Extreme Precipitation Derived From Long-term Global Satellite Quantitative Precipitation Estimates (QPEs)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Prat, O. P.; Nelson, B. R.; Nickl, E.; Ferraro, R. R.

    2017-12-01

    This study evaluates the ability of different satellite-based precipitation products to capture daily precipitation extremes over the entire globe. The satellite products considered are the datasets belonging to the Reference Environmental Data Records (REDRs) program (PERSIANN-CDR, GPCP, CMORPH, AMSU-A,B, Hydrologic bundle). Those products provide long-term global records of daily adjusted Quantitative Precipitation Estimates (QPEs) that range from 20-year (CMORPH-CDR) to 35-year (PERSIANN-CDR, GPCP) record of daily adjusted global precipitation. The AMSU-A,B, Hydro-bundle is an 11-year record of daily rain rate over land and ocean, snow cover and surface temperature over land, and sea ice concentration, cloud liquid water, and total precipitable water over ocean among others. The aim of this work is to evaluate the ability of the different satellite QPE products to capture daily precipitation extremes. This evaluation will also include comparison with in-situ data sets at the daily scale from the Global Historical Climatology Network (GHCN-Daily), the Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC) gridded full data daily product, and the US Climate Reference Network (USCRN). In addition, while the products mentioned above only provide QPEs, the AMSU-A,B hydro-bundle provides additional hydrological information (precipitable water, cloud liquid water, snow cover, sea ice concentration). We will also present an analysis of those additional variables available from global satellite measurements and their relevance and complementarity in the context of long-term hydrological and climate studies.

  19. Analysis of aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions based on MODIS data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cheng, Feng; Zhang, Jiahua; He, Junliang; Zha, Yong; Li, Qiannan; Li, Yunmei

    2017-01-01

    Aerosols exert an indirect impact on climate change via its impact on clouds by altering its radiative and optical properties which, in turn, changes the process of precipitation. Over recent years how to study the indirect climate effect of aerosols has become an important research topic. In this study we attempted to understand the complex mutual interactions among aerosols, clouds and precipitation through analysis of the spatial correlation between aerosol optical depth (AOD), cloud effective radius (CER) and precipitation during 2000-2012 in central-eastern China that has one of the highest concentrations of aerosols globally. With the assistance of moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS)-derived aerosol and cloud product data, this analysis focuses on regional differentiation and seasonal variation of the correlation in which in situ observed precipitation was incorporated. On the basis of the achieved results, we proposed four patterns depicting the mutual interactions between aerosols, clouds and precipitation. They characterize the indirect effects of aerosols on the regional scale. These effects can be summarized as complex seasonal variations and north-south regional differentiation over the study area. The relationship between AOD and CER is predominated mostly by the first indirect effect (the negative correlation between AOD and CER) in the north of the study area in the winter and spring seasons, and over the entire study area in the summer season. The relationship between CER and precipitation is dominated chiefly by the second indirect effect (the positive correlation between CER and precipitation) in the northern area in summer and over the entire study area in autumn. It must be noted that aerosols are not the factor affecting clouds and rainfall singularly. It is the joint effect of aerosols with other factors such as atmospheric dynamics that governs the variation in clouds and rainfall.

  20. The NASA CloudSat/GPM Light Precipitation Validation Experiment (LPVEx)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Petersen, Walter A.; L'Ecuyer, Tristan; Moisseev, Dmitri

    2011-01-01

    Ground-based measurements of cool-season precipitation at mid and high latitudes (e.g., above 45 deg N/S) suggest that a significant fraction of the total precipitation volume falls in the form of light rain, i.e., at rates less than or equal to a few mm/h. These cool-season light rainfall events often originate in situations of a low-altitude (e.g., lower than 2 km) melting level and pose a significant challenge to the fidelity of all satellite-based precipitation measurements, especially those relying on the use of multifrequency passive microwave (PMW) radiometers. As a result, significant disagreements exist between satellite estimates of rainfall accumulation poleward of 45 deg. Ongoing efforts to develop, improve, and ultimately evaluate physically-based algorithms designed to detect and accurately quantify high latitude rainfall, however, suffer from a general lack of detailed, observationally-based ground validation datasets. These datasets serve as a physically consistent framework from which to test and refine algorithm assumptions, and as a means to build the library of algorithm retrieval databases in higher latitude cold-season light precipitation regimes. These databases are especially relevant to NASA's CloudSat and Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) ground validation programs that are collecting high-latitude precipitation measurements in meteorological systems associated with frequent coolseason light precipitation events. In an effort to improve the inventory of cool-season high-latitude light precipitation databases and advance the physical process assumptions made in satellite-based precipitation retrieval algorithm development, the CloudSat and GPM mission ground validation programs collaborated with the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI), the University of Helsinki (UH), and Environment Canada (EC) to conduct the Light Precipitation Validation Experiment (LPVEx). The LPVEx field campaign was designed to make detailed measurements of

  1. Arctic Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE) Science Cloud

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Duffy, D.; Schnase, J. L.; McInerney, M.; Webster, W. P.; Sinno, S.; Thompson, J. H.; Griffith, P. C.; Hoy, E.; Carroll, M.

    2014-12-01

    The effects of climate change are being revealed at alarming rates in the Arctic and Boreal regions of the planet. NASA's Terrestrial Ecology Program has launched a major field campaign to study these effects over the next 5 to 8 years. The Arctic Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE) will challenge scientists to take measurements in the field, study remote observations, and even run models to better understand the impacts of a rapidly changing climate for areas of Alaska and western Canada. The NASA Center for Climate Simulation (NCCS) at the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) has partnered with the Terrestrial Ecology Program to create a science cloud designed for this field campaign - the ABoVE Science Cloud. The cloud combines traditional high performance computing with emerging technologies to create an environment specifically designed for large-scale climate analytics. The ABoVE Science Cloud utilizes (1) virtualized high-speed InfiniBand networks, (2) a combination of high-performance file systems and object storage, and (3) virtual system environments tailored for data intensive, science applications. At the center of the architecture is a large object storage environment, much like a traditional high-performance file system, that supports data proximal processing using technologies like MapReduce on a Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS). Surrounding the storage is a cloud of high performance compute resources with many processing cores and large memory coupled to the storage through an InfiniBand network. Virtual systems can be tailored to a specific scientist and provisioned on the compute resources with extremely high-speed network connectivity to the storage and to other virtual systems. In this talk, we will present the architectural components of the science cloud and examples of how it is being used to meet the needs of the ABoVE campaign. In our experience, the science cloud approach significantly lowers the barriers and risks to organizations

  2. Application of advanced data assimilation techniques to the study of cloud and precipitation feedbacks in the tropical climate system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Posselt, Derek J.

    The research documented in this study centers around two topics: evaluation of the response of precipitating cloud systems to changes in the tropical climate system, and assimilation of cloud and precipitation information from remote-sensing platforms. The motivation for this work proceeds from the following outstanding problems: (1) Use of models to study the response of clouds to perturbations in the climate system is hampered by uncertainties in cloud microphysical parameterizations. (2) Though there is an ever-growing set of available observations, cloud and precipitation assimilation remains a difficult problem, particularly in the tropics. (3) Though it is widely acknowledged that cloud and precipitation processes play a key role in regulating the Earth's response to surface warming, the response of the tropical hydrologic cycle to climate perturbations remains largely unknown. The above issues are addressed in the following manner. First, Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods are used to quantify the sensitivity of the NASA Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) cloud resolving model (CRM) to changes in its cloud odcrnpbymiC8l parameters. TRMM retrievals of precipitation rate, cloud properties, and radiative fluxes and heating rates over the South China Sea are then assimilated into the GCE model to constrain cloud microphysical parameters to values characteristic of convection in the tropics, and the resulting observation-constrained model is used to assess the response of the tropical hydrologic cycle to surface warming. The major findings of this study are the following: (1) MCMC provides an effective tool with which to evaluate both model parameterizations and the assumption of Gaussian statistics used in optimal estimation procedures. (2) Statistics of the tropical radiation budget and hydrologic cycle can be used to effectively constrain CRM cloud microphysical parameters. (3) For 2D CRM simulations run with and without shear, the precipitation efficiency of

  3. Contrasting the co-variability of daytime cloud and precipitation over tropical land and ocean

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jin, Daeho; Oreopoulos, Lazaros; Lee, Dongmin; Cho, Nayeong; Tan, Jackson

    2018-03-01

    The co-variability of cloud and precipitation in the extended tropics (35° N-35° S) is investigated using contemporaneous data sets for a 13-year period. The goal is to quantify potential relationships between cloud type fractions and precipitation events of particular strength. Particular attention is paid to whether the relationships exhibit different characteristics over tropical land and ocean. A primary analysis metric is the correlation coefficient between fractions of individual cloud types and frequencies within precipitation histogram bins that have been matched in time and space. The cloud type fractions are derived from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) joint histograms of cloud top pressure and cloud optical thickness in 1° grid cells, and the precipitation frequencies come from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA) data set aggregated to the same grid.

    It is found that the strongest coupling (positive correlation) between clouds and precipitation occurs over ocean for cumulonimbus clouds and the heaviest rainfall. While the same cloud type and rainfall bin are also best correlated over land compared to other combinations, the correlation magnitude is weaker than over ocean. The difference is attributed to the greater size of convective systems over ocean. It is also found that both over ocean and land the anti-correlation of strong precipitation with weak (i.e., thin and/or low) cloud types is of greater absolute strength than positive correlations between weak cloud types and weak precipitation. Cloud type co-occurrence relationships explain some of the cloud-precipitation anti-correlations. Weak correlations between weaker rainfall and clouds indicate poor predictability for precipitation when cloud types are known, and this is even more true over land than over ocean.

  4. Aircraft profile measurements of 18O/16O and D/H isotope ratios of cloud condensate and water vapor constrain precipitation efficiency and entrainment rates in tropical clouds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Noone, D. C.; Raudzens Bailey, A.; Toohey, D. W.; Twohy, C. H.; Heymsfield, A.; Rella, C.; Van Pelt, A. D.

    2011-12-01

    Convective clouds play a significant role in the moisture and heat balance of the tropics. The dynamics of organized and isolated convection are a function of the background thermodynamic profile and wind shear, buoyancy sources near the surface and the latent heating inside convective updrafts. The stable oxygen and hydrogen isotope ratios in water vapor and condensate can be used to identify dominant moisture exchanges and aspects of the cloud microphysics that are otherwise difficult to observe. Both the precipitation efficiency and the dilution of cloud updrafts by entrainment can be estimated since the isotopic composition outside the plume is distinct from inside. Measurements of the 18O/16O and D/H isotope ratios were made in July 2011 on 13 research flights of the NCAR C130 aircraft during the ICE-T (Ice in Clouds Experiment - Tropical) field campaign near St Croix. Measurements were made using an instrument based on the Picarro Wave-Length Scanning Cavity Ring Down platform that includes a number of optical, hardware and software modifications to allow measurements to be made at 5 Hz for deployment on aircraft. The measurement system was optimized to make precise measurements of the isotope ratio of liquid and ice cloud condensate by coupling the gas analyzer to the NCAR Counter flow Virtual Impactor inlet. The inlet system provides a particle enhancement while rejecting vapor. Sample air is vigorously heated before flowing into the gas phase analyzer. We present statistics that demonstrate the performance and calibration of the instrument. Measured profiles show that environmental air exhibits significant layering showing controls from boundary layer processes, large scale horizontal advection and regional subsidence. Condensate in clouds is consistent with generally low precipitation efficiency, although there is significant variability in the isotope ratios suggesting heterogeneity within plumes and the stochastic nature of detrainment processes

  5. Observations and simulations of the interactions between clouds, radiation, and precipitation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Naegele, Alexandra Claire

    The first part of this study focuses on the radiative constraint on the hydrologic cycle as seen in observations. In the global energy budget, the atmospheric radiative cooling (ARC) is approximately balanced by latent heating, but on regional scales, the ARC and precipitation are inversely related. We use precipitation data from the Global Precipitation Climatology Project and radiative flux data from the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) project to investigate the radiative constraint on the hydrologic cycle and how it changes in both space and time. We find that the effect of clouds is to decrease the ARC in the tropics, and to increase the ARC in middle and higher latitudes. We find that, spatially, precipitation and the ARC are negatively correlated in the tropics, and positively correlated in middle and higher latitudes. In terms of the global mean, the precipitation rate and the ARC are temporally out-of-phase during the Northern Hemisphere winter. In the second part of this study, we use a cloud-resolving model to gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between precipitation and the ARC. In particular, we explore how the relationship between precipitation and the ARC is affected by convective aggregation, in which the convective activity is confined to a small portion of the domain that is surrounded by a much larger region of dry, subsiding air. We investigate the responses of the ARC and precipitation rate to changes in the sea surface temperature (SST), domain size, and microphysics parameterization. Both fields increase with increasing SST and the use of 2-moment microphysics. The precipitation and ARC show evidence of convective aggregation, and in the domain average, both fields increase as a result. While running these sensitivity tests, we observed a pulsation in the convective precipitation rate, once aggregation had occurred. The period of the pulsation is on the order of ten simulated hours for a domain size of 768 km

  6. A multi-year data set on aerosol-cloud-precipitation-meteorology interactions for marine stratocumulus clouds.

    PubMed

    Sorooshian, Armin; MacDonald, Alexander B; Dadashazar, Hossein; Bates, Kelvin H; Coggon, Matthew M; Craven, Jill S; Crosbie, Ewan; Hersey, Scott P; Hodas, Natasha; Lin, Jack J; Negrón Marty, Arnaldo; Maudlin, Lindsay C; Metcalf, Andrew R; Murphy, Shane M; Padró, Luz T; Prabhakar, Gouri; Rissman, Tracey A; Shingler, Taylor; Varutbangkul, Varuntida; Wang, Zhen; Woods, Roy K; Chuang, Patrick Y; Nenes, Athanasios; Jonsson, Haflidi H; Flagan, Richard C; Seinfeld, John H

    2018-02-27

    Airborne measurements of meteorological, aerosol, and stratocumulus cloud properties have been harmonized from six field campaigns during July-August months between 2005 and 2016 off the California coast. A consistent set of core instruments was deployed on the Center for Interdisciplinary Remotely-Piloted Aircraft Studies Twin Otter for 113 flight days, amounting to 514 flight hours. A unique aspect of the compiled data set is detailed measurements of aerosol microphysical properties (size distribution, composition, bioaerosol detection, hygroscopicity, optical), cloud water composition, and different sampling inlets to distinguish between clear air aerosol, interstitial in-cloud aerosol, and droplet residual particles in cloud. Measurements and data analysis follow documented methods for quality assurance. The data set is suitable for studies associated with aerosol-cloud-precipitation-meteorology-radiation interactions, especially owing to sharp aerosol perturbations from ship traffic and biomass burning. The data set can be used for model initialization and synergistic application with meteorological models and remote sensing data to improve understanding of the very interactions that comprise the largest uncertainty in the effect of anthropogenic emissions on radiative forcing.

  7. A multi-year data set on aerosol-cloud-precipitation-meteorology interactions for marine stratocumulus clouds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sorooshian, Armin; MacDonald, Alexander B.; Dadashazar, Hossein; Bates, Kelvin H.; Coggon, Matthew M.; Craven, Jill S.; Crosbie, Ewan; Hersey, Scott P.; Hodas, Natasha; Lin, Jack J.; Negrón Marty, Arnaldo; Maudlin, Lindsay C.; Metcalf, Andrew R.; Murphy, Shane M.; Padró, Luz T.; Prabhakar, Gouri; Rissman, Tracey A.; Shingler, Taylor; Varutbangkul, Varuntida; Wang, Zhen; Woods, Roy K.; Chuang, Patrick Y.; Nenes, Athanasios; Jonsson, Haflidi H.; Flagan, Richard C.; Seinfeld, John H.

    2018-02-01

    Airborne measurements of meteorological, aerosol, and stratocumulus cloud properties have been harmonized from six field campaigns during July-August months between 2005 and 2016 off the California coast. A consistent set of core instruments was deployed on the Center for Interdisciplinary Remotely-Piloted Aircraft Studies Twin Otter for 113 flight days, amounting to 514 flight hours. A unique aspect of the compiled data set is detailed measurements of aerosol microphysical properties (size distribution, composition, bioaerosol detection, hygroscopicity, optical), cloud water composition, and different sampling inlets to distinguish between clear air aerosol, interstitial in-cloud aerosol, and droplet residual particles in cloud. Measurements and data analysis follow documented methods for quality assurance. The data set is suitable for studies associated with aerosol-cloud-precipitation-meteorology-radiation interactions, especially owing to sharp aerosol perturbations from ship traffic and biomass burning. The data set can be used for model initialization and synergistic application with meteorological models and remote sensing data to improve understanding of the very interactions that comprise the largest uncertainty in the effect of anthropogenic emissions on radiative forcing.

  8. A multi-year data set on aerosol-cloud-precipitation-meteorology interactions for marine stratocumulus clouds

    PubMed Central

    Sorooshian, Armin; MacDonald, Alexander B.; Dadashazar, Hossein; Bates, Kelvin H.; Coggon, Matthew M.; Craven, Jill S.; Crosbie, Ewan; Hersey, Scott P.; Hodas, Natasha; Lin, Jack J.; Negrón Marty, Arnaldo; Maudlin, Lindsay C.; Metcalf, Andrew R.; Murphy, Shane M.; Padró, Luz T.; Prabhakar, Gouri; Rissman, Tracey A.; Shingler, Taylor; Varutbangkul, Varuntida; Wang, Zhen; Woods, Roy K.; Chuang, Patrick Y.; Nenes, Athanasios; Jonsson, Haflidi H.; Flagan, Richard C.; Seinfeld, John H.

    2018-01-01

    Airborne measurements of meteorological, aerosol, and stratocumulus cloud properties have been harmonized from six field campaigns during July-August months between 2005 and 2016 off the California coast. A consistent set of core instruments was deployed on the Center for Interdisciplinary Remotely-Piloted Aircraft Studies Twin Otter for 113 flight days, amounting to 514 flight hours. A unique aspect of the compiled data set is detailed measurements of aerosol microphysical properties (size distribution, composition, bioaerosol detection, hygroscopicity, optical), cloud water composition, and different sampling inlets to distinguish between clear air aerosol, interstitial in-cloud aerosol, and droplet residual particles in cloud. Measurements and data analysis follow documented methods for quality assurance. The data set is suitable for studies associated with aerosol-cloud-precipitation-meteorology-radiation interactions, especially owing to sharp aerosol perturbations from ship traffic and biomass burning. The data set can be used for model initialization and synergistic application with meteorological models and remote sensing data to improve understanding of the very interactions that comprise the largest uncertainty in the effect of anthropogenic emissions on radiative forcing. PMID:29485627

  9. High Above Jupiter's Clouds

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2018-01-04

    NASA's Juno spacecraft was a little more than one Earth diameter from Jupiter when it captured this mind-bending, color-enhanced view of the planet's tumultuous atmosphere. Jupiter completely fills the image, with only a hint of the terminator (where daylight fades to night) in the upper right corner, and no visible limb (the curved edge of the planet). Juno took this image of colorful, turbulent clouds in Jupiter's northern hemisphere on Dec. 16, 2017 at 9:43 a.m. PST (12:43 p.m. EST) from 8,292 miles (13,345 kilometers) above the tops of Jupiter's clouds, at a latitude of 48.9 degrees. The spatial scale in this image is 5.8 miles/pixel (9.3 kilometers/pixel).. Citizen scientists Gerald Eichstädt and Seán Doran processed this image using data from the JunoCam imager. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21973

  10. Constructing a Merged Cloud-Precipitation Radar Dataset for Tropical Convective Clouds during the DYNAMO/AMIE Experiment at Addu Atoll

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Feng, Zhe; McFarlane, Sally A.; Schumacher, Courtney

    2014-05-16

    To improve understanding of the convective processes key to the Madden-Julian-Oscillation (MJO) initiation, the Dynamics of the MJO (DYNAMO) and Atmospheric Radiation Measurement MJO Investigation Experiment (AMIE) collected four months of observations from three radars, the S-band Polarization Radar (S-Pol), the C-band Shared Mobile Atmospheric Research & Teaching Radar (SMART-R), and Ka-band Zenith Radar (KAZR) on Addu Atoll in the tropical Indian Ocean. This study compares the measurements from the S-Pol and SMART-R to those from the more sensitive KAZR in order to characterize the hydrometeor detection capabilities of the two scanning precipitation radars. Frequency comparisons for precipitating convective cloudsmore » and non-precipitating high clouds agree much better than non-precipitating low clouds for both scanning radars due to issues in ground clutter. On average, SMART-R underestimates convective and high cloud tops by 0.3 to 1.1 km, while S-Pol underestimates cloud tops by less than 0.4 km for these cloud types. S-Pol shows excellent dynamic range in detecting various types of clouds and therefore its data are well suited for characterizing the evolution of the 3D cloud structures, complementing the profiling KAZR measurements. For detecting non-precipitating low clouds and thin cirrus clouds, KAZR remains the most reliable instrument. However, KAZR is attenuated in heavy precipitation and underestimates cloud top height due to rainfall attenuation 4.3% of the time during DYNAMO/AMIE. An empirical method to correct the KAZR cloud top heights is described, and a merged radar dataset is produced to provide improved cloud boundary estimates, microphysics and radiative heating retrievals.« less

  11. Aerosol radiative effects on mesoscale cloud-precipitation variables over Northeast Asia during the MAPS-Seoul 2015 campaign

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Park, Shin-Young; Lee, Hyo-Jung; Kang, Jeong-Eon; Lee, Taehyoung; Kim, Cheol-Hee

    2018-01-01

    The online model, Weather Research and Forecasting Model with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) is employed to interpret the effects of aerosol-cloud-precipitation interaction on mesoscale meteorological fields over Northeast Asia during the Megacity Air Pollution Study-Seoul (MAPS-Seoul) 2015 campaign. The MAPS-Seoul campaign is a pre-campaign of the Korea-United States Air Quality (KORUS-AQ) campaign conducted over the Korean Peninsula. We validated the WRF-Chem simulations during the campaign period, and analyzed aerosol-warm cloud interactions by diagnosing both aerosol direct, indirect, and total effects. The results demonstrated that aerosol directly decreased downward shortwave radiation up to -44% (-282 W m-2) for this period and subsequently increased downward longwave radiation up to +15% (∼52 W m-2) in the presence of low-level clouds along the thematic area. Aerosol increased cloud fraction indirectly up to ∼24% with the increases of both liquid water path and the droplet number mixing ratio. Precipitation properties were altered both directly and indirectly. Direct effects simply changed cloud-precipitation quantities via simple updraft process associated with perturbed radiation and temperature, while indirect effects mainly suppressed precipitation, but sometimes increased precipitation in the higher relative humidity atmosphere or near vapor-saturated condition. The total aerosol effects caused a time lag of the precipitation rate with the delayed onset time of up to 9 h. This implies the importance of aerosol effects in improving mesoscale precipitation rate prediction in the online approach in the presence of non-linear warm cloud.

  12. Femtosecond laser filament induced condensation and precipitation in a cloud chamber

    PubMed Central

    Ju, Jingjing; Liu, Jiansheng; Liang, Hong; Chen, Yu; Sun, Haiyi; Liu, Yonghong; Wang, Jingwei; Wang, Cheng; Wang, Tiejun; Li, Ruxin; Xu, Zhizhan; Chin, See Leang

    2016-01-01

    A unified picture of femtosecond laser induced precipitation in a cloud chamber is proposed. Among the three principal consequences of filamentation from the point of view of thermodynamics, namely, generation of chemicals, shock waves and thermal air flow motion (due to convection), the last one turns out to be the principal cause. Much of the filament induced chemicals would stick onto the existing background CCN’s (Cloud Condensation Nuclei) through collision making the latter more active. Strong mixing of air having a large temperature gradient would result in supersaturation in which the background CCN’s would grow efficiently into water/ice/snow. This conclusion was supported by two independent experiments using pure heating or a fan to imitate the laser-induced thermal effect or the strong air flow motion, respectively. Without the assistance of any shock wave and chemical CCN’s arising from laser filament, condensation and precipitation occurred. Meanwhile we believe that latent heat release during condensation /precipitation would enhance the air flow for mixing. PMID:27143227

  13. Canopy water balance of windward and leeward Hawaiian cloud forests on Haleakalā, Maui, Hawai'i

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Giambelluca, Thomas W.; DeLay, John K.; Nullet, Michael A.; Scholl, Martha A.; Gingerich, Stephen B.

    2011-01-01

    The contribution of intercepted cloud water to precipitation at windward and leeward cloud forest sites on the slopes of Haleakalā, Maui was assessed using two approaches. Canopy water balance estimates based on meteorological monitoring were compared with interpretations of fog screen measurements collected over a 2-year period at each location. The annual incident rainfall was 973 mm at the leeward site (Auwahi) and 2550 mm at the windward site (Waikamoi). At the leeward, dry forest site, throughfall was less than rainfall (87%), and, at the windward, wet forest site, throughfall exceeded rainfall (122%). Cloud water interception estimated from canopy water balance was 166 mm year−1 at Auwahi and 1212 mm year−1 at Waikamoi. Annual fog screen measurements of cloud water flux, corrected for wind-blown rainfall, were 132 and 3017 mm for the dry and wet sites respectively. Event totals of cloud water flux based on fog screen measurements were poorly correlated with event cloud water interception totals derived from the canopy water balance. Hence, the use of fixed planar fog screens to estimate cloud water interception is not recommended. At the wet windward site, cloud water interception made up 32% of the total precipitation, adding to the already substantial amount of rainfall. At the leeward dry site, cloud water interception was 15% of the total precipitation. Vegetation at the dry site, where trees are more exposed and isolated, was more efficient at intercepting the available cloud water than at the rainy site, but events were less frequent, shorter in duration and lower in intensity. A large proportion of intercepted cloud water, 74% and 83%, respectively for the two sites, was estimated to become throughfall, thus adding significantly to soil water at both sites

  14. GNSS Polarimetric Radio Occultations: Thermodynamical Structure of pecipitating clouds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    De La Torre Juarez, M.; Padulles, R.; Cardellach, E.; Turk, F. J.; Tomás, S.; Ao, C. O.

    2016-12-01

    Recent analysis of changes in the hydrological sensitivity during a recent weakening of transient warming show that the representation of the processes linking the condensation of water vapor and the growth and invigoration of convective precipitation produce the greatest disparities between cloud resolving models and current observations of convective cloud systems. The temperature and moisture structure of a cloud environment is the main control on the thermodynamical processes leading to the development of precipitation. The surrounding environmental state acts as the broader sink and source for moisture exchange between clouds and their surroundings. As precipitation develops, water vapor condensation leads to an evolving 3D temperature and moisture structure in and near clouds different from the larger scale structure or the clear-sky environment. Yet there is a gap in existing space-based observations since conventional IR and microwave sounding data are degraded in the presence of clouds and precipitation. GNSS radio occultations (RO) are a low-cost approach to sounding the global atmosphere with high precision, accuracy and vertical resolution inside clouds and across land-ocean boundaries. GNSS provides reliable, sustained signal sources. While current RO provide no direct information on the associated precipitation state, a recently studied concept of Polarimetric RO (PRO) can characterize the moist thermodynamics within precipitating systems. Since precipitation-sized hydrometeors are non-spherically shaped, precipitation induces a cross-polarized component during propagation through clouds, recorded by a dual-channel RO receiver as a differential phase shift. Theoretical analysis performed using coincident TRMM Precipitation Radar and COSMIC observations shows that the polarimetric phase shift is sensitive to the path-integrated rain rate. Based on the expected signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of simulated PRO measurements, the precision of the differential

  15. Microphysical Cloud Regimes used as a tool to study Aerosol-Cloud-Precipitation-Radiation interactions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cho, N.; Oreopoulos, L.; Lee, D.

    2017-12-01

    The presentation will examine whether the diagnostic relationships between aerosol and cloud-affected quantities (precipitation, radiation) obtained from sparse temporal resolution measurements from polar orbiting satellites can potentially demonstrate actual aerosol effects on clouds with appropriate analysis. The analysis relies exclusively on Level-3 (gridded) data and comprises systematic cloud classification in terms of "microphysical cloud regimes" (µCRs), aerosol optical depth (AOD) variations relative to a region's local seasonal climatology, and exploitation of the 3-hour difference between Terra (morning) and Aqua (afternoon) overpasses. Specifically, our presentation will assess whether Aerosol-Cloud-Precipitation-Radiation interactions (ACPRI) can be diagnosed by investigating: (a) The variations with AOD of afternoon cloud-affected quantities composited by afternoon or morning µCRs; (b) µCR transition diagrams composited by morning AOD quartiles; (c) whether clouds represented by ensemble cloud effective radius - cloud optical thickness joint histograms look distinct under low and high AOD conditions when preceded or followed by specific µCRs. We will explain how our approach addresses long-standing themes of the ACPRI problem such as the optimal ways to decompose the problem by cloud class, the prevalence and detectability of 1st/2nd aerosol indirect effects and invigoration, and the effectiveness of aerosol changes in inducing cloud modification at different segments of the AOD distribution.

  16. On the dominant impact of vertical moisture gradient on mesoscale cloud cellular organization of stratocumulus

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhou, X.; Ackerman, A. S.; Fridlind, A. M.; Kollias, P.

    2016-12-01

    Large-eddy simulations are performed to study the mechanisms of stratocumulus organization. Precipitation tends to increase horizontal cloud scales, but is not required for cloud mesoscale organization. A study of the terms in the prognostic equation for total water mixing ratio variance shows the critical impact of vertical moisture gradient on cloud scale. For precipitating clouds, the organization originates from the negative moisture gradient in the boundary layer resulting from evaporation of precipitation. This hypothesis is supported by simulations in which thermodynamics profiles are nudged to their initial well-mixed state, which reduces cloud scales. Cold pools effect are surprisingly found to respond to rather than determine the cloud mesoscale variability. For non-precipitating clouds, organization results from turbulent transport of moisture variance originating primarily from cloud top, where dry air is entrained into the boundary layer through convection driven by cloud top longwave (LW) cooling. Both LW cooling and a moisture gradient above cloud top are essential for the growth of mesoscale fluctuations.

  17. Quality of remote sensing measurements of cloud physical parameters in the cooperative convective precipitation experiment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wu, M.-L.

    1985-01-01

    In order to develop the remote sensing techniques to infer cloud physical parameters, a multispectral cloud radiometer (MCR) was mounted on a NASA high-altitude aircraft in conjunction with the Cooperative Convective Precipitation Experiment in 1981. The MCR has seven spectral channels, of which three are centered near windows associated with water vapor bands in the near infrared, two are centered near the oxygen A band at 0.76 microns, one is centered at the 1.14-micron water vapor band, and one is centered in the thermal infrared. The reflectance and temperature measured on May 31, 1981, are presented together with theoretical calculations. The results indicate that the MCR produces quality measurements. Therefore several cloud parameters can be derived with good accuracy. The parameters are the cloud-scaled optical thickness, cloud top pressure, volume scattering coefficient, particle thermodynamic phase, effective mean particle size, and cloud-top temperature.

  18. Entrainment, Drizzle, and Cloud Albedo

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ackerman, A. S.; Kirkpatrick, J. P.; Stevens, D. E.; Toon, O. B.

    2004-01-01

    Increased aerosol and hence droplet concentrations in polluted clouds are expected to inhibit precipitation and thereby increase cloud water, leading to more reflective clouds that partially offset global warming. Yet polluted clouds are not generally observed to hold more water. Much of the uncertainty regarding the indirect aerosol effect stems from inadequate understanding of such changes in cloud water. Detailed simulations show that the relative humidity of air overlying stratocumulus is a leading factor determining whether cloud water increases or decreases when precipitation is suppressed. When the overlying air is dry, cloud water can decrease as droplet concentrations increase.

  19. Observations of cloud liquid water path over oceans: Optical and microwave remote sensing methods

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lin, Bing; Rossow, William B.

    1994-01-01

    Published estimates of cloud liquid water path (LWP) from satellite-measured microwave radiation show little agreement, even about the relative magnitudes of LWP in the tropics and midlatitudes. To understand these differences and to obtain more reliable estimate, optical and microwave LWP retrieval methods are compared using the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) and special sensor microwave/imager (SSM/I) data. Errors in microwave LWP retrieval associated with uncertainties in surface, atmosphere, and cloud properties are assessed. Sea surface temperature may not produce great LWP errors, if accurate contemporaneous measurements are used in the retrieval. An uncertainty of estimated near-surface wind speed as high as 2 m/s produces uncertainty in LWP of about 5 mg/sq cm. Cloud liquid water temperature has only a small effect on LWP retrievals (rms errors less than 2 mg/sq cm), if errors in the temperature are less than 5 C; however, such errors can produce spurious variations of LWP with latitude and season. Errors in atmospheric column water vapor (CWV) are strongly coupled with errors in LWP (for some retrieval methods) causing errors as large as 30 mg/sq cm. Because microwave radiation is much less sensitive to clouds with small LWP (less than 7 mg/sq cm) than visible wavelength radiation, the microwave results are very sensitive to the process used to separate clear and cloudy conditions. Different cloud detection sensitivities in different microwave retrieval methods bias estimated LWP values. Comparing ISCCP and SSM/I LWPs, we find that the two estimated values are consistent in global, zonal, and regional means for warm, nonprecipitating clouds, which have average LWP values of about 5 mg/sq cm and occur much more frequently than precipitating clouds. Ice water path (IWP) can be roughly estimated from the differences between ISCCP total water path and SSM/I LWP for cold, nonprecipitating clouds. IWP in the winter hemisphere is about

  20. Clouds, Aerosols, and Precipitation in the Marine Boundary Layer: An Arm Mobile Facility Deployment

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wood, Robert; Wyant, Matthew; Bretherton, Christopher S.

    The Clouds, Aerosol, and Precipitation in the Marine Boundary Layer (CAP-MBL) deployment at Graciosa Island in the Azores generated a 21 month (April 2009-December 2010) comprehensive dataset documenting clouds, aerosols and precipitation using the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Mobile Facility (AMF). The scientific aim of the deployment is to gain improved understanding of the interactions of clouds, aerosols and precipitation in the marine boundary layer. Graciosa Island straddles the boundary between the subtropics and midlatitudes in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean, and consequently experiences a great diversity of meteorological and cloudiness conditions. Low clouds are the dominant cloud type, with stratocumulusmore » and cumulus occurring regularly. Approximately half of all clouds contained precipitation detectable as radar echoes below the cloud base. Radar and satellite observations show that clouds with tops from 1- 11 km contribute more or less equally to surface-measured precipitation at Graciosa. A wide range of aerosol conditions was sampled during the deployment consistent with the diversity of sources as indicated by back trajectory analysis. Preliminary findings suggest important two-way interactions between aerosols and clouds at Graciosa, with aerosols affecting light precipitation and cloud radiative properties while being controlled in part by precipitation scavenging. The data from at Graciosa are being compared with short-range forecasts made a variety of models. A pilot analysis with two climate and two weather forecast models shows that they reproduce the observed time-varying vertical structure of lower-tropospheric cloud fairly well, but the cloud-nucleating aerosol concentrations less well. The Graciosa site has been chosen to be a permanent fixed ARM site that became operational in October 2013.« less

  1. Clouds, aerosol, and precipitation in the Marine Boundary Layer: An ARM mobile facility deployment

    DOE PAGES

    Wood, Robert; Luke, Ed; Wyant, Matthew; ...

    2014-04-27

    The Clouds, Aerosol, and Precipitation in the Marine Boundary Layer (CAP-MBL) deployment at Graciosa Island in the Azores generated a 21-month (April 2009-December 2010) comprehensive dataset documenting clouds, aerosols, and precipitation using the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program (ARM) Mobile Facility (AMF). The scientific aim of the deployment is to gain improved understanding of the interactions of clouds, aerosols, and precipitation in the marine boundary layer. Graciosa Island straddles the boundary between the subtropics and midlatitudes in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean and consequently experiences a great diversity of meteorological and cloudiness conditions. Low clouds are the dominant cloud type, with stratocumulusmore » and cumulus occurring regularly. Approximately half of all clouds contained precipitation detectable as radar echoes below the cloud base. Radar and satellite observations show that clouds with tops from 1-11 km contribute more or less equally to surface-measured precipitation at Graciosa. A wide range of aerosol conditions was sampled during the deployment consistent with the diversity of sources as indicated by back-trajectory analysis. Preliminary findings suggest important two-way interactions between aerosols and clouds at Graciosa, with aerosols affecting light precipitation and cloud radiative properties while being controlled in part by precipitation scavenging.The data from Graciosa are being compared with short-range forecasts made with a variety of models. A pilot analysis with two climate and two weather forecast models shows that they reproduce the observed time-varying vertical structure of lower-tropospheric cloud fairly well but the cloud-nucleating aerosol concentrations less well. The Graciosa site has been chosen to be a permanent fixed ARM site that became operational in October 2013.« less

  2. Clouds, Aerosol, and Precipitation in the Marine Boundary Layer: An ARM Mobile Facility Deployment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wood, Robert; Wyant, Matthew; Bretherton, Christopher S.; Remillard, Jasmine; Kollias, Pavlos; Fletcher, Jennifer; Stemmler, Jayson; de Szoeke, Simone; Yuter, Sandra; Miller, Matthew; hide

    2015-01-01

    Capsule: A 21-month deployment to Graciosa Island in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean is providing an unprecedented record of the clouds, aerosols and meteorology in a poorly-sampled remote marine environment The Clouds, Aerosol, and Precipitation in the Marine Boundary Layer (CAP-MBL) deployment at Graciosa Island in the Azores generated a 21 month (April 2009- December 2010) comprehensive dataset documenting clouds, aerosols and precipitation using the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Mobile Facility (AMF). The scientific aim of the deployment is to gain improved understanding of the interactions of clouds, aerosols and precipitation in the marine boundary layer. Graciosa Island straddles the boundary between the subtropics and midlatitudes in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean, and consequently experiences a great diversity of meteorological and cloudiness conditions. Low clouds are the dominant cloud type, with stratocumulus and cumulus occurring regularly. Approximately half of all clouds contained precipitation detectable as radar echoes below the cloud base. Radar and satellite observations show that clouds with tops from 1- 11 km contribute more or less equally to surface-measured precipitation at Graciosa. A wide range of aerosol conditions was sampled during the deployment consistent with the diversity of sources as indicated by back trajectory analysis. Preliminary findings suggest important two-way interactions between aerosols and clouds at Graciosa, with aerosols affecting light precipitation and cloud radiative properties while being controlled in part by precipitation scavenging. The data from at Graciosa are being compared with short-range forecasts made a variety of models. A pilot analysis with two climate and two weather forecast models shows that they reproduce the observed time-varying vertical structure of lower-tropospheric cloud fairly well, but the cloud-nucleating aerosol concentrations less well. The Graciosa site has been chosen to be a

  3. CalWater 2 - Precipitation, Aerosols, and Pacific Atmospheric Rivers Experiment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Spackman, J. R.; Ralph, F. M.; Prather, K. A.; Cayan, D. R.; DeMott, P. J.; Dettinger, M. D.; Fairall, C. W.; Leung, L. R.; Rosenfeld, D.; Rutledge, S. A.; Waliser, D. E.; White, A. B.

    2014-12-01

    Emerging research has identified two phenomena that play key roles in the variability of the water supply and the incidence of extreme precipitation events along the West Coast of the United States. These phenomena include the role of (1) atmospheric rivers (ARs) in delivering much of the precipitation associated with major storms along the U.S. West Coast, and (2) aerosols—from local sources as well as those transported from remote continents—and their modulating effects on western U.S. precipitation. A better understanding of these processes is needed to reduce uncertainties in weather predictions and climate projections of extreme precipitation and its effects, including the provision of beneficial water supply. This presentation summarizes the science objectives and strategies to address gaps associated with (1) the evolution and structure of ARs including cloud and precipitation processes and air-sea interaction, and (2) aerosol interaction with ARs and the impact on precipitation, including locally-generated aerosol effects on orographic precipitation along the U.S. West Coast. Observations are proposed for multiple winter seasons as part of a 5-year broad interagency vision referred to as CalWater 2 to address these science gaps (http://esrl.noaa.gov/psd/calwater). In January-February 2015, a field campaign has been planned consisting of a targeted set of aircraft and ship-based measurements and associated evaluation of data in near-shore regions of California and in the eastern Pacific. In close coordination with NOAA, DOE's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program is also contributing air and shipborne facilities for ACAPEX (ARM Cloud Aerosol and Precipitation Experiment), a DOE-sponsored study complementing CalWater 2. Ground-based measurements from NOAA's HydroMeteorological Testbed (HMT) network in California and aerosol chemical instrumentation at Bodega Bay, California have been designed to add important near surface-level context for the

  4. Clouds, Aerosols, and Precipitation in the Marine Boundary Layer: An Arm Mobile Facility Deployment

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wood, Robert; Wyant, Matthew; Bretherton, Christopher S.

    The Clouds, Aerosol, and Precipitation in the Marine Boundary Layer (CAP-MBL) 38 deployment at Graciosa Island in the Azores generated a 21 month (April 2009-December 2010) 39 comprehensive dataset documenting clouds, aerosols and precipitation using the Atmospheric 40 Radiation Measurement (ARM) Mobile Facility (AMF). The scientific aim of the deployment is 41 to gain improved understanding of the interactions of clouds, aerosols and precipitation in the 42 marine boundary layer. 43 Graciosa Island straddles the boundary between the subtropics and midlatitudes in the 44 Northeast Atlantic Ocean, and consequently experiences a great diversity of meteorological and 45 cloudiness conditions. Lowmore » clouds are the dominant cloud type, with stratocumulus and cumulus 46 occurring regularly. Approximately half of all clouds contained precipitation detectable as radar 47 echoes below the cloud base. Radar and satellite observations show that clouds with tops from 1-48 11 km contribute more or less equally to surface-measured precipitation at Graciosa. A wide 49 range of aerosol conditions was sampled during the deployment consistent with the diversity of 50 sources as indicated by back trajectory analysis. Preliminary findings suggest important two-way 51 interactions between aerosols and clouds at Graciosa, with aerosols affecting light precipitation 52 and cloud radiative properties while being controlled in part by precipitation scavenging. 53 The data from at Graciosa are being compared with short-range forecasts made a variety 54 of models. A pilot analysis with two climate and two weather forecast models shows that they 55 reproduce the observed time-varying vertical structure of lower-tropospheric cloud fairly well, 56 but the cloud-nucleating aerosol concentrations less well. The Graciosa site has been chosen to 57 be a long-term ARM site that became operational in October 2013.« less

  5. Diabatic forcing and intialization with assimilation of cloud water and rainwater in a forecast model

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Raymond, William H.; Olson, William S.; Callan, Geary

    1995-01-01

    In this study, diabatic forcing, and liquid water assimilation techniques are tested in a semi-implicit hydrostatic regional forecast model containing explicit representations of grid-scale cloud water and rainwater. Diabatic forcing, in conjunction with diabatic contributions in the initialization, is found to help the forecast retain the diabatic signal found in the liquid water or heating rate data, consequently reducing the spinup time associated with grid-scale precipitation processes. Both observational Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) and model-generated data are used. A physical retrieval method incorporating SSM/I radiance data is utilized to estimate the 3D distribution of precipitating storms. In the retrieval method the relationship between precipitation distributions and upwelling microwave radiances is parameterized, based upon cloud ensemble-radiative model simulations. Regression formulae relating vertically integrated liquid and ice-phase precipitation amounts to latent heating rates are also derived from the cloud ensemble simulations. Thus, retrieved SSM/I precipitation structures can be used in conjunction with the regression-formulas to infer the 3D distribution of latent heating rates. These heating rates are used directly in the forecast model to help initiate Tropical Storm Emily (21 September 1987). The 14-h forecast of Emily's development yields atmospheric precipitation water contents that compare favorably with coincident SSM/I estimates.

  6. Biological aerosol effects on clouds and precipitation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hallar, A. Gannet; Huffman, J. Alex; Fridlind, Ann

    2012-12-01

    Bioaerosol Effects on Clouds Workshop;Steamboat Springs, Colorado, 5-6August 2012 Bioaerosols such as bacteria have been proposed as significant contributors to cloud ice nucleation, but too little is known about the properties and impacts of bioaerosol and other ice nuclei to make reliable conclusions about their wide-scale impact on clouds and precipitation. During late summer an international group of 40 participants met at a Steamboat Springs ski resort to share perspectives on bioaerosol sources, activity, and influence on clouds. Participants who were invited collectively spanned a broad range of expertise, including atmospheric chemistry, microbiology, micrometeorology, and cloud physics, as well as a broad range of research approaches, including laboratory measurement, field measurement, and modeling. Tours of Storm Peak Laboratory (http://www.stormpeak.dri.edu) were offered before and after the workshop.

  7. Exploring geophysical processes influencing U.S. West Coast precipitation and water supply

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Ralph, F.M.; Prather, K.; Cayan, D.

    2011-01-01

    CalWater Science Workshop; La Jolla, California, 8-10 June 2011 CalWater is a multiyear, multiagency research project with two primary research themes: the effects of changing climate on atmospheric rivers (ARs) and associated extreme events, and the potential role of aerosols in modulating cloud properties and precipitation, especially regarding orographic precipitation and water supply. Advances made in CalWater have implications for both water supply and flood control in California and other West Coast areas, both in the near term and in a changing climate.

  8. Simultaneously inferring above-cloud absorbing aerosol optical thickness and underlying liquid phase cloud optical and microphysical properties using MODIS

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Meyer, Kerry; Platnick, Steven; Zhang, Zhibo

    2015-06-01

    The regional haze over the southeast (SE) Atlantic Ocean induced by biomass burning in southern Africa can be problematic for passive imager-based retrievals of the underlying quasi-permanent marine boundary layer (MBL) clouds and for estimates of top-of-atmosphere (TOA) aerosol direct radiative effect (DRE). Here an algorithm is introduced to simultaneously retrieve above-cloud aerosol optical thickness (AOT), the cloud optical thickness (COT), and cloud effective particle radius (CER) of the underlying MBL clouds while also providing pixel-level estimates of retrieval uncertainty. This approach utilizes reflectance measurements at six Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) channels from the visible to the shortwave infrared. Retrievals are run under two aerosol model assumptions on 8 years (2006-2013) of June-October Aqua MODIS data over the SE Atlantic, from which a regional cloud and above-cloud aerosol climatology is produced. The cloud retrieval methodology is shown to yield COT and CER consistent with those from the MODIS operational cloud product (MOD06) when forcing AOT to zero, while the full COT-CER-AOT retrievals that account for the above-cloud aerosol attenuation increase regional monthly mean COT and CER by up to 9% and 2%, respectively. Retrieved AOT is roughly 3 to 5 times larger than the collocated 532 nm Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) retrievals, though closer agreement is observed with the CALIOP 1064 nm retrievals, a result consistent with previous case study analyses. Regional cloudy-sky above-cloud aerosol DRE calculations are also performed that illustrate the importance of the aerosol model assumption and underlying cloud retrievals.

  9. The Role of Atmospheric Aerosol Concentration on Deep Convective Precipitation: Cloud-Resolving Model Simulations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tao, Wei-Kuo; Li, Xiaowen; Khain, Alexander; Matsui, Toshihisa; Lang, Stephen; Simpson, Joanne

    2010-01-01

    Aerosols and especially their effect on clouds are one of the key components of the climate system and the hydrological cycle [Ramanathan et al., 2001]. Yet, the aerosol effect on clouds remains largely unknown and the processes involved not well understood. A recent report published by the National Academy of Science states "The greatest uncertainty about the aerosol climate forcing - indeed, the largest of all the uncertainties about global climate forcing - is probably the indirect effect of aerosols on clouds NRC [2001]." The aerosol effect on Clouds is often categorized into the traditional "first indirect (i.e., Twomey)" effect on the cloud droplet sizes for a constant liquid water path and the "semi-direct" effect on cloud coverage. The aerosol effect on precipitation processes, also known as the second type of aerosol indirect effect, is even more complex, especially for mixed-phase convective clouds. In this paper, a cloud-resolving model (CRM) with detailed spectral-bin microphysics was used to examine the effect of aerosols on three different deep convective cloud systems that developed in different geographic locations: South Florida, Oklahoma and the Central Pacific, In all three cases, rain reaches the ground earlier for the low CCN (clean) case. Rain suppression is also evident in all three cases with high CCN (dirty) case. However, this suppression only occurs during the first hour of the simulations. During the mature stages of the simulations, the effects of increasing aerosol concentration range from rain suppression in the Oklahoma case, to almost no effect in the Florida case, to rain enhancement in the Pacific case. These results show the complexity of aerosol interactions with convection. The model results suggest that evaporative cooling is a key process in determining whether high CCN reduces or enhances precipitation. Stronger evaporative cooling can produce a stronger cold pool and thus stronger low-level convergence through interactions

  10. Organization of the Tropical Convective Cloud Population by Humidity and the Critical Transition to Heavy Precipitation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Igel, M.

    2015-12-01

    The tropical atmosphere exhibits an abrupt statistical switch between non-raining and heavily raining states as column moisture increases across a wide range of length scales. Deep convection occurs at values of column humidity above the transition point and induces drying of moist columns. With a 1km resolution, large domain cloud resolving model run in RCE, what will be made clear here for the first time is how the entire tropical convective cloud population is affected by and feeds back to the pickup in heavy precipitation. Shallow convection can act to dry the low levels through weak precipitation or vertical redistribution of moisture, or to moisten toward a transition to deep convection. It is shown that not only can deep convection dehydrate the entire column, it can also dry just the lower layer through intense rain. In the latter case, deep stratiform cloud then forms to dry the upper layer through rain with anomalously high rates for its value of column humidity until both the total column moisture falls below the critical transition point and the upper levels are cloud free. Thus, all major tropical cloud types are shown to respond strongly to the same critical phase-transition point. This mutual response represents a potentially strong organizational mechanism for convection, and the frequency of and logical rules determining physical evolutions between these convective regimes will be discussed. The precise value of the point in total column moisture at which the transition to heavy precipitation occurs is shown to result from two independent thresholds in lower-layer and upper-layer integrated humidity.

  11. Water ice clouds observations with PFS on Mars Express

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moroz, V. I.; Zasova, L. V.; Formisano, V.; Grassi, D.; Ignatiev, N. I.; Giuranna, M.; Maturilli, A.; Pfs Team

    The water ice cloud observation is one of the scientific goals of PFS. Presence and properties of the ice particles are identified from absorption features, observed in both spectral ranges of PFS. Being in the near perihelion condition, the temperature of the Martian atmosphere is pretty high and ice clouds exist only in some places, for example, related to topography or at north high latitudes et etc. The ice clouds are observed often above the tops of the volcanoes. We have found the ice clouds above Olympus (orbit 37) and Ascraeus Mons (orbit 68). Effective radius of particles according to the thermal IR is preliminary estimated of 1 μ m, which leads to the visual opacity of 0.2 -0.3 above Olympus and of maximum of 0.6 above Ascraeus Mons. In the case of Ascraeus Mons the ice clouds are observed on the south slope near the top of the volcano. The maximum surface temperature, observed there, results in the upward flux of warm air, which, cooling, provides the condensation of H2O. We will present a detailed analysis of the ice clouds, observed over the planet in the IR spectral range.

  12. A Multi-Frequency Wide-Swath Spaceborne Cloud and Precipitation Imaging Radar

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Li, Lihua; Racette, Paul; Heymsfield, Gary; McLinden, Matthew; Venkatesh, Vijay; Coon, Michael; Perrine, Martin; Park, Richard; Cooley, Michael; Stenger, Pete; hide

    2016-01-01

    Microwave and millimeter-wave radars have proven their effectiveness in cloud and precipitation observations. The NASA Earth Science Decadal Survey (DS) Aerosol, Cloud and Ecosystems (ACE) mission calls for a dual-frequency cloud radar (W band 94 GHz and Ka-band 35 GHz) for global measurements of cloud microphysical properties. Recently, there have been discussions of utilizing a tri-frequency (KuKaW-band) radar for a combined ACE and Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) follow-on mission that has evolved into the Cloud and Precipitation Process Mission (CaPPM) concept. In this presentation we will give an overview of the technology development efforts at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and at Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems (NGES) through projects funded by the NASA Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO) Instrument Incubator Program (IIP). Our primary objective of this research is to advance the key enabling technologies for a tri-frequency (KuKaW-band) shared-aperture spaceborne imaging radar to provide unprecedented, simultaneous multi-frequency measurements that will enhance understanding of the effects of clouds and precipitation and their interaction on Earth climate change. Research effort has been focused on concept design and trade studies of the tri-frequency radar; investigating architectures that provide tri-band shared-aperture capability; advancing the development of the Ka band active electronically scanned array (AESA) transmitreceive (TR) module, and development of the advanced radar backend electronics.

  13. Microscopic evaluation of trace metals in cloud droplets in an acid precipitation region.

    PubMed

    Li, Weijun; Wang, Yan; Collett, Jeffrey L; Chen, Jianmin; Zhang, Xiaoye; Wang, Zifa; Wang, Wenxing

    2013-05-07

    Mass concentrations of soluble trace metals and size, number, and mixing properties of nanometal particles in clouds determine their toxicity to ecosystems. Cloud water was found to be acidic, with a pH of 3.52, at Mt. Lu (elevation 1,165 m) in an acid precipitation region in South China. A combination of Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICPMS) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) for the first time demonstrates that the soluble metal concentrations and solid metal particle number are surprisingly high in acid clouds at Mt. Lu, where daily concentrations of SO2, NO2, and PM10 are 18 μg m(-3), 7 μg m(-3), and 22 μg m(-3). The soluble metals in cloudwater with the highest concentrations were zinc (Zn, 200 μg L(-1)), iron (Fe, 88 μg L(-1)), and lead (Pb, 77 μg L(-1)). TEM reveals that 76% of cloud residues include metal particles that range from 50 nm to 1 μm diameter with a median diameter of 250 nm. Four major metal-associated particle types are Pb-rich (35%), fly ash (27%), Fe-rich (23%), and Zn-rich (15%). Elemental mapping shows that minor soluble metals are distributed within sulfates of cloud residues. Emissions of fine metal particles from large, nonferrous industries and coal-fired power plants with tall stacks were transported upward to this high elevation. Our results suggest that the abundant trace metals in clouds aggravate the impacts of acid clouds or associated precipitation on the ecosystem and human health.

  14. Global observations of aerosol-cloud-precipitation-climate interactions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rosenfeld, Daniel; Andreae, Meinrat O.; Asmi, Ari; Chin, Mian; de Leeuw, Gerrit; Donovan, David P.; Kahn, Ralph; Kinne, Stefan; Kivekäs, Niku; Kulmala, Markku; Lau, William; Schmidt, K. Sebastian; Suni, Tanja; Wagner, Thomas; Wild, Martin; Quaas, Johannes

    2014-12-01

    Cloud drop condensation nuclei (CCN) and ice nuclei (IN) particles determine to a large extent cloud microstructure and, consequently, cloud albedo and the dynamic response of clouds to aerosol-induced changes to precipitation. This can modify the reflected solar radiation and the thermal radiation emitted to space. Measurements of tropospheric CCN and IN over large areas have not been possible and can be only roughly approximated from satellite-sensor-based estimates of optical properties of aerosols. Our lack of ability to measure both CCN and cloud updrafts precludes disentangling the effects of meteorology from those of aerosols and represents the largest component in our uncertainty in anthropogenic climate forcing. Ways to improve the retrieval accuracy include multiangle and multipolarimetric passive measurements of the optical signal and multispectral lidar polarimetric measurements. Indirect methods include proxies of trace gases, as retrieved by hyperspectral sensors. Perhaps the most promising emerging direction is retrieving the CCN properties by simultaneously retrieving convective cloud drop number concentrations and updraft speeds, which amounts to using clouds as natural CCN chambers. These satellite observations have to be constrained by in situ observations of aerosol-cloud-precipitation-climate (ACPC) interactions, which in turn constrain a hierarchy of model simulations of ACPC. Since the essence of a general circulation model is an accurate quantification of the energy and mass fluxes in all forms between the surface, atmosphere and outer space, a route to progress is proposed here in the form of a series of box flux closure experiments in the various climate regimes. A roadmap is provided for quantifying the ACPC interactions and thereby reducing the uncertainty in anthropogenic climate forcing.

  15. Characteristics of cloud occurrence using ceilometer measurements and its relationship to precipitation over Seoul

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, Sanghee; Hwang, Seung-On; Kim, Jhoon; Ahn, Myoung-Hwan

    2018-03-01

    Clouds are an important component of the atmosphere that affects both climate and weather, however, their contributions can be very difficult to determine. Ceilometer measurements can provide high resolution information on atmospheric conditions such as cloud base height (CBH) and vertical frequency of cloud occurrence (CVF). This study presents the first comprehensive analysis of CBH and CVF derived using Vaisala CL51 ceilometers at two urban stations in Seoul, Korea, during a three-year period from January 2014 to December 2016. The average frequency of cloud occurrence detected by the ceilometers is 54.3%. It is found that the CL51 is better able to capture CBH as compared to another ceilometer CL31 at a nearby meteorological station because it could detect high clouds more accurately. Frequency distributions for CBH up to 13,000 m providing detailed vertical features with 500-m interval show 55% of CBHs below 2 km for aggregated CBHs. A bimodal frequency distribution was observed for three-layers CBHs. A monthly variation of CVF reveals that frequency concentration of lower clouds is found in summer and winter, and higher clouds more often detected in spring and autumn. Monthly distribution features of cloud occurrence and precipitation are depending on seasons and it might be easy to define their relationship due to higher degree of variability of precipitation than cloud occurrence. However, a fluctuation of cloud occurrence frequency in summer is similar to precipitation in trend, whereas clouds in winter are relatively frequent but precipitation is not accompanied. In addition, recent decrease of summer precipitation could be mostly explained by a decrease of cloud occurrence. Anomalous precipitation recorded sometimes is considerably related to corresponding cloud occurrence. The diurnal and daily variations of CBH and CVF from ceilometer observations and the analysis of microwave radiometer measurements for two typical cloudiness cases are also reviewed

  16. A modeling study of the effects of aerosols on clouds and precipitation over East Asia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Xiaodong; Xie, Xiaoning; Yin, Zhi-Yong; Liu, Changhai; Gettelman, Andrew

    2011-12-01

    The National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Atmosphere Model (version 3.5) coupled with the Morrison-Gettelman two-moment cloud microphysics scheme is employed to simulate the aerosol effects on clouds and precipitation in two numerical experiments, one representing present-day conditions (year 2000) and the other the pre-industrial conditions (year 1750) over East Asia by considering both direct and indirect aerosol effects. To isolate the aerosol effects, we used the same set of boundary conditions and only altered the aerosol emissions in both experiments. The simulated results show that the cloud microphysical properties are markedly affected by the increase in aerosols, especially for the column cloud droplet number concentration (DNC), liquid water path (LWP), and the cloud droplet effective radius (DER). With increased aerosols, DNC and LWP have been increased by 137% and 28%, respectively, while DER is reduced by 20%. Precipitation rates in East Asia and East China are reduced by 5.8% and 13%, respectively, by both the aerosol's second indirect effect and the radiative forcing that enhanced atmospheric stability associated with the aerosol direct and first indirect effects. The significant reduction in summer precipitation in East Asia is also consistent with the weakening of the East Asian summer monsoon, resulting from the decreasing thermodynamic contrast between the Asian landmass and the surrounding oceans induced by the aerosol's radiative effects. The increase in aerosols reduces the surface net shortwave radiative flux over the East Asia landmass, which leads to the reduction of the land surface temperature. With minimal changes in the sea surface temperature, hence, the weakening of the East Asian summer monsoon further enhances the reduction of summer precipitation over East Asia.

  17. CalWater 2015 — Atmospheric Rivers and Aerosol Impacts on Precipitation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Spackman, J. R.; Ralph, F. M.; Prather, K. A.; Cayan, D.; DeMott, P. J.; Dettinger, M. D.; Doyle, J. D.; Fairall, C. W.; Leung, L. R.; Rosenfeld, D.; Rutledge, S. A.; Waliser, D. E.; White, A. B.

    2015-12-01

    The CalWater 2015 field experiment was conducted between January and March and consisted of more than fifty science flights, a major research cruise, and continuous ground-based observations coordinated to study phenomena driving the incidence of extreme precipitation events and the variability of water supply along the West Coast of the United States. CalWater 2015 examined key processes linked to (1) atmospheric rivers (ARs) in delivering much of the precipitation associated with major winter storms, and (2) aerosols, originating from local sources as well as from remote continents, within and between storms and their modulating effects on precipitation on the U.S. West Coast. As part of a large interagency field effort including NOAA, DOE, NASA, NSF, and the Naval Research Laboratory, four research aircraft from three government agencies were deployed in coordination with the oceangoing NOAA Ronald H. Brown and were equipped with meteorological and chemical observing systems in near-shore regions of California and the eastern Pacific. At the same time, ground-based measurements from NOAA's HydroMeteorological Testbed (HMT) network on the U.S. West Coast and a major NSF-supported observing site for aerosols and microphysics at Bodega Bay, California provided continuous near surface-level meteorological and chemical observations, respectively, during CalWater 2015. The DOE-sponsored ARM Cloud Aerosol and Precipitation Experiment (ACAPEX) was executed in close coordination with NOAA and NASA facilities and deployed airborne and ship-based observing systems. This presentation summarizes the objectives, implementation strategy, data acquisitions, and some preliminary results from CalWater 2015 addressing science gaps associated with (1) the evolution and structure of ARs including cloud and precipitation processes and air-sea interaction, and (2) aerosol interaction with ARs and the impact on precipitation, including locally-generated aerosol effects on orographic

  18. Microwave Ground-Based Retrievals of Liquid Water Path in Drizzling Clouds: Challenges and Possibilities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cadeddu, M. P.; Marchand, R.; Orlandi, E.; Turner, D. D.; Mech, M.

    2016-12-01

    The retrieval of liquid water path (LWP) during drizzle and rain from ground-based microwave radiometers presents several challenges that have not been entirely solved. Ground-based microwave radiometers have been traditionally used to retrieve cloud LWP assuming non-precipitating conditions. Yet retrieval of liquid water path under light rain and possibly the partition of total liquid water path among cloud and rain are very important to study cloud properties because the presence of drizzle affects for example the cloud's lifetime. Improving the LWP retrieval during drizzle and possibly partitioning cloud and rain LWP is therefore highly desirable. In precipitating clouds the raindrop's size is of the same order of magnitude of the wavelength sampled by the instrument and the effects of hydrometeor's scattering can't be neglected. In this paper we model the effect of scattering hydrometeors on radiometric brightness temperatures commonly used in LWP retrievals and develop a physical retrieval to derive precipitable water vapor (PWV), total LWP, and the fraction of cloud and rain liquid water (Cf) from microwave brightness temperatures at three commonly used frequencies. The retrieval is first applied to a set of synthetic measurements and is then used to retrieve PWV, LWP, and Cf in two drizzling cases at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program Eastern North Atlantic (ENA) site. Results show that there is useful information in the microwave brightness temperatures that can be used to reduce LWP retrieval uncertainty during light rain and can open the path for a better integration of active and passive sensors. The effect of raindrops on the radiometer's lens is examined with the help of a digital camera and experimental data. A possible way to account for raindrop deposition on the instrument's lens is suggested.

  19. Ice-Crystal Fallstreaks from Supercooled Liquid Water Parent Clouds

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Campbell, James R.; O'C. Starr, David; Welton, Ellsworth J.; Spinhirne, James D.; Ferrare, Richard A.

    2003-01-01

    On 31 December 2001, ice-crystal fallstreaks (e.g., cirrus uncinus, or colloquially "Mare's Tails") from supercooled liquid water parent clouds were observed by ground-based lidars pointed vertically from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Southern Great Plains (SGP) facility near Lamont, Oklahoma. The incidence of liquid phase cloud with apparent ice-phase precipitation is investigated. Scenarios for mixed-phase particle nucleation, and fallstreak formation and sustenance are discussed. The observations are unique in the context of the historical reverence given to the commonly observed c h s uncinus fallstreak (wholly ice) versus this seemingly contradictory coincidence of liquid water begetting ice-crystal streaks.

  20. On water in volcanic clouds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Durant, Adam J.

    2007-12-01

    Volcanic clouds and tephra fallout present a hazard to aviation, human and animal health (direct inhalation or ingestion, contamination of water supplies), and infrastructure (building collapse, burial of roads and railways, agriculture, abrasive and chemical effects on machinery). Understanding sedimentation processes is a fundamental component in the prediction of volcanic cloud lifetime and fallout at the ground, essential in the mitigation of these hazards. The majority of classical volcanic ash transport and dispersion models (VATDM) are based solely on fluid dynamics. The non-agreement between VATDM and observed regional-scale tephra deposit characteristics is especially obvious at large distances from the source volcano. In meteorology, the processes of hydrometeor nucleation, growth and collection have been long-established as playing a central role in sedimentation and precipitation. Taking this as motivation, the hypothesis that hydrometeor formation drives sedimentation from volcanic clouds was tested. The research objectives of this dissertation are: (1) To determine the effectiveness of tephra particles in the catalysis of the liquid water to ice phase transformation, with application to ice hydrometeor formation in volcanic clouds. (2) To determine the sedimentological characteristics of distal (100s km) tephra fallout from recent volcanic clouds. (3) To assess particle fallout rates from recent volcanic clouds in the context of observed deposit characteristics. (4) To assess the implications of hydrometeor formation on the enhancement of volcanic sedimentation and the potential for cloud destabilization from volcanic hydrometeor sublimation. Dissertation Overview. The following chapters present the analysis, results and conclusions of heterogeneous ice nucleation experiments and sedimentological characterization of several recent tephra deposits. The dissertation is organized in three chapters, each prepared in journal article format. In Chapter 1

  1. Retrieval of Aerosol Optical Depth Above Clouds from OMI Observations: Sensitivity Analysis, Case Studies

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Torres, O.; Jethva, H.; Bhartia, P. K.

    2012-01-01

    A large fraction of the atmospheric aerosol load reaching the free troposphere is frequently located above low clouds. Most commonly observed aerosols above clouds are carbonaceous particles generally associated with biomass burning and boreal forest fires, and mineral aerosols originated in arid and semi-arid regions and transported across large distances, often above clouds. Because these aerosols absorb solar radiation, their role in the radiative transfer balance of the earth atmosphere system is especially important. The generally negative (cooling) top of the atmosphere direct effect of absorbing aerosols, may turn into warming when the light-absorbing particles are located above clouds. The actual effect depends on the aerosol load and the single scattering albedo, and on the geometric cloud fraction. In spite of its potential significance, the role of aerosols above clouds is not adequately accounted for in the assessment of aerosol radiative forcing effects due to the lack of measurements. In this paper we discuss the basis of a simple technique that uses near-UV observations to simultaneously derive the optical depth of both the aerosol layer and the underlying cloud for overcast conditions. The two-parameter retrieval method described here makes use of the UV aerosol index and reflectance measurements at 388 nm. A detailed sensitivity analysis indicates that the measured radiances depend mainly on the aerosol absorption exponent and aerosol-cloud separation. The technique was applied to above-cloud aerosol events over the Southern Atlantic Ocean yielding realistic results as indicated by indirect evaluation methods. An error analysis indicates that for typical overcast cloudy conditions and aerosol loads, the aerosol optical depth can be retrieved with an accuracy of approximately 54% whereas the cloud optical depth can be derived within 17% of the true value.

  2. Comparison of aerosol optical properties above clouds between POLDER and AeroCom models over the South East Atlantic Ocean during the fire season: POLDER/AeroCom Comparison Above Clouds

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Peers, F.; Bellouin, N.; Waquet, F.

    Aerosol properties above clouds have been retrieved over the South East Atlantic Ocean during the fire season 2006 using satellite observations from POLDER (Polarization and Directionality of Earth Reflectances). From June to October, POLDER has observed a mean Above-Cloud Aerosol Optical Thickness (ACAOT) of 0.28 and a mean Above-Clouds Single Scattering Albedo (ACSSA) of 0.87 at 550nm. These results have been used to evaluate the simulation of aerosols above clouds in 5 AeroCom (Aerosol Comparisons between Observations and Models) models (GOCART, HadGEM3, ECHAM5-HAM2, OsloCTM2 and SPRINTARS). Most models do not reproduce the observed large aerosol load episodes. The comparison highlightsmore » the importance of the injection height and the vertical transport parameterizations to simulate the large ACAOT observed by POLDER. Furthermore, some models overestimate the ACSSA. In accordance with recent recommendations of the black carbon refractive index, a higher prescription of the imaginary part allows a better comparison with POLDER’s ACSSA.« less

  3. Near-real-time Estimation and Forecast of Total Precipitable Water in Europe

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bartholy, J.; Kern, A.; Barcza, Z.; Pongracz, R.; Ihasz, I.; Kovacs, R.; Ferencz, C.

    2013-12-01

    Information about the amount and spatial distribution of atmospheric water vapor (or total precipitable water) is essential for understanding weather and the environment including the greenhouse effect, the climate system with its feedbacks and the hydrological cycle. Numerical weather prediction (NWP) models need accurate estimations of water vapor content to provide realistic forecasts including representation of clouds and precipitation. In the present study we introduce our research activity for the estimation and forecast of atmospheric water vapor in Central Europe using both observations and models. The Eötvös Loránd University (Hungary) operates a polar orbiting satellite receiving station in Budapest since 2002. This station receives Earth observation data from polar orbiting satellites including MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Direct Broadcast (DB) data stream from satellites Terra and Aqua. The received DB MODIS data are automatically processed using freely distributed software packages. Using the IMAPP Level2 software total precipitable water is calculated operationally using two different methods. Quality of the TPW estimations is a crucial question for further application of the results, thus validation of the remotely sensed total precipitable water fields is presented using radiosonde data. In a current research project in Hungary we aim to compare different estimations of atmospheric water vapor content. Within the frame of the project we use a NWP model (DBCRAS; Direct Broadcast CIMSS Regional Assimilation System numerical weather prediction software developed by the University of Wisconsin, Madison) to forecast TPW. DBCRAS uses near real time Level2 products from the MODIS data processing chain. From the wide range of the derived Level2 products the MODIS TPW parameter found within the so-called mod07 results (Atmospheric Profiles Product) and the cloud top pressure and cloud effective emissivity parameters from the so

  4. Ice Cloud Properties in Ice-Over-Water Cloud Systems Using TRMM VIRS and TMI Data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Minnis, Patrick; Huang, Jianping; Lin, Bing; Yi, Yuhong; Arduini, Robert F.; Fan, Tai-Fang; Ayers, J. Kirk; Mace, Gerald G.

    2007-01-01

    of a method for applying the MCRS over land without microwave data yield similar differences with the surface retrievals. By combining the MCRS with other techniques that focus primarily on optically thin cirrus over low water clouds, it will be possible to more fully assess the IWP in all conditions over ocean except for precipitating systems.

  5. Estimation of Microphysical and Radiative Parameters of Precipitating Cloud Systems Using mm-Wavelength Radars

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Matrosov, Sergey Y.

    2009-03-01

    A remote sensing approach is described to retrieve cloud and rainfall parameters within the same precipitating system. This approach is based on mm-wavelength radar signal attenuation effects which are observed in a layer of liquid precipitation containing clouds and rainfall. The parameters of ice clouds in the upper part of startiform precipitating systems are then retrieved using the absolute measurements of radar reflectivity. In case of the ground-based radar location, these measurements are corrected for attenuation in the intervening layer of liquid hydrometers.

  6. A comparison of the optical pulse characteristics of intracloud and cloud-to-ground lightning as observed above clouds

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Goodman, Steven J.; Christian, Hugh J.; Rust, W. David

    1988-01-01

    The optical-pulse characteristics of intracloud (IC) and cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning flashes were investigated. The time-resolved optical waveforms at 777.4 nm and electric-field changes produced by lightning flashes were measured aboard a U2 aircraft flying above clouds at the same time that ground-based lightning measurements were carried out. The pulse shapes and intensities of IC and CG flashes, as viewed from above cloud, were found to exhibit remarkably similar waveshapes, radiances, and radiant energy densities. The median radiance at cloud top was found to be about 0.007 W/sq m per sr, and the median energy density about 0.000003 J/sq m per sr.

  7. A multi-satellite analysis of the direct radiative effects of absorbing aerosols above clouds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chang, Y. Y.; Christopher, S. A.

    2015-12-01

    Radiative effects of absorbing aerosols above liquid water clouds in the southeast Atlantic as a function of fire sources are investigated using A-Train data coupled with the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) onboard Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP). Both the VIIRS Active Fire product and the Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Thermal Anomalies product (MYD14) are used to identify the biomass burning fire origin in southern Africa. The Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) are used to assess the aerosol type, aerosol altitude, and cloud altitude. We use back trajectory information, wind data, and the Fire Locating and Modeling of Burning Emissions (FLAMBE) product to infer the transportation of aerosols from the fire source to the CALIOP swath in the southeast Atlantic during austral winter.

  8. The microphysical properties of convective precipitation over the Tibetan Plateau by a high-resolution cloud-resolving simulation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gao, W.; Liu, L.; Hu, Z.

    2017-12-01

    The microphysical properties of precipitating convective systems over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) are unique because of the extremely high topography and special atmospheric conditions. In this study, the ground-based millimeter cloud radar and optical disdrometer observations during the Third Tibetan Plateau Atmospheric Scientific Experiment (TIPEX-III), and the high-resolution (600-m horizontal grid size) simulations with the Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences microphysics (CAMS) are used to investigate the microphysics and precipitation mechanism of a convection event on 24 July 2014. The model reasonably reproduces the spatial distribution of 24-h accumulated rainfall yet the temporal evolution of rainfall rate has a two hours delay. The simulated raindrop size distribution (RSD) is in general agreement with the disdrometer measurement, and the number concentration for small raindrop is a certain degree overestimated. The RSD over the TP is wider than that over plain at the same latitude, implying that the precipitation may be more easily produced in the former. Results demonstrate that the leading ice crystal microphysical processes are the depositional growth of ice crystal and autoconversion of ice crystal to snow. The dominant source term of snow/graupel in convection is the accretion of cloud water by snow/graupel (riming) due to the plentiful supercooled cloud water over there. Note that the accretion of snow by rain to form graupel has a great contribution to graupel number concentration as the existence of large liquid particles in cold region over the TP. In addition, the microphysics-produced graupel fall out completely through the sedimentation process and accumulate near the melting layer with the rate of 0.09 g kg-1s-1. They then melt immediately to form rain water in warm region and half of them can finally reach the ground to form precipitation (the rest evaporated). Furthermore, the water vapor budgets analyses reveal that the surface

  9. Videosonde observations of tropical precipitating clouds developed over the Sumatera Island, Indonesia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Suzuki, Kenji; Nakagawa, Katsuhiro; Kawano, Tetsuya; Mori, Shuichi; Katsumata, Masaki; Yoneyama, Kunio

    2017-04-01

    During November-December 2015, as a pilot study of the Years of the Maritime and Continent (YMC), a campaign observation over the southwestern coastal land and adjacent sea of Sumatera Island, Indonesia was carried out to examine land-ocean coupling processes in mechanisms of coastal heavy rain. Our videosonde observations were conducted as a part of this campaign for the better understandings of microphysical features in tropical precipitating clouds developed over the Sumatera Island. Videosonde is one of strong tools to measure hydrometeors in clouds directly. It is a balloon-borne radiosonde that acquires images of precipitation particles via a CCD camera. The system has a stroboscopic illumination that provides information on particle size and shape. One of the advantages for the videosonde is to capture images of precipitation particles as they are in the air because the videosonde can obtain particle images without contact. Recorded precipitation particles are classified as raindrops, frozen drops (hail), graupel, ice crystals, or snowflakes on the basis of transparency and shape. Videosondes were launched from BMKG Bengkulu weather station (3.86°S,102.3°E). After the launch of a videosonde, the Range Height Indicator (RHI) scans by a C-band dual-polarimetric radar installed on R/V Mirai, which was approximately 50 km off Sumatera Island, were continuously performed, targeting the videosonde in the precipitating cloud. Eighteen videosondes were launched into various types of tropical precipitating clouds during the Pre-YMC campaign.

  10. Precipitation Estimation from Remotely Sensed Information using Artificial Neural Network-Cloud Classification System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hong, Yang

    Precipitation estimation from satellite information (VISIBLE , IR, or microwave) is becoming increasingly imperative because of its high spatial/temporal resolution and board coverage unparalleled by ground-based data. After decades' efforts of rainfall estimation using IR imagery as basis, it has been explored and concluded that the limitations/uncertainty of the existing techniques are: (1) pixel-based local-scale feature extraction; (2) IR temperature threshold to define rain/no-rain clouds; (3) indirect relationship between rain rate and cloud-top temperature; (4) lumped techniques to model high variability of cloud-precipitation processes; (5) coarse scales of rainfall products. As continuing studies, a new version of Precipitation Estimation from Remotely Sensed Information using Artificial Neural Network (PERSIANN), called Cloud Classification System (CCS), has been developed to cope with these limitations in this dissertation. CCS includes three consecutive components: (1) a hybrid segmentation algorithm, namely Hierarchically Topographical Thresholding and Stepwise Seeded Region Growing (HTH-SSRG), to segment satellite IR images into separated cloud patches; (2) a 3D feature extraction procedure to retrieve both pixel-based local-scale and patch-based large-scale features of cloud patch at various heights; (3) an ANN model, Self-Organizing Nonlinear Output (SONO) network, to classify cloud patches into similarity-based clusters, using Self-Organizing Feature Map (SOFM), and then calibrate hundreds of multi-parameter nonlinear functions to identify the relationship between every cloud types and their underneath precipitation characteristics using Probability Matching Method and Multi-Start Downhill Simplex optimization techniques. The model was calibrated over the Southwest of United States (100°--130°W and 25°--45°N) first and then adaptively adjusted to the study region of North America Monsoon Experiment (65°--135°W and 10°--50°N) using

  11. Radiative transfer to space through a precipitating cloud at multiple microwave frequencies. I - Model description. II - Results and analysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mugnai, Alberto; Smith, Eric A.

    1988-01-01

    The impact of time-dependent cloud microphysical structure on the transfer to space of passive microwave radiation is studied at several frequencies across the EHF and lower SHF portions of the microwave spectrum. The feasibility of using multichannel passive-microwave retrieval techniques to estimate precipitation from space-based platforms is examined. The model is described, and the results are assessed in conjunction with a Nimbus-7 SMMR case study of precipitation in an intense tropical Pacific storm. It is concluded that the effects of cloud liquid water content must be considered to obtain a realistic estimation and distribution of rainrates.

  12. Observed Land Impacts on Clouds, Water Vapor, and Rainfall at Continental Scales

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jin, Menglin; King, Michael D.

    2005-01-01

    How do the continents affect large-scale hydrological cycles? How important can one continent be to the climate system? To address these questions, 4-years of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Terra Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) observations, Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) observations, and the Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) global precipitation analysis, were used to assess the land impacts on clouds, rainfall, and water vapor at continental scales. At these scales, the observations illustrate that continents are integrated regions that enhance the seasonality of atmospheric and surface hydrological parameters. Specifically, the continents of Eurasia and North America enhance the seasonality of cloud optical thickness, cirrus fraction, rainfall, and water vapor. Over land, both liquid water and ice cloud effective radii are smaller than over oceans primarily because land has more aerosol particles. In addition, different continents have similar impacts on hydrological variables in terms of seasonality, but differ in magnitude. For example, in winter, North America and Eurasia increase cloud optical thickness to 17.5 and 16, respectively, while in summer, Eurasia has much smaller cloud optical thicknesses than North America. Such different land impacts are determined by each continent s geographical condition, land cover, and land use. These new understandings help further address the land-ocean contrasts on global climate, help validate global climate model simulated land-atmosphere interactions, and help interpret climate change over land.

  13. Precipitation, Convective Clouds, and Their Connections With Tropical Cyclone Intensity and Intensity Change

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ruan, Zhenxin; Wu, Qiaoyan

    2018-01-01

    In this paper, satellite-based precipitation, clouds with infrared (IR) brightness temperature (BT), and tropical cyclone (TC) data from 2000 to 2015 are used to explore the relationship between precipitation, convective cloud, and TC intensity change in the Western North Pacific Ocean. An IR BT of 208 K was chosen as a threshold for deep convection based on different diurnal cycles of IR BT. More precipitation and colder clouds with 208 K < IR BT < 240 K are found as storms intensify, while TC 24 h future intensity change is closely connected with very deep convective clouds with IR BT < 208 K. Intensifying TCs follow the occurrence of colder clouds with IR BT < 208 K with greater areal extents. As an indicator of very deep convective clouds, IR BT < 208 K is suggested to be a good predictor of TC intensity change. Based upon the 16 year analysis in the western North Pacific, TCs under the conditions that the mean temperature of very deep convective clouds is less than 201 K, and the coverage of this type of clouds is more than 27.4% within a radius of 300 km of the TC center, will more likely undergo rapid intensification after 24 h.

  14. High-resolution stochastic downscaling of climate models: simulating wind advection, cloud cover and precipitation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Peleg, Nadav; Fatichi, Simone; Burlando, Paolo

    2015-04-01

    A new stochastic approach to generate wind advection, cloud cover and precipitation fields is presented with the aim of formulating a space-time weather generator characterized by fields with high spatial and temporal resolution (e.g., 1 km x 1 km and 5 min). Its use is suitable for stochastic downscaling of climate scenarios in the context of hydrological, ecological and geomorphological applications. The approach is based on concepts from the Advanced WEather GENerator (AWE-GEN) presented by Fatichi et al. (2011, Adv. Water Resour.), the Space-Time Realizations of Areal Precipitation model (STREAP) introduced by Paschalis et al. (2013, Water Resour. Res.), and the High-Resolution Synoptically conditioned Weather Generator (HiReS-WG) presented by Peleg and Morin (2014, Water Resour. Res.). Advection fields are generated on the basis of the 500 hPa u and v wind direction variables derived from global or regional climate models. The advection velocity and direction are parameterized using Kappa and von Mises distributions respectively. A random Gaussian fields is generated using a fast Fourier transform to preserve the spatial correlation of advection. The cloud cover area, total precipitation area and mean advection of the field are coupled using a multi-autoregressive model. The approach is relatively parsimonious in terms of computational demand and, in the context of climate change, allows generating many stochastic realizations of current and projected climate in a fast and efficient way. A preliminary test of the approach is presented with reference to a case study in a complex orography terrain in the Swiss Alps.

  15. Cloud microstructure studies

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Blau, H. H., Jr.; Fowler, M. G.; Chang, D. T.; Ryan, R. T.

    1972-01-01

    Over two thousand individual cloud droplet size distributions were measured with an optical cloud particle spectrometer flown on the NASA Convair 990 aircraft. Representative droplet spectra and liquid water content, L (gm/cu m) were obtained for oceanic stratiform and cumuliform clouds. For non-precipitating clouds, values of L range from 0.1 gm/cu m to 0.5 gm/cu m; with precipitation, L is often greater than 1 gm/cu m. Measurements were also made in a newly formed contrail and in cirrus clouds.

  16. How consistent are precipitation patterns predicted by GCMs in the absence of cloud radiative effects?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Popke, Dagmar; Bony, Sandrine; Mauritsen, Thorsten; Stevens, Bjorn

    2015-04-01

    Model simulations with state-of-the-art general circulation models reveal a strong disagreement concerning the simulated regional precipitation patterns and their changes with warming. The deviating precipitation response even persists when reducing the model experiment complexity to aquaplanet simulation with forced sea surface temperatures (Stevens and Bony, 2013). To assess feedbacks between clouds and radiation on precipitation responses we analyze data from 5 models performing the aquaplanet simulations of the Clouds On Off Klima Intercomparison Experiment (COOKIE), where the interaction of clouds and radiation is inhibited. Although cloud radiative effects are then disabled, the precipitation patterns among models are as diverse as with cloud radiative effects switched on. Disentangling differing model responses in such simplified experiments thus appears to be key to better understanding the simulated regional precipitation in more standard configurations. By analyzing the local moisture and moist static energy budgets in the COOKIE experiments we investigate likely causes for the disagreement among models. References Stevens, B. & S. Bony: What Are Climate Models Missing?, Science, 2013, 340, 1053-1054

  17. Using OMI Observations to Measure Aerosol Absorption of Biomass Burning Aerosols Above Clouds

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Torres, Omar; Bhartia, P. K.; Jethva, Hiren

    2011-01-01

    The presence of absorbing aerosol layers above clouds is unambiguously detected by the TOMS/OMI UV Aerosol Index (AI) that uses satellite observations at two near-UV channels. A sensitivity study using radiative transfer calculations shows that the AI signal of resulting from the presence of aerosols above clouds is mainly driven by the aerosol absorption optical depth and the optical depth of the underlying cloud. Based on these results, an inversion algorithm has been developed to retrieve the aerosol optical depth (AOD) of aerosol layers above clouds. In this presentation we will discuss the sensitivity analysis, describe the retrieval approach, and present results of applications of the retrieval method to OMI observations over the South Atlantic Ocean. Preliminary error analyses, to be discussed, indicate that the AOD can be underestimated (up to -30%) or overestimated (up to 60%) depending on algorithmic assumptions.

  18. Aerosol-cloud interactions in mixed-phase convective clouds - Part 1: Aerosol perturbations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Miltenberger, Annette K.; Field, Paul R.; Hill, Adrian A.; Rosenberg, Phil; Shipway, Ben J.; Wilkinson, Jonathan M.; Scovell, Robert; Blyth, Alan M.

    2018-03-01

    precipitation enhancement occurs. Previous studies of deep convective clouds have related larger vertical velocities under high-aerosol conditions to enhanced latent heating from freezing. In the presented simulations changes in latent heating above the 0°C are negligible, but latent heating from condensation increases with aerosol concentrations. It is hypothesised that this increase is related to changes in the cloud field structure reducing the mixing of environmental air into the convective core. The precipitation response of the deeper mixed-phase clouds along well-established convergence lines can be the opposite of predictions from parcel models. This occurs when clouds interact with a pre-existing thermodynamic environment and cloud field structural changes occur that are not captured by simple parcel model approaches.

  19. A scheme for parameterizing ice cloud water content in general circulation models

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Heymsfield, Andrew J.; Donner, Leo J.

    1989-01-01

    A method for specifying ice water content in GCMs is developed, based on theory and in-cloud measurements. A theoretical development of the conceptual precipitation model is given and the aircraft flights used to characterize the ice mass distribution in deep ice clouds is discussed. Ice water content values derived from the theoretical parameterization are compared with the measured values. The results demonstrate that a simple parameterization for atmospheric ice content can account for ice contents observed in several synoptic contexts.

  20. Final Technical Report for "High-resolution global modeling of the effects of subgrid-scale clouds and turbulence on precipitating cloud systems"

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Larson, Vincent

    2016-11-25

    The Multiscale Modeling Framework (MMF) embeds a cloud-resolving model in each grid column of a General Circulation Model (GCM). A MMF model does not need to use a deep convective parameterization, and thereby dispenses with the uncertainties in such parameterizations. However, MMF models grossly under-resolve shallow boundary-layer clouds, and hence those clouds may still benefit from parameterization. In this grant, we successfully created a climate model that embeds a cloud parameterization (“CLUBB”) within a MMF model. This involved interfacing CLUBB’s clouds with microphysics and reducing computational cost. We have evaluated the resulting simulated clouds and precipitation with satellite observations. Themore » chief benefit of the project is to provide a MMF model that has an improved representation of clouds and that provides improved simulations of precipitation.« less

  1. Evaluating Microphysics in Cloud-Resolving Models using TRMM and Ground-based Precipitation Radar Observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Krueger, S. K.; Zulauf, M. A.; Li, Y.; Zipser, E. J.

    2005-05-01

    Global satellite datasets such as those produced by ISCCP, ERBE, and CERES provide strong observational constraints on cloud radiative properties. Such observations have been widely used for model evaluation, tuning, and improvement. Cloud radiative properties depend primarily on small, non-precipitating cloud droplets and ice crystals, yet the dynamical, microphysical and radiative processes which produce these small particles often involve large, precipitating hydrometeors. There now exists a global dataset of tropical cloud system precipitation feature (PF) properties, collected by TRMM and produced by Steve Nesbitt, that provides additional observational constraints on cloud system properties. We are using the TRMM PF dataset to evaluate the precipitation microphysics of two simulations of deep, precipitating, convective cloud systems: one is a 29-day summertime, continental case (ARM Summer 1997 SCM IOP, at the Southern Great Plains site); the second is a tropical maritime case: the Kwajalein MCS of 11-12 August 1999 (part of a 52-day simulation). Both simulations employed the same bulk, three-ice category microphysical parameterization (Krueger et al. 1995). The ARM simulation was executed using the UCLA/Utah 2D CRM, while the KWAJEX simulation was produced using the 3D CSU CRM (SAM). The KWAJEX simulation described above is compared with both the actual radar data and the TRMM statistics. For the Kwajalein MCS of 11 to 12 August 1999, there are research radar data available for the lifetime of the system. This particular MCS was large in size and rained heavily, but it was weak to average in measures of convective intensity, against the 5-year TRMM sample of 108. For the Kwajalein MCS simulation, the 20 dBZ contour is at 15.7 km and the 40 dBZ contour at 14.5 km! Of all 108 MCSs observed by TRMM, the highest value for the 40 dBZ contour is 8 km. Clearly, the high reflectivity cores are off scale compared with observed cloud systems in this area. A similar

  2. CalWater 2 - Precipitation, Aerosols, and Pacific Atmospheric Rivers Experiment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Spackman, Ryan; Ralph, Marty; Prather, Kim; Cayan, Dan; DeMott, Paul; Dettinger, Mike; Fairall, Chris; Leung, Ruby; Rosenfeld, Daniel; Rutledge, Steven; Waliser, Duane; White, Allen

    2014-05-01

    Emerging research has identified two phenomena that play key roles in the variability of the water supply and the incidence of extreme precipitation events along the West Coast of the United States. These phenomena include the role of (1) atmospheric rivers (ARs) in delivering much of the precipitation associated with major storms along the U.S. West Coast, and (2) aerosols—from local sources as well as those transported from remote continents—and their modulating effects on western U.S. precipitation. A better understanding of these processes is needed to reduce uncertainties in weather predictions and climate projections of extreme precipitation and its effects, including the provision of beneficial water supply. This presentation summarizes science gaps associated with (1) the evolution and structure of ARs including cloud and precipitation processes and air-sea interaction, and (2) aerosol interaction with ARs and the impact on precipitation, including locally-generated aerosol effects on orographic precipitation along the U.S. West Coast. Observations are proposed for multiple winter seasons as part of a 5-year broad interagency vision referred to as CalWater 2 to address these science gaps (http://esrl.noaa.gov/psd/calwater). In the near term, a science investigation is being planned including a targeted set of aircraft and ship-based measurements and associated evaluation of data in near-shore regions of California and in the eastern Pacific for an intensive observing period between January 2015 and March 2015. DOE's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program and NOAA are coordinating on deployment of airborne and ship-borne facilities for this period in a DOE-sponsored study called ACAPEX (ARM Cloud Aerosol and Precipitation Experiment) to complement CalWater 2. The motivation for this major study is based on findings that have emerged in the last few years from airborne and ground-based studies including CalWater and NOAA's HydroMeterology Testbed

  3. The Role of Aerosols on Precipitation Processes: Cloud Resolving Model Simulations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tao, Wei-Kuo; Li, X.; Matsui, T.

    2012-01-01

    Cloud microphysics is inevitably affected by the smoke particle (CCN, cloud condensation nuclei) size distributions below the clouds. Therefore, size distributions parameterized as spectral bin microphysics are needed to explicitly study the effects of atmospheric aerosol concentration on cloud development, rainfall production, and rainfall rates for convective clouds. Recently, a detailed spectral-bin microphysical scheme was implemented into the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) model. The formulation for the explicit spectral bin microphysical processes is based on solving stochastic kinetic equations for the size distribution functions of water droplets (i.e., cloud droplets and raindrops), and several types of ice particles [i.e. pristine ice crystals (columnar and plate-like), snow (dendrites and aggregates), graupel and frozen drops/hail]. Each type is described by a special size distribution function containing many categories (i.e., 33 bins). Atmospheric aerosols are also described using number density size-distribution functions. The model is tested by studying the evolution of deep cloud systems in the west Pacific warm pool region, the sub-tropics (Florida) and midlatitudes using identical thermodynamic conditions but with different concentrations of CCN: a low "clean" concentration and a high "dirty" concentration. Results indicate that the low CCN concentration case produces rainfall at the surface sooner than the high CeN case but has less cloud water mass aloft. Because the spectral-bin model explicitly calculates and allows for the examination of both the mass and number concentration of species in each size category, a detailed analysis of the instantaneous size spectrum can be obtained for these cases. It is shown that since the low (CN case produces fewer droplets, larger sizes develop due to greater condensational and collection growth, leading to a broader size spectrum in comparison to the high CCN case. Sensitivity tests were performed to

  4. Water clouds and dust aerosols observations with PFS MEX at Mars

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zasova, L.; Formisano, V.; Moroz, V.; Grassi, D.; Ignatiev, N.; Giuranna, M.; Hansen, G.; Blecka, M.; Ekonomov, A.; Lellouch, E.; Fonti, S.; Grigoriev, A.; Hirsch, H.; Khatuntsev, I.; Mattana, A.; Maturilli, A.; Moshkin, B.; Patsaev, D.; Piccioni, G.; Rataj, M.; Saggin, B.

    2005-08-01

    Observations of water ice clouds and dust are among the main scientific goals of the Planetary Fourier Spectrometer (PFS), a payload instrument of the European Mars Express mission. We report some results, obtained in three orbits: 37, 41 and 68. The temperature profile, and dust and water ice cloud opacities are retrieved from the thermal infrared (long-wavelength channel of PFS) in a self-consistent way using the same spectrum. Orographic ice clouds are identified above Olympus (orbit 37) and Ascraeus Mons (orbit 68). Both volcanoes were observed near noon at Ls=337° and 342°, respectively. The effective radius of ice particles is preliminary estimated as 1-3 μm, changing along the flanks. The corresponding visual opacity changes in the interval 0.2-0.4 above Olympus and 0.1-0.6 above Ascraeus Mons. In the case of Ascraeus Mons, the ice clouds were observed mainly above the Southern flank of the volcano with maximum opacity near the summit. In the case of Olympus, the clouds were found above both sides of the top. A different type of ice cloud is observed at latitudes above 50°N (orbit 68) in the polar hood: the effective particle radius is estimated to be 4 μm. Below the 1 mb level an inversion in the temperature profiles is found with maximum temperature at around 0.6 mb. Along orbit 68 it appears above Alba Patera, then it increases to the north and decreases above the CO 2 polar cap. Beginning from latitude 20°S above Tharsis (orbit 68), the ice clouds and dust contribute equally to the spectral shape. Further on, the ice clouds are found everywhere along orbit 68 up to the Northern polar cap, except the areas between the Northern flank of Ascraeus Mons (below 10 km) and the edge of Alba Patera. Orbit 41 is shifted from the orbit 68 by roughly 180° longitude and passes through Hellas. Ice clouds are not visible in this orbit at latitudes below 80°S. The dust opacity is anticorrelated with the surface altitude. From 70°S to 25°N latitude the vertical

  5. Spatial and temporal distributions of ice nucleating particles during the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Cloud Aerosol Precipitation Experiment (ACAPEX)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Levin, E. J.; DeMott, P. J.; Suski, K. J.; Boose, Y.; Hill, T. C. J.; McCluskey, C. S.; Schill, G. P.; Duncan, D.; Al-Mashat, H.; Prather, K. A.; Sedlacek, A. J., III; Tomlinson, J. M.; Mei, F.; Hubbe, J. M.; Pekour, M. S.; Leung, L. R.; Kreidenweis, S. M.

    2016-12-01

    California is currently under drought conditions and changes in precipitation due to future climate change scenarios are uncertain. Thus, understanding the controlling factors for precipitation in this region, and having the capability to accurately model these scenarios, is important. A crucial area in understanding precipitation is in the interplay between atmospheric moisture and aerosols. Specifically, ice nucleation in clouds is an important process controlling precipitation formation. A major component of CA's yearly precipitation comes from wintertime atmospheric river (AR) events which were the focus of the 2015 Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Cloud Aerosol Precipitation Experiment (ACAPEX) and CalWater 2 campaigns. These two campaigns provided sampling platforms on four aircraft, including the ARM Aerial Facility G-1, as well as the NOAA Ron Brown research vessel and at a ground station at Bodega Bay, CA. Measurements of ice nucleating particles (INPs) were made with the Colorado State University (CSU) Continuous Flow Diffusion Chamber (CFDC) aboard the G-1 and at Bodega Bay, and using aerosol filter collections on these platforms as well as the Ron Brown for post-processing via immersion freezing in the CSU Ice Spectrometer. Aerosol composition was measured aboard the G-1 with the Aerosol Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer (ATOFMS). Both the CFDC and ATOFMS sampled off of an isokinetic inlet when flying in clear air and a counter-flow virtual impactor in clouds to capture ice crystal and cloud droplet residuals. In this presentation we present ice nucleating particle concentrations before, during and after an AR event from air, ground and ocean-based measurements. We also examine INP concentration variability in orographic clouds and in clear air at altitude along the Sierra Nevada range, in the marine boundary layer and through the Central Valley, and relate these INP measurements to other aerosol physical and chemical properties.

  6. Role of mixed precipitating cloud systems on the typhoon rainfall

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pan, C. J.; Krishna Reddy, K.; Lai, H. C.; Yang, S. S.

    2010-01-01

    L-band wind profiler data are utilized to diagnose the vertical structure of the typhoon precipitating cloud systems in Taiwan. For several typhoons, a pronounced bright band (BB) around 5 km is commonly observed from the observation. Since strong convection within typhoon circulation may disturb and/or disrupt the melting layer, the BB shall not appear persistently. Hence, an understanding of the vertical structure of the BB region is important because it holds extensive hydrometeors information on the type of precipitation and its variability. Wind profiler observational results suggest that the mixture of convective and stratiform (embedded type) clouds are mostly associated with typhoons. In the case of one typhoon, BB is appeared around 5.5 km with embedded precipitation and also BB height of 1 km higher than ordinary showery precipitation. This is evident from the long-term observations of wind profiler and Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission. The Doppler velocity profiles show hydrometers (ice/snow) at 6 km but liquid below 5 km for typhoons and 4 km for showery precipitation. In the BB region the melting particles accelerations of 5.8 ms-1 km-1 and 3.2 ms-1 km-1 are observed for typhoon and showery precipitation, respectively.

  7. Implementing a warm cloud microphysics parameterization for convective clouds in NCAR CESM

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shiu, C.; Chen, Y.; Chen, W.; Li, J. F.; Tsai, I.; Chen, J.; Hsu, H.

    2013-12-01

    Most of cumulus convection schemes use simple empirical approaches to convert cloud liquid mass to rain water or cloud ice to snow e.g. using a constant autoconversion rate and dividing cloud liquid mass into cloud water and ice as function of air temperature (e.g. Zhang and McFarlane scheme in NCAR CAM model). There are few studies trying to use cloud microphysical schemes to better simulate such precipitation processes in the convective schemes of global models (e.g. Lohmann [2008] and Song, Zhang, and Li [2012]). A two-moment warm cloud parameterization (i.e. Chen and Liu [2004]) is implemented into the deep convection scheme of CAM5.2 of CESM model for treatment of conversion of cloud liquid water to rain water. Short-term AMIP type global simulations are conducted to evaluate the possible impacts from the modification of this physical parameterization. Simulated results are further compared to observational results from AMWG diagnostic package and CloudSAT data sets. Several sensitivity tests regarding to changes in cloud top droplet concentration (here as a rough testing for aerosol indirect effects) and changes in detrained cloud size of convective cloud ice are also carried out to understand their possible impacts on the cloud and precipitation simulations.

  8. Aerosol, cloud, and precipitation interactions in Eastern North Atlantic

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, J.; Wood, R.; Dong, X.

    2017-12-01

    With their extensive coverage, marine low clouds greatly impact global climate. Presently, marine low clouds are poorly represented in global climate models, and the response of marine low clouds to changes in atmospheric greenhouse gases and aerosols remains the major source of uncertainty in climate simulations. The Eastern North Atlantic (ENA) is a region of persistent but diverse subtropical marine boundary layer clouds, whose albedo and precipitation are highly susceptible to perturbations in aerosol properties. In addition, ENA is periodically impacted by anthropogenic aerosol both from North American and from continental Europe, making it an excellent location to study the CCN budget in a remote marine region periodically perturbed by anthropogenic emissions, and to investigate the impacts of long-range transport of aerosols on remote marine clouds. Aerosol and Cloud Experiments in Eastern North Atlantic (ACE-ENA), funded by DOE Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program, is designed to improve the understanding of marine boundary CCN budget, cloud and drizzle microphysics, and the impact of aerosol on marine low cloud and precipitation in the ENA by combining airborne observations and long term surface based measurements. The study has two airborne deployments. The first deployment took place from June 15 to July 25, 2017, and the second one will take place from January 10 to February 20, 2018. Flights during the first deployment were carried out in the Azores, near the ARM ENA site on Graciosa Island. The long term measurements at the ENA site provide important Climatological context for the airborne observations during the two deployments, and the cloud structures provided by the scanning radars at the ENA site put the detailed in-situ measurements into mesoscale and cloud lifecycle contexts. Another important aspect of this study is to provide high quality in-situ measurements for validating and improving ground-based retrieval algorithms at the ENA

  9. Aerosol and Cloud Microphysical Properties in the Asir region of Saudi Arabia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Axisa, Duncan; Kucera, Paul; Burger, Roelof; Li, Runjun; Collins, Don; Freney, Evelyn; Posada, Rafael; Buseck, Peter

    2010-05-01

    In recent advertent and inadvertent weather modification studies, a considerable effort has been made to understand the impact of varying aerosol properties and concentration on cloud properties. Significant uncertainties exist with aerosol-cloud interactions for which complex microphysical processes link the aerosol and cloud properties. Under almost all environmental conditions, increased aerosol concentrations within polluted air masses will enhance cloud droplet concentration relative to that in unperturbed regions. The interaction between dust particles and clouds are significant, yet the conditions in which dust particles become cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) are uncertain. In order to quantify this aerosol effect on clouds and precipitation, a field campaign was launched in the Asir region of Saudi Arabia as part of a Precipitation Enhancement Feasibility Study. Ground measurements of aerosol size distributions, hygroscopic growth factor, CCN concentrations as well as aircraft measurements of cloud hydrometeor size distributions were done in the Asir region of Saudi Arabia in August 2009. Research aircraft operations focused primarily on conducting measurements in clouds that are targeted for cloud top-seeding, on their microphysical characterization, especially the preconditions necessary for precipitation; understanding the evolution of droplet coalescence, supercooled liquid water, cloud ice and precipitation hydrometeors is necessary if advances are to be made in the study of cloud modification by cloud seeding. Non-precipitating mixed-phase clouds less than 3km in diameter that developed on top of the stable inversion were characterized by flying at the convective cloud top just above the inversion. Aerosol measurements were also done during the climb to cloud base height. The presentation will include a summary of the analysis and results with a focus on the unique features of the Asir region in producing convective clouds, characterization of the

  10. New pathway of stratocumulus to cumulus transition via aerosol-cloud-precipitation interaction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yamaguchi, T.; Feingold, G.; Kazil, J.

    2017-12-01

    The stratocumulus to cumulus transition (SCT) is typically considered to be a slow, multi-day process, caused primarily by dry air entrainment associated with overshooting cumulus rising under stratocumulus, with minor influence of precipitation. In this presentation, we show rapid SCT induced by a strong precipitation-induced modulation with Lagrangian SCT large eddy simulations. A large eddy model is coupled with a two-moment bulk microphysics scheme that predicts aerosol and droplet number concentrations. Moderate aerosol concentrations (100-250 cm-3) produce little to no drizzle from the stratocumulus deck. Large amounts of rain eventually form and wash out stratocumulus and much of the aerosol, and a cumulus state appears for approximately 10 hours. Initiation of strong rain formation is identified in penetrative cumulus clouds which are much deeper than stratocumulus, and they are able to condense large amounts of water. We show that prediction of cloud droplet number is necessary for this fast SCT since it is a result of a positive feedback of collision-coalescence induced aerosol depletion enhancing drizzle formation. Simulations with fixed droplet concentrations that bracket the time varying aerosol/drop concentrations are therefore not representative of the role of drizzle in the SCT.

  11. A Ten-Year Global Record of Absorbing Aerosols Above Clouds from OMI's Near-UV Observations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jethva, Hiren; Torres, Omar; Ahn, Changwoo

    2016-01-01

    Aerosol-cloud interaction continues to be one of the leading uncertain components of climate models, primarily due to the lack of an adequate knowledge of the complex microphysical and radiative processes associated with the aerosol-cloud system. The situations when aerosols and clouds are found in the same atmospheric column, for instance, when light-absorbing aerosols such as biomass burning generated carbonaceous particles or wind-blown dust overlay low-level cloud decks, are commonly found over several regional of the world. Contrary to the cloud-free scenario over dark surface, for which aerosols are known to produce a net cooling effect (negative radiative forcing) on climate, the overlapping situation of absorbing aerosols over cloud can potentially exert a significant level of atmospheric absorption and produces a positive radiative forcing at top-of-atmosphere. The magnitude of direct radiative effects of aerosols above cloud depends directly on the aerosol loading, microphysical-optical properties of the aerosol layer and the underlying cloud deck, and geometric cloud fraction. We help in addressing this problem by introducing a novel product of optical depth of absorbing aerosols above clouds retrieved from near-UV observations made by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on board NASA's Aura platform. The presence of absorbing aerosols above cloud reduces the upwelling radiation reflected by cloud and produces a strong 'color ratio' effect in the near-UV region, which can be unambiguously detected in the OMI measurements. Physically based on this effect, the OMACA algorithm retrieves the optical depths of aerosols and clouds simultaneously under a prescribed state of atmosphere. The algorithm architecture and results from a ten-year global record including global climatology of frequency of occurrence and above-cloud aerosol optical depth, and a discussion on related future field campaigns are presented.

  12. Microphysical Analysis using Airborne 2-D Cloud and Precipitation Imaging Probe Data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guy, N.; Jorgensen, D.; Witte, M.; Chuang, P. Y.; Black, R. A.

    2013-12-01

    The NOAA P-3 instrumented aircraft provided in-situ cloud and precipitation microphysical observations during the DYNAMO (Dynamics of the Madden-Julian Oscillation) field experiment. The Particle Measuring System 2D cloud (2D-C) and precipitation (2D-P) probes collected data for particles between 12.5 μm - 1.55 mm (25 μm resolution) and 100 μm - 6.2 mm (100 μm resolution), respectively. Spectra from each instrument were combined to provide a broad distribution of precipitation particle sizes. The 'method of moments' technique was used to analyze drop size distribution (DSD) spectra, which were modeled by fitting a three-parameter (slope, shape, and intercept) gamma distribution to the spectra. The characteristic shape of the mean spectrum compares to previous maritime measurements. DSD variability will be presented with respect to the temporal evolution of cloud populations during a Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) event, as well as in-situ aircraft vertical wind velocity measurements. Using the third and sixth moments, rainfall rate (R) and equivalent radar reflectivity factor (Z), respectively, were computed for each DSD. Linear regression was applied to establish a Z-R relationship for the data for the estimation of precipitation. The study indicated unique characteristics of microphysical processes for this region. These results are important to continue to define the cloud population characteristics in the climatological MJO region. Improved representation of the cloud characteristics on the microphysical scale will serve as a check to model parameterizations, helping to improve numerical simulations.

  13. Combined observational and modeling efforts of aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions over Southeast Asia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Loftus, Adrian; Tsay, Si-Chee; Nguyen, Xuan Anh

    2016-04-01

    Low-level stratocumulus (Sc) clouds cover more of the Earth's surface than any other cloud type rendering them critical for Earth's energy balance, primarily via reflection of solar radiation, as well as their role in the global hydrological cycle. Stratocumuli are particularly sensitive to changes in aerosol loading on both microphysical and macrophysical scales, yet the complex feedbacks involved in aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions remain poorly understood. Moreover, research on these clouds has largely been confined to marine environments, with far fewer studies over land where major sources of anthropogenic aerosols exist. The aerosol burden over Southeast Asia (SEA) in boreal spring, attributed to biomass burning (BB), exhibits highly consistent spatiotemporal distribution patterns, with major variability due to changes in aerosol loading mediated by processes ranging from large-scale climate factors to diurnal meteorological events. Downwind from source regions, the transported BB aerosols often overlap with low-level Sc cloud decks associated with the development of the region's pre-monsoon system, providing a unique, natural laboratory for further exploring their complex micro- and macro-scale relationships. Compared to other locations worldwide, studies of springtime biomass-burning aerosols and the predominately Sc cloud systems over SEA and their ensuing interactions are underrepresented in scientific literature. Measurements of aerosol and cloud properties, whether ground-based or from satellites, generally lack information on microphysical processes; thus cloud-resolving models are often employed to simulate the underlying physical processes in aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions. The Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) cloud model has recently been enhanced with a triple-moment (3M) bulk microphysics scheme as well as the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS) version 6 aerosol module. Because the aerosol burden not only affects cloud

  14. Cloud/climate sensitivity experiments

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Roads, J. O.; Vallis, G. K.; Remer, L.

    1982-01-01

    A study of the relationships between large-scale cloud fields and large scale circulation patterns is presented. The basic tool is a multi-level numerical model comprising conservation equations for temperature, water vapor and cloud water and appropriate parameterizations for evaporation, condensation, precipitation and radiative feedbacks. Incorporating an equation for cloud water in a large-scale model is somewhat novel and allows the formation and advection of clouds to be treated explicitly. The model is run on a two-dimensional, vertical-horizontal grid with constant winds. It is shown that cloud cover increases with decreased eddy vertical velocity, decreased horizontal advection, decreased atmospheric temperature, increased surface temperature, and decreased precipitation efficiency. The cloud field is found to be well correlated with the relative humidity field except at the highest levels. When radiative feedbacks are incorporated and the temperature increased by increasing CO2 content, cloud amounts decrease at upper-levels or equivalently cloud top height falls. This reduces the temperature response, especially at upper levels, compared with an experiment in which cloud cover is fixed.

  15. Remote Sensing of Clouds And Precipitation: Event-Based Characterization, Life Cycle Evolution, and Aerosol Influences

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Esmaili, Rebekah Bradley

    Global climate models, numerical weather prediction, and flood models rely on accurate satellite precipitation products, which are the only datasets that are continuous in time and space across the globe. While there are more earth observing satellites than ever before, gaps in precipitation retrievals exist due to sensor and orbital limitations of low-earth (LEO) satellites, which are overcome by merging data from different sensors in satellite precipitation products (SPPs). Using cloud tracking at higher resolutions than the spatio-temporal scales of LEO satellites, this thesis examines how clouds typically form in the atmosphere, the rate that cloud size and temperature evolve over the life cycle, and the time of day that cloud development take place. This thesis found that cloud evolution was non-linear, which disagrees with the linear interpolation schemes used in SPPs. Longer lasting clouds tended to achieve their temperature and size maturity milestones at different times, while these stages often occurred simultaneously in shorter lasting clouds. Over the ocean, longer lasting clouds were found to occur more frequently at night, while shorter lasting clouds were more common during the daytime. This thesis also examines whether large-scale Saharan dust outbreaks can impact the trajectories and intensity of cloud clusters in the tropical Atlantic, which is predicted by modeling studies. The presented results show that proximity to Saharan dust outbreaks shifts Atlantic cloud development northward and intense storms becoming more common, whereas on days with low dust loading small-scale, warmer clouds are more common. A simplified view of cloud evolution in merged rainfall retrievals is a possible source of errors, which can propagate into higher level analysis. This thesis investigates the difference in the intensity, duration, and frequency of precipitation in IMERG, a next-generation satellite precipitation product with ground radar observations over the

  16. Vertical Structure of Ice Cloud Layers From CloudSat and CALIPSO Measurements and Comparison to NICAM Simulations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ham, Seung-Hee; Sohn, Byung-Ju; Kato, Seiji; Satoh, Masaki

    2013-01-01

    The shape of the vertical profile of ice cloud layers is examined using 4 months of CloudSat and Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) global measurements taken on January, April, July, and October 2007. Ice clouds are selected using temperature profiles when the cloud base is located above the 253K temperature level. The obtained ice water content (IWC), effective radius, or extinction coefficient profiles are normalized by their layer mean values and are expressed in the normalized vertical coordinate, which is defined as 0 and 1 at the cloud base and top heights, respectively. Both CloudSat and CALIPSO observations show that the maximum in the IWC and extinction profiles shifts toward the cloud bottom, as the cloud depth increases. In addition, clouds with a base reaching the surface in a high-latitude region show that the maximum peak of the IWC and extinction profiles occurs near the surface, which is presumably due to snow precipitation. CloudSat measurements show that the seasonal difference in normalized cloud vertical profiles is not significant, whereas the normalized cloud vertical profile significantly varies depending on the cloud type and the presence of precipitation. It is further examined if the 7 day Nonhydrostatic Icosahedral Atmospheric Model (NICAM) simulation results from 25 December 2006 to 1 January 2007 generate similar cloud profile shapes. NICAM IWC profiles also show maximum peaks near the cloud bottom for thick cloud layers and maximum peaks at the cloud bottom for low-level clouds near the surface. It is inferred that oversized snow particles in the NICAM cloud scheme produce a more vertically inhomogeneous IWC profile than observations due to quick sedimentation.

  17. Corrigendum to Aerosol impacts on California winter clouds and precipitation during CalWater 2011: local pollution versus long-range transported dust published in Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 81–101, 2014

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Fan, Jiwen; Leung, Lai-Yung R.; DeMott, Paul J.

    2014-05-01

    In the paper “Aerosol impacts on California winter clouds and precipitation during CalWater 2011: local pollution versus long-range transported dust” by J. Fan et al., wrong versions of Fig. 8 and Fig. 12 were published. Please find the correct figures below.

  18. Absorbing Aerosols Above Cloud: Detection, Quantitative Retrieval, and Radiative Forcing from Satellite-based Passive Sensors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jethva, H.; Torres, O.; Remer, L. A.; Bhartia, P. K.

    2012-12-01

    Light absorbing particles such as carbonaceous aerosols generated from biomass burning activities and windblown dust particles can exert a net warming effect on climate; the strength of which depends on the absorption capacity of the particles and brightness of the underlying reflecting background. When advected over low-level bright clouds, these aerosols absorb the cloud reflected radiation from ultra-violet (UV) to shortwave-IR (SWIR) and makes cloud scene darker-a phenomenon commonly known as "cloud darkening". The apparent "darkening" effect can be seen by eyes in satellite images as well as quantitatively in the spectral reflectance measurements made by space borne sensors over regions where light absorbing carbonaceous and dust aerosols overlay low-level cloud decks. Theoretical radiative transfer simulations support the observational evidence, and further reveal that the strength of the cloud darkening and its spectral signature (or color ratio) between measurements at two wavelengths are a bi-function of aerosol and cloud optical thickness (AOT and COT); both are measures of the total amount of light extinction caused by aerosols and cloud, respectively. Here, we developed a retrieval technique, named as the "color ratio method" that uses the satellite measurements at two channels, one at shorter wavelength in the visible and one at longer wavelength in the shortwave-IR for the simultaneous retrieval of AOT and COT. The present technique requires assumptions on the aerosol single-scattering albedo and aerosol-cloud separation which are supplemented by the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) and space borne CALIOP lidar measurements. The retrieval technique has been tested making use of the near-UV and visible reflectance observations made by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) for distinct above-cloud smoke and dust aerosol events observed seasonally over the southeast and tropical Atlantic Ocean

  19. Use of High-Resolution Satellite Observations to Evaluate Cloud and Precipitation Statistics from Cloud-Resolving Model Simulations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhou, Y.; Tao, W.; Hou, A. Y.; Zeng, X.; Shie, C.

    2007-12-01

    The cloud and precipitation statistics simulated by 3D Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) model for different environmental conditions, i.e., the South China Sea Monsoon Experiment (SCSMEX), CRYSTAL-FACE, and KAWJEX are compared with Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) TMI and PR rainfall measurements and as well as cloud observations from the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments. It is found that GCE is capable of simulating major convective system development and reproducing total surface rainfall amount as compared with rainfall estimated from the soundings. The model presents large discrepancies in rain spectrum and vertical hydrometer profiles. The discrepancy in the precipitation field is also consistent with the cloud and radiation observations. The study will focus on the effects of large scale forcing and microphysics to the simulated model- observation discrepancies.

  20. Correlations of oriented ice and precipitation in marine midlatitude low clouds using collocated CloudSat, CALIOP, and MODIS observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ross, Alexa; Holz, Robert E.; Ackerman, Steven A.

    2017-08-01

    In April 2006, the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) launched aboard the CALIPSO satellite and into the A-Train constellation of satellites with its transmitter pointed near nadir. This proved problematic due to specular reflection from horizontally oriented ice crystals occurring more frequently than expected. Because the specular backscatter from oriented ice crystals has large attenuated backscatter and almost no depolarization, the standard lidar inversions cannot be applied. To mitigate this issue, the CALIOP transmitter was moved to 3° off nadir in November 2007. Though problematic for global CALIOP retrievals, the sensitivity to oriented ice during the first year of observations provides a unique data set to investigate scenes of this ice crystal signature. This study focuses on the CALIOP-oriented signature that occurs in midlatitude ocean regions whose cloud tops are relatively warm and low, existing below 6 km. A significant seasonal dependence is found in the Northern Hemisphere with up to 19% of clouds below 6 km yielding specular reflection by CALIOP during the colder months. In contrast, the Southern Hemisphere lacks such seasonal dependence and sees fewer oriented ice crystals. Using collocated CloudSat observations with both CALIOP and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), we investigate the correlations of the oriented signature with MODIS cloud properties. Comparing with CloudSat precipitation retrievals, we find that the oriented signature is strongly correlated with surface precipitation with 64% of CALIOP-oriented ice crystal cases precipitating compared to 40% for nonoriented cases.

  1. Influence of aerosol-cloud interaction on austral summer precipitation over Southern Africa during ENSO events

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ruchith, R. D.; Sivakumar, V.

    2018-04-01

    In the present study, we are investigating the role of aerosols-and clouds in modulating the austral summer precipitation (December-February) during ENSO events over southern Africa region for the period from 2002 to2012 by using satellite and complimentary data sets. Aerosol radiative forcing (ARF) and Cloud radiative forcing (CRF) shows distinct patterns for El-Nina and La-Nina years. Further analysis were carried out by selecting the four Southern Africa regions where the precipitation shows remarkable difference during El-Nino and La-Nina years. These regions are R1 (33°S-24°S, 18°E-30°E), R2 (17°S-10°S, 24°E-32°E), R3 (19°S-9°S, 33°E-41°E) and R4 (7°S-0°S, 27°E-36°E). Aerosol Optical depth (AOD) shows considerable differences during these events. In region R1, R2 and R3 AOD shows more abundance in El-Nino years as compared to La-Nina years where as in R4 the AOD shows more abundance in La-Nina years. Cloud Droplet Effective radius (CDER) shows higher values during La-Nina years over R1, R2 and R3 regions but in R4 region CDER shows higher values in El-Nino years. Aerosol indirect effect (AIE) is estimated both for fixed cloud liquid water path (CLWP) and for fixed cloud ice path (CIP) bins, ranging from 1 to 300 gm -2 at 25 gm -2 interval over all the selected regions for El-Nino and La-Nina years. The results indicate more influence of positive indirect effect (Twomey effect) over R1 and R3 region during El-Nino years as compared to La-Nina years. This analysis reveals the important role of aerosol on cloud-precipitation interaction mechanism illustrating the interlinkage between dynamics and microphysics during austral summer season over southern Africa.

  2. The influence of aerosol particle number and hygroscopicity on the evolution of convective cloud systems and their precipitation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Planche, C.; Flossmann, A. I.; Wobrock, W.

    2009-04-01

    A 3D cloud model with detailed microphysics for ice, water and aerosol particles (AP) is used to study the role of AP on the evolution of summertime convective mixed phase clouds and the subsequent precipitation. The model couples the dynamics of the NCAR Clark-Hall cloud scale model (Clark et al., 1996) with the detailed scavenging model (DESCAM) of Flossmann and Pruppacher (1988) and the ice phase module of Leroy et al. (2007). The microphysics follows the evolution of AP, drop, and ice crystal spectra each with 39 bins. Aerosol mass in drops and ice crystals is also predicted by two distribution functions to close the aerosol budget. The simulated cases are compared with radar observations over the northern Vosges mountains and the Rhine valley which were performed on 12 and 13 August 2007 during the COPS field campaign. Using a 3D grid resolution of 250m, our model, called DESCAM-3D, is able to simulate very well the dynamical, cloud and precipitation features observed for the two different cloud systems. The high horizontal grid resolution provides new elements for the understanding of the formation of orographic convection. In addition the fine numerical scale compares well with the high resolved radar observation given by the LaMP X-band radar and Poldirad. The prediction of the liquid and ice hydrometeor spectra allows a detailed calculation of the cloud radar reflectivity. Sensitivity studies realized by the use of different mass-diameter relationships for ice crystals demonstrate the role of the crystal habits on the simulated reflectivities. In order to better understand the role of AP on cloud evolution and precipitation formation several sensitivity studies were performed by modifying not only aerosol number concentration but also their physico-chemical properties. The numerical results show a strong influence of the aerosol number concentration on the precipitation intensity but no effect of the aerosol particle solubility on the rain formation can be

  3. Aqueous Processing of Atmospheric Organic Particles in Cloud Water Collected via Aircraft Sampling

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Boone, Eric J.; Laskin, Alexander; Laskin, Julia

    2015-07-21

    Cloud water and below-cloud atmospheric particle samples were collected onboard a research aircraft during the Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study (SOAS) over a forested region of Alabama in June 2013. The organic molecular composition of the samples was studied to gain insights into the aqueous-phase processing of organic compounds within cloud droplets. High resolution mass spectrometry with nanospray desorption electrospray ionization and direct infusion electrospray ionization were utilized to compare the organic composition of the particle and cloud water samples, respectively. Isoprene and monoterpene-derived organosulfates and oligomers were identified in both the particles and cloud water, showing the significant influencemore » of biogenic volatile organic compound oxidation above the forested region. While the average O:C ratios of the organic compounds were similar between the atmospheric particle and cloud water samples, the chemical composition of these samples was quite different. Specifically, hydrolysis of organosulfates and formation of nitrogen-containing compounds were observed for the cloud water when compared to the atmospheric particle samples, demonstrating that cloud processing changes the composition of organic aerosol.« less

  4. Detection of hydrogen sulfide above the clouds in Uranus's atmosphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Irwin, Patrick G. J.; Toledo, Daniel; Garland, Ryan; Teanby, Nicholas A.; Fletcher, Leigh N.; Orton, Glenn A.; Bézard, Bruno

    2018-04-01

    Visible-to-near-infrared observations indicate that the cloud top of the main cloud deck on Uranus lies at a pressure level of between 1.2 bar and 3 bar. However, its composition has never been unambiguously identified, although it is widely assumed to be composed primarily of either ammonia or hydrogen sulfide (H2S) ice. Here, we present evidence of a clear detection of gaseous H2S above this cloud deck in the wavelength region 1.57-1.59 μm with a mole fraction of 0.4-0.8 ppm at the cloud top. Its detection constrains the deep bulk sulfur/nitrogen abundance to exceed unity (>4.4-5.0 times the solar value) in Uranus's bulk atmosphere, and places a lower limit on the mole fraction of H2S below the observed cloud of (1.0 -2.5 ) ×1 0-5. The detection of gaseous H2S at these pressure levels adds to the weight of evidence that the principal constituent of 1.2-3-bar cloud is likely to be H2S ice.

  5. Detection of hydrogen sulfide above the clouds in Uranus's atmosphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Irwin, Patrick G. J.; Toledo, Daniel; Garland, Ryan; Teanby, Nicholas A.; Fletcher, Leigh N.; Orton, Glenn A.; Bézard, Bruno

    2018-05-01

    Visible-to-near-infrared observations indicate that the cloud top of the main cloud deck on Uranus lies at a pressure level of between 1.2 bar and 3 bar. However, its composition has never been unambiguously identified, although it is widely assumed to be composed primarily of either ammonia or hydrogen sulfide (H2S) ice. Here, we present evidence of a clear detection of gaseous H2S above this cloud deck in the wavelength region 1.57-1.59 μm with a mole fraction of 0.4-0.8 ppm at the cloud top. Its detection constrains the deep bulk sulfur/nitrogen abundance to exceed unity (>4.4-5.0 times the solar value) in Uranus's bulk atmosphere, and places a lower limit on the mole fraction of H2S below the observed cloud of (1.0 -2.5 ) ×1 0-5. The detection of gaseous H2S at these pressure levels adds to the weight of evidence that the principal constituent of 1.2-3-bar cloud is likely to be H2S ice.

  6. Impact of Precipitating Ice Hydrometeors on Longwave Radiative Effect Estimated by a Global Cloud-System Resolving Model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Ying-Wen; Seiki, Tatsuya; Kodama, Chihiro; Satoh, Masaki; Noda, Akira T.

    2018-02-01

    Satellite observation and general circulation model (GCM) studies suggest that precipitating ice makes nonnegligible contributions to the radiation balance of the Earth. However, in most GCMs, precipitating ice is diagnosed and its radiative effects are not taken into account. Here we examine the longwave radiative impact of precipitating ice using a global nonhydrostatic atmospheric model with a double-moment cloud microphysics scheme. An off-line radiation model is employed to determine cloud radiative effects according to the amount and altitude of each type of ice hydrometeor. Results show that the snow radiative effect reaches 2 W m-2 in the tropics, which is about half the value estimated by previous studies. This effect is strongly dependent on the vertical separation of ice categories and is partially generated by differences in terminal velocities, which are not represented in GCMs with diagnostic precipitating ice. Results from sensitivity experiments that artificially change the categories and altitudes of precipitating ice show that the simulated longwave heating profile and longwave radiation field are sensitive to the treatment of precipitating ice in models. This study emphasizes the importance of incorporating appropriate treatments for the radiative effects of precipitating ice in cloud and radiation schemes in GCMs in order to capture the cloud radiative effects of upper level clouds.

  7. Sensitivity of single column model simulations of Arctic springtime clouds to different cloud cover and mixed phase cloud parameterizations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Junhua; Lohmann, Ulrike

    2003-08-01

    The single column model of the Canadian Centre for Climate Modeling and Analysis (CCCma) climate model is used to simulate Arctic spring cloud properties observed during the Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic Ocean (SHEBA) experiment. The model is driven by the rawinsonde observations constrained European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) reanalysis data. Five cloud parameterizations, including three statistical and two explicit schemes, are compared and the sensitivity to mixed phase cloud parameterizations is studied. Using the original mixed phase cloud parameterization of the model, the statistical cloud schemes produce more cloud cover, cloud water, and precipitation than the explicit schemes and in general agree better with observations. The mixed phase cloud parameterization from ECMWF decreases the initial saturation specific humidity threshold of cloud formation. This improves the simulated cloud cover in the explicit schemes and reduces the difference between the different cloud schemes. On the other hand, because the ECMWF mixed phase cloud scheme does not consider the Bergeron-Findeisen process, less ice crystals are formed. This leads to a higher liquid water path and less precipitation than what was observed.

  8. Consistency of aerosols above clouds characterization from A-Train active and passive measurements

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Deaconu, Lucia T.; Waquet, Fabien; Josset, Damien; Ferlay, Nicolas; Peers, Fanny; Thieuleux, François; Ducos, Fabrice; Pascal, Nicolas; Tanré, Didier; Pelon, Jacques; Goloub, Philippe

    2017-09-01

    This study presents a comparison between the retrieval of optical properties of aerosol above clouds (AAC) from different techniques developed for the A-Train sensors CALIOP/CALIPSO and POLDER/PARASOL. The main objective is to analyse the consistency between the results derived from the active and the passive measurements. We compare the aerosol optical thickness (AOT) above optically thick clouds (cloud optical thickness (COT) larger than 3) and their Ångström exponent (AE). These parameters are retrieved with the CALIOP operational method, the POLDER operational polarization method and the CALIOP-based depolarization ratio method (DRM) - for which we also propose a calibrated version (denominated DRMSODA, where SODA is the Synergized Optical Depth of Aerosols). We analyse 6 months of data over three distinctive regions characterized by different types of aerosols and clouds. Additionally, for these regions, we select three case studies: a biomass-burning event over the South Atlantic Ocean, a Saharan dust case over the North Atlantic Ocean and a Siberian biomass-burning event over the North Pacific Ocean. Four and a half years of data are studied over the entire globe for distinct situations where aerosol and cloud layers are in contact or vertically separated. Overall, the regional analysis shows a good correlation between the POLDER and the DRMSODA AOTs when the microphysics of aerosols is dominated by fine-mode particles of biomass-burning aerosols from southern Africa (correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.83) or coarse-mode aerosols of Saharan dust (R2 of 0.82). A good correlation between these methods (R2 of 0.68) is also observed in the global treatment, when the aerosol and cloud layers are separated well. The analysis of detached layers also shows a mean difference in AOT of 0.07 at 532 nm between POLDER and DRMSODA at a global scale. The correlation between the retrievals decreases when a complex mixture of aerosols is expected (R2 of 0.37) - as in the

  9. Satellite Remote Sensing of Tropical Precipitation and Ice Clouds for GCM Verification

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Evans, K. Franklin

    2001-01-01

    This project, supported by the NASA New Investigator Program, has primarily been funding a graduate student, Darren McKague. Since August 1999 Darren has been working part time at Raytheon, while continuing his PhD research. Darren is planning to finish his thesis work in May 2001, thus some of the work described here is ongoing. The proposed research was to use GOES visible and infrared imager data and SSM/I microwave data to obtain joint distributions of cirrus cloud ice mass and precipitation for a study region in the Eastern Tropical Pacific. These joint distributions of cirrus cloud and rainfall were to be compared to those from the CSU general circulation model to evaluate the cloud microphysical amd cumulus parameterizations in the GCM. Existing algorithms were to be used for the retrieval of cloud ice water path from GOES (Minnis) and rainfall from SSM/I (Wilheit). A theoretical study using radiative transfer models and realistic variations in cloud and precipitation profiles was to be used to estimate the retrieval errors. Due to the unavailability of the GOES satellite cloud retrieval algorithm from Dr. Minnis (a co-PI), there was a change in the approach and emphasis of the project. The new approach was to develop a completely new type of remote sensing algorithm - one to directly retrieve joint probability density functions (pdf's) of cloud properties from multi-dimensional histograms of satellite radiances. The usual approach is to retrieve individual pixels of variables (i.e. cloud optical depth), and then aggregate the information. Only statistical information is actually needed, however, and so a more direct method is desirable. We developed forward radiative transfer models for the SSM/I and GOES channels, originally for testing the retrieval algorithms. The visible and near infrared ice scattering information is obtained from geometric ray tracing of fractal ice crystals (Andreas Macke), while the mid-infrared and microwave scattering is computed

  10. Statistical properties of cloud and precipitation events in Central Amazonia using GoAmazon2014/5 data: revisiting deep convection timescales.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pauliquevis, T.; Alves, C. F.; Barbosa, H. M.

    2016-12-01

    Previous studies in Amazon have shown a clear discrepance between models and observations of convection. From the observational stand point convection in Amazonia has a typical diurnal cycle, which is characterized by shallow convection and followed by shallow to deep transition (usually in early afternoon) and rain. Differently, numerical models based in cumulus parameterizations put heavy rain in the early hours of the morning. In this context, observations are crucial both to constraint as well to validate improvement in models. In this study we investigated statistical properties of clouds, precipitation and convection employing several instruments operated during GoAmazon2014/5-DOE/ARM at Manacapuru, AM (Brazil) combined with Cloud Top Temperature data obtained by GOES. Previous studies (e.g. Adams et al., 2013) defined deep convection events as connected to rapid CTT decrease, PWV increase (convergence) and precipitation. They also observed that the average deep convection event has two characteristic time-scales of its formation, in the sense that water vapor convergence begins to build 12 hs before precipitation, with an invigoration 4 hs before rain occur. In this study we revisited this approach using GoAmazon2014/5 measurement with special focus to its statistical variability. Preliminar results for the wet season of 2014 showed that events with rapid decrease in CTT were associated with 60% of the observed precipitation at ground. Defining t0 as the central time of CTT (rapid) decrease and analyzing only events with rain volume > 10 mm it was possible to observe that precipitation maximums distributed around t0 with mean difference Δ = 24 ± 82 minutes. Most of events presented several maxima (up to 16), and the general structure was similar to beatings in oscillatory systems. In several cases eve the first maximum of rain rate was 1 hour shifted from t0. In this presentation, the above results will be discussed combined with radiometer measurements (T

  11. Retrieval of Absorbing Aerosols Above Clouds retrieval over the South East Atlantic Ocean from MSG/SEVIRI

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Peers, F.; Haywood, J. M.; Francis, P. N.; Meyer, K.; Platnick, S. E.

    2017-12-01

    Over the South East Atlantic Ocean, biomass burning aerosols from Southern Africa are frequently observed above clouds during fire season. However, the quantification of their interactions with both radiations and clouds remains uncertain because of a lack of information on aerosol properties and on their interaction process. In the last decade, methods have been developed to retrieve aerosol optical properties above clouds from satellite measurements, especially over the South East Atlantic Ocean. Most of these methods have been applied to polar orbiting instruments which prevent the analysis of aerosols and clouds at a sub-daily scale. With its wide spatial coverage and its high temporal resolution, the geostationary instrument SEVIRI, on board the MSG platform, offers a unique opportunity to monitor aerosols in this region and to evaluate their impact on clouds and their radiative effects. In this study, we will investigate the possibility of retrieving simultaneously aerosol and cloud properties (i.e. aerosol and cloud optical thicknesses and cloud droplet effective radius) when aerosols are located above clouds. The retrieved properties will then be compared with the ones obtained from MODIS [Meyer et al., 2015] as well as observations from the CLARIFY-2017 field campaign.

  12. Remote Sensing of Water Vapor and Thin Cirrus Clouds using MODIS Near-IR Channels

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gao, Bo-Cai; Kaufman, Yoram J.

    2001-01-01

    The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), a major facility instrument on board the Terra Spacecraft, was successfully launched into space in December of 1999. MODIS has several near-IR channels within and around the 0.94 micrometer water vapor bands for remote sensing of integrated atmospheric water vapor over land and above clouds. MODIS also has a special near-IR channel centered at 1.375-micron with a width of 30 nm for remote sensing of cirrus clouds. In this paper, we describe briefly the physical principles on remote sensing of water vapor and cirrus clouds using these channels. We also present sample water vapor images and cirrus cloud images obtained from MODIS data.

  13. Changes in the type of precipitation and associated cloud types in Eastern Romania (1961-2008)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Manea, Ancuta; Birsan, Marius-Victor; Tudorache, George; Cărbunaru, Felicia

    2016-03-01

    Recent climate change is characterized (among other things) by changes in the frequency of some meteorological phenomena. This paper deals with the long-term changes in various precipitation types, and the connection between their variability and cloud type frequencies, at 11 meteorological stations from Eastern Romania over 1961-2008. These stations were selected with respect to data record completeness for all considered variables (weather phenomena and cloud type). The meteorological variables involved in the present study are: monthly number of days with rain, snowfall, snow showers, rain and snow (sleet), sleet showers and monthly frequency of the Cumulonimbus, Nimbostratus and Stratus clouds. Our results show that all stations present statistically significant decreasing trends in the number of days with rain in the warm period of the year. Changes in the frequency of days for each precipitation type show statistically significant decreasing trends for non-convective (stratiform) precipitation - rain, drizzle, sleet and snowfall -, while the frequencies of rain shower and snow shower (convective precipitation) are increasing. Cloud types show decreasing trends for Nimbostratus and Stratus, and increasing trends for Cumulonimbus.

  14. Responses of Cloud Type Distributions to the Large-Scale Dynamical Circulation: Water Budget-Related Dynamical Phase Space and Dynamical Regimes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wong, Sun; Del Genio, Anthony; Wang, Tao; Kahn, Brian; Fetzer, Eric J.; L'Ecuyer, Tristan S.

    2015-01-01

    Goals: Water budget-related dynamical phase space; Connect large-scale dynamical conditions to atmospheric water budget (including precipitation); Connect atmospheric water budget to cloud type distributions.

  15. Entrainment, Drizzle, and the Indirect Effect in Stratiform Clouds

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ackerman, Andrew

    2005-01-01

    Activation of some fraction of increased concentrations of sub-micron soluble aerosol particles lead to enhanced cloud droplet concentrations and hence smaller droplets, increasing their total cross sectional area and thus reflecting solar radiation more efficiently (the Twomey, or first indirect, effect). However, because of competition during condensational growth, droplet distributions tend to broaden as numbers increase, reducing the sensitivity of cloud albedo to droplet concentration on the order of 10%. Also, smaller droplets less effectively produce drizzle through collisions and coalescence, and it is widely expected (and found in large-scale models) that decreased precipitation leads to clouds with more cloud water on average (the so-called cloud lifetime, or second indirect, effect). Much of the uncertainty regarding the overall indirect aerosol effect stems from inadequate understanding of such changes in cloud water. Detailed simulations based on FIRE-I, ASTEX, and DYCOMS-II conditions show that suppression of precipitation from increased droplet concentrations leads to increased cloud water only when sufficient precipitation reaches the surface, a condition favored when the overlying air is-humid or droplet concentrations are very low. Otherwise, aerosol induced suppression of precipitation enhances entrainment of overlying dry air, thereby reducing cloud water and diminishing the indirect climate forcing.

  16. Characterization of cumulus cloud fields using trajectories in the center of gravity versus water mass phase space: 2. Aerosol effects on warm convective clouds: Center of Gravity Versus Water Mass 2

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Heiblum, Reuven H.; Altaratz, Orit; Koren, Ilan

    2016-06-07

    In Part I of this work a 3D cloud tracking algorithm and phase-space of center of gravity altitude versus cloud liquid water mass (CvM space) were introduced and described in detail. We showed how new physical insight can be gained by following cloud trajectories in the CvM space. Here, this approach is used to investigate aerosol effects on cloud fields of warm cumuli. We show a clear effect of the aerosol loading on the shape and size of CvM clusters. We also find fundamental differences in the CvM space between simulations using bin versus bulk microphysical schemes, with the binmore » scheme precipitation expressing much higher sensitivity to changes in aerosol concentrations. Using the bin microphysical scheme, we find that the increase in cloud center of gravity altitude with increase in aerosol concentrations occurs for a wide range of cloud sizes. This is attributed to reduced sedimentation, increased buoyancy and vertical velocities, and increased environmental instability, all of which are tightly coupled to inhibition of precipitation processes and subsequent feedbacks of clouds on their environment. Many of the physical processes shown here are consistent with processes typically associated with cloud invigoration.« less

  17. A comparative analysis of extended water cloud model and backscatter modelling for above-ground biomass assessment in Corbett Tiger Reserve

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kumar, Yogesh; Singh, Sarnam; Chatterjee, R. S.; Trivedi, Mukul

    2016-04-01

    Forest biomass acts as a backbone in regulating the climate by storing carbon within itself. Thus the assessment of forest biomass is crucial in understanding the dynamics of the environment. Traditionally the destructive methods were adopted for the assessment of biomass which were further advanced to the non-destructive methods. The allometric equations developed by destructive methods were further used in non-destructive methods for the assessment, but they were mostly applied for woody/commercial timber species. However now days Remote Sensing data are primarily used for the biomass geospatial pattern assessment. The Optical Remote Sensing data (Landsat8, LISS III, etc.) are being used very successfully for the estimation of above ground biomass (AGB). However optical data is not suitable for all atmospheric/environmental conditions, because it can't penetrate through clouds and haze. Thus Radar data is one of the alternate possible ways to acquire data in all-weather conditions irrespective of weather and light. The paper examines the potential of ALOS PALSAR L-band dual polarisation data for the estimation of AGB in the Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR) covering an area of 889 km2. The main focus of this study is to explore the accuracy of Polarimetric Scattering Model (Extended Water Cloud Model (EWCM) with respect to Backscatter model in the assessment of AGB. The parameters of the EWCM were estimated using the decomposition components (Raney Decomposition) and the plot level information. The above ground biomass in the CTR ranges from 9.6 t/ha to 322.6 t/ha.

  18. Attribution of the United States "warming hole": aerosol indirect effect and precipitable water vapor.

    PubMed

    Yu, Shaocai; Alapaty, Kiran; Mathur, Rohit; Pleim, Jonathan; Zhang, Yuanhang; Nolte, Chris; Eder, Brian; Foley, Kristen; Nagashima, Tatsuya

    2014-11-06

    Aerosols can influence the climate indirectly by acting as cloud condensation nuclei and/or ice nuclei, thereby modifying cloud optical properties. In contrast to the widespread global warming, the central and south central United States display a noteworthy overall cooling trend during the 20(th) century, with an especially striking cooling trend in summertime daily maximum temperature (Tmax) (termed the U.S. "warming hole"). Here we used observations of temperature, shortwave cloud forcing (SWCF), longwave cloud forcing (LWCF), aerosol optical depth and precipitable water vapor as well as global coupled climate models to explore the attribution of the "warming hole". We find that the observed cooling trend in summer Tmax can be attributed mainly to SWCF due to aerosols with offset from the greenhouse effect of precipitable water vapor. A global coupled climate model reveals that the observed "warming hole" can be produced only when the aerosol fields are simulated with a reasonable degree of accuracy as this is necessary for accurate simulation of SWCF over the region. These results provide compelling evidence of the role of the aerosol indirect effect in cooling regional climate on the Earth. Our results reaffirm that LWCF can warm both winter Tmax and Tmin.

  19. Laser-induced plasma cloud interaction and ice multiplication under cirrus cloud conditions.

    PubMed

    Leisner, Thomas; Duft, Denis; Möhler, Ottmar; Saathoff, Harald; Schnaiter, Martin; Henin, Stefano; Stelmaszczyk, Kamil; Petrarca, Massimo; Delagrange, Raphaëlle; Hao, Zuoqiang; Lüder, Johannes; Petit, Yannick; Rohwetter, Philipp; Kasparian, Jérôme; Wolf, Jean-Pierre; Wöste, Ludger

    2013-06-18

    Potential impacts of lightning-induced plasma on cloud ice formation and precipitation have been a subject of debate for decades. Here, we report on the interaction of laser-generated plasma channels with water and ice clouds observed in a large cloud simulation chamber. Under the conditions of a typical storm cloud, in which ice and supercooled water coexist, no direct influence of the plasma channels on ice formation or precipitation processes could be detected. Under conditions typical for thin cirrus ice clouds, however, the plasma channels induced a surprisingly strong effect of ice multiplication. Within a few minutes, the laser action led to a strong enhancement of the total ice particle number density in the chamber by up to a factor of 100, even though only a 10(-9) fraction of the chamber volume was exposed to the plasma channels. The newly formed ice particles quickly reduced the water vapor pressure to ice saturation, thereby increasing the cloud optical thickness by up to three orders of magnitude. A model relying on the complete vaporization of ice particles in the laser filament and the condensation of the resulting water vapor on plasma ions reproduces our experimental findings. This surprising effect might open new perspectives for remote sensing of water vapor and ice in the upper troposphere.

  20. A Global, Decadal, Quantitative Record of Absorbing Aerosols above Cloud Using OMI's Near-UV Observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Torres, O.; Jethva, H. T.; Ahn, C.

    2016-12-01

    Aerosol-cloud interaction continues to be one of the leading uncertain components of climate models, primarily due to the lack of an adequate knowledge of the complex microphysical and radiative processes of the aerosol-cloud system. The situations when aerosols and clouds are found in the same atmospheric column, for instance, when light-absorbing aerosols such as biomass burning generated carbonaceous particles or wind-blown dust overlay low-level cloud decks, are commonly found over several regions of the world. Contrary to the known cooling effects of these aerosols in cloud-free scenario over dark surface, the overlapping situation of absorbing aerosols over cloud can potentially exert a significant level of atmospheric absorption and produces a positive radiative forcing (warming) at top-of-atmosphere. The magnitude of direct radiative effects of aerosols above cloud directly depends on the aerosol loading, microphysical and optical properties of the aerosol layer and the underlying cloud deck, and geometric cloud fraction. We help in addressing this problem by introducing a novel product of above-cloud aerosol optical depth (ACAOD) of absorbing aerosols retrieved from near-UV observations made by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on board NASA's Aura platform. Physically based on the strong `color ratio' effect in the near-UV caused by the spectral absorption of aerosols above cloud, the algorithm, formally named as OMACA, retrieves the optical depths of aerosols and clouds simultaneously under a prescribed state of atmosphere. Here, we present the algorithm architecture and results from an 11-year global record (2005-2015) including global climatology of frequency of occurrence and ACAOD. The theoretical uncertainty analysis and planned validation activities using measurements from upcoming field campaigns are also discussed.

  1. Size-resolved Chemical Composition of Cloud and Rain Water Collected during the Puerto Rico African Dust and Clouds Study (PRADACS) Campaign

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Torres, E.; Valle Diaz, C. J.; Zurcher, F.; Lee, T.; Collett, J. L.; Fitzgerald, E.; Cuadra, L.; Prather, K. A.; Mayol-Bracero, O. L.

    2011-12-01

    The underlying physico-chemical processes of dust-aerosol interactions are poorly understood; even less understood is how aging impacts cloud properties and climate as the particles travel from Africa to the Caribbean region. Caribbean landmasses have tropical montane cloud forests (TMCFs) that are tightly coupled to the atmospheric hydrologic cycle. Small-scale shifts in temperature and precipitation could have serious ecological consequences. Therefore, this makes TMCFs an interesting ecosystem to see the effects African Dust (AD) might have on cloud formation and precipitation. As part of the Puerto Rico African Dust and Clouds Study (PRADACS) cloud and rain water samples for subsequent chemical analysis were collected at Pico del Este (PE) station in Luquillo, PR (1051 masl) during summer 2011. At PE, two cloud collectors (i.e., single stage (Aluminum version) and 2-stage (Teflon version) Caltech Active Strand Cloudwater Collector (CASCC)), and a rainwater collector were operated. Measurements such as the liquid water content (LWC), pH, conductivity., and composition of single particles using an aerosol time of flight mass spectrometer (ATOFMS) were performed. Preliminary results showed that days with the influence of African dust (AD), had LWC values that ranged from 300 to 500 mg/m3, pH values up to 5.7,, and conductivity up to 180 μS/cm. The ATOFMS showed titanium and iron ions, suggesting the presence of AD as well as, occasionally, sulfate and nitrate ions suggesting the influence of anthropogenic pollution. Results on the chemical composition and the physical properties of cloud, rainwater, and aerosol for the inorganic as well as the organic fraction and how these properties change for the different air masses observed will also be presented.

  2. Satellite-Based Assessment of Possible Dust Aerosols Semi-Direct Effect on Cloud Water Path over East Asia

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Huang, Jianping; Lin, Bing; Minnis, Patrick; Wang, Tainhe; Wang, Xin; Hu, Yongxiang; Yi, Yuhong; Ayers, J. Kirk

    2006-01-01

    The semi-direct effects of dust aerosols are analyzed over eastern Asia using 2 years (June 2002 to June 2004) of data from the Clouds and the Earth s Radiant Energy System (CERES) scanning radiometer and MODerate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite, and 18 years (1984 to 2001) of International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) data. The results show that the water path of dust-contaminated clouds is considerably smaller than that of dust-free clouds. The mean ice water path (IWP) and liquid water path (LWP) of dusty clouds are less than their dust-free counterparts by 23.7% and 49.8%, respectively. The long-term statistical relationship derived from ISCCP also confirms that there is significant negative correlation between dust storm index and ISCCP cloud water path. These results suggest that dust aerosols warm clouds, increase the evaporation of cloud droplets and further reduce cloud water path, the so-called semi-direct effect. The semi-direct effect may play a role in cloud development over arid and semi-arid areas of East Asia and contribute to the reduction of precipitation.

  3. The Role of Fog in Ecosystem Hydrology: Initial Results from Investigations Using Stable Isotopes of Water in Hawaiian Cloud Forests

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Scholl, M. A.; Gingerich, S. B.; Giambelluca, T. W.; Nullet, M. A.; Loope, L. L.

    2002-05-01

    The role of fog drip in cloud forest ecosystems is being investigated at two sites, one each on the windward and leeward sides of East Maui, Hawaii. The study involves using the different isotopic signatures of fog (cloud water) and rain to trace fog through the forest water cycle, as well as comparing relative amounts of fog, rain, and throughfall. At each site, volume of rain, fog plus rain, and throughfall is recorded hourly. Stable isotope samples of rain, fog, soil water, stream water, and tree sap are collected monthly, and each site has a visibility sensor and weather station. The windward site, at 1950 m altitude, is enveloped by orographic clouds under trade wind conditions almost every day. This site is near the upper boundary of extensive forested mountain slopes that are a major watershed for the island. Volume data suggest that fog drip (compared to rain as measured by a standard gage) contributes substantially to the forest water budget on the windward side. Tree sap deuterium composition was consistently similar to fog composition for samples analyzed thus far, while soil water was isotopically lighter, possibly reflecting a mixture of fog with rain or shallow groundwater. The leeward site, at 1220 m, is often in a cloud bank under trade wind conditions. During the summer the major source of precipitation is cloud water; rainfall generally occurs during winter storms. Scattered cloud forest remnants persist at this site despite degradation of extensive native forest by ungulate browsing, plant invasion, and fire. Here, fog drip was a smaller proportion of the total precipitation than at the windward site, but exceeded rainfall for some precipitation events. Unlike the windward site, tree sap and soil water had similar isotopic composition. The information gained from this study underscores the importance of trees and shrubs in extracting cloud water that contributes to soil moisture, groundwater recharge, and stream flow in watersheds.

  4. Challenges for Cloud Modeling in the Context of Aerosol–Cloud–Precipitation Interactions

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lebo, Zachary J.; Shipway, Ben J.; Fan, Jiwen

    The International Cloud Modeling Workshop (CMW) has been a longstanding tradition in the cloud microphysics modeling community and is typically held the week prior to the International Conference on Clouds and Precipitation (ICCP). For the Ninth CMW, more than 40 participants from 10 countries convened at the Met Office in Exeter, United Kingdom. The workshop included 4 detailed case studies (described in more detail below) rooted in recent field campaigns. The overarching objective of these cases was to utilize new observations to better understand inter-model differences and model deficiencies, explore new modeling techniques, and gain physical insight into the behaviormore » of clouds. As was the case at the Eighth CMW, there was a general theme of understanding the role of aerosol impacts in the context of cloud-precipitation interactions. However, an additional objective was the focal point of several cases at the most recent workshop: microphysical-dynamical interactions. Many of the cases focused less on idealized small-domain simulations (as was the general focus of previous workshops) and more on large-scale nested configurations examining effects at various scales.« less

  5. A Satellite Survey of Cloud Cover and Water Vapor in the Southwestern USA and Northern Mexico

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Carrasco, E.; Avila, R.; Erasmus, A.; Djorgovski, S. G.; Walker, A. R.; Blum, R.

    2017-03-01

    Cloud cover and water vapor conditions in the southwestern USA and northern Mexico were surveyed as a preparatory work for the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) in situ site testing program. Although the telescope site is already selected, the TMT site testing team decided to make public these results for its usefulness for the community. Using 58 months of meteorological satellite observations between 1993 July and 1999 September, different atmospheric parameters were quantified from data of the 10.7 μm and of 6.7 μm windows. In particular, cloud cover and water vapor conditions were identified in preferred areas. As a result of the aerial analysis, 15 sites of existing and potential telescope were selected, compared, and ranked in terms of their observing quality. The clearest sites are located along the spine of the Baja peninsula and into southern California on mountain peaks above the temperature inversion layer. A steep gradient of cloudiness was observed along the coast where coastal cloud and fog are trapped below the inversion layer. Moving from west to east over the continent, a significant increase in cloudiness was observed. The analysis shows that San Pedro Mártir, San Gorgonio Mountain and San Jacinto Peak have the largest fraction of clear sky conditions (˜74%). The site with the optimal combination of clear skies and low precipitable water vapor is Boundary Peak, Nevada. An approach based in satellite data provided a reliable method for sites comparison.

  6. observation and analysis of the structure of winter precipitation-generating clouds using ground-based sensor measurements

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Menéndez José Luis, Marcos; Gómez José Luis, Sánchez; Campano Laura, López; Ortega Eduardo, García; Suances Andrés, Merino; González Sergio, Fernández; Salvador Estíbaliz, Gascón; González Lucía, Hermida

    2015-04-01

    In this study, we used a 28-day database corresponding to December, January and February of 2011/2012 and 2012/2013 campaigns to analyze cloud structure that produced precipitation in the Sierra Norte near Madrid, Spain. We used remote sensing measurements, both active type like the K-band Micro Rain Radar (MRR) and passive type like the Radiometrics MP-3000A multichannel microwave radiometer. Using reflectivity data from the MRR, we determined the important microphysical parameters of Ice Water Content (IWC) and its integrated value over the atmospheric column, or Ice Water Path (IWP). Among the measurements taken by the MP-3000A were Liquid Water Path (LWP) and Integrated Water Vapor (IWV). By representing these data together, sharp declines in LWP and IWV were evident, coincident with IWP increases. This result indicates the ability of a K-band radar to measure the amount of ice in the atmospheric column, simultaneously revealing the Wegener-Bergeron-Findeisen mechanism. We also used a Present Weather Sensor (VPF-730; Biral Ltd., Bristol, UK) to determine the type and amount of precipitation at the surface. With these data, we used regression equations to establish the relationship between visibility and precipitation intensity. In addition, through theoretical precipitation visibility-intensity relationships, we estimated the type of crystal, degree of accretion (riming), and moisture content of fallen snow crystals.

  7. Towards water vapor assimilation into mesoscale models for improved precipitation forecast

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Demoz, B.; Whiteman, D.; Venable, D.; Joseph, E.

    2006-05-01

    Atmospheric water vapor plays a primary role in the life cycle of clouds, precipitation and is crucial in understanding many aspects of the water cycle. It is very important to short-range mesoscale and storm-scale weather prediction. Specifically, accurate characterization of water vapor at low levels is a necessary condition for quantitative precipitation forecast (QPF), the initiation of convection and various thermodynamic and microphysical processes in mesoscale severe weather systems. However, quantification of its variability (both temporal and spatial) and integration of high quality and high frequency water vapor profiles into mesoscale models have been challenging. We report on a conceptual proposal that attempts to 1) define approporiate lidar-based data and instrumentation required for mesoscale data assimilation and 2) a possible federated network of ground-based lidars that may be capable of acquiring such high resolution water vapor data sets and 3) a possible frame work of assimilation of the data into a mesoscale model.

  8. The Challenge of Identifying Controls on Cloud Properties and Precipitation Onset for Cumulus Congestus Sampled During MC3E

    DOE PAGES

    Mechem, David B.; Giangrande, Scott E.

    2018-03-01

    Here, the controls on precipitation onset and the transition from shallow cumulus to congestus are explored using a suite of 16 large–eddy simulations based on the 25 May 2011 event from the Midlatitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment (MC3E). The thermodynamic variables in the model are relaxed at various timescales to observationally constrained temperature and moisture profiles in order to better reproduce the observed behavior of precipitation onset and total precipitation. Three of the simulations stand out as best matching the precipitation observations and also perform well for independent comparisons of cloud fraction, precipitation area fraction, and evolution of cloud topmore » occurrence. All three simulations exhibit a destabilization over time, which leads to a transition to deeper clouds, but the evolution of traditional stability metrics by themselves is not able to explain differences in the simulations. Conditionally sampled cloud properties (in particular, mean cloud buoyancy), however, do elicit differences among the simulations. The inability of environmental profiles alone to discern subtle differences among the simulations and the usefulness of conditionally sampled model quantities argue for hybrid observational/modeling approaches. These combined approaches enable a more complete physical understanding of cloud systems by combining observational sampling of time–varying three–dimensional meteorological quantities and cloud properties, along with detailed representation of cloud microphysical and dynamical processes from numerical models.« less

  9. The Challenge of Identifying Controls on Cloud Properties and Precipitation Onset for Cumulus Congestus Sampled During MC3E

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Mechem, David B.; Giangrande, Scott E.

    Here, the controls on precipitation onset and the transition from shallow cumulus to congestus are explored using a suite of 16 large–eddy simulations based on the 25 May 2011 event from the Midlatitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment (MC3E). The thermodynamic variables in the model are relaxed at various timescales to observationally constrained temperature and moisture profiles in order to better reproduce the observed behavior of precipitation onset and total precipitation. Three of the simulations stand out as best matching the precipitation observations and also perform well for independent comparisons of cloud fraction, precipitation area fraction, and evolution of cloud topmore » occurrence. All three simulations exhibit a destabilization over time, which leads to a transition to deeper clouds, but the evolution of traditional stability metrics by themselves is not able to explain differences in the simulations. Conditionally sampled cloud properties (in particular, mean cloud buoyancy), however, do elicit differences among the simulations. The inability of environmental profiles alone to discern subtle differences among the simulations and the usefulness of conditionally sampled model quantities argue for hybrid observational/modeling approaches. These combined approaches enable a more complete physical understanding of cloud systems by combining observational sampling of time–varying three–dimensional meteorological quantities and cloud properties, along with detailed representation of cloud microphysical and dynamical processes from numerical models.« less

  10. The Challenge of Identifying Controls on Cloud Properties and Precipitation Onset for Cumulus Congestus Sampled During MC3E

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mechem, David B.; Giangrande, Scott E.

    2018-03-01

    Controls on precipitation onset and the transition from shallow cumulus to congestus are explored using a suite of 16 large-eddy simulations based on the 25 May 2011 event from the Midlatitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment (MC3E). The thermodynamic variables in the model are relaxed at various timescales to observationally constrained temperature and moisture profiles in order to better reproduce the observed behavior of precipitation onset and total precipitation. Three of the simulations stand out as best matching the precipitation observations and also perform well for independent comparisons of cloud fraction, precipitation area fraction, and evolution of cloud top occurrence. All three simulations exhibit a destabilization over time, which leads to a transition to deeper clouds, but the evolution of traditional stability metrics by themselves is not able to explain differences in the simulations. Conditionally sampled cloud properties (in particular, mean cloud buoyancy), however, do elicit differences among the simulations. The inability of environmental profiles alone to discern subtle differences among the simulations and the usefulness of conditionally sampled model quantities argue for hybrid observational/modeling approaches. These combined approaches enable a more complete physical understanding of cloud systems by combining observational sampling of time-varying three-dimensional meteorological quantities and cloud properties, along with detailed representation of cloud microphysical and dynamical processes from numerical models.

  11. Orographic Modification of Precipitation Processes in Hurricane Karl (2010)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    DeHart, Jennifer C.; Houze, Robert A.

    Airborne radar data collected within Hurricane Karl (2010) provide a high-resolution glimpse of variations in the vertical precipitation structure around complex terrain in eastern Mexico. Widespread precipitation north of Karl’s track traced the strong gradient of terrain, suggesting orographic enhancement. Although the airborne radar did not sample the period of peak precipitation, time series of surface rainfall at three locations near the inner core show greater precipitation where flow was oriented to rise over the terrain. In regions of upslope flow, radar observations reveal reflectivity enhancement within 1–2 km of the surface. The shallow nature of the enhancement points tomore » orographically generated cloud water accreted by falling drops as a mechanism consistent with prior studies, while the heterogeneous nature of the enhancement suggests shallow convection was playing a role. In contrast, regions of downslope flow were characterized by uniform reflectivity above the ground and fallstreaks originating above the melting level. Unlike most previously studied tropical cyclones passing over topography, Karl made landfall on a mountainous continent, not an island. As Karl weakened and decayed over land, the vertical structure of the radar echo deteriorated north of the storm center, and infrared satellite imagery revealed a strong reduction in the upper-level cloud coverage; however, a small region of intense convection appeared and produced locally heavy rainfall as Karl was close to dissipation. In conclusion, these results indicate that orographic modification processes in a landfalling tropical cyclone are not static, and surface precipitation is highly sensitive to the changes.« less

  12. Orographic Modification of Precipitation Processes in Hurricane Karl (2010)

    DOE PAGES

    DeHart, Jennifer C.; Houze, Robert A.

    2017-10-06

    Airborne radar data collected within Hurricane Karl (2010) provide a high-resolution glimpse of variations in the vertical precipitation structure around complex terrain in eastern Mexico. Widespread precipitation north of Karl’s track traced the strong gradient of terrain, suggesting orographic enhancement. Although the airborne radar did not sample the period of peak precipitation, time series of surface rainfall at three locations near the inner core show greater precipitation where flow was oriented to rise over the terrain. In regions of upslope flow, radar observations reveal reflectivity enhancement within 1–2 km of the surface. The shallow nature of the enhancement points tomore » orographically generated cloud water accreted by falling drops as a mechanism consistent with prior studies, while the heterogeneous nature of the enhancement suggests shallow convection was playing a role. In contrast, regions of downslope flow were characterized by uniform reflectivity above the ground and fallstreaks originating above the melting level. Unlike most previously studied tropical cyclones passing over topography, Karl made landfall on a mountainous continent, not an island. As Karl weakened and decayed over land, the vertical structure of the radar echo deteriorated north of the storm center, and infrared satellite imagery revealed a strong reduction in the upper-level cloud coverage; however, a small region of intense convection appeared and produced locally heavy rainfall as Karl was close to dissipation. In conclusion, these results indicate that orographic modification processes in a landfalling tropical cyclone are not static, and surface precipitation is highly sensitive to the changes.« less

  13. The Impact of Aerosols on Cloud and Precipitation Processes: Cloud-Resolving Model Simulations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tao, Wei-Kuo; Li, Xiaowen; Khain, Alexander; Matsui, Toshihisa; Lang, Stephen; Simpson, Joanne

    2012-01-01

    Recently, a detailed spectral-bin microphysical scheme was implemented into the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) model. Atmospheric aerosols are also described using number density size-distribution functions. A spectral-bin microphysical model is very expensive from a computational point of view and has only been implemented into the 2D version of the GCE at the present time. The model is tested by studying the evolution of deep tropical clouds in the west Pacific warm pool region and summertime convection over a mid-latitude continent with different concentrations of CCN: a low clean concentration and a high dirty concentration. The impact of atmospheric aerosol concentration on cloud and precipitation will be investigated.

  14. Newly Discovered Clouds Found Floating High Above Milky Way

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    2002-10-01

    GREEN BANK, WV -- New studies with the National Science Foundation's Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT) have revealed a previously unknown population of discrete hydrogen clouds in the gaseous halo that surrounds the Milky Way Galaxy. These clouds were discovered in the transition zone between the Milky Way and intergalactic space, and provide tantalizing evidence that supernova-powered "galactic fountains" continually blast superheated hydrogen gas into our Galactic suburbs. Hydrogen Clouds Graphic Artist's Rendering of the Milky Way (background) with insert showing GBT image of newly-discovered clouds of Hydrogen gas above the plane of the Galaxy. Credit: Kirk Woellert/National Science Foundation. Extending far above the star-filled disk of the Milky Way is an atmosphere, or halo, of hydrogen gas. "By studying this halo, we can learn a great deal about the processes that are going on inside our Galaxy as well as beyond its borders," said Jay Lockman, an astronomer with the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) in Green Bank, West Virginia. "It has remained a mystery, however, how this halo formed and what has prevented gravitational forces from collapsing the gas into a thin layer long ago." Some astronomers have speculated that this gas is distributed as a diffuse mist held up by either magnetic fields or cosmic rays streaming out of the plane of the Milky Way. Others believed that it is made of innumerable long-lived hydrogen clouds bobbing up and down like balls tossed by a juggler. Early observations with other telescopes discovered that there was some neutral hydrogen gas floating far above the Galaxy's plane, but these instruments were not sensitive enough to reveal any structure or resolve questions about its origin. Lockman's studies for the first time show a clear picture of the structure of the gas. Rather than a mist, the halo is in fact full of discrete clouds, each containing 50-to-100 solar masses of hydrogen and averaging about 100

  15. Statistical Evaluation of CRM-Simulated Cloud and Precipitation Structures Using Multi- sensor TRMM Measurements and Retrievals

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Posselt, D.; L'Ecuyer, T.; Matsui, T.

    2009-05-01

    Cloud resolving models are typically used to examine the characteristics of clouds and precipitation and their relationship to radiation and the large-scale circulation. As such, they are not required to reproduce the exact location of each observed convective system, much less each individual cloud. Some of the most relevant information about clouds and precipitation is provided by instruments located on polar-orbiting satellite platforms, but these observations are intermittent "snapshots" in time, making assessment of model performance challenging. In contrast to direct comparison, model results can be evaluated statistically. This avoids the requirement for the model to reproduce the observed systems, while returning valuable information on the performance of the model in a climate-relevant sense. The focus of this talk is a model evaluation study, in which updates to the microphysics scheme used in a three-dimensional version of the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) model are evaluated using statistics of observed clouds, precipitation, and radiation. We present the results of multiday (non-equilibrium) simulations of organized deep convection using single- and double-moment versions of a the model's cloud microphysical scheme. Statistics of TRMM multi-sensor derived clouds, precipitation, and radiative fluxes are used to evaluate the GCE results, as are simulated TRMM measurements obtained using a sophisticated instrument simulator suite. We present advantages and disadvantages of performing model comparisons in retrieval and measurement space and conclude by motivating the use of data assimilation techniques for analyzing and improving model parameterizations.

  16. Solubilization of phenanthrene above cloud point of Brij 30: a new application in biodegradation.

    PubMed

    Pantsyrnaya, T; Delaunay, S; Goergen, J L; Guseva, E; Boudrant, J

    2013-06-01

    In the present study a new application of solubilization of phenanthrene above cloud point of Brij 30 in biodegradation was developed. It was shown that a temporal solubilization of phenanthrene above cloud point of Brij 30 (5wt%) permitted to obtain a stable increase of the solubility of phenanthrene even when the temperature was decreased to culture conditions of used microorganism Pseudomonas putida (28°C). A higher initial concentration of soluble phenanthrene was obtained after the cloud point treatment: 200 against 120μM without treatment. All soluble phenanthrene was metabolized and a higher final concentration of its major metabolite - 1-hydroxy-2-naphthoic acid - (160 against 85μM) was measured in the culture medium in the case of a preliminary cloud point treatment. Therefore a temporary solubilization at cloud point might have a perspective application in the enhancement of biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Importance of orographic precipitation to the water resources of Monteverde, Costa Rica

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guswa, Andrew J.; Rhodes, Amy L.; Newell, Silvia E.

    2007-10-01

    Monteverde, Costa Rica harbors montane forests that exemplify the delicate balances among climate, hydrology, habitat, and development. Most of the annual precipitation to this region arrives during the wet season, but the importance of orographic precipitation during the dry and transitional seasons should not be underestimated. Development associated with ecotourism has put significant stress on water resources, and recent work has shown evidence that changes in regional land-cover and global climate may lead to reduced precipitation and cloud cover and a subsequent decline in endemic species. Precipitation samples collected from 2003 to 2005 reveal a seasonal signal in stable isotope composition, as measured by δ 18O and δ 2H, that is heaviest during the dry and transitional seasons. Attenuated versions of this signal propagate through to stream samples and provide a means of determining the importance of precipitation delivered by the trade winds during the dry and transitional seasons to water resources for the region. Results from six catchments on the leeward slope indicate that topography exerts a strong control on the importance of orographic precipitation to stream baseflow. The contributions are greatest in those catchments that are close to the Brillante Gap in the Continental Divide. Differences in the temporal variation of precipitation and streamflow isotope compositions provide insight to the hydrologic pathways that move water to the streams.

  18. Improving Satellite Quantitative Precipitation Estimation Using GOES-Retrieved Cloud Optical Depth

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Stenz, Ronald; Dong, Xiquan; Xi, Baike

    To address significant gaps in ground-based radar coverage and rain gauge networks in the U.S., geostationary satellite quantitative precipitation estimates (QPEs) such as the Self-Calibrating Multivariate Precipitation Retrievals (SCaMPR) can be used to fill in both the spatial and temporal gaps of ground-based measurements. Additionally, with the launch of GOES-R, the temporal resolution of satellite QPEs may be comparable to that of Weather Service Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) volume scans as GOES images will be available every five minutes. However, while satellite QPEs have strengths in spatial coverage and temporal resolution, they face limitations particularly during convective events. Deep Convective Systemsmore » (DCSs) have large cloud shields with similar brightness temperatures (BTs) over nearly the entire system, but widely varying precipitation rates beneath these clouds. Geostationary satellite QPEs relying on the indirect relationship between BTs and precipitation rates often suffer from large errors because anvil regions (little/no precipitation) cannot be distinguished from rain-cores (heavy precipitation) using only BTs. However, a combination of BTs and optical depth (τ) has been found to reduce overestimates of precipitation in anvil regions (Stenz et al. 2014). A new rain mask algorithm incorporating both τ and BTs has been developed, and its application to the existing SCaMPR algorithm was evaluated. The performance of the modified SCaMPR was evaluated using traditional skill scores and a more detailed analysis of performance in individual DCS components by utilizing the Feng et al. (2012) classification algorithm. SCaMPR estimates with the new rain mask applied benefited from significantly reduced overestimates of precipitation in anvil regions and overall improvements in skill scores.« less

  19. Wind speed response of marine non-precipitating stratocumulus clouds over a diurnal cycle in cloud-system resolving simulations

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kazil, Jan; Feingold, Graham; Yamaguchi, Takanobu

    Observed and projected trends in large-scale wind speed over the oceans prompt the question: how do marine stratocumulus clouds and their radiative properties respond to changes in large-scale wind speed? Wind speed drives the surface fluxes of sensible heat, moisture, and momentum and thereby acts on cloud liquid water path (LWP) and cloud radiative properties. We present an investigation of the dynamical response of non-precipitating, overcast marine stratocumulus clouds to different wind speeds over the course of a diurnal cycle, all else equal. In cloud-system resolving simulations, we find that higher wind speed leads to faster boundary layer growth and strongermore » entrainment. The dynamical driver is enhanced buoyant production of turbulence kinetic energy (TKE) from latent heat release in cloud updrafts. LWP is enhanced during the night and in the morning at higher wind speed, and more strongly suppressed later in the day. Wind speed hence accentuates the diurnal LWP cycle by expanding the morning–afternoon contrast. The higher LWP at higher wind speed does not, however, enhance cloud top cooling because in clouds with LWP ≳50 gm –2, longwave emissions are insensitive to LWP. This leads to the general conclusion that in sufficiently thick stratocumulus clouds, additional boundary layer growth and entrainment due to a boundary layer moistening arises by stronger production of TKE from latent heat release in cloud updrafts, rather than from enhanced longwave cooling. Here, we find that large-scale wind modulates boundary layer decoupling. At nighttime and at low wind speed during daytime, it enhances decoupling in part by faster boundary layer growth and stronger entrainment and in part because shear from large-scale wind in the sub-cloud layer hinders vertical moisture transport between the surface and cloud base. With increasing wind speed, however, in decoupled daytime conditions, shear-driven circulation due to large-scale wind takes over from

  20. Wind speed response of marine non-precipitating stratocumulus clouds over a diurnal cycle in cloud-system resolving simulations

    DOE PAGES

    Kazil, Jan; Feingold, Graham; Yamaguchi, Takanobu

    2016-05-12

    Observed and projected trends in large-scale wind speed over the oceans prompt the question: how do marine stratocumulus clouds and their radiative properties respond to changes in large-scale wind speed? Wind speed drives the surface fluxes of sensible heat, moisture, and momentum and thereby acts on cloud liquid water path (LWP) and cloud radiative properties. We present an investigation of the dynamical response of non-precipitating, overcast marine stratocumulus clouds to different wind speeds over the course of a diurnal cycle, all else equal. In cloud-system resolving simulations, we find that higher wind speed leads to faster boundary layer growth and strongermore » entrainment. The dynamical driver is enhanced buoyant production of turbulence kinetic energy (TKE) from latent heat release in cloud updrafts. LWP is enhanced during the night and in the morning at higher wind speed, and more strongly suppressed later in the day. Wind speed hence accentuates the diurnal LWP cycle by expanding the morning–afternoon contrast. The higher LWP at higher wind speed does not, however, enhance cloud top cooling because in clouds with LWP ≳50 gm –2, longwave emissions are insensitive to LWP. This leads to the general conclusion that in sufficiently thick stratocumulus clouds, additional boundary layer growth and entrainment due to a boundary layer moistening arises by stronger production of TKE from latent heat release in cloud updrafts, rather than from enhanced longwave cooling. Here, we find that large-scale wind modulates boundary layer decoupling. At nighttime and at low wind speed during daytime, it enhances decoupling in part by faster boundary layer growth and stronger entrainment and in part because shear from large-scale wind in the sub-cloud layer hinders vertical moisture transport between the surface and cloud base. With increasing wind speed, however, in decoupled daytime conditions, shear-driven circulation due to large-scale wind takes over from

  1. Short-range prediction of a heavy precipitation event by assimilating Chinese CINRAD-SA radar reflectivity data using complex cloud analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sheng, C.; Gao, S.; Xue, M.

    2006-11-01

    With the ARPS (Advanced Regional Prediction System) Data Analysis System (ADAS) and its complex cloud analysis scheme, the reflectivity data from a Chinese CINRAD-SA Doppler radar are used to analyze 3D cloud and hydrometeor fields and in-cloud temperature and moisture. Forecast experiments starting from such initial conditions are performed for a northern China heavy rainfall event to examine the impact of the reflectivity data and other conventional observations on short-range precipitation forecast. The full 3D cloud analysis mitigates the commonly known spin-up problem with precipitation forecast, resulting a significant improvement in precipitation forecast in the first 4 to 5 hours. In such a case, the position, timing and amount of precipitation are all accurately predicted. When the cloud analysis is used without in-cloud temperature adjustment, only the forecast of light precipitation within the first hour is improved. Additional analysis of surface and upper-air observations on the native ARPS grid, using the 1 degree real-time NCEP AVN analysis as the background, helps improve the location and intensity of rainfall forecasting slightly. Hourly accumulated rainfall estimated from radar reflectivity data is found to be less accurate than the model predicted precipitation when full cloud analysis is used.

  2. Laser-induced plasma cloud interaction and ice multiplication under cirrus cloud conditions

    PubMed Central

    Leisner, Thomas; Duft, Denis; Möhler, Ottmar; Saathoff, Harald; Schnaiter, Martin; Henin, Stefano; Stelmaszczyk, Kamil; Petrarca, Massimo; Delagrange, Raphaëlle; Hao, Zuoqiang; Lüder, Johannes; Petit, Yannick; Rohwetter, Philipp; Kasparian, Jérôme; Wolf, Jean-Pierre; Wöste, Ludger

    2013-01-01

    Potential impacts of lightning-induced plasma on cloud ice formation and precipitation have been a subject of debate for decades. Here, we report on the interaction of laser-generated plasma channels with water and ice clouds observed in a large cloud simulation chamber. Under the conditions of a typical storm cloud, in which ice and supercooled water coexist, no direct influence of the plasma channels on ice formation or precipitation processes could be detected. Under conditions typical for thin cirrus ice clouds, however, the plasma channels induced a surprisingly strong effect of ice multiplication. Within a few minutes, the laser action led to a strong enhancement of the total ice particle number density in the chamber by up to a factor of 100, even though only a 10−9 fraction of the chamber volume was exposed to the plasma channels. The newly formed ice particles quickly reduced the water vapor pressure to ice saturation, thereby increasing the cloud optical thickness by up to three orders of magnitude. A model relying on the complete vaporization of ice particles in the laser filament and the condensation of the resulting water vapor on plasma ions reproduces our experimental findings. This surprising effect might open new perspectives for remote sensing of water vapor and ice in the upper troposphere. PMID:23733936

  3. Spatial and temporal variability of clouds and precipitation over Germany: multiscale simulations across the "gray zone"

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barthlott, C.; Hoose, C.

    2015-11-01

    This paper assesses the resolution dependance of clouds and precipitation over Germany by numerical simulations with the COnsortium for Small-scale MOdeling (COSMO) model. Six intensive observation periods of the HOPE (HD(CP)2 Observational Prototype Experiment) measurement campaign conducted in spring 2013 and 1 summer day of the same year are simulated. By means of a series of grid-refinement resolution tests (horizontal grid spacing 2.8, 1 km, 500, and 250 m), the applicability of the COSMO model to represent real weather events in the gray zone, i.e., the scale ranging between the mesoscale limit (no turbulence resolved) and the large-eddy simulation limit (energy-containing turbulence resolved), is tested. To the authors' knowledge, this paper presents the first non-idealized COSMO simulations in the peer-reviewed literature at the 250-500 m scale. It is found that the kinetic energy spectra derived from model output show the expected -5/3 slope, as well as a dependency on model resolution, and that the effective resolution lies between 6 and 7 times the nominal resolution. Although the representation of a number of processes is enhanced with resolution (e.g., boundary-layer thermals, low-level convergence zones, gravity waves), their influence on the temporal evolution of precipitation is rather weak. However, rain intensities vary with resolution, leading to differences in the total rain amount of up to +48 %. Furthermore, the location of rain is similar for the springtime cases with moderate and strong synoptic forcing, whereas significant differences are obtained for the summertime case with air mass convection. Domain-averaged liquid water paths and cloud condensate profiles are used to analyze the temporal and spatial variability of the simulated clouds. Finally, probability density functions of convection-related parameters are analyzed to investigate their dependance on model resolution and their impact on cloud formation and subsequent precipitation.

  4. Single-footprint retrievals of temperature, water vapor and cloud properties from AIRS

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Irion, Fredrick W.; Kahn, Brian H.; Schreier, Mathias M.; Fetzer, Eric J.; Fishbein, Evan; Fu, Dejian; Kalmus, Peter; Wilson, R. Chris; Wong, Sun; Yue, Qing

    2018-02-01

    Single-footprint Atmospheric Infrared Sounder spectra are used in an optimal estimation-based algorithm (AIRS-OE) for simultaneous retrieval of atmospheric temperature, water vapor, surface temperature, cloud-top temperature, effective cloud optical depth and effective cloud particle radius. In a departure from currently operational AIRS retrievals (AIRS V6), cloud scattering and absorption are in the radiative transfer forward model and AIRS single-footprint thermal infrared data are used directly rather than cloud-cleared spectra (which are calculated using nine adjacent AIRS infrared footprints). Coincident MODIS cloud data are used for cloud a priori data. Using single-footprint spectra improves the horizontal resolution of the AIRS retrieval from ˜ 45 to ˜ 13.5 km at nadir, but as microwave data are not used, the retrieval is not made at altitudes below thick clouds. An outline of the AIRS-OE retrieval procedure and information content analysis is presented. Initial comparisons of AIRS-OE to AIRS V6 results show increased horizontal detail in the water vapor and relative humidity fields in the free troposphere above the clouds. Initial comparisons of temperature, water vapor and relative humidity profiles with coincident radiosondes show good agreement. Future improvements to the retrieval algorithm, and to the forward model in particular, are discussed.

  5. Evaluating Cloud Initialization in a Convection-permit NWP Model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Jia; Chen, Baode

    2015-04-01

    In general, to avoid "double counting precipitation" problem, in convection permit NWP models, it was a common practice to turn off convective parameterization. However, if there were not any cloud information in the initial conditions, the occurrence of precipitation could be delayed due to spin-up of cloud field or microphysical variables. In this study, we utilized the complex cloud analysis package from the Advanced Regional Prediction System (ARPS) to adjust the initial states of the model on water substance, such as cloud water, cloud ice, rain water, et al., that is, to initialize the microphysical variables (i.e., hydrometers), mainly based on radar reflectivity observations. Using the Advanced Research WRF (ARW) model, numerical experiments with/without cloud initialization and convective parameterization were carried out at grey-zone resolutions (i.e. 1, 3, and 9 km). The results from the experiments without convective parameterization indicate that model ignition with radar reflectivity can significantly reduce spin-up time and accurately simulate precipitation at the initial time. In addition, it helps to improve location and intensity of predicted precipitation. With grey-zone resolutions (i.e. 1, 3, and 9 km), using the cumulus convective parameterization scheme (without radar data) cannot produce realistic precipitation at the early time. The issues related to microphysical parametrization associated with cloud initialization were also discussed.

  6. Temporal evolution of stable water isotopologues in cloud droplets in a hill cap cloud in central Europe (HCCT-2010)

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Spiegel, J.K.; Aemisegger, F.; Scholl, M.; Wienhold, F.G.; Collett, J.L.; Lee, T.; van Pinxteren, D.; Mertes, S.; Tilgner, A.; Herrmann, H.; Werner, Roland A.; Buchmann, N.; Eugster, W.

    2012-01-01

    In this work, we present the first study resolving the temporal evolution of δ2H and δ18O values in cloud droplets during 13 different cloud events. The cloud events were probed on a 937 m high mountain chain in Germany in the framework of the Hill Cap Cloud Thuringia 2010 campaign (HCCT-2010) in September and October 2010. The δ values of cloud droplets ranged from −77‰ to −15‰ (δ2H) and from −12.1‰ to −3.9‰ (δ18O) over the whole campaign. The cloud water line of the measured δ values was δ2H=7.8×δ18O+13×10−3, which is of similar slope, but with higher deuterium excess than other Central European Meteoric Water Lines. Decreasing δ values in the course of the campaign agree with seasonal trends observed in rain in central Europe. The deuterium excess was higher in clouds developing after recent precipitation revealing episodes of regional moisture recycling. The variations in δ values during one cloud event could either result from changes in meteorological conditions during condensation or from variations in the δ values of the water vapor feeding the cloud. To test which of both aspects dominated during the investigated cloud events, we modeled the variation in δ values in cloud water using a closed box model. We could show that the variation in δ values of two cloud events was mainly due to changes in local temperature conditions. For the other eleven cloud events, the variation was most likely caused by changes in the isotopic composition of the advected and entrained vapor. Frontal passages during two of the latter cloud events led to the strongest temporal changes in both δ2H (≈ 6‰ per hour) and δ18O (≈ 0.6‰ per hour). Moreover, a detailed trajectory analysis for the two longest cloud events revealed that variations in the entrained vapor were most likely related to rain out or changes in relative humidity and temperature at the moisture source region or both. This study illustrates the sensitivity of stable isotope

  7. An attempt to quantify aerosol-cloud effects in fields of precipitating trade wind cumuli

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Seifert, Axel; Heus, Thijs

    2015-04-01

    Aerosol indirect effects are notoriously difficult to understand and quantify. Using large-eddy simulations (LES) we attempt to quantify the impact of aerosols on the albedo and the precipitation formation in trade wind cumulus clouds. Having performed a set of large-domain Giga-LES runs we are able to capture the mesoscale self-organization of the cloud field. Our simulations show that self-organization is intrinsically tied to precipitation formation in this cloud regime making previous studies that did not consider cloud organization questionable. We find that aerosols, here modeled just as a perturbation in cloud droplet number concentration, have a significant impact on the transient behavior, i.e., how fast rain is formed and self-organization of the cloud field takes place. Though, for longer integration times, all simulations approach the same radiative-convective equilibrium and aerosol effects become small. The sensitivity to aerosols becomes even smaller when we include explicit cloud-radiation interaction as this leads to a much faster and more vigorous response of the cloud layer. Overall we find that aerosol-cloud interactions, like cloud lifetime effects etc., are small or even negative when the cloud field is close to equilibrium. Consequently, the Twomey effect does already provide an upper bound on the albedo effects of aerosol perturbations. Our analysis also highlights that current parameterizations that predict only the grid-box mean of the cloud field and do not take into account cloud organization are not able to describe aerosol indirect effects correctly, but overestimate them due to that lack of cloud dynamical and mesoscale buffering.

  8. Long-term study of aerosol-cloud-precipitation interaction over the eastern part of India using satellite observations during pre-monsoon season

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kant, Sunny; Panda, Jagabandhu; Pani, Shantanu Kumar; Wang, Pao K.

    2018-05-01

    This study attempts to analyze possible aerosol-cloud-precipitation interaction over the eastern part of India including Bhubaneswar city and the whole Odisha region primarily using a long-term satellite-based dataset from 2000 to 2016 during pre-monsoon period. Relationship between aerosol optical depth (AOD), rainfall, and cloud properties is examined by taking convectively driven rain events. The two-sample student's t test is used to compute "p" value of datasets that are statically significant. Role of aerosols in governing cloud properties is analyzed through the variation of COD (cloud optical depth) and CER (cloud effective radius) in the AOD ranges 0.2-0.8. A relatively stronger and affirmative AOD-CER relationship is observed over Bhubaneswar city compared to Odisha region though the aerosols still play an appreciable role for the later too. The AOD-COD relationship is weak over both the regions. For Odisha, relationships between aerosol and cloud parameters are insignificant irrespective of rainfall regimes. Fostering of heavy rainfall over these regions takes place due to invigoration and microphysical effect during pre-monsoon months, depending upon meteorological conditions. Liquid water content and presence of a mixed-phase zone, both seem to be quite important in the convectively driven precipitation over Odisha region including Bhubaneswar city.

  9. Evaluation of NASA GISS post-CMIP5 single column model simulated clouds and precipitation using ARM Southern Great Plains observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Lei; Dong, Xiquan; Kennedy, Aaron; Xi, Baike; Li, Zhanqing

    2017-03-01

    The planetary boundary layer turbulence and moist convection parameterizations have been modified recently in the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) Model E2 atmospheric general circulation model (GCM; post-CMIP5, hereafter P5). In this study, single column model (SCM P5) simulated cloud fractions (CFs), cloud liquid water paths (LWPs) and precipitation were compared with Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Southern Great Plains (SGP) groundbased observations made during the period 2002-08. CMIP5 SCM simulations and GCM outputs over the ARM SGP region were also used in the comparison to identify whether the causes of cloud and precipitation biases resulted from either the physical parameterization or the dynamic scheme. The comparison showed that the CMIP5 SCM has difficulties in simulating the vertical structure and seasonal variation of low-level clouds. The new scheme implemented in the turbulence parameterization led to significantly improved cloud simulations in P5. It was found that the SCM is sensitive to the relaxation time scale. When the relaxation time increased from 3 to 24 h, SCM P5-simulated CFs and LWPs showed a moderate increase (10%-20%) but precipitation increased significantly (56%), which agreed better with observations despite the less accurate atmospheric state. Annual averages among the GCM and SCM simulations were almost the same, but their respective seasonal variations were out of phase. This suggests that the same physical cloud parameterization can generate similar statistical results over a long time period, but different dynamics drive the differences in seasonal variations. This study can potentially provide guidance for the further development of the GISS model.

  10. A Comprehensive Analysis of Clouds, Radiation, and Precipitation in the North Pacific ITCZ in the NASA GISS ModelE GCM and Satellite Observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stanfield, Ryan Evan

    Global circulation/climate models (GCMs) remain as an invaluable tool to predict future potential climate change. To best advise policy makers, assessing and increasing the accuracy of climate models is paramount. The treatment of clouds, radiation and precipitation in climate models and their associated feedbacks have long been one of the largest sources of uncertainty in predicting any potential future climate changes. Three versions of the NASA GISS ModelE GCM (the frozen CMIP5 version [C5], a post-CMIP5 version with modifications to cumulus and boundary layer turbulence parameterizations [P5], and the most recent version of the GCM which builds on the post-CMIP5 version with further modifications to convective cloud ice and cold pool parameterizations [E5]) have been compared with various satellite observations to analyze how recent modifications to the GCM has impacted cloud, radiation, and precipitation properties. In addition to global comparisons, two areas are showcased in regional analyses: the Eastern Pacific Northern ITCZ (EP-ITCZ), and Indonesia and the Western Pacific (INDO-WP). Changes to the cumulus and boundary layer turbulence parameterizations in the P5 version of the GCM have improved cloud and radiation estimations in areas of descending motion, such as the Southern Mid-Latitudes. Ice particle size and fall speed modifications in the E5 version of the GCM have decreased ice cloud water contents and cloud fractions globally while increasing precipitable water vapor in the model. Comparisons of IWC profiles show that the GCM simulated IWCs increase with height and peak in the upper portions of the atmosphere, while 2C-ICE observations peak in the lower levels of the atmosphere and decrease with height, effectively opposite of each other. Profiles of CF peak at lower heights in the E5 simulation, which will potentially increase outgoing longwave radiation due to higher cloud top temperatures, which will counterbalance the decrease in reflected

  11. Recent Progress on the Second Generation CMORPH: LEO-IR Based Precipitation Estimates and Cloud Motion Vector

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xie, Pingping; Joyce, Robert; Wu, Shaorong

    2015-04-01

    As reported at the EGU General Assembly of 2014, a prototype system was developed for the second generation CMORPH to produce global analyses of 30-min precipitation on a 0.05olat/lon grid over the entire globe from pole to pole through integration of information from satellite observations as well as numerical model simulations. The second generation CMORPH is built upon the Kalman Filter based CMORPH algorithm of Joyce and Xie (2011). Inputs to the system include rainfall and snowfall rate retrievals from passive microwave (PMW) measurements aboard all available low earth orbit (LEO) satellites, precipitation estimates derived from infrared (IR) observations of geostationary (GEO) as well as LEO platforms, and precipitation simulations from numerical global models. Key to the success of the 2nd generation CMORPH, among a couple of other elements, are the development of a LEO-IR based precipitation estimation to fill in the polar gaps and objectively analyzed cloud motion vectors to capture the cloud movements of various spatial scales over the entire globe. In this presentation, we report our recent work on the refinement for these two important algorithm components. The prototype algorithm for the LEO IR precipitation estimation is refined to achieve improved quantitative accuracy and consistency with PMW retrievals. AVHRR IR TBB data from all LEO satellites are first remapped to a 0.05olat/lon grid over the entire globe and in a 30-min interval. Temporally and spatially co-located data pairs of the LEO TBB and inter-calibrated combined satellite PMW retrievals (MWCOMB) are then collected to construct tables. Precipitation at a grid box is derived from the TBB through matching the PDF tables for the TBB and the MWCOMB. This procedure is implemented for different season, latitude band and underlying surface types to account for the variations in the cloud - precipitation relationship. At the meantime, a sub-system is developed to construct analyzed fields of

  12. Chemical Speciation of Water Soluble Ions and Metals of Cloud and Rain Water During the Puerto Rico African Dust and Clouds Study (PRADACS) Campaigns

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Torres, E.; Valle Diaz, C. J.; Lee, T.; Collett, J. L.; Fitzgerald, E.; Cuadra-Rodriguez, L. A.; Prather, K. A.; Sánchez, M.; McDowell, W. H.; Mayol-Bracero, O. L.

    2013-05-01

    The underlying physico-chemical processes of dust particles interactions are poorly understood; even less understood is how aging impacts cloud properties and climate as the particles travel from Africa to the Caribbean region. Caribbean landmasses have tropical montane cloud forests (TMCFs) that are tightly coupled to the atmospheric hydrologic cycle. TMCFs are ecosystems to study the effects African Dust (AD) on cloud formation and precipitation as these are very sensitive ecosystems that respond to small changes in climate. As part of the Puerto Rico African Dust and Clouds Study (PRADACS), chemical analyses were performed on cloud and rain water samples collected at Pico del Este (PE) station in Luquillo, PR (1051 masl) during campaigns held from 2010 to 2012. At PE, two cloud collectors (i.e., single stage (Aluminum version), a 2-stage (Teflon version) Caltech Active Strand Cloudwater Collector (CASCC)), a rainwater collector, and anAerosol Time-Of-Flight Mass Spectrometer (ATOFMS) were operated. Chemical analyses performed on collected samples include pH, conductivity, ion chromatography (IC), and inductive coupled plasma (ICP). Results from these campaigns showed that on days that had air masses with the influence of AD, cloud water samples had higher conductivity and pH values on average (up to 5.7 and 180μS/cm, respectively) than those with air masses without AD influence. An increase in the concentrations of water-soluble ions like non-sea salt calcium and magnesium, and metals like magnesium, calcium and aluminum was observed and the appearance of iron was seen on ICP analyses. The ATOFMS, showed an increase on the amount of particles during AD influence with composition of aluminum, silicates, potassium, iron and titanium aerosols. The increase on the aforementioned species was constant in the three years of sampling, which give us confidence in the identification of the chemical species that are present during the influence of AD.

  13. Tropical cloud and precipitation regimes as seen from near-simultaneous TRMM, CloudSat, and CALIPSO observations and comparison with ISCCP

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Luo, Zhengzhao Johnny; Anderson, Ricardo C.; Rossow, William B.; Takahashi, Hanii

    2017-06-01

    Although Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) and CloudSat/CALIPSO fly in different orbits, they frequently cross each other so that for the period between 2006 and 2010, a total of 15,986 intersect lines occurred within 20 min of each other from 30°S to 30°N, providing a rare opportunity to study tropical cloud and precipitation regimes and their internal vertical structure from near-simultaneous measurements by these active sensors. A k-means cluster analysis of TRMM and CloudSat matchups identifies three tropical cloud and precipitation regimes: the first two regimes correspond to, respectively, organized deep convection with heavy rain and cirrus anvils with moderate rain; the third regime is a convectively suppressed regime that can be further divided into three subregimes, which correspond to, respectively, stratocumulus clouds with drizzle, cirrus overlying low clouds, and nonprecipitating cumulus. Inclusion of CALIPSO data adds to the dynamic range of cloud properties and identifies one more cluster; subcluster analysis further identifies a thin, midlevel cloud regime associated with tropical mountain ranges. The radar-lidar cloud regimes are compared with the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) weather states (WSs) for the extended tropics. Focus is placed on the four convectively active WSs, namely, WS1-WS4. ISCCP WS1 and WS2 are found to be counterparts of Regime 1 and Regime 2 in radar-lidar observations, respectively. ISCCP WS3 and WS4, which are mainly isolated convection and broken, detached cirrus, do not have a strong association with any individual radar and lidar regimes, a likely effect of the different sampling strategies between ISCCP and active sensors and patchy cloudiness of these WSs.

  14. Behavior of predicted convective clouds and precipitation in the high-resolution Unified Model over the Indian summer monsoon region

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jayakumar, A.; Sethunadh, Jisesh; Rakhi, R.; Arulalan, T.; Mohandas, Saji; Iyengar, Gopal R.; Rajagopal, E. N.

    2017-05-01

    National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting high-resolution regional convective-scale Unified Model with latest tropical science settings is used to evaluate vertical structure of cloud and precipitation over two prominent monsoon regions: Western Ghats (WG) and Monsoon Core Zone (MCZ). Model radar reflectivity generated using Cloud Feedback Model Intercomparison Project Observation Simulator Package along with CloudSat profiling radar reflectivity is sampled for an active synoptic situation based on a new method using Budyko's index of turbulence (BT). Regime classification based on BT-precipitation relationship is more predominant during the active monsoon period when convective-scale model's resolution increases from 4 km to 1.5 km. Model predicted precipitation and vertical distribution of hydrometeors are found to be generally in agreement with Global Precipitation Measurement products and BT-based CloudSat observation, respectively. Frequency of occurrence of radar reflectivity from model implies that the low-level clouds below freezing level is underestimated compared to the observations over both regions. In addition, high-level clouds in the model predictions are much lesser over WG than MCZ.

  15. Comparing airborne and satellite retrievals of cloud optical thickness and particle effective radius using a spectral radiance ratio technique: two case studies for cirrus and deep convective clouds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Krisna, Trismono C.; Wendisch, Manfred; Ehrlich, André; Jäkel, Evelyn; Werner, Frank; Weigel, Ralf; Borrmann, Stephan; Mahnke, Christoph; Pöschl, Ulrich; Andreae, Meinrat O.; Voigt, Christiane; Machado, Luiz A. T.

    2018-04-01

    Solar radiation reflected by cirrus and deep convective clouds (DCCs) was measured by the Spectral Modular Airborne Radiation Measurement System (SMART) installed on the German High Altitude and Long Range Research Aircraft (HALO) during the Mid-Latitude Cirrus (ML-CIRRUS) and the Aerosol, Cloud, Precipitation, and Radiation Interaction and Dynamic of Convective Clouds System - Cloud Processes of the Main Precipitation Systems in Brazil: A Contribution to Cloud Resolving Modelling and to the Global Precipitation Measurement (ACRIDICON-CHUVA) campaigns. On particular flights, HALO performed measurements closely collocated with overpasses of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Aqua satellite. A cirrus cloud located above liquid water clouds and a DCC topped by an anvil cirrus are analyzed in this paper. Based on the nadir spectral upward radiance measured above the two clouds, the optical thickness τ and particle effective radius reff of the cirrus and DCC are retrieved using a radiance ratio technique, which considers the cloud thermodynamic phase, the vertical profile of cloud microphysical properties, the presence of multilayer clouds, and the heterogeneity of the surface albedo. For the cirrus case, the comparison of τ and reff retrieved on the basis of SMART and MODIS measurements yields a normalized mean absolute deviation of up to 1.2 % for τ and 2.1 % for reff. For the DCC case, deviations of up to 3.6 % for τ and 6.2 % for reff are obtained. The larger deviations in the DCC case are mainly attributed to the fast cloud evolution and three-dimensional (3-D) radiative effects. Measurements of spectral upward radiance at near-infrared wavelengths are employed to investigate the vertical profile of reff in the cirrus. The retrieved values of reff are compared with corresponding in situ measurements using a vertical weighting method. Compared to the MODIS observations, measurements of SMART provide more information on the

  16. The Role of Atmospheric Aerosol Concentration on Deep Convective Precipitation: Cloud-resolving Model Simulations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tao, W.-K.; Li, X.; Khain, A.; Mastsui, T.; Lang, S.; Simpson, J.

    2007-01-01

    Aerosols and especially their effect on clouds are one of the key components of the climate system and the hydrological cycle [Ramanathan et al., 20011. Yet, the aerosol effect on clouds remains largely unknown and the processes involved not well understood. A recent report published by the National Academy of Science states "The greatest uncertainty about the aerosol climate forcing - indeed, the largest of all the uncertainties about global climate forcing - is probably the indirect effect of aerosols on clouds NRC [2001]." The aerosol effect on clouds is often categorized into the traditional "first indirect (i.e., Twomey)" effect on the cloud droplet sizes for a constant liquid water path and the "semi-direct" effect on cloud coverage. The aerosol effect on precipitation processes, also known as the second type of aerosol indirect effect, is even more complex, especially for mixed-phase convective clouds. ln this paper, a cloud-resolving model (CRM) with detailed spectral-bin microphysics was used to examine the effect of aerosols on three different deep convective cloud systems that developed in different geographic locations: South Florida, Oklahoma and the Central Pacific. In all three cases, rain reaches the ground earlier for the low CCN (clean) case. Rain suppression is also evident in all three cases with high CCN (dirty) case. However, this suppression only occurs during the first hour of the simulations. During the mature stages of the simulations, the effects of increasing aerosol concentration range from rain suppression in the Oklahoma case, to almost no effect in the Florida case, to rain enhancement in the Pacific case. These results show the complexity of aerosol interactions with convection.

  17. Aircraft millimeter-wave passive sensing of cloud liquid water and water vapor during VOCALS-REx

    DOE PAGES

    Zuidema, P.; Leon, D.; Pazmany, A.; ...

    2012-01-05

    Routine liquid water path measurements and water vapor path are valuable for process studies of the cloudy marine boundary layer and for the assessment of large-scale models. The VOCALS Regional Experiment respected this goal by including a small, inexpensive, upwardpointing millimeter-wavelength passive radiometer on the fourteen research flights of the NCAR C-130 plane, the Gband (183 GHz) Vapor Radiometer (GVR). The radiometer permitted above-cloud retrievals of the free-tropospheric water vapor path (WVP). Retrieved free-tropospheric (abovecloud) water vapor paths possessed a strong longitudinal gradient, with off-shore values of one to twomm and nearcoastal values reaching tenmm. The VOCALS-REx free troposphere wasmore » drier than that of previous years. Cloud liquid water paths (LWPs) were retrieved from the sub-cloud and cloudbase aircraft legs through a combination of the GVR, remotely-sensed cloud boundary information, and insitu thermodynamic data. The absolute (between-leg) and relative (within-leg) accuracy of the LWP retrievals at 1 Hz (≈100 m) resolution was estimated at 20 gm -2 and 3 gm -2 respectively for well-mixed conditions, and 25 gm -2 absolute uncertainty for decoupled conditions where the input WVP specification was more uncertain. Retrieved liquid water paths matched adiabatic values derived from coincident cloud thickness measurements exceedingly well. A significant contribution of the GVR dataset was the extended information on the thin clouds, with 62% (28 %) of the retrieved LWPs <100 (40) gm -2. Coastal LWPs values were lower than those offshore. For the four dedicated 20° S flights, the mean (median) coastal LWP was 67 (61) gm -2, increasing to 166 (120) gm -2 1500 km offshore. Finally, the overall LWP cloud fraction from thirteen research flights was 63 %, higher than that of adiabatic LWPs at 40 %, but lower than the lidar-determined cloud cover of 85 %, further testifying to the frequent occurrence of thin clouds.« less

  18. Satellite-Observed Vertical Structures of Clouds over the Amazon Basin

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, M.; Lee, J. E.

    2017-12-01

    The long wet season of the Amazon basin currently plays a critical role in the terrestrial ecosystem, regulating carbon balance and supporting high biodiversity. It has been argued that the land surface processes are important in maintaining high precipitation; yet, how the land-atmosphere interactions modulate the atmospheric processes are not completely understood. As a first step toward solving this problem, here we examine the vertical structures of clouds and the thermodynamics of the atmosphere over the entire basin at the different time of the year. We combine the vertical distribution of cloud water content from CloudSat, and the atmospheric thermodynamic conditions from the ECMWF ERA-interim reanalysis to compare and contrast the atmospheric condition at different time of the year-the wet, dry, and dry-to-wet transition seasons-and in different regions-ever-wet evergreen broadleaf forests, wet evergreen broadleaf forests with a dry season, and dry wooded grasslands/woodlands-following water stress gradient. In the ever-wet and wet regions, a large amount of cloud ice water is present in the upper atmosphere (above 11km) and convective available potential energy (CAPE) is high during the transition season, supporting the claim that the convective activity is strongest during the transition season. In the dry region, there are more cloud water above 8km over woodlands than over wooded grasslands during the dry and transition seasons, indicating the influence of the land cover. We also classified our data following the large-scale circulation pattern, and the CloudSat data support more deep convective activities in the wet and dry regions when the wind blows from the east during the wet and transition seasons. As a next step, we will focus more on linking the cloud structure to the large-scale circulation and surface processes.

  19. Entrainment and cloud evaporation deduced from the stable isotope chemistry of clouds during ORACLES

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Noone, D.; Henze, D.; Rainwater, B.; Toohey, D. W.

    2017-12-01

    The magnitude of the influence of biomass burning aerosols on cloud and rain processes is controlled by a series of processes which are difficult to measure directly. A consequence of this limitation is the emergence of significant uncertainty in the representation of cloud-aerosol interactions in models and the resulting cloud radiative forcing. Interaction between cloud and the regional atmosphere causes evaporation, and the rate of evaporation at cloud top is controlled in part by entrainment of air from above which exposes saturated cloud air to drier conditions. Similarly, the size of cloud droplets also controls evaporation rates, which in turn is linked to the abundance of condensation nuclei. To quantify the dependence of cloud properties on biomass burning aerosols the dynamic relationship between evaporation, drop size and entrainment on aerosol state, is evaluated for stratiform clouds in the southeast Atlantic Ocean. These clouds are seasonally exposed to biomass burning plumes from agricultural fires in southern Africa. Measurements of the stable isotope ratios of cloud water and total water are used to deduce the disequilibrium responsible for evaporation within clouds. Disequilibrium is identified by the relationship between hydrogen and oxygen isotope ratios of water vapor and cloud water in and near clouds. To obtain the needed information, a custom-built, dual inlet system was deployed alongside isotopic gas analyzers on the NASA Orion aircraft as part of the Observations of Aerosols above Clouds and their Interactions (ORACLES) campaign. The sampling system obtains both total water and cloud liquid content for the population of droplets above 7 micrometer diameter. The thermodynamic modeling required to convert the observed equilibrium and kinetic isotopic is linked to evaporation and entrainment is described, and the performance of the measurement system is discussed.

  20. Examination of the potential impacts of dust and pollution aerosol acting as cloud nucleating aerosol on water resources in the Colorado River Basin

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jha, Vandana

    In this study we examine the cumulative effect of dust acting as cloud nucleating aerosol (cloud condensation nuclei (CCN), giant cloud condensation nuclei (GCCN), and ice nuclei (IN)) along with anthropogenic aerosol pollution acting primarily as CCN, over the entire Colorado Rocky Mountains from the months of October to April in the year 2004-2005; the snow year. This ˜6.5 months analysis provides a range of snowfall totals and variability in dust and anthropogenic aerosol pollution. The specific objectives of this research is to quantify the impacts of both dust and pollution aerosols on wintertime precipitation in the Colorado Mountains using the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS). In general, dust enhances precipitation primarily by acting as IN, while aerosol pollution reduces water resources in the CRB via the so-called "spill-over" effect, by enhancing cloud droplet concentrations and reducing riming rates. Dust is more episodic and aerosol pollution is more pervasive throughout the winter season. Combined response to dust and aerosol pollution is a net reduction of water resources in the CRB. The question is by how much are those water resources affected? Our best estimate is that total winter-season precipitation loss for for the CRB the 2004-2005 winter season due to the combined influence of aerosol pollution and dust is 5,380,00 acre-feet of water. Sensitivity studies for different cases have also been run for the specific cases in 2004-2005 winter season to analyze the impact of changing dust and aerosol ratios on precipitation in the Colorado River Basin. The dust is varied from 3 to 10 times in the experiments and the response is found to be non monotonic and depends on various environmental factors. The sensitivity studies show that adding dust in a wet system increases precipitation when IN affects are dominant. For a relatively dry system high concentrations of dust can result in over-seeding the clouds and reductions in precipitation

  1. Importance of Dry-Season Precipitation to the Water Resources of Monteverde, Costa Rica

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guswa, A. J.; Rhodes, A. L.

    2005-12-01

    Monteverde, Costa Rica harbors montane forests that exemplify the delicate balances among climate, hydrology, habitat, and development. Most of the annual precipitation to this region arrives during the wet season, but the importance of orographic precipitation during the dry and transitional seasons should not be underestimated. Changes in regional land-cover and global climate may lead to reduced precipitation and cloud cover and a subsequent decline in endemic species, and a boom in ecotourism has put stress on water resources. A recent attempt to withdraw water from a local stream led to a standoff between conservationists and business developers, and there is a clear need for hydrologic data and understanding in support of policy. Through signals observed in the stable isotopic composition of precipitation and streamflow, we seek to understand how precipitation from the drier seasons propagates through the hydrologic cycle. In precipitation, δ18O and δ2H are heaviest during the dry and transitional seasons and light during the rainy season, consistent with the condensation mechanisms and degree of rainout typical of these periods. The signal in d-excess indicates a contribution of recycled water to precipitation in Monteverde from late in the rainy season through the dry season. Attenuated versions of these seasonal signals propagate through to the stream samples and provide a means of determining the importance of dry-season precipitation to water resources for the region. Results from six catchments on the leeward slope indicate that the Brillante Gap in the continental divide exerts strong control on the input of orographic precipitation to the region. Disparities in the temporal signals of precipitation and streamflow isotopes indicate non-linear behavior in the hydrologic processes that move water through these catchments.

  2. Fungal spores as potential ice nuclei in fog/cloud water and snow

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bauer, Heidi; Goncalves, Fabio L. T.; Schueller, Elisabeth; Puxbaum, Hans

    2010-05-01

    INTRODUCTION: In discussions about climate change and precipitation frequency biological ice nucleation has become an issue. While bacterial ice nucleation (IN) is already well characterized and even utilized in industrial processes such as the production of artificial snow or to improve freezing processes in food industry, less is known about the IN potential of fungal spores which are also ubiquitous in the atmosphere. A recent study performed at a mountain top in the Rocky Mountains suggests that fungal spores and/or pollen might play a role in increased IN abundance during periods of cloud cover (Bowers et al. 2009). In the present work concentrations of fungal spores in fog/cloud water and snow were determined. EXPERIMENTAL: Fog samples were taken with an active fog sampler in 2008 in a traffic dominated area and in a national park in São Paulo, Brazil. The number concentrations of fungal spores were determined by microscopic by direct enumeration by epifluorescence microscopy after staining with SYBR Gold nucleic acid gel stain (Bauer et al. 2008). RESULTS: In the fog water collected in the polluted area at a junction of two highly frequented highways around 22,000 fungal spores mL-1 were counted. Fog in the national park contained 35,000 spores mL-1. These results were compared with cloud water and snow samples from Mt. Rax, situated at the eastern rim of the Austrian Alps. Clouds contained on average 5,900 fungal spores mL-1 cloud water (1,300 - 11,000) or 2,200 spores m-3 (304 - 5,000). In freshly fallen snow spore concentrations were lower than in cloud water, around 1,000 fungal spores mL-1 were counted (Bauer et al. 2002). In both sets of samples representatives of the ice nucleating genus Fusarium could be observed. REFERENCES: Bauer, H., Kasper-Giebl, A., Löflund, M., Giebl, H., Hitzenberger, R., Zibuschka, F., Puxbaum, H. (2002). The contribution of bacteria and fungal spores to the organic carbon content of cloud water, precipitation and aerosols

  3. Clouds, Aerosol, and Precipitation in the Marine Boundary Layer (CAP-MBL) Final Campaign Report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wood, R.

    2016-01-01

    The extensive coverage of low clouds over the subtropical eastern oceans greatly impacts the current climate. In addition, the response of low clouds to changes in atmospheric greenhouse gases and aerosols is a major source of uncertainty, which thwarts accurate prediction of future climate change. Low clouds are poorly simulated in climate models, partly due to inadequate long-term simultaneous observations of their macrophysical and microphysical structure, radiative effects, and associated aerosol distribution in regions where their impact is greatest. The thickness and extent of subtropical low clouds is dependent on tight couplings between surface fluxes of heat and moisture, radiativemore » cooling, boundary layer turbulence, and precipitation (much of which evaporates before reaching the ocean surface and is closely connected to the abundance of cloud condensation nuclei). These couplings have been documented as a result of past field programs and model studies. However, extensive research is still required to achieve a quantitative understanding sufficient for developing parameterizations, which adequately predict aerosol indirect effects and low cloud response to climate perturbations. This is especially true of the interactions between clouds, aerosol, and precipitation. These processes take place in an ever-changing synoptic environment that can confound interpretation of short time period observations.« less

  4. Physical retrieval of precipitation water contents from Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) data. Part 2: Retrieval method and applications (report version)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Olson, William S.

    1990-01-01

    A physical retrieval method for estimating precipitating water distributions and other geophysical parameters based upon measurements from the DMSP-F8 SSM/I is developed. Three unique features of the retrieval method are (1) sensor antenna patterns are explicitly included to accommodate varying channel resolution; (2) precipitation-brightness temperature relationships are quantified using the cloud ensemble/radiative parameterization; and (3) spatial constraints are imposed for certain background parameters, such as humidity, which vary more slowly in the horizontal than the cloud and precipitation water contents. The general framework of the method will facilitate the incorporation of measurements from the SSMJT, SSM/T-2 and geostationary infrared measurements, as well as information from conventional sources (e.g., radiosondes) or numerical forecast model fields.

  5. An imager-based multispectral retrieval of above-cloud absorbing aerosol optical depth and the optical and microphysical properties of underlying marine stratocumulus clouds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Meyer, K.; Platnick, S. E.; Zhang, Z.

    2014-12-01

    Clouds, aerosols, and their interactions are widely considered to be key uncertainty components in our current understanding of the Earth's atmosphere and radiation budget. The work presented here is focused on the quasi-permanent marine boundary layer (MBL) clouds over the southeastern Atlantic Ocean, which underlie a near-persistent smoke layer produced from extensive biomass burning throughout the southern African savanna during austral winter. The absorption of the above-cloud smoke layer, which increases with decreasing wavelength, can introduce biases into imager-based cloud optical and microphysical property retrievals of the underlying MBL clouds. This effect is more pronounced for cloud optical thickness retrievals, which are typically derived from the visible or near-IR wavelength channels (effective particle size retrievals are derived from short and mid-wave IR channels that are less affected by aerosol absorption). Here, a new method is introduced to simultaneously retrieve the above-cloud smoke aerosol optical depth (AOD) and the unbiased cloud optical thickness (COT) and effective radius (CER) using multiple spectral channels in the visible and near- and shortwave-IR. The technique has been applied to MODIS, and retrieval results and statistics, as well as comparisons with other A-Train sensors, are shown.

  6. Observations of Aerosol-Cloud Interactions with Varying Vertical Separation between Biomass-Burning Aerosols and Stratocumulus Clouds over the South East Atlantic

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gupta, S.; McFarquhar, G. M.; Poellot, M.; O'Brien, J.; Delene, D. J.; Thornhill, K. L., II

    2017-12-01

    The ObseRvations of Aerosols above Clouds and their intEractionS (ORACLES) 2016 project provided in-situ measurements and remotely sensed retrievals of aerosol and cloud properties over the South East Atlantic during September, 2016 with a second deployment scheduled for August, 2017. Biomass burning aerosol from Southern Africa is advected toward the South East Atlantic at elevated altitudes and overlies the ubiquitous stratocumulus cloud deck over the ocean. The aerosols subside farther from the coast so that the vertical displacement between the clouds and aerosols varies, and whose effect on aerosol-cloud interaction is poorly known. A NASA P-3 aircraft was equipped with a Cloud Droplet Probe CDP sizing particles between 2 and 50μm, a Cloud and Aerosol Spectrometer CAS sizing between 0.51 and 50 μm and a 2D-stereo probe 2DS, nominally sizing between 10 and 1280 μm a Cloud Imaging Probe CIP, from 25 to 1600μm, and a High Volume Precipitation Sampler HVPS-3, from 150μm to 1.92cm for measuring number distribution functions (n(D)) along with a King probe for measuring liquid water content, LWC. A Passive Cavity Aerosol Spectrometer Probe PCASP measured aerosol particles between 0.1 to 3μm. Cloud legs from three research flights are classified into different regimes based on the aerosol concentration measured in the accumulation mode by the PCASP (Na) and its location above clouds. These legs include vertical transects through clouds and sawtooths (ramped legs starting above or below the cloud layer, completing a vertical transect through the cloud and repeating this pattern for several legs). The regimes; clean, mixing and separated, correspond to conditions with Na less than 100 cm-3 above cloud top, Na greater than 100 cm-3 within 100 m above cloud top and Na greater than 100 cm-3 separated from the cloud top by more than 100 m. During the mixing regime, measurements from CAS and 2DS show that droplet concentrations and cloud optical depths increased and

  7. Ice versus liquid water saturation in simulations of the indian summer monsoon

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Glazer, Russell H.; Misra, Vasubandhu

    2018-02-01

    At the same temperature, below 0 °C, the saturation vapor pressure (SVP) over ice is slightly less than the SVP over liquid water. Numerical models use the Clausius-Clapeyron relation to calculate the SVP and relative humidity, but there is not a consistent method for the treatment of saturation above the freezing level where ice and mixed-phase clouds may be present. In the context of current challenges presented by cloud microphysics in climate models, we argue that a better understanding of the impact that this treatment has on saturation-related processes like cloud formation and precipitation, is needed. This study explores the importance of the SVP calculation through model simulations of the Indian summer monsoon (ISM) using the regional spectral model (RSM) at 15 km grid spacing. A combination of seasonal and multiyear simulations is conducted with two saturation parameterizations. In one, the SVP over liquid water is prescribed through the entire atmospheric column (woIce), and in another the SVP over ice is used above the freezing level (wIce). When SVP over ice is prescribed, a thermodynamic drying of the middle and upper troposphere above the freezing level occurs due to increased condensation. In the wIce runs, the model responds to the slight decrease in the saturation condition by increasing, relative to the SVP over liquid water only run, grid-scale condensation of water. Increased grid-scale mean seasonal precipitation is noted across the ISM region in the simulation with SVP over ice prescribed. Modification of the middle and upper troposphere moisture results in a decrease in mean seasonal mid-level cloud amount and an increase in high cloud amount when SVP over ice is prescribed. Multiyear simulations strongly corroborate the qualitative results found in the seasonal simulations regarding the impact of ice versus liquid water SVP on the ISM's mean precipitation and moisture field. The mean seasonal rainfall difference over All India between w

  8. Water Ice Clouds as Seen from the Mars Exploration Rovers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wolff, M. J.; Clancy, R. T.; Banfield, D.; Cuozzo, K.

    2005-12-01

    Water ice clouds that bear a striking resemblance to terrestrial cirrus (e.g., "Mare's tails") have been observed by the Panoramic Camera (Pancam), the Navigation Camera (Navcam), the Hazard Camera (Hazcam), and the Minature Thermal Emission Spectrometer (Mini-TES) on board the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER). Such phenomena represent an opportunity to characterize local and regional scale meteorology as well as our understanding of the processes involved. However, a necessary first-step is to adequately describe some basic properties of the detected clouds: 1) when are the clouds present (i.e., local time, season, etc.)? 2) where are the clouds present? That is to say, what is the relative frequency between the two rover sites as well as the connection to detections from orbiting spacecraft. 3) what are the observed morphologies? 4) what are the projected velocities (i.e., wind speeds and directions) associated with the clouds? 5) what is the abundance of water ice nuclei (i.e., optical depth)? Our talk will summarize our progress in answering the above questions, as well as provide initial results in connecting the observations to more global behavior in the Martian climate.

  9. The ACRIDICON-CHUVA observational study of tropical convective clouds and precipitation using the new German research aircraft HALO

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wendisch, Manfred; Pöschl, Ulrich; Andreae, Meinrat O.; Machado, Luiz A. T.; Albrecht, Rachel; Schlager, Hans; Rosenfeld, Daniel; Krämer, Martina

    2015-04-01

    An extensive airborne/ground-based measurement campaign to study tropical convective clouds is introduced. It was performed in Brazil with focus on the Amazon rainforest from 1 September to 4 October 2014. The project combined the joint German-Brazilian ACRIDICON (Aerosol, Cloud, Precipitation, and Radiation Interactions and Dynamics of Convective Cloud Systems) and CHUVA (Machado et al.2014) projects. ACRIDICON aimed at the quantification of aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions and their thermodynamic, dynamic and radiative effects in convective cloud systems by in-situ aircraft observations and indirect measurements (aircraft, satellite, and ground-based). The ACRIDICON-CHUVA campaign was conducted in cooperation with the second Intensive Operational Phase (IOP) of the GOAmazon (Green Ocean Amazon) program. The focus in this presentation is on the airborne observations within ACRIDICON-CHUVA. The German HALO (High Altitude and Long-Range Research Aircraft) was based in Manaus (Amazonas State); it carried out 14 research flights (96 flight hours in total). HALO was equipped with remote sensing and in-situ instrumentation for meteorological, trace gas, aerosol, cloud, and precipitation measurements. Five mission objectives were pursued: (1) cloud vertical evolution (cloud profiling), (2) aerosol processing (inflow and outflow), (3) satellite validation, (4) vertical transport and mixing (tracer experiment), and (5) clouds over forested and deforested areas. The five cloud missions collected data in clean atmospheric conditions and in contrasting polluted (urban and biomass burning) environments.

  10. Satellite Remote Sensing of the Liquid Water Sensitivity in Water Clouds

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Han, Qing-Yuan; Rossow, William B.; Welch, Ronald; Zeng, Jane; Jansen, James E. (Technical Monitor)

    2001-01-01

    In estimation of the aerosol indirect effect, cloud liquid water path is considered either constant (Twomey effect) or increasing with enhanced droplet number concentrations (drizzle-suppression effect, or Albrecht effect) if cloud microphysics is the prevailing mechanism during the aerosol-cloud interactions. On the other hand, if cloud thermodynamics and dynamics are considered, the cloud liquid water path may be decreased with increasing droplet number concentration, which is predicted by model calculations and observed in ship-track and urban influence studies. This study is to examine the different responses of cloud liquid water path to changes of cloud droplet number concentration. Satellite data (January, April, July and October 1987) are used to retrieve the cloud liquid water sensitivity, defined as the changes of liquid water path versus changes of column droplet number concentrations. The results of a global survey reveal that 1) in at least one third of the cases the cloud liquid water sensitivity is negative, and the regional and seasonal variations of the negative liquid water sensitivity are consistent with other observations; 2) cloud droplet sizes are always inversely proportional to column droplet number concentrations. Our results suggest that an increase of cloud droplet number concentration leads to reduced cloud droplet size and enhanced evaporation, which weakens the coupling between water clouds and boundary layer in warm zones, decreases water supply from surface and desiccates cloud liquid water. Our results also suggest that the current evaluations of negative aerosol indirect forcing by global climate models (GCM), which are based on Twomey effect or Albrecht effect, may be overestimated.

  11. Examining the Impact of Smoke on Frontal Clouds and Precipitation During the 2002 Yakutsk Wildfires Using the WRF-Chem-SMOKE Model and Satellite Data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lu, Zheng; Sokolik, Irina N.

    2017-12-01

    In 2002, an enormous amount of smoke has been emitted from Yakutsk wildfires. In this study, we examine the impact of smoke on cloud properties and precipitation associated with frontal systems using the WRF-Chem-SMOKE model and satellite data. The smoke emissions are computed using the fire radiative power technique. Smoke particles are represented as an internal mixture of organic matter (OM), black carbon (BC), and other inorganic matter, and their microphysical and radiative effects are explicitly modeled. After examining the fire activities, we identified two fire periods (FP1 and FP2). During FP1, in the cloud deck with the high cloud droplet number concentration (CDNC), but the relatively small amount of ice nuclei (IN), the rain and snow water contents (RWC and SWC) were strongly reduced, because of suppressed collision-coalescence and riming processes. The cloud cells acquired the longer lifetime and traveled farther downwind. During FP2, in the cloud deck with relatively high CDNC and IN, RWC was reduced; however, the large amounts of IN triggered the glaciation indirect effect and leaded to increased SWC. Due to the competing effects of CDNC and IN, changes in the cloud lifetime were small. Consequently, smoke-induced changes in the total cloudiness cause a dipole feature. After the smoke was nearly consumed during FP1, the large-scale dynamics of the frontal system was altered by smoke. The onset of the precipitation was delayed by 1 day. In FP2, the onset of the precipitation was not delayed but occurred at different locations, and the area-averaged precipitation was slightly reduced ( 0.5 mm/day).

  12. A second look at the CloudSat/TRMM intersect data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Haddad, Z.; Kuo, K.; Smith, E. A.; Kiang, D.; Turk, F. J.

    2010-12-01

    physics (unaffected by multiple scattering), we considered the TRMM estimates in the rain below the freezing level, and tried to infer the joint behavior of the overlying CloudSat measurements above the freezing level as a function of the rain - and, conversely, we considered the vertical variability of the CloudSat estimates in the above-freezing region, and derived the joint behavior of the TRMM measurements in the rain as a function of the CloudSat estimates. The results are compiled in databases that should allow users of less-sensitive lower-frequency radars to infer some quantitative information about the storm structure above the precipitating core in the absence of higher-frequency measurements, just as it will allow users of too-sensitive higher-frequency radars to infer some quantitative information about the precipitation closer to the surface in the absence of lower-frequency measurements.

  13. Numerical simulation of cloud and precipitation structure during GALE IOP-2

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Robertson, F. R.; Perkey, D. J.; Seablom, M. S.

    1988-01-01

    A regional scale model, LAMPS (Limited Area Mesoscale Prediction System), is used to investigate cloud and precipitation structure that accompanied a short wave system during a portion of GALE IOP-2. A comparison of satellite imagery and model fields indicates that much of the large mesoscale organization of condensation has been captured by the simulation. In addition to reproducing a realistic phasing of two baroclinic zones associated with a split cold front, a reasonable simulation of the gross mesoscale cloud distribution has been achieved.

  14. Global warming precipitation accumulation increases above the current-climate cutoff scale

    PubMed Central

    Sahany, Sandeep; Stechmann, Samuel N.; Bernstein, Diana N.

    2017-01-01

    Precipitation accumulations, integrated over rainfall events, can be affected by both intensity and duration of the storm event. Thus, although precipitation intensity is widely projected to increase under global warming, a clear framework for predicting accumulation changes has been lacking, despite the importance of accumulations for societal impacts. Theory for changes in the probability density function (pdf) of precipitation accumulations is presented with an evaluation of these changes in global climate model simulations. We show that a simple set of conditions implies roughly exponential increases in the frequency of the very largest accumulations above a physical cutoff scale, increasing with event size. The pdf exhibits an approximately power-law range where probability density drops slowly with each order of magnitude size increase, up to a cutoff at large accumulations that limits the largest events experienced in current climate. The theory predicts that the cutoff scale, controlled by the interplay of moisture convergence variance and precipitation loss, tends to increase under global warming. Thus, precisely the large accumulations above the cutoff that are currently rare will exhibit increases in the warmer climate as this cutoff is extended. This indeed occurs in the full climate model, with a 3 °C end-of-century global-average warming yielding regional increases of hundreds of percent to >1,000% in the probability density of the largest accumulations that have historical precedents. The probabilities of unprecedented accumulations are also consistent with the extension of the cutoff. PMID:28115693

  15. Global warming precipitation accumulation increases above the current-climate cutoff scale

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Neelin, J. David; Sahany, Sandeep; Stechmann, Samuel N.; Bernstein, Diana N.

    2017-02-01

    Precipitation accumulations, integrated over rainfall events, can be affected by both intensity and duration of the storm event. Thus, although precipitation intensity is widely projected to increase under global warming, a clear framework for predicting accumulation changes has been lacking, despite the importance of accumulations for societal impacts. Theory for changes in the probability density function (pdf) of precipitation accumulations is presented with an evaluation of these changes in global climate model simulations. We show that a simple set of conditions implies roughly exponential increases in the frequency of the very largest accumulations above a physical cutoff scale, increasing with event size. The pdf exhibits an approximately power-law range where probability density drops slowly with each order of magnitude size increase, up to a cutoff at large accumulations that limits the largest events experienced in current climate. The theory predicts that the cutoff scale, controlled by the interplay of moisture convergence variance and precipitation loss, tends to increase under global warming. Thus, precisely the large accumulations above the cutoff that are currently rare will exhibit increases in the warmer climate as this cutoff is extended. This indeed occurs in the full climate model, with a 3 °C end-of-century global-average warming yielding regional increases of hundreds of percent to >1,000% in the probability density of the largest accumulations that have historical precedents. The probabilities of unprecedented accumulations are also consistent with the extension of the cutoff.

  16. Global warming precipitation accumulation increases above the current-climate cutoff scale

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Neelin, J. David; Sahany, Sandeep; Stechmann, Samuel N.

    Precipitation accumulations, integrated over rainfall events, can be affected by both intensity and duration of the storm event. Thus, although precipitation intensity is widely projected to increase under global warming, a clear framework for predicting accumulation changes has been lacking, despite the importance of accumulations for societal impacts. Theory for changes in the probability density function (pdf) of precipitation accumulations is presented with an evaluation of these changes in global climate model simulations. We show that a simple set of conditions implies roughly exponential increases in the frequency of the very largest accumulations above a physical cutoff scale, increasing withmore » event size. The pdf exhibits an approximately power-law range where probability density drops slowly with each order of magnitude size increase, up to a cutoff at large accumulations that limits the largest events experienced in current climate. The theory predicts that the cutoff scale, controlled by the interplay of moisture convergence variance and precipitation loss, tends to increase under global warming. Thus, precisely the large accumulations above the cutoff that are currently rare will exhibit increases in the warmer climate as this cutoff is extended. This indeed occurs in the full climate model, with a 3 °C end-of-century global-average warming yielding regional increases of hundreds of percent to >1,000% in the probability density of the largest accumulations that have historical precedents. The probabilities of unprecedented accumulations are also consistent with the extension of the cutoff.« less

  17. Global warming precipitation accumulation increases above the current-climate cutoff scale.

    PubMed

    Neelin, J David; Sahany, Sandeep; Stechmann, Samuel N; Bernstein, Diana N

    2017-02-07

    Precipitation accumulations, integrated over rainfall events, can be affected by both intensity and duration of the storm event. Thus, although precipitation intensity is widely projected to increase under global warming, a clear framework for predicting accumulation changes has been lacking, despite the importance of accumulations for societal impacts. Theory for changes in the probability density function (pdf) of precipitation accumulations is presented with an evaluation of these changes in global climate model simulations. We show that a simple set of conditions implies roughly exponential increases in the frequency of the very largest accumulations above a physical cutoff scale, increasing with event size. The pdf exhibits an approximately power-law range where probability density drops slowly with each order of magnitude size increase, up to a cutoff at large accumulations that limits the largest events experienced in current climate. The theory predicts that the cutoff scale, controlled by the interplay of moisture convergence variance and precipitation loss, tends to increase under global warming. Thus, precisely the large accumulations above the cutoff that are currently rare will exhibit increases in the warmer climate as this cutoff is extended. This indeed occurs in the full climate model, with a 3 °C end-of-century global-average warming yielding regional increases of hundreds of percent to >1,000% in the probability density of the largest accumulations that have historical precedents. The probabilities of unprecedented accumulations are also consistent with the extension of the cutoff.

  18. Global warming precipitation accumulation increases above the current-climate cutoff scale

    DOE PAGES

    Neelin, J. David; Sahany, Sandeep; Stechmann, Samuel N.; ...

    2017-01-23

    Precipitation accumulations, integrated over rainfall events, can be affected by both intensity and duration of the storm event. Thus, although precipitation intensity is widely projected to increase under global warming, a clear framework for predicting accumulation changes has been lacking, despite the importance of accumulations for societal impacts. Theory for changes in the probability density function (pdf) of precipitation accumulations is presented with an evaluation of these changes in global climate model simulations. We show that a simple set of conditions implies roughly exponential increases in the frequency of the very largest accumulations above a physical cutoff scale, increasing withmore » event size. The pdf exhibits an approximately power-law range where probability density drops slowly with each order of magnitude size increase, up to a cutoff at large accumulations that limits the largest events experienced in current climate. The theory predicts that the cutoff scale, controlled by the interplay of moisture convergence variance and precipitation loss, tends to increase under global warming. Thus, precisely the large accumulations above the cutoff that are currently rare will exhibit increases in the warmer climate as this cutoff is extended. This indeed occurs in the full climate model, with a 3 °C end-of-century global-average warming yielding regional increases of hundreds of percent to >1,000% in the probability density of the largest accumulations that have historical precedents. The probabilities of unprecedented accumulations are also consistent with the extension of the cutoff.« less

  19. Climate Variability during the TRMM Era: Relationships between TRMM Precipitation and Upper-Tropospheric Hydrometeors

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Robertson, Franklin

    2008-01-01

    Tropical rainfall as seen by the TRMM radar has multiple scales of organization, one prominent example of which is mesoscale deep convection that supports the production of strong, widespread anvil systems important to the planet's water and energy balance. TRMM PR precipitation retrievals (i.e. the 2A25 algorithm) are reliable down to rates below 1.0 mm/h which captures the majority of near-surface rainfall. However, much of the precipitating hydrometeor mass above the freezing level in these anvil systems may be associated with particles where TRMM PR s/n is low. In out analysis we are examining the question of 'What portions of the total hydrometeor spectrum can we see individually with TRMM, CloudSat, high frequency passive microwave (e.g. AMSU-B, MHS) and MODIS'. This will allow us to pursue fundamental issues of precipitation, efficiency, maintenance of upper-troposheric humidity, and cloud forcing variability in the tropical climate system. We do this by generating frequency distributions of ice water content (IWC), integrated IWC (IWP), and precipitation as appropriate for these sensors and relate these to TRMM near-surface rainfall. Joint frequency distributions are developed from more limited coincidence between TRMM and these sensors. We interpret these results in terms of a climate regime descriptor and as an index of precipitation efficiency for tropical rain systems.

  20. A satellite observation test bed for cloud parameterization development

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lebsock, M. D.; Suselj, K.

    2015-12-01

    We present an observational test-bed of cloud and precipitation properties derived from CloudSat, CALIPSO, and the the A-Train. The focus of the test-bed is on marine boundary layer clouds including stratocumulus and cumulus and the transition between these cloud regimes. Test-bed properties include the cloud cover and three dimensional cloud fraction along with the cloud water path and precipitation water content, and associated radiative fluxes. We also include the subgrid scale distribution of cloud and precipitation, and radiaitive quantities, which must be diagnosed by a model parameterization. The test-bed further includes meterological variables from the Modern Era Retrospective-analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA). MERRA variables provide the initialization and forcing datasets to run a parameterization in Single Column Model (SCM) mode. We show comparisons of an Eddy-Diffusivity/Mass-FLux (EDMF) parameterization coupled to micorphsycis and macrophysics packages run in SCM mode with observed clouds. Comparsions are performed regionally in areas of climatological subsidence as well stratified by dynamical and thermodynamical variables. Comparisons demonstrate the ability of the EDMF model to capture the observed transitions between subtropical stratocumulus and cumulus cloud regimes.

  1. Forty-year (1971-2010) semiquantitative observations of visibility-cloud-precipitation in Korea and its implication for aerosol effects on regional climate.

    PubMed

    Lee, Hyo-Jung; Kang, Jeong-Eon; Kim, Cheol-Hee

    2015-07-01

    Forty-year (1971-2010) observations of cloud cover and types have been analyzed, and implications on the effects of aerosol-cloud feedback were explored. Cloud cover and types have been observed over Korea on the basis of visible (human-eye) attributes without any change in official observing instructions. Visibility has been used as an ongoing proxy measure of aerosol concentrations, and observed meteorological variables such as sunshine duration and precipitation have been employed to analyze aerosol causes and implications for urban and regional climate. The analysis revealed persistent decade-long patterns in Korea: steadily reduced visibility (-0.37 km/yr), consistently decreasing sunshine duration (-0.06 %/hr), and declining occurrence of light precipitation. Spatial distributions of sunshine duration and visibility exhibited more localized variations in the early period (1971-1990), and tended to be more uniform throughout Korea over more recent years (1991-2010), implying the recent regional-scale impact of cloud change over northeast Asia. Cloud analysis results showed that the five most common types were stratocumulus (Sc), cirrus (Ci), altostratus (As), stratus (St), and nimbostratus (Ns), with occurrences of 33%, 17%, 17%, 9%, and 8%, respectively. Occurrence of rarely precipitating or nonprecipitating low-level Sc clouds showed an increasing (+0.34%/yr), but no (or only minor) effects of aerosols on heavy precipitation such as cumulus cloud types were found. Cloud cover in the range of 6/10 to 8/10 units has increased by 31.5±6.5%, and occurrences of both cloud-free (~2/10 units) and overcast (~8/10 units) conditions have decreased. Aerosol-cloud-precipitations interaction is highly nonlinear due to feedback mechanisms. One reason for our poor understanding of the aerosol-cloud feedback study is the variety of cloud types with their complicated responses to variations of the aerosol. Our study on the response of precipitation-cloud to long

  2. Determine precipitation rates from visible and infrared satellite images of clouds by pattern recognition technique. Progress Report, 1 Jul. 1985 - 31 Mar. 1987 Ph.D. Thesis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Weinman, James A.; Garan, Louis

    1987-01-01

    A more advanced cloud pattern analysis algorithm was subsequently developed to take the shape and brightness of the various clouds into account in a manner that is more consistent with the human analyst's perception of GOES cloud imagery. The results of that classification scheme were compared with precipitation probabilities observed from ships of opportunity off the U.S. east coast to derive empirical regressions between cloud types and precipitation probability. The cloud morphology was then quantitatively and objectively used to map precipitation probabilities during two winter months during which severe cold air outbreaks were observed over the northwest Atlantic. Precipitation probabilities associated with various cloud types are summarized. Maps of precipitation probability derived from the cloud morphology analysis program for two months and the precipitation probability derived from thirty years of ship observation were observed.

  3. Simulation of Space-borne Radar Observation from High Resolution Cloud Model - for GPM Dual frequency Precipitation Radar -

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, H.; Meneghini, R.; Jones, J.; Liao, L.

    2011-12-01

    A comprehensive space-borne radar simulator has been developed to support active microwave sensor satellite missions. The two major objectives of this study are: 1) to develop a radar simulator optimized for the Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (KuPR and KaPR) on the Global Precipitation Measurement Mission satellite (GPM-DPR) and 2) to generate the synthetic test datasets for DPR algorithm development. This simulator consists of two modules: a DPR scanning configuration module and a forward module that generates atmospheric and surface radar observations. To generate realistic DPR test data, the scanning configuration module specifies the technical characteristics of DPR sensor and emulates the scanning geometry of the DPR with a inner swath of about 120 km, which contains matched-beam data from both frequencies, and an outer swath from 120 to 245 km over which only Ku-band data will be acquired. The second module is a forward model used to compute radar observables (reflectivity, attenuation and polarimetric variables) from input model variables including temperature, pressure and water content (rain water, cloud water, cloud ice, snow, graupel and water vapor) over the radar resolution volume. Presently, the input data to the simulator come from the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) and Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) models where a constant mass density is assumed for each species with a particle size distribution given by an exponential distribution with fixed intercept parameter (N0) and a slope parameter (Λ) determined from the equivalent water content. Although the model data do not presently contain mixed phase hydrometeors, the Yokoyama-Tanaka melting model is used along with the Bruggeman effective dielectric constant to replace rain and snow particles, where both are present, with mixed phase particles while preserving the snow/water fraction. For testing one of the DPR retrieval algorithms, the Surface Reference Technique (SRT), the simulator uses

  4. The Impact of Aerosols on Cloud and Precipitation Processes: Cloud-Resolving Model Simulations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tao, Wei-Kuo; Li, X.; Khain, A.; Simpson, S.

    2005-01-01

    Cloud microphysics are inevitable affected by the smoke particle (CCN, cloud condensation nuclei) size distributions below the clouds, Therefore, size distributions parameterized as spectral bin microphysics are needed to explicitly study the effect of atmospheric aerosol concentration on cloud development, rainfall production, and rainfall rates for convective clouds. Recently, a detailed spectral-bin microphysical scheme was implemented into the the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) model. The formulation for the explicit spectral-bim microphysical processes is based on solving stochastic kinetic equations for the size distribution functions of water droplets (i.e., cloud droplets and raindrops), and several types of ice particles [i.e., pristine ice crystals (columnar and plate-like), snow (dendrites and aggregates), graupel and frozen drops/hail]. Each type is described by a special size distribution function containing many categories (i.e., 33 bins). Atmospheric aerosols are also described using number density size-distribution functions.

  5. Relation of Cloud Occurrence Frequency, Overlap, and Effective Thickness Derived from CALIPSO and CloudSat Merged Cloud Vertical Profiles

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kato, Seiji; Sun-Mack, Sunny; Miller, Walter F.; Rose, Fred G.; Chen, Yan; Minnis, Patrick; Wielicki, Bruce A.

    2009-01-01

    A cloud frequency of occurrence matrix is generated using merged cloud vertical profile derived from Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) and Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR). The matrix contains vertical profiles of cloud occurrence frequency as a function of the uppermost cloud top. It is shown that the cloud fraction and uppermost cloud top vertical pro les can be related by a set of equations when the correlation distance of cloud occurrence, which is interpreted as an effective cloud thickness, is introduced. The underlying assumption in establishing the above relation is that cloud overlap approaches the random overlap with increasing distance separating cloud layers and that the probability of deviating from the random overlap decreases exponentially with distance. One month of CALIPSO and CloudSat data support these assumptions. However, the correlation distance sometimes becomes large, which might be an indication of precipitation. The cloud correlation distance is equivalent to the de-correlation distance introduced by Hogan and Illingworth [2000] when cloud fractions of both layers in a two-cloud layer system are the same.

  6. The Radiative Effects of Martian Water Ice Clouds on the Local Atmospheric Temperature Profile

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Colaprete, Anthony; Toon, Owen B.

    2000-01-01

    Mars Pathfinder made numerous discoveries, one of which was a deep temperature inversion that extended from about 15 km down to 8 km above the surface. It has been suggested by Haberle et al. (1999. J. Geophys. Res. 104, 8957-8974.) that radiative cooling by a water ice cloud may generate such an inversion. Clouds can strongly affect the local air temperature due to their ability to radiate efficiently in the infrared and due to the low air mass of the martian atmosphere, which allows the temperature to change during the relatively short lifetime of a cloud. We utilize a time-dependent microphysical aerosol model coupled to a radiative--convective model to explore the effects water ice clouds have on the local martian temperature profile. We constrain the dust and water vapor abundance using data from the Viking Missions and Mars Pathfinder. Water t ice clouds with visible optical depths of r > 0.1 form readily in these simulations. These clouds alter the local air temperature directly, through infrared cooling, and indirectly, by redistributing atmospheric dust. With this model we are able to reproduce the temperature inversions observed by Mars Pathfinder and Mars Global t Surveyor 2000 Academic Press

  7. Warming ancient Mars with water clouds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hartwick, V.; Toon, B.

    2017-12-01

    High clouds in the present day Mars atmosphere nucleate on interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) that burn up on entry into the Mars atmosphere. Clouds form when superstaturated water vapor condenses on suspended aerosols. Radiatively active water ice clouds may play a crucial role in warming the early Mars climate. Urata and Toon (2011) simulate a stable warm paleo-climate for Mars if clouds form high in the atmosphere and if particles are sufficiently large (r > 10 μm). The annual fluence of micrometeoroids at Mars was larger early on in the evolution of our solar system. Additionally, the water vapor budget throughout the middle and high atmosphere was likely heightened . Both factors should contribute to enhanced nucleation and growth of water ice cloud particles at high altitudes. Here, we use the MarsCAM-CARMA general circulation model (GCM) to examine the radiative impact of high altitude water ice clouds on the early Mars climate and as a possible solution to the faint young sun problem for Mars.

  8. Extending 'Deep Blue' aerosol retrieval coverage to cases of absorbing aerosols above clouds: sensitivity analysis and first case studies

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Sayer, Andrew M.; Hsu, C.; Bettenhausen, Corey

    Cases of absorbing aerosols above clouds (AAC), such as smoke or mineral dust, are omitted from most routinely-processed space-based aerosol optical depth (AOD) data products, including those from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). This study presents a sensitivity analysis and preliminary algorithm to retrieve above-cloud AOD and liquid cloud optical depth (COD) for AAC cases from MODIS or similar

  9. Diabatic forcing and initialization with assimilation of cloud and rain water in a forecast model: Methodology

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Raymond, William H.; Olson, William S.; Callan, Geary

    1990-01-01

    The focus of this part of the investigation is to find one or more general modeling techniques that will help reduce the time taken by numerical forecast models to initiate or spin-up precipitation processes and enhance storm intensity. If the conventional data base could explain the atmospheric mesoscale flow in detail, then much of our problem would be eliminated. But the data base is primarily synoptic scale, requiring that a solution must be sought either in nonconventional data, in methods to initialize mesoscale circulations, or in ways of retaining between forecasts the model generated mesoscale dynamics and precipitation fields. All three methods are investigated. The initialization and assimilation of explicit cloud and rainwater quantities computed from conservation equations in a mesoscale regional model are examined. The physical processes include condensation, evaporation, autoconversion, accretion, and the removal of rainwater by fallout. The question of how to initialize the explicit liquid water calculations in numerical models and how to retain information about precipitation processes during the 4-D assimilation cycle are important issues that are addressed. The explicit cloud calculations were purposely kept simple so that different initialization techniques can be easily and economically tested. Precipitation spin-up processes associated with three different types of weather phenomena are examined. Our findings show that diabatic initialization, or diabatic initialization in combination with a new diabatic forcing procedure, work effectively to enhance the spin-up of precipitation in a mesoscale numerical weather prediction forecast. Also, the retention of cloud and rain water during the analysis phase of the 4-D data assimilation procedure is shown to be valuable. Without detailed observations, the vertical placement of the diabatic heating remains a critical problem.

  10. The Role of Aerosols in Cloud Growth, Suppression, and Precipitation: Yoram Kaufman and his Contributions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    King, Michael D.

    2006-01-01

    Aerosol particles are produced in the earth's atmosphere through both natural as well as manmade processes, and contribute profoundly to the (i) formation and characteristics of clouds, (ii) lifetime of clouds, (iii) optical and microphysical properties of clouds, (iv) human health through effects on air quality and the size of particulates as well as vectors for transport of pathogens, (v) climate response and feedbacks, (vi) precipitation, and (vii) harmful algal blooms. Without aerosol particles in the Earth's atmosphere, there would be no fogs, no clouds, ,no mists, and probably no rain, as noted as far back as 1880 by Scottish physicist John Aitken. With the modern development of instrumentation, both groundbased, airborne, and satellite-based, much progress has been made in linkng phenomena and processes together, and putting regional air quality characteristics and hypothesized cloud response into closer scrutiny and linkages. In h s presentation I will summarize the wide ranging contributions that Yoram Kaufman has made in ground-based (AERONET), aircraft field campaigns (such as SCAR-B and TARFOX), and, especially, satellite remote sensing (Landsat, MODIS, POLDER) to shed new light on this broad ranging and interdisciplinary field of cloud-aerosol-precipitation interactions.

  11. A Multi-Model Analysis of the Cloud Phase Transition in 16 GCMs Using Satellite Observations (CALIPSO/GPCP) and Reanalysis Data (ECMWF/MERRA).

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cesana, G.; Waliser, D. E.; Jiang, X.; Li, J. L. F.

    2014-12-01

    The ubiquitous presence of clouds within the troposphere contributes to modulate the radiative balance of the earth-atmosphere system. Depending on their cloud phase, clouds may have different microphysical and macrophysical properties, and hence, different radiative effects. In this study, we took advantage of climate runs from the GASS-YoTC and AMIP multi-model experiments to document the differences associated to the cloud phase parameterizations of 16 GCMs. A particular emphasize has been put on the vertical structure of the transition between liquid and ice in clouds. A way to intercompare the models regardless of their cloud fraction is to study the ratio of the ice mass to the total mass of the condensed water. To address the challenge of evaluating the modeled cloud phase, we profited from the cloud phase climatology so called CALIPSO-GOCCP, which separates liquid clouds from ice clouds at global scale, with a high vertical resolution (480m), above all surfaces. We also used reanalysis data and GPCP satellite observations to investigate the influence of the temperature, the relative humidity, the vertical wind speed and the precipitations on the cloud phase transition. In 12 (of 16) models, there are too few super cooled liquid in clouds compared to observations, mostly in the high troposphere. We exhibited evidences of the link between the cloud phase transition and the humidity, the vertical wind speed as well as the precipitations. Some cloud phase schemes are more affected by the humidity and the vertical velocity and some other by the precipitations. Although a few models can reproduce the observe relation between cloud phase and temperature, humidity, vertical velocity or precipitations, none of them perform well for all the parameters. An important result of this study is that the T-dependent phase parameterizations do not allow simulating the complexity of the observed cloud phase transition. Unfortunately, more complex microphysics schemes do not

  12. Integrated Modeling of Aerosol, Cloud, Precipitation and Land Processes at Satellite-Resolved Scales

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Peters-Lidard, Christa; Tao, Wei-Kuo; Chin, Mian; Braun, Scott; Case, Jonathan; Hou, Arthur; Kumar, Anil; Kumar, Sujay; Lau, William; Matsui, Toshihisa; hide

    2012-01-01

    In this talk, I will present recent results from a project led at NASA/GSFC, in collaboration with NASA/MSFC and JHU, focused on the development and application of an observation-driven integrated modeling system that represents aerosol, cloud, precipitation and land processes at satellite-resolved scales. The project, known as the NASA Unified WRF (NU-WRF), is funded by NASA's Modeling and Analysis Program, and leverages prior investments from the Air Force Weather Agency and NASA's Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO). We define "satellite-resolved" scales as being within a typical mesoscale atmospheric modeling grid (roughly 1-25 km), although this work is designed to bridge the continuum between local (microscale), regional (mesoscale) and global (synoptic) processes. NU-WRF is a superset of the standard NCAR Advanced Research WRF model, achieved by fully integrating the GSFC Land Information System (LIS, already coupled to WRF), the WRF/Chem enabled version of the Goddard Chemistry Aerosols Radiation Transport (GOCART) model, the Goddard Satellite Data Simulation Unit (SDSU), and boundary/initial condition preprocessors for MERRA and GEOS-5 into a single software release (with source code available by agreement with NASA/GSFC). I will show examples where the full coupling between aerosol, cloud, precipitation and land processes is critical for predicting local, regional, and global water and energy cycles, including some high-impact phenomena such as floods, hurricanes, mesoscale convective systems, droughts, and monsoons.

  13. Can nudging be used to quantify model sensitivities in precipitation and cloud forcing?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lin, Guangxing; Wan, Hui; Zhang, Kai; Qian, Yun; Ghan, Steven J.

    2016-09-01

    Efficient simulation strategies are crucial for the development and evaluation of high-resolution climate models. This paper evaluates simulations with constrained meteorology for the quantification of parametric sensitivities in the Community Atmosphere Model version 5 (CAM5). Two parameters are perturbed as illustrating examples: the convection relaxation time scale (TAU), and the threshold relative humidity for the formation of low-level stratiform clouds (rhminl). Results suggest that the fidelity of the constrained simulations depends on the detailed implementation of nudging and the mechanism through which the perturbed parameter affects precipitation and cloud. The relative computational costs of nudged and free-running simulations are determined by the magnitude of internal variability in the physical quantities of interest, as well as the magnitude of the parameter perturbation. In the case of a strong perturbation in convection, temperature, and/or wind nudging with a 6 h relaxation time scale leads to nonnegligible side effects due to the distorted interactions between resolved dynamics and parameterized convection, while 1 year free-running simulations can satisfactorily capture the annual mean precipitation and cloud forcing sensitivities. In the case of a relatively weak perturbation in the large-scale condensation scheme, results from 1 year free-running simulations are strongly affected by natural noise, while nudging winds effectively reduces the noise, and reasonably reproduces the sensitivities. These results indicate that caution is needed when using nudged simulations to assess precipitation and cloud forcing sensitivities to parameter changes in general circulation models. We also demonstrate that ensembles of short simulations are useful for understanding the evolution of model sensitivities.

  14. NARVAL North - Remote Sensing of Postfrontal Convective Clouds and Precipitation over the North Atlantic with the Research Aircraft HALO

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Klepp, Christian; Ament, Felix; Bakan, Stephan; Crewell, Susanne; Hagen, Martin; Hirsch, Lutz; Jansen, Friedhelm; Konow, Heike; Mech, Mario; Pfeilsticker, Klaus; Schäfler, Andreas; Stevens, Bjorn

    2014-05-01

    The new German research aircraft HALO (High Altitude and Long Range Research Aircraft) became recently available for measurement flights in atmospheric research. It's capacity of measuring from a high altitude vertical profiles of all components of atmospheric water - like vapor, liquid and ice, in both cloud and precipitation forms, as well as the aerosol particles upon which cloud droplets form - makes it a unique research platform. The aircraft, equipped with advanced radiometers, radar and lidar technology, the HALO Microwave Package (HAMP), is an initiative by German climate and environmental research institutions and is operated by the German Aerospace Center (DLR). One of the first major missions to exploit the capabilities of HALO was conducted for the NARVAL project (Next-generation Aircraft Remote-Sensing for Validation Studies) during January 2014. After studying subtropical clouds one month before in the first NARVAL phase, the interest of NARVAL North focused on the study of cold air convection and precipitation in the form of rain and snow. Based at Keflavik airport (Iceland), several flights were conducted to examine the specific small-scale precipitation structures behind the backsides of cold fronts over the North Atlantic. This should help to narrow the gap in the understanding of substantial differences between satellite observations and model calculations in such situations. First data analysis of these measurements indicate promising results. The poster will describe the HALO instrument packages as well as the collected observations during the campaign and will present preliminary scientific findings.

  15. Using Large-Eddy Simulation to Explore Microphysical Precursor Conditions for Precipitation Initiation in Marine Stratocumulus

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chandler, H.; Mechem, D. B.; Fridlind, A. M.; Ackerman, A. S.

    2016-12-01

    Although the classical model of how a population of cloud droplets grows to precipitation-sized drops through the condensation and coalescence processes is well accepted, it does not fully address the history of how nascent precipitation drops come about in warm clouds. Precipitation initiation is influenced by the properties of the cloud drop distribution and in bulk large-eddy simulation (LES) models is parameterized by autoconversion. Double-moment formulations of autoconversion rate generally weight cloud water content qc more than cloud drop concentration Nc (e.g., qc2.47Nc-1.79, Khairoutdinov and Kogan 2000) and precipitation rate scalings derived from field campaigns suggest a dominance of thermodynamic over aerosol factors. However, the mechanisms that drive precipitation initiation in any given cloud are still uncertain. From the perspective of autoconversion, do the regions where precipitation onset occurs experience large liquid water content values (large qc), or are they anomalously clean (small Nc)? Recent laboratory measurements suggest that fluctuations in the supersaturation field may also play a role in precipitation initiation. This study explores the nature of precursor conditions to precipitation onset within marine stratocumulus clouds. We apply an LES model with size-resolving microphysics to a case of marine stratocumulus over the eastern north Atlantic. Backward trajectories originating from regions of precipitation initiation are calculated from the time-evolving LES flow fields to examine the history of fluid parcels that ultimately contain embryonic precipitation.

  16. Tightening of tropical ascent and high clouds key to precipitation change in a warmer climate

    PubMed Central

    Su, Hui; Jiang, Jonathan H.; Neelin, J. David; Shen, T. Janice; Zhai, Chengxing; Yue, Qing; Wang, Zhien; Huang, Lei; Choi, Yong-Sang; Stephens, Graeme L.; Yung, Yuk L.

    2017-01-01

    The change of global-mean precipitation under global warming and interannual variability is predominantly controlled by the change of atmospheric longwave radiative cooling. Here we show that tightening of the ascending branch of the Hadley Circulation coupled with a decrease in tropical high cloud fraction is key in modulating precipitation response to surface warming. The magnitude of high cloud shrinkage is a primary contributor to the intermodel spread in the changes of tropical-mean outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) and global-mean precipitation per unit surface warming (dP/dTs) for both interannual variability and global warming. Compared to observations, most Coupled Model Inter-comparison Project Phase 5 models underestimate the rates of interannual tropical-mean dOLR/dTs and global-mean dP/dTs, consistent with the muted tropical high cloud shrinkage. We find that the five models that agree with the observation-based interannual dP/dTs all predict dP/dTs under global warming higher than the ensemble mean dP/dTs from the ∼20 models analysed in this study. PMID:28589940

  17. Microwave Passive Ground-Based Retrievals of Cloud and Rain Liquid Water Path in Drizzling Clouds: Challenges and Possibilities

    DOE PAGES

    Cadeddu, Maria P.; Marchand, Roger; Orlandi, Emiliano; ...

    2017-08-11

    Satellite and ground-based microwave radiometers are routinely used for the retrieval of liquid water path (LWP) under all atmospheric conditions. The retrieval of water vapor and LWP from ground-based radiometers during rain has proved to be a difficult challenge for two principal reasons: the inadequacy of the nonscattering approximation in precipitating clouds and the deposition of rain drops on the instrument's radome. In this paper, we combine model computations and real ground-based, zenith-viewing passive microwave radiometer brightness temperature measurements to investigate how total, cloud, and rain LWP retrievals are affected by assumptions on the cloud drop size distribution (DSD) andmore » under which conditions a nonscattering approximation can be considered reasonably accurate. Results show that until the drop effective diameter is larger than similar to 200 mu m, a nonscattering approximation yields results that are still accurate at frequencies less than 90 GHz. For larger drop sizes, it is shown that higher microwave frequencies contain useful information that can be used to separate cloud and rain LWP provided that the vertical distribution of hydrometeors, as well as the DSD, is reasonably known. The choice of the DSD parameters becomes important to ensure retrievals that are consistent with the measurements. A physical retrieval is tested on a synthetic data set and is then used to retrieve total, cloud, and rain LWP from radiometric measurements during two drizzling cases at the atmospheric radiation measurement Eastern North Atlantic site.« less

  18. Microwave Passive Ground-Based Retrievals of Cloud and Rain Liquid Water Path in Drizzling Clouds: Challenges and Possibilities

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Cadeddu, Maria P.; Marchand, Roger; Orlandi, Emiliano

    Satellite and ground-based microwave radiometers are routinely used for the retrieval of liquid water path (LWP) under all atmospheric conditions. The retrieval of water vapor and LWP from ground-based radiometers during rain has proved to be a difficult challenge for two principal reasons: the inadequacy of the nonscattering approximation in precipitating clouds and the deposition of rain drops on the instrument's radome. In this paper, we combine model computations and real ground-based, zenith-viewing passive microwave radiometer brightness temperature measurements to investigate how total, cloud, and rain LWP retrievals are affected by assumptions on the cloud drop size distribution (DSD) andmore » under which conditions a nonscattering approximation can be considered reasonably accurate. Results show that until the drop effective diameter is larger than similar to 200 mu m, a nonscattering approximation yields results that are still accurate at frequencies less than 90 GHz. For larger drop sizes, it is shown that higher microwave frequencies contain useful information that can be used to separate cloud and rain LWP provided that the vertical distribution of hydrometeors, as well as the DSD, is reasonably known. The choice of the DSD parameters becomes important to ensure retrievals that are consistent with the measurements. A physical retrieval is tested on a synthetic data set and is then used to retrieve total, cloud, and rain LWP from radiometric measurements during two drizzling cases at the atmospheric radiation measurement Eastern North Atlantic site.« less

  19. Spatial and Temporal Energy Characterization of Precipitating Electrons for the January 10th, 1997 Magnetic Cloud Event

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Spann, J. F., Jr.; Germany, G. A.; Brittnacher, M. J.; Parks, G. K.; Elsen, R.

    1997-01-01

    The January 10-11, 1997 magnetic cloud event provided a rare opportunity to study auroral energy deposition under varying but intense IMF conditions. The Wind spacecraft located about 100 RE upstream monitored the IMF and plasma parameters during the passing of the cloud. The Polar Ultraviolet Imager (UVI) observed the aurora[ precipitation during the first encounter of the cloud with Earth's magnetosphere and during several subsequent substorm events. The UVI has the unique capability of measuring the energy flux and characteristic energy of the precipitating electrons through the use of narrow band filters that distinguish short and long wavelength molecular nitrogen emissions. The spatial and temporal characteristics of the precipitating electron energy will be discussed beginning with the inception of the event at the Earth early January 1 Oth and continuing through the subsidence of auroral activity on January 11th.

  20. Competition for water vapour results in suppression of ice formation in mixed-phase clouds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Simpson, Emma L.; Connolly, Paul J.; McFiggans, Gordon

    2018-05-01

    The formation of ice in clouds can initiate precipitation and influence a cloud's reflectivity and lifetime, affecting climate to a highly uncertain degree. Nucleation of ice at elevated temperatures requires an ice nucleating particle (INP), which results in so-called heterogeneous freezing. Previously reported measurements for the ability of a particle to nucleate ice have been made in the absence of other aerosol which will act as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) and are ubiquitous in the atmosphere. Here we show that CCN can outcompete INPs for available water vapour thus suppressing ice formation, which has the potential to significantly affect the Earth's radiation budget. The magnitude of this suppression is shown to be dependent on the mass of condensed water required for freezing. Here we show that ice formation in a state-of-the-art cloud parcel model is strongly dependent on the criteria for heterogeneous freezing selected from those previously hypothesised. We have developed an alternative criteria which agrees well with observations from cloud chamber experiments. This study demonstrates the dominant role that competition for water vapour can play in ice formation, highlighting both a need for clarity in the requirements for heterogeneous freezing and for measurements under atmospherically appropriate conditions.

  1. Deep convective clouds at the tropopause

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aumann, H. H.; Desouza-Machado, S. G.

    2010-07-01

    Data from the Advanced Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on the EOS Aqua spacecraft identify thousands of cloud tops colder than 225 K, loosely referred to as Deep Convective Clouds (DCC). Many of these cloud tops have "inverted" spectra, i.e. areas of strong water vapor, CO2 and ozone opacity, normally seen in absorption, are now seen in emission. We refer to these inverted spectra as DCCi. They are found in about 0.4% of all spectra from the tropical oceans excluding the Western Tropical Pacific (WTP), 1.1% in the WTP. The cold clouds are the anvils capping thunderstorms and consist of optically thick cirrus ice clouds. The precipitation rate associated with DCCi suggests that imbedded in these clouds, protruding above them, and not spatially resolved by the AIRS 15 km FOV, are even colder bubbles, where strong convection pushes clouds to within 5 hPa of the pressure level of the tropopause cold point. Associated with DCCi is a local upward displacement of the tropopause, a cold "bulge", which can be seen directly in the brightness temperatures of AIRS and AMSU channels with weighting function peaking between 40 and 2 hPa, without the need for a formal temperature retrieval. The bulge is not resolved by the analysis in numerical weather prediction models. The locally cold cloud tops relative to the analysis give the appearance (in the sense of an "illusion") of clouds overshooting the tropopause and penetrating into the stratosphere. Based on a simple model of optically thick cirrus clouds, the spectral inversions seen in the AIRS data do not require these clouds to penetrate into the stratosphere. However, the contents of the cold bulge may be left in the lower stratosphere as soon as the strong convection subsides. The heavy precipitation and the distortion of the temperature structure near the tropopause indicate that DCCi are associated with intense storms. Significant long-term trends in the statistical properties of DCCi could be interesting indicators of climate

  2. A multi-spectral approach to simultaneously retrieve above-cloud smoke optical depth and the optical and microphysical properties of underlying marine stratocumulus clouds using MODIS

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Meyer, K.; Platnick, S. E.; Zhang, Z.

    2013-12-01

    Clouds, aerosols, and their interactions are widely considered to be key uncertainty components in our current understanding of the Earth's atmosphere and radiation budget. The work presented here is focused on the quasi-permanent marine boundary layer (MBL) clouds over the southeastern Atlantic Ocean, which underlie a near-persistent smoke layer produced from extensive biomass burning throughout the southern African savanna during austral winter. The absorption of the above-cloud smoke layer, which increases with decreasing wavelength, can introduce biases into the standard MODIS cloud optical and microphysical property retrievals of the underlying MBL clouds. This effect is more pronounced in the cloud optical thickness retrievals, which over ocean are derived from the wavelength channel centered near 0.86 μm (effective particle size retrievals are derived from the short and mid-wave IR channels at 1.6, 2.1, and 3.7 μm). Here, a new method is introduced to simultaneously retrieve the above-cloud smoke aerosol optical depth (AOD) and the unbiased cloud optical thickness (COT) and effective radius (CER) using multiple MODIS spectral channels in the visible and near- and shortwave-infrared. Preliminary retrieval results are shown, as are comparisons with other A-Train sensors.

  3. Cloud water interception and canopy water balance in the Hawaiian Islands: preliminary results and emerging patterns

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tseng, H.; Giambelluca, T. W.; DeLay, J. K.; Nullet, M.

    2017-12-01

    Steep climate gradients and diverse ecosystems make the Hawaiian Islands an ideal laboratory for ecohydrological experiments. Researchers are able to control physical and ecological variables, which is difficult for most environmental studies, by selecting sites along these gradients. Tropical montane forests, especially those situated in the cloud zone, are known to improve recharge and sustain baseflow. This is probably the result of frequent and persistent fog characteristic to these systems. During fog events, evapotranspiration is suppressed due to high humidity and reduced solar radiation. Moreover, cloud water interception by the forest canopy can produce fog drip and contribute significantly to the local water budget. Because the interception process is a complex interaction between the atmosphere and the vegetation, the effects of the meteorological conditions and canopy characteristics are equally important and sometimes hard to separate. This study aims to examine patterns in cloud water interception and canopy water balance across five tropical montane forest sites on three of the main islands of Hawaii. The sites cover a range of elevations between 1100- 2114 m, annual rainfall between 1155-3375 mm, and different dominant plant species with canopy heights ranging from 1.5 m to 30 m. We investigate the effect of climatic factors by comparing passive fog gauge measurements and other meteorological variables, then examine the differences in canopy water balance by comparing throughfall and stemflow measurements at these sites. While this study is ongoing, we present the first few months of field observations and the results of preliminary analyses. This study will improve understanding of how large-scale climate and vegetation factors interact to control cloud water interception and will inform ongoing watershed management. This is particularly important for oceanic islands such as Hawaii because they rely on precipitation entirely for water supply and

  4. An Uncertainty Data Set for Passive Microwave Satellite Observations of Warm Cloud Liquid Water Path

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Greenwald, Thomas J.; Bennartz, Ralf; Lebsock, Matthew; Teixeira, João.

    2018-04-01

    The first extended comprehensive data set of the retrieval uncertainties in passive microwave observations of cloud liquid water path (CLWP) for warm oceanic clouds has been created for practical use in climate applications. Four major sources of systematic errors were considered over the 9-year record of the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer-EOS (AMSR-E): clear-sky bias, cloud-rain partition (CRP) bias, cloud-fraction-dependent bias, and cloud temperature bias. Errors were estimated using a unique merged AMSR-E/Moderate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer Level 2 data set as well as observations from the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization and the CloudSat Cloud Profiling Radar. To quantify the CRP bias more accurately, a new parameterization was developed to improve the inference of CLWP in warm rain. The cloud-fraction-dependent bias was found to be a combination of the CRP bias, an in-cloud bias, and an adjacent precipitation bias. Globally, the mean net bias was 0.012 kg/m2, dominated by the CRP and in-cloud biases, but with considerable regional and seasonal variation. Good qualitative agreement between a bias-corrected AMSR-E CLWP climatology and ship observations in the Northeast Pacific suggests that the bias estimates are reasonable. However, a possible underestimation of the net bias in certain conditions may be due in part to the crude method used in classifying precipitation, underscoring the need for an independent method of detecting rain in warm clouds. This study demonstrates the importance of combining visible-infrared imager data and passive microwave CLWP observations for estimating uncertainties and improving the accuracy of these observations.

  5. Quantifying spatial variability of AgI cloud seeding benefits and Ag enrichments in snow

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fisher, J.; Benner, S. G.; Lytle, M. L.; Kunkel, M. L.; Blestrud, D.; Holbrook, V. P.; Parkinson, S.; Edwards, R.

    2016-12-01

    Glaciogenic cloud seeding is an important scientific technology for enhancing water resources across in the Western United States. Cloud seeding enriches super cooled liquid water layers with plumes of silver iodide (AgI), an artificial ice nuclei. Recent studies using target-control regression analysis and modeling estimate glaciogenic cloud seeding increases snow precipitation between 3-15% annually. However, the efficacy of cloud seeding programs is difficult to assess using weather models and statistics alone. This study will supplement precipitation enhancement statistics and Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model outputs with ultra-trace chemistry. Combining precipitation enhancement estimates with trace chemistry data (to estimate AgI plume targeting accuracy) may provide a more robust analysis. Precipitation enhancement from the 2016 water year will be modeled two ways. First, by using double-mass curve. Annual SNOTEL data of the cumulative SWE in unseeded areas and cumulative SWE in seeded areas will be compared before, and after, the cloud seeding program's initiation in 2003. Any change in the double-mass curve's slope after 2003 may be attributed to cloud seeding. Second, WRF model estimates of precipitation will be compared to the observed precipitation at SNOTEL sites. The difference between observed and modeled precipitation in AgI seeded regions may also be attributed to cloud seeding (assuming modeled and observed data are comparable at unseeded SNOTEL stations). Ultra-trace snow chemistry data from the 2016 winter season will be used to validate whether estimated precipitation increases are positively correlated with the mass of silver in the snowpack.

  6. Cloud Resolving Modeling

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tao, Wei-Kuo

    2007-01-01

    One of the most promising methods to test the representation of cloud processes used in climate models is to use observations together with cloud-resolving models (CRMs). CRMs use more sophisticated and realistic representations of cloud microphysical processes, and they can reasonably well resolve the time evolution, structure, and life cycles of clouds and cloud systems (with sizes ranging from about 2-200 km). CRMs also allow for explicit interaction between clouds, outgoing longwave (cooling) and incoming solar (heating) radiation, and ocean and land surface processes. Observations are required to initialize CRMs and to validate their results. This paper provides a brief discussion and review of the main characteristics of CRMs as well as some of their major applications. These include the use of CRMs to improve our understanding of: (1) convective organization, (2) cloud temperature and water vapor budgets, and convective momentum transport, (3) diurnal variation of precipitation processes, (4) radiative-convective quasi-equilibrium states, (5) cloud-chemistry interaction, (6) aerosol-precipitation interaction, and (7) improving moist processes in large-scale models. In addition, current and future developments and applications of CRMs will be presented.

  7. Evolution of Precipitation Particle Size Distributions within MC3E Systems and its Impact on Aerosol-Cloud-Precipitation Interactions: Final Report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kollias, Pavlos

    2017-08-08

    This is a multi-institutional, collaborative project using observations and modeling to study the evolution (e.g. formation and growth) of hydrometeors in continental convective clouds. Our contribution was in data analysis for the generation of high-value cloud and precipitation products and derive cloud statistics for model validation. There are two areas in data analysis that we contributed: i) the development of novel, state-of-the-art dual-wavelength radar algorithms for the retrieval of cloud microphysical properties and ii) the evaluation of large domain, high-resolution models using comprehensive multi-sensor observations. Our research group developed statistical summaries from numerous sensors and developed retrievals of vertical airmore » motion in deep convection.« less

  8. Cloud and radiative heating profiles associated with the boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, Jinwon; Waliser, Duane E.; Cesana, Gregory V.; Jiang, Xianan; L'Ecuyer, Tristan; Neena, J. M.

    2018-03-01

    The cloud water content (CW) and radiative heating rate (QR) structures related to northward propagating boreal summer intraseasonal oscillations (BSISOs) are analyzed using data from A-train satellites in conjunction with the ERA-Interim reanalysis. It is found that the northward movement of CW- and QR anomalies are closely synchronized with the northward movement of BSISO precipitation maxima. Commensurate with the northward propagating BSISO precipitation maxima, the CW anomalies exhibit positive ice (liquid) CW maxima in the upper (middle/low) troposphere with a prominent tilting structure in which the low-tropospheric (upper-tropospheric) liquid (ice) CW maximum leads (lags) the BSISO precipitation maximum. The BSISO-related shortwave heating (QSW) heats (cools) the upper (low) troposphere; the longwave heating (QLW) cools (heats) the upper (middle/low) troposphere. The resulting net radiative heating (QRN), being dominated by QLW, cools (heats) the atmosphere most prominently above the 200 hPa level (below the 600 hPa level). Enhanced clouds in the upper and middle troposphere appears to play a critical role in increasing low-level QLW and QRN. The vertically-integrated QSW, QLW and QRN are positive in the region of enhanced CW with the maximum QRN near the latitude of the BSISO precipitation maximum. The bottom-heavy radiative heating anomaly resulting from the cloud-radiation interaction may act to strengthen convection.

  9. The Impact of Aerosols on Cloud and Precipitation Processes: Cloud-Resolving Model Simulations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tao, Wei-Kuo; Khain, A.; Simpson, S.; Johnson, D.; Li, X.; Remer, L.

    2003-01-01

    Cloud microphysics are inevitable affected by the smoke particle (CCN, cloud condensation nuclei) size distributions below the clouds. Therefore, size distribution parameterized as spectral bin microphysics are needed to explicitly study the effect of atmospheric aerosol concentration on cloud development, rainfall production, and rainfall rates convective clouds. Recently, two detailed spectral-bin microphysical schemes were implemented into the Goddard Cumulus Ensembel (GCE) model. The formulation for the explicit spectral-bim microphysical processes is based on solving stochastic kinetic equations for the size distribution functions of water droplets (i.e., cloud droplets and raindrops), and several types of ice particles [i.e., pristine ice crystals (columnar and plate-like), snow (dendrites and aggregates), groupel and frozen drops/hall] Each type is described by a special size distribution function containing many categories (i.e., 33 bins). Atmospheric aerosols are also described using number density size-distribution functions.A spectral-bin microphysical model is very expensive from a computational point of view and has only been implemented into the 2D version of the GCE at the present time. The model is tested by studying the evolution of deep cloud systems in the west Pacific warm pool region and in the mid-latitude using identical thermodynamic conditions but with different concentrations of CCN: a low "clean" concentration and a high "dirty" concentration. Besides the initial differences in aerosol concentration, preliminary results indicate that the low CCN concentration case produces rainfall at the surface sooner than the high CCN case but has less cloud water mass aloft. Because the spectral-bim model explicitly calculates and allows for the examination of both the mass and number concentration of cpecies in each size category, a detailed analysis of the instantaneous size spectrum can be obtained for the two cases. It is shown that since the low

  10. The Impact of Aerosols on Cloud and Precipitation Processes: Cloud-Resolving Model Simulations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tao, Wei-Kuo; Khain, A.; Simpson, S.; Johnson, D.; Li, X.; Remer, L.

    2003-01-01

    Cloud microphysics are inevitably affected by the smoke particle (CCN, cloud condensation nuclei) size distributions below the clouds. Therefore, size distributions parameterized as spectral bin microphysics are needed to explicitly study the effects of atmospheric aerosol concentration on cloud development, rainfall production, and rainfall rates for convective clouds. Recently, two detailed spectral-bin microphysical schemes were implemented into the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) model. The formulation for the explicit spectral-bin microphysical processes is based on solving stochastic kinetic equations for the size distribution functions of water droplets (i.e., cloud droplets and raindrops), and several types of ice particles [i.e.,pristine ice crystals (columnar and plate-like), snow (dendrites and aggregates), graupel and frozen drops/hail]. Each type is described by a special size distribution function containing many categories (i.e. 33 bins). Atmospheric aerosols are also described using number density size-distribution functions.A spectral-bin microphysical model is very expensive from a from a computational point of view and has only been implemented into the 2D version of the GCE at the present time. The model is tested by studying the evolution of deep tropical clouds in the west Pacific warm pool region using identical thermodynamic conditions but with different concentrations of CCN: a low "clean" concentration and a high "dirty" concentration. Besides the initial differences in aerosol concentration, preliminary results indicate that the low CCN concentration case produces rainfall at the surface sooner than the high CCN case but has less cloud water mass aloft. Because the spectral-bin model explicitly calculates and allows for the examination of both the mass and number concentration of species in each size categor, a detailed analysis of the instantaneous size spectrum can be obtained for the two cases. It is shown that since the low CCN case

  11. The Modification of Orographic Snow Growth Processes by Cloud Nucleating Aerosols

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cotton, W. R.; Saleeby, S.

    2011-12-01

    Cloud nucleating aerosols have been found to modify the amount and spatial distribution of snowfall in mountainous areas where riming growth of snow crystals is known to contribute substantially to the total snow water equivalent precipitation. In the Park Range of Colorado, a 2km deep supercooled liquid water orographic cloud frequently enshrouds the mountaintop during snowfall events. This leads to a seeder-feeder growth regime in which snow falls through the orographic cloud and collects cloud water prior to surface deposition. The addition of higher concentrations of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) modifies the cloud droplet spectrum toward smaller size droplets and suppresses riming growth. Without rime growth, the density of snow crystals remains low and horizontal trajectories carry them further downwind due to slower vertical fall speeds. This leads to a downwind shift in snowfall accumulation at high CCN concentrations. Cloud resolving model simulations were performed (at 600m horizontal grid spacing) for six snowfall events over the Park Range. The chosen events were well simulated and occurred during intensive observations periods as part of two winter field campaigns in 2007 and 2010 based at Storm Peak Laboratory in Steamboat Springs, CO. For each event, sensitivity simulations were run with various initial CCN concentration vertical profiles that represent clean to polluted aerosol environments. Microphysical budget analyses were performed for these simulations in order to determine the relative importance of the various cloud properties and growth processes that contribute to precipitation production. Observations and modeling results indicate that initial vapor depositional growth of snow tends to be maximized within about 1km of mountaintop above the windward slope while the majority of riming growth occurs within 500m of mountaintop. This suggests that precipitation production is predominantly driven by locally enhanced orography. The large scale

  12. Multilevel Cloud Structures above Svalbard

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dörnbrack, Andreas; Pitts, Micheal; Poole, Lamont; Gisinger, Sonja; Maturlli, Marion

    2017-04-01

    The presentation focusses on the reslts recently published by the authors under the heading "picture of the month" in Monthly Weather Review. The presented picture of the month is a superposition of space-borne lidar observations and high-resolution temperature fields of the ECMWF integrated forecast system (IFS). It displays complex tropospheric and stratospheric clouds in the Arctic winter 2015/16. Near the end of December 2015, the unusual northeastward propagation of warm and humid subtropical air masses as far north as 80°N lifted the tropopause by more than 3 km in 24 h and cooled the stratosphere on a large scale. A widespread formation of thick cirrus clouds near the tropopause and of synoptic-scale polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) occurred as the temperature dropped below the thresholds for the existence of cloud particles. Additionally, mountain waves were excited by the strong flow at the western edge of the ridge across Svalbard, leading to the formation of mesoscale ice PSCs. The most recent IFS cycle using a horizontal resolution of 8 km globally reproduces the large-scale and mesoscale flow features and leads to a remarkable agreement with the wave structure revealed by the space-borne observations.

  13. Preparatory studies of zero-g cloud drop coalescence experiment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Telford, J. W.; Keck, T. S.

    1979-01-01

    Experiments to be performed in a weightless environment in order to study collision and coalescence processes of cloud droplets are described. Rain formation in warm clouds, formation of larger cloud drops, ice and water collision processes, and precipitation in supercooled clouds are among the topics covered.

  14. The role of mountain precipitation as a drought buffer in Puerto Rico: Assessing natural systems' resilience to change

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Scholl, M. A.; Clark, K. E.; Van Beusekom, A.; Shanley, J. B.; Torres-Sanchez, A.; Murphy, S. F.; Gonzalez, G.

    2017-12-01

    Like many island and coastal areas, the Luquillo Mountains of Puerto Rico receive orographic precipitation (rain and cloud water), maintaining headwater streamflow and allowing diverse forest ecosystems to thrive. Although rainfall from regional-scale convective systems is greater in volume, multiple lines of evidence (stable isotope tracers; precipitation amount, frequency, and intensity; cloud immersion; regional cloud dynamics; weather analysis) show that trade-wind orographic precipitation contributes significantly to streamflow, soil water, and shallow groundwater. Ceilometer data and time-lapse photography of cloud-immersed conditions at the mountain indicated a seasonally invariant, sustained overnight regime of cloud water precipitation, in addition to the abundant rainfall in the mountains. Rising ocean temperatures and a warming tropical climate lead to questions about persistence of the trade-wind associated orographic precipitation and the resilience of similar mountain ecosystems to change. Projections for Caribbean climate change include amplification of trade winds; less frequent, more intense large convective systems; and a warming ocean. These may have opposing effects on mountain precipitation, increasing uncertainty about processes that mitigate drought. Field studies provide insights regarding these questions. Ceilometer and satellite observations showed cloud base is higher over the mountains than in the surrounding Caribbean region; with the trade-wind inversion cap, further rise in cloud base may produce shallower clouds and reduced precipitation. We analyzed the February-October 2015 drought, characterized by strong El Niño conditions, an absence of tropical storm systems, and reduced convection in easterly waves. Combined δ2H, δ18O and d-excess signatures of streamflow indicated precipitation was derived from shallow convective systems, trade-wind showers and cloud water. During severe drought on the island, streamflow

  15. Structure and covariance of cloud and rain water in marine stratocumulus

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Witte, Mikael; Morrison, Hugh; Gettelman, Andrew

    2017-04-01

    Many state of the art cloud microphysics parameterizations in large-scale models use assumed probability density functions (pdfs) to represent subgrid scale variability of relevant resolved scale variables such as vertical velocity and cloud liquid water content (LWC). Integration over the assumed pdfs of small scale variability results in physically consistent prediction of nonlinear microphysical process rates and obviates the need to apply arbitrary tuning parameters to the calculated rates. In such parameterizations, the covariance of cloud and rain LWC is an important quantity for parameterizing the accretion process by which rain drops grow via collection of cloud droplets. This covariance has been diagnosed by other workers from a variety of observational and model datasets (Boutle et al., 2013; Larson and Griffin, 2013; Lebsock et al., 2013), but there is poor agreement in findings across the studies. Two key assumptions that may explain some of the discrepancies among past studies are 1) LWC (both cloud and rain) distributions are statistically stationary and 2) spatial structure may be neglected. Given the highly intermittent nature of precipitation and the fact that cloud LWC has been found to be poorly represented by stationary pdfs (e.g. Marshak et al., 1997), neither of the aforementioned assumptions are valid. Therefore covariance must be evaluated as a function of spatial scale without the assumption of stationary statistics (i.e. variability cannot be expressed as a fractional standard deviation, which necessitates well-defined first and second moments of the LWC distribution). The present study presents multifractal analyses of both rain and cloud LWC using aircraft data from the VOCALS-REx field campaign to illustrate the importance of spatial structure in microphysical parameterizations and extends the results of Boutle et al. (2013) to provide a parameterization of rain-cloud water covariance as a function of spatial scale without the

  16. Direct damage to vegetation caused by acid rain and polluted cloud: definition of critical levels for forest trees.

    PubMed

    Cape, J N

    1993-01-01

    The concept of critical levels was developed in order to define short-term and long-term average concentrations of gaseous pollutants above which plants may be damaged. Although the usual way in which pollutants in precipitation (wet deposition) influence vegetation is by affecting soil processes, plant foliage exposed to fog and cloud, which often contain much greater concentrations of pollutant ions than rain, may be damaged directly. The idea of a critical level has been extended to define concentrations of pollutants in wet deposition above which direct damage to plants is likely. Concentrations of acidity and sulphate measured in mountain and coastal cloud are summarised. Vegetation at risk of injury is identified as montane forest growing close to the cloud base, where ion concentrations are highest. The direct effects of acidic precipitation on trees are reviewed, based on experimental exposure of plants to simulated acidic rain, fog or mist. Although most experiments have reported results in terms of pH (H(+) concentration), the accompanying anion is important, with sulphate being more damaging than nitrate. Both conifers and broadleaved tree seedlings showing subtle changes in the structural characteristics of leaf surfaces after exposure to mist or rain at or about pH 3.5, or sulphate concentration of 150 micromol litre(-1). Visible lesions on leaf surfaces occur at around pH 3 (500 micromol litre(-1) sulphate), broadleaved species tending to be more sensitive than conifers. Effects on photosynthesis and water relations, and interactions with other stresses (e.g. frost), have usually been observed only for treatments which have also caused visible injury to the leaf surface. Few experiments on the direct effects of polluted cloud have been conducted under field conditions with mature trees, which unlike seedlings in controlled conditions, may suffer a growth reduction in the absence of visible injury. Although leaching of cations (Ca(2+), Mg(2+), K(+)) is

  17. First UAV Measurements of Entrainment Layer Fluxes with Coupled Cloud Property Measurements

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Thomas, R. M.; Praveen, P. S.; Wilcox, E. M.; Pistone, K.; Bender, F.; Ramanathan, V.

    2012-12-01

    This study details entrainment flux measurements made from a lightweight unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) containing turbulent water vapor flux instrumentation (Thomas et al., 2012). The system was flown for 26 flights during the Cloud, Aerosol, Radiative forcing, Dynamics EXperiment (CARDEX) in the Maldives in March 2012 to study interrelationships between entrainment, aerosols, water budget, cloud microphysics and radiative fluxes in a trade wind cumulus cloud regime. A major advantage of using this lightweight, precision autopiloted UAV system with scientific telemetry is the ability to target small-scale features in the boundary layer, such as an entrainment layer, with minimal aircraft induced disruption. Results are presented from two UAVs flown in stacked formation: one UAV situated in-cloud measuring cloud-droplet size distribution spectra and liquid water content, and another co-located 100m above measuring turbulent properties and entrainment latent heat flux (λEE). We also show latent heat flux and turbulence measurements routinely made at the entrainment layer base and altitudes from the surface up to 4kft. Ratios of λEE to corresponding surface tower values (λES) display a bimodal frequency distribution with ranges 0.22-0.53 and 0.79-1.5, with occasional events >7. Reasons for this distribution are discussed drawing upon boundary layer and free tropospheric dynamics and meteorology, turbulence length scales, surface conditions, and cloud interactions. Latent heat flux profiles are combined with in-cloud UAV Liquid Water Content (LWC) data and surface based Liquid Water Path (LWP) and Precipitable Water Vapor (PWV) measurements to produce observationally constrained vertical water budgets, providing insights into diurnal coupling of λEE and λES. Observed λEE, λES, water budgets, and cloud microphysical responses to entrainment are then contextualized with respect to measured aerosol loading profiles and airmass history.

  18. Microwave radiative transfer studies of precipitation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bringi, V. N.; Vivekanandan, J.; Turk, F. Joseph

    1993-01-01

    Since the deployment of the DMSP SSM/I microwave imagers in 1987, increased utilization of passive microwave radiometry throughout the 10 - 100 GHz spectrum has occurred for measurement of atmospheric constituents and terrestrial surfaces. Our efforts have focused on observations and analysis of the microwave radiative transfer behavior of precipitating clouds. We have focused particular attention on combining both aircraft and SSM/I radiometer imagery with ground-based multiparameter radar observations. As part of this and the past NASA contract, we have developed a multi-stream, polarized radiative transfer model which incorporates scattering. The model has the capability to be initialized with cloud model output or multiparameter radar products. This model provides the necessary 'link' between the passive microwave radiometer and active microwave radar observations. This unique arrangement has allowed the brightness temperatures (TB) to be compared against quantities such as rainfall, liquid/ice water paths, and the vertical structure of the cloud. Quantification of the amounts of ice and water in precipitating clouds is required for understanding of the global energy balance.

  19. A numerical study of the effect of different aerosol types on East Asian summer clouds and precipitation

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Jiang, Yiquan; Liu, Xiaohong; Yang, Xiuqun

    2013-05-01

    The impact of anthropogenic aerosol on the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) is investigated with NCAR CAM5, a state-of-the-art climate model with aerosol’s direct and indirect effects. Results indicate that anthropogenic aerosol tends to cause a weakened EASM with a southward shift of precipitation in East Asia mostly by its radiative effect. Anthropogenic aerosol induced surface cooling stabilizes the boundary layer, suppresses the convection and latent heat release in northern China, and reduces the tropospheric temperature over land and land-sea thermal contrast, thus leading to a weakened EASM. Meanwhile, acting as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN), anthropogenic aerosol can significantly increasemore » the cloud droplet number concentration but decrease the cloud droplet effective radius over Indochina and Indian Peninsulas as well as over southwestern and northern China, inhibiting the precipitation in these regions. Thus, anthropogenic aerosol tends to reduce Southeast and South Asian summer monsoon precipitation by its indirect effect.« less

  20. Differential Absorption Radar: An Emerging Technology for Remote Sounding of Water Vapor Within Clouds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lebsock, M. D.; Millan Valle, L. F.; Cooper, K. B.; Siles, J.; Monje, R.

    2017-12-01

    We present the results of our efforts to build and demonstrate the first Differential Absorption Radar (DAR), which will provide unique capabilities to remotely sound for water vapor within cloudy and precipitating atmospheres. The approach leverages multiple radar channels located near the 183 GHz water vapor absorption feature to simultaneously derive microphysical and water vapor profiles. The DAR technique has the potential to neatly complement existing water vapor sounding techniques such as infrared and microwave sounding and GPS radio occultation. These precisions rival those of existing water vapor remote sensing instruments. The approach works best from above clouds because the water vapor burden and line width increases towards the Earth surface allowing increased sampling from the top-down compared with bottom-up. From an airborne or satellite platform channels can be selected that target either upper-tropospheric or lower-tropospheric clouds. Our theoretical studies suggest that the water vapor concentration can be retrieved to within 1-3 gm-3 and the column integrated water vapor can be retrieved to within 1 kgm-2. The high-frequency radar is only recently enabled by technological advances that have allowed us to demonstrate 0.5 W of continuous power near 183 GHz. We are currently developing an airborne DAR using a Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) architecture with a quasi-optical duplexer providing 80 dB of transmit/receive isolation. A prototype of this instrument recently made the first ever range resolved DAR measurements of humidity out to several hundred meters during a light rain event at JPL. The spectral dependence of the attenuation was in excellent agreement with the predicted attenuation based on nearby weather stations, proving for the first time the feasibility of the concept. A major impediment to implementing DAR is the international regulation of radio-frequency transmissions below 300 GHz. The major roadblocks and potential

  1. Comparison of Cirrus Cloud Models: A Project of the GEWEX Cloud System Study (GCSS) Working Group on Cirrus Cloud Systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Starr, David OC.; Benedetti, Angela; Boehm, Matt; Brown, Philip R. A.; Gierens, Klaus M.; Girard, Eric; Giraud, Vincent; Jakob, Christian; Jensen, Eric; Khvorostyanov, Vitaly; hide

    2000-01-01

    The GEWEX Cloud System Study (GCSS, GEWEX is the Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment) is a community activity aiming to promote development of improved cloud parameterizations for application in the large-scale general circulation models (GCMs) used for climate research and for numerical weather prediction (Browning et al, 1994). The GCSS strategy is founded upon the use of cloud-system models (CSMs). These are "process" models with sufficient spatial and temporal resolution to represent individual cloud elements, but spanning a wide range of space and time scales to enable statistical analysis of simulated cloud systems. GCSS also employs single-column versions of the parametric cloud models (SCMs) used in GCMs. GCSS has working groups on boundary-layer clouds, cirrus clouds, extratropical layer cloud systems, precipitating deep convective cloud systems, and polar clouds.

  2. Comparison of Cirrus Cloud Models: A Project of the GEWEX Cloud System Study (GCSS) Working Group on Cirrus Cloud Systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Starr, David O'C.; Benedetti, Angela; Boehm, Matt; Brown, Philip R. A.; Gierens, Klaus M.; Girard, Eric; Giraud, Vincent; Jakob, Christian; Jensen, Eric

    2000-01-01

    The GEWEX Cloud System Study (GCSS, GEWEX is the Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment) is a community activity aiming to promote development of improved cloud parameterizations for application in the large-scale general circulation models (GCMs) used for climate research and for numerical weather prediction. The GCSS strategy is founded upon the use of cloud-system models (CSMs). These are "process" models with sufficient spatial and temporal resolution to represent individual cloud elements, but spanning a wide range of space and time scales to enable statistical analysis of simulated cloud systems. GCSS also employs single-column versions of the parametric cloud models (SCMs) used in GCMs. GCSS has working groups on boundary-layer clouds, cirrus clouds, extratropical layer cloud systems, precipitating deep convective cloud systems, and polar clouds.

  3. Perspectives of Future Satellite Observations for Studying Aerosol-Cloud Interactions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vane, D. G.; Stephens, G. L.

    2008-12-01

    There are many studies that examine the effects of aerosol on clouds and the consequence of these effects for climate. Much of the focus of these interactions revolve around two types of indirect effects. Using the A- Train as a resource for studying these interactions as a way of defining the requirements for future new missions, we find that the sensitivity of the cloud albedo, as observed by CERES, to aerosol varies according to these various conditions and does not simply correlate with decreased particle size as is typically assumed. It is clear that these effects require more in-depth information about cloud water path, and the occurrence and amount of precipitation and the environmental conditions in which the interactions take place. Information about the motions in clouds, the depths of clouds and more resolved microphysical details on cloud and drizzle are essential to study these effects. Perhaps more important than indirect effects on cloud albedo are the possible effects of aerosol on precipitation. There is much speculation about such influences and the A-Train observations are beginning to reveal much insight on such effects. These observations appear to suggest that the effects on shallow clouds is to delay precipitation production and reduce rainfall as has been speculated. The effects of aerosol on the precipitation falling from deep convection is less clear and more difficult to observe, although many model studies consistently suggest that the effects might be even more pronounced than on shallow convection through, among other mechanisms, the invigoration of storms via freezing of elevated water contents in updrafts. Such studies are now clearly pointing to the need to define the water contents and microphysics of hydrometeors in convective updrafts. This talk draws on these results as a way of framing the definition of the cloud-aerosol and precipitation component of the ACE mission of the decadal survey. This mission represents the follow

  4. A Novel Method for Estimating Shortwave Direct Radiative Effect of Above-Cloud Aerosols Using CALIOP and MODIS Data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zhang, Z.; Meyer, K.; Platnick, S.; Oreopoulos, L.; Lee, D.; Yu, H.

    2014-01-01

    This paper describes an efficient and unique method for computing the shortwave direct radiative effect (DRE) of aerosol residing above low-level liquid-phase clouds using CALIOP and MODIS data. It accounts for the overlapping of aerosol and cloud rigorously by utilizing the joint histogram of cloud optical depth and cloud top pressure. Effects of sub-grid scale cloud and aerosol variations on DRE are accounted for. It is computationally efficient through using grid-level cloud and aerosol statistics, instead of pixel-level products, and a pre-computed look-up table in radiative transfer calculations. We verified that for smoke over the southeast Atlantic Ocean the method yields a seasonal mean instantaneous shortwave DRE that generally agrees with more rigorous pixel-level computation within 4. We have also computed the annual mean instantaneous shortwave DRE of light-absorbing aerosols (i.e., smoke and polluted dust) over global ocean based on 4 yr of CALIOP and MODIS data. We found that the variability of the annual mean shortwave DRE of above-cloud light-absorbing aerosol is mainly driven by the optical depth of the underlying clouds.

  5. Global aerosol effects on convective clouds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wagner, Till; Stier, Philip

    2013-04-01

    Atmospheric aerosols affect cloud properties, and thereby the radiation balance of the planet and the water cycle. The influence of aerosols on clouds is dominated by increase of cloud droplet and ice crystal numbers (CDNC/ICNC) due to enhanced aerosols acting as cloud condensation and ice nuclei. In deep convective clouds this increase in CDNC/ICNC is hypothesised to increase precipitation because of cloud invigoration through enhanced freezing and associated increased latent heat release caused by delayed warm rain formation. Satellite studies robustly show an increase of cloud top height (CTH) and precipitation with increasing aerosol optical depth (AOD, as proxy for aerosol amount). To represent aerosol effects and study their influence on convective clouds in the global climate aerosol model ECHAM-HAM, we substitute the standard convection parameterisation, which uses one mean convective cloud for each grid column, with the convective cloud field model (CCFM), which simulates a spectrum of convective clouds, each with distinct values of radius, mixing ratios, vertical velocity, height and en/detrainment. Aerosol activation and droplet nucleation in convective updrafts at cloud base is the primary driver for microphysical aerosol effects. To produce realistic estimates for vertical velocity at cloud base we use an entraining dry parcel sub cloud model which is triggered by perturbations of sensible and latent heat at the surface. Aerosol activation at cloud base is modelled with a mechanistic, Köhler theory based, scheme, which couples the aerosols to the convective microphysics. Comparison of relationships between CTH and AOD, and precipitation and AOD produced by this novel model and satellite based estimates show general agreement. Through model experiments and analysis of the model cloud processes we are able to investigate the main drivers for the relationship between CTH / precipitation and AOD.

  6. Relationships Between TRMM Precipitation and Upper-Tropospheric Hydrometeors as Seen From AMSU-B/MHS and A-Train Sensors

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Robertson, Franklin; Pittman, Jasna; Atkinson, Robert

    2008-01-01

    Tropical rainfall as seen by the TRMM radar has multiple scales of organization, one prominent example of which is mesoscale deep convection that supports the production of strong, widespread anvil systems important to the planet's water and energy balance. TRMM PR precipitation retrievals (i.e. the 2A25 algorithm) are reliable down to rates below 1.0 mm/h which captures the majority of near-surface rainfall. However, much of the precipitating hydrometeor mass above the freezing level in these anvil systems may be associated with particles where TRMM PR s/n is low. In our analysis we are examining the question of "What portions of the total hydrometeor spectrum can we see individually with TRMM, CloudSat, high frequency passive microwave (e.g. AMSU-B, MHS) and MODIS". This will allow us to pursue fundamental issues of precipitation efficiency, maintenance of upper-tropospheric humidity, and cloud forcing variability in the tropical climate system. We do this by generating frequency distributions of ice water content (IWC), integrated IWC (IWP), and precipitation as appropriate for these sensors and relate these to TRMM near-surface rainfall. Joint frequency distributions are developed from more limited coincidence between TRMM and these sensors. We interpret these results in terms of a climate regime descriptor and as an index of precipitation efficiency for tropical rain systems.

  7. From the clouds to the ground - snow precipitation patterns vs. snow accumulation patterns

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gerber, Franziska; Besic, Nikola; Mott, Rebecca; Gabella, Marco; Germann, Urs; Bühler, Yves; Marty, Mauro; Berne, Alexis; Lehning, Michael

    2017-04-01

    Knowledge about snow distribution and snow accumulation patterns is important and valuable for different applications such as the prediction of seasonal water resources or avalanche forecasting. Furthermore, accumulated snow on the ground is an important ground truth for validating meteorological and climatological model predictions of precipitation in high mountains and polar regions. Snow accumulation patterns are determined by many different processes from ice crystal nucleation in clouds to snow redistribution by wind and avalanches. In between, snow precipitation undergoes different dynamical and microphysical processes, such as ice crystal growth, aggregation and riming, which determine the growth of individual particles and thereby influence the intensity and structure of the snowfall event. In alpine terrain the interaction of different processes and the topography (e.g. lifting condensation and low level cloud formation, which may result in a seeder-feeder effect) may lead to orographic enhancement of precipitation. Furthermore, the redistribution of snow particles in the air by wind results in preferential deposition of precipitation. Even though orographic enhancement is addressed in numerous studies, the relative importance of micro-physical and dynamically induced mechanisms on local snowfall amounts and especially snow accumulation patterns is hardly known. To better understand the relative importance of different processes on snow precipitation and accumulation we analyze snowfall and snow accumulation between January and March 2016 in Davos (Switzerland). We compare MeteoSwiss operational weather radar measurements on Weissfluhgipfel to a spatially continuous snow accumulation map derived from airborne digital sensing (ADS) snow height for the area of Dischma valley in the vicinity of the weather radar. Additionally, we include snow height measurements from automatic snow stations close to the weather radar. Large-scale radar snow accumulation

  8. The Effect of Cirrus Clouds on Water Vapor Transport in the Upper Troposphere and Lower Stratosphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lei, L.; McCormick, M. P.; Anderson, J.

    2017-12-01

    Water vapor plays an important role in the Earth's radiation budget and stratospheric chemistry. It is widely accepted that a large percentage of water vapor entering the stratosphere travels through the tropical tropopause and is dehydrated by the cold tropopause temperature. The vertical transport of water vapor is also affected by the radiative effects of cirrus clouds in the tropical tropopause layer. This latter effect of cirrus clouds was investigated in this research. The work focuses on the tropical and mid-latitude region (50N-50S). Water vapor data from the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) and cirrus cloud data from the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) instruments were used to investigate the relationship between the water vapor and the occurrence of cirrus cloud. A 10-degree in longitude by 10-degree in latitude resolution was chosen to bin the MLS and CALIPSO data. The result shows that the maximum water vapor in the upper troposphere (below 146 hPa) is matched very well with the highest frequency of cirrus cloud occurrences. Maximum water vapor in the lower stratosphere (100 hPa) is partly matched with the maximum cirrus cloud occurrence in the summer time. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Interpolated Outgoing Longwave Radiation data and NCEP-DOE Reanalysis 2 wind data were used also to investigate the relationship between the water vapor entering the stratosphere, deep convection, and wind. Results show that maximum water vapor at 100 hPa coincides with the northern hemisphere summer-time anticyclone. The effects from both single-layer cirrus clouds and cirrus clouds above the anvil top on the water vapor entering the stratosphere were also studied and will be presented.

  9. Calcite precipitates in Slovenian bottled waters.

    PubMed

    Stanič, Tamara Ferjan; Miler, Miloš; Brenčič, Mihael; Gosar, Mateja

    2017-06-01

    Storage of bottled waters in varying ambient conditions affects its characteristics. Different storage conditions cause changes in the initial chemical composition of bottled water which lead to the occurrence of precipitates with various morphologies. In order to assess the relationship between water composition, storage conditions and precipitate morphology, a study of four brands of Slovenian bottled water stored in PET bottles was carried out. Chemical analyses of the main ions and measurements of the physical properties of water samples were performed before and after storage of water samples at different ambient conditions. SEM/EDS analysis of precipitates was performed after elapsed storage time. The results show that the presence of Mg 2+ , SO 4 2- , SiO 2 , Al, Mn and other impurities such as K + , Na + , Ba and Sr in the water controlled precipitate morphology by inhibiting crystal growth and leading to elongated rhombohedral calcite crystal forms which exhibit furrowed surfaces and calcite rosettes. Different storage conditions, however, affected the number of crystallization nuclei and size of calcite crystals. Hollow calcite spheres composed of cleavage rhombohedrons formed in the water with variable storage conditions by a combination of evaporation and precipitation of water droplets during high temperatures or by the bubble templating method.

  10. Volcano and ship tracks indicate excessive aerosol-induced cloud water increases in a climate model.

    PubMed

    Toll, Velle; Christensen, Matthew; Gassó, Santiago; Bellouin, Nicolas

    2017-12-28

    Aerosol-cloud interaction is the most uncertain mechanism of anthropogenic radiative forcing of Earth's climate, and aerosol-induced cloud water changes are particularly poorly constrained in climate models. By combining satellite retrievals of volcano and ship tracks in stratocumulus clouds, we compile a unique observational dataset and confirm that liquid water path (LWP) responses to aerosols are bidirectional, and on average the increases in LWP are closely compensated by the decreases. Moreover, the meteorological parameters controlling the LWP responses are strikingly similar between the volcano and ship tracks. In stark contrast to observations, there are substantial unidirectional increases in LWP in the Hadley Centre climate model, because the model accounts only for the decreased precipitation efficiency and not for the enhanced entrainment drying. If the LWP increases in the model were compensated by the decreases as the observations suggest, its indirect aerosol radiative forcing in stratocumulus regions would decrease by 45%.

  11. Precipitation Measurements from Space: The Global Precipitation Measurement Mission

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hou, Arthur Y.

    2007-01-01

    Water is fundamental to the life on Earth and its phase transition between the gaseous, liquid, and solid states dominates the behavior of the weather/climate/ecological system. Precipitation, which converts atmospheric water vapor into rain and snow, is central to the global water cycle. It regulates the global energy balance through interactions with clouds and water vapor (the primary greenhouse gas), and also shapes global winds and dynamic transport through latent heat release. Surface precipitation affects soil moisture, ocean salinity, and land hydrology, thus linking fast atmospheric processes to the slower components of the climate system. Precipitation is also the primary source of freshwater in the world, which is facing an emerging freshwater crisis in many regions. Accurate and timely knowledge of global precipitation is essential for understanding the behavior of the global water cycle, improving freshwater management, and advancing predictive capabilities of high-impact weather events such as hurricanes, floods, droughts, and landslides. With limited rainfall networks on land and the impracticality of making extensive rainfall measurements over oceans, a comprehensive description of the space and time variability of global precipitation can only be achieved from the vantage point of space. This presentation will examine current capabilities in space-borne rainfall measurements, highlight scientific and practical benefits derived from these observations to date, and provide an overview of the multi-national Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission scheduled to bc launched in the early next decade.

  12. The Impact of Aerosols on Cloud and Precipitation Processes: Cloud-Resolving Model Simulations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tao, Wei-Kuo; Li, X.; Khain, A.; Simpson, S.

    2004-01-01

    Cloud microphysics are inevitably affected by the smoke particle (CCN, cloud condensation nuclei) size distributions below the clouds. Therefore, size distributions parameterized as spectral bin microphysics are needed to explicitly study the effects of atmospheric aerosol concentration on cloud development, rainfall production, and rainfall rates for convective clouds. Recently, two detailed spectral-bin microphysical schemes were implemented into the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) model. The formulation for the explicit spectral-bin microphysical processes is based on solving stochastic kinetic equations for the size distribution functions of water droplets (i.e., cloud droplets and raindrops), and several types of ice particles (i.e., pristine ice crystals (columnar and plate-like), snow (dendrites and aggregates), graupel and frozen drops/hail). Each type is described by a special size distribution function containing many categories (i.e. 33 bins). Atmospheric aerosols are also described using number density size-distribution functions. A spectral-bin microphysical model is very expensive from a computational point of view and has only been implemented into the 2D version of the GCE at the present time. The model is tested by studying the evolution of deep cloud systems in the west Pacific warm pool region, in the sub-tropics (Florida) and in the mid-latitude using identical thermodynamic conditions but with different concentrations of CCN: a low 'clean' concentration and a high 'dirty' concentration.

  13. What is the role of laminar cirrus cloud on regulating the cross-tropopause water vapor transport?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, D. L.; Gong, J.; Tsai, V.

    2016-12-01

    Laminar cirrus is an extremely thin ice cloud found persistently inhabit in the tropical and subtropical tropopause. Due to its sub-visible optical depth and high formation altitude, knowledge about the characteristics of this special type of cloud is very limited, and debates are ongoing about its role on regulating the cross-tropopause transport of water vapor. The Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) onboard the CALIPSO satellite has been continuously providing us with unprecedented details of the laminar cirrus since its launch in 2006. In this research, we adapted Winker and Trepte (1998)'s eyeball detection method. A JAVA-based applet and graphical user interface (GUI) is developed to manually select the laminar, which then automatically record the cloud properties, such as spatial location, shape, thickness, tilt angle, and whether its isolated or directly above a deep convective cloud. Monthly statistics of the laminar cirrus are then separately analyzed according to the orbit node, isolated/convective, banded/non-banded, etc. Monthly statistics support a diurnal difference in the occurring frequency and formation height of the laminar cirrus. Also, isolated and convective laminars show diverse behaviors (height, location, distribution, etc.), which strongly implies that their formation mechanisms and their roles on depleting the upper troposphere water vapor are distinct. We further study the relationship between laminar characteristics and collocated and coincident water vapor gradient measurements from Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) observations below and above the laminars. The identified relationship provides a quantitative answer to the role laminar cirrus plays on regulating the water vapor entering the stratosphere.

  14. Seeking Augmented Information Content Concerning Diurnal Precipitation Achieved by Combining TRMM-PR and CloudSat-CPR Radar Data Sets

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Smith, Eric A.; Kuo, Kwo-Sen; Carty, Hezekiah

    2008-01-01

    The CloudSat satellite's Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR) is a highly sensitive 94 GHz (W-band) nadir viewing radar system flown in retrograde sun synchronous orbit useful for determining the vertical structure of cloud hydrometeors down to sensitivity of approx. -30 dBZ reflectivity factor. Given this sensitivity, it is possible to unambiguously measure precipitation rates in clouds over a spectrum extending from approx. 0.08 - 3.0 mm hr (sup -1) down to altitudes of 0.5 km with approx.0.25 km vertical binning. This enables an effective means to measure a great deal of the drizzle and light rain spectrum. However, because of its near-polar sunsynchronous orbit, CloudSat cannot sample the diurnal cycle of precipitation, nor with its nadir-only CPR view can it obtain a high duty cycle in sampling precipitation at fixed local times over fixed positions. On the other hand, the TRMM satellite, which is flown in a non-sunsynchronous 35-degree inclined orbit carrying the 13.8 GHz KU-band Precipitation Radar (PR) scanning through nadir over an approx. 225 km swath, can sample both the diurnal cycle and with a much improved duty cycle relative to CloudSat. Moreover, the PR and CPR have the same 0.25 km vertical binning capability. The PR's greatest shortcoming is its approx. +17 dBZ sensitivity, which eliminates the possibility of measuring rain rates below -0.3-0.5 mm hr(sup -1), which can involve rainfall accumulations of up to 50% of the total over some regions. This begs the question of whether by combining CPR and PR data sets, whether it is possible to obtain an augmented measurement of the diurnal precipitation cycle. By collecting complimentary datasets during CloudSat and TRMM satellite orbit crossings within a delta t = 45-min proximity window, it is possible to demonstrate that whenever TRMM detects a precipitation signal, the correlations along the vertical axis between the reflectivities acquired from the CPR and PR are in inverse proportion to the magnitude of the

  15. Estimation of precipitable water over the Amazon Basin using GOES imagery

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Callahan, John Andrew

    The Amazon Rainforest is the largest continuous rainforest on Earth. It holds a rich abundance of life containing approximately one-half of all existing plant and animal species and 20% of the world's fresh water. Climatologically, the Amazon Rainforest is a massive storehouse of carbon dioxide and water vapor and hosts hydrologic and energy cycles that influence regional and global patterns. However, this region has gone through vast land cover changes during the past several decades. Lack of conventional, in situ data sources prohibits detailed measurements to assess the climatological impact these changes may cause. This thesis applies a satellite-based, thermal infrared remote sensing algorithm to determine precipitable water in the Amazon Basin to test its applicability in the region and to measure the diurnal changes in water vapor. Imagery from the GOES geostationary satellite and estimated atmospheric conditions and radiance values derived from the NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis project were used as inputs to the Physical Split Window (PSW) technique. Retrievals of precipitable water were made every 3 hours throughout each day from 12Z to 24Z for the months of June and October, 1988 and 1995. These months correspond to when the atmosphere is not dominated by clouds during the rainy (wet) season or smoke and haze during the burning (dry) season. Monthly, daily, and diurnal aggregates of precipitable water Fields were analyzed spatially through seven zones located uniformly throughout the region. Monthly average precipitable water values were found to be 20mm to 25mm in the southeast and 45mm to 50mm in the northwest zones. Central and northwest zones showed little variation throughout the day with most areas peaking between 15Z and 21Z, representing early to late afternoon local time. Comparisons were made to nearby, coincident radiosonde observations with r ranging from 0.7 to 0.9 and MAE from 6mm to 12 mm.

  16. Precipitation microphysics characteristics of a Typhoon Matmo (2014) rainband after landfall over eastern China based on polarimetric radar observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Mingjun; Zhao, Kun; Xue, Ming; Zhang, Guifu; Liu, Su; Wen, Long; Chen, Gang

    2016-10-01

    The evolution of microphysical characteristics of a rainband in Typhoon Matmo (2014) over eastern China, through its onset, developing, mature, and dissipating stages, is documented using observations from an S band polarimetric Doppler radar and a two-dimensional video disdrometer (2DVD). The drop size distributions observed by the 2DVD and retrieved from the polarimetric radar measurements indicate that the convection in the rainband generally contains smaller drops and higher number concentrations than the typical maritime type convection described in Bringi et al. (2003). The average mass-weighted mean diameter (Dm) of convective precipitation in the rainband is about 1.41 mm, and the average logarithmic normalized intercept (Nw) is 4.67 log10 mm-1 m-3. To further investigate the dominant microphysical processes, the evolution of the vertical structures of polarimetric variables is examined. Results show that complex ice processes are involved above the freezing level, while it is most likely that the accretion and/or coalescence processes dominate below the freezing level throughout the rainband life cycle. A combined examination of the polarimetric measurements and profiles of estimated vertical liquid and ice water contents indicates that the conversion of cloud water into rainwater through cloud water accretion by raindrops plays a dominant role in producing heavy rainfall. The high estimated precipitation efficiency of 50% also suggests that cloud water accretion is the dominant mechanism for producing heavy rainfall. This study represents the first time that radar and 2DVD observations are used together to characterize the microphysical characteristics and precipitation efficiency for typhoon rainbands in China.

  17. Water relations and microclimate around the upper limit of a cloud forest in Maui, Hawai'i.

    PubMed

    Gotsch, Sybil G; Crausbay, Shelley D; Giambelluca, Thomas W; Weintraub, Alexis E; Longman, Ryan J; Asbjornsen, Heidi; Hotchkiss, Sara C; Dawson, Todd E

    2014-07-01

    The goal of this study was to determine the effects of atmospheric demand on both plant water relations and daily whole-tree water balance across the upper limit of a cloud forest at the mean base height of the trade wind inversion in the tropical trade wind belt. We measured the microclimate and water relations (sap flow, water potential, stomatal conductance, pressure-volume relations) of Metrosideros polymorpha Gaudich. var. polymorpha in three habitats bracketing the cloud forest's upper limit in Hawai'i to understand the role of water relations in determining ecotone position. The subalpine shrubland site, located 100 m above the cloud forest boundary, had the highest vapor pressure deficit, the least amount of rainfall and the highest levels of nighttime transpiration (EN) of all three sites. In the shrubland site, on average, 29% of daily whole-tree transpiration occurred at night, while on the driest day of the study 50% of total daily transpiration occurred at night. While EN occurred in the cloud forest habitat, the proportion of total daily transpiration that occurred at night was much lower (4%). The average leaf water potential (Ψleaf) was above the water potential at the turgor loss point (ΨTLP) on both sides of the ecotone due to strong stomatal regulation. While stomatal closure maintained a high Ψleaf, the minimum leaf water potential (Ψleafmin) was close to ΨTLP, indicating that drier conditions may cause drought stress in these habitats and may be an important driver of current landscape patterns in stand density. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  18. Observed Aerosol Influence on Ice Water Content of Arctic Mixed-Phase Clouds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Norgren, M.; de Boer, G.; Shupe, M.

    2016-12-01

    The response of ice water content (IWC) in Arctic mixed-phase stratocumulus to atmospheric aerosols is observed. IWC retrievals from ground based radars operated by the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program in Barrow, Alaska are used to construct composite profiles of cloud IWC from a 9-year radar record starting in January of 2000. The IWC profiles for high (polluted) and low (clean) aerosol loadings are compared. Generally, we find that clean clouds exhibit statistically significant higher levels of IWC than do polluted clouds by a factor of 2-4 at cloud base. For springtime clouds, with a maximum relative humidity with respect to ice (RHI) above 110% in the cloud layer, the IWC at cloud base was a factor of 3.25 times higher in clean clouds than it was in polluted clouds. We infer that the aerosol loading of the cloud environment alters the liquid drop size distribution within the cloud, with larger drops being more frequent in clean clouds. Larger cloud drops promote riming within the cloud layer, which is one explanation for the higher IWC levels in clean clouds. The drop size distribution may also be a significant control of ice nucleation events within mixed-phase clouds. Whether the high IWC levels in clean clouds are due to increased riming or nucleation events is unclear at this time.

  19. Simulation of Water Sources and Precipitation Recycling for the MacKenzie, Mississippi and Amazon River Basins

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bosilovich, Michael G.; Chern, Jiun-Dar

    2005-01-01

    An atmospheric general circulation model simulation for 1948-1997 of the water budgets for the MacKenzie, Mississippi and Amazon River basins is presented. In addition to the water budget, we include passive tracers to identify the geographic sources of water for the basins, and the analysis focuses on the mechanisms contributing to precipitation recycling in each basin. While each basin s precipitation recycling has a strong dependency on evaporation during the mean annual cycle, the interannual variability of the recycling shows important relationships with the atmospheric circulation. The MacKenzie River basin has only a weak interannual dependency on evaporation, where the variations in zonal moisture transport from the Pacific Ocean can affect the basin water cycle. On the other hand, the Mississippi River basin has strong interannual dependencies on evaporation. While the precipitation recycling weakens with increased low level jet intensity, the evaporation variations exert stronger influence in providing water vapor for convective precipitation at the convective cloud base. High precipitation recycling is also found to be partly connected to warm SSTs in the tropical Pacific Ocean. The Amazon River basin evaporation exhibits small interannual variations, so that the interannual variations of precipitation recycling are related to atmospheric moisture transport from the tropical south Atlantic Ocean. Increasing SSTs over the 50-year period are causing increased easterly transport across the basin. As moisture transport increases, the Amazon precipitation recycling decreases (without real time varying vegetation changes). In addition, precipitation recycling from a bulk diagnostic method is compared to the passive tracer method used in the analysis. While the mean values are different, the interannual variations are comparable between each method. The methods also exhibit similar relationships to the terms of the basin scale water budgets.

  20. Liquid Water Cloud Measurements Using the Raman Lidar Technique: Current Understanding and Future Research Needs

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tetsu, Sakai; Whiteman, David N.; Russo, Felicita; Turner, David D.; Veselovskii, Igor; Melfi, S. Harvey; Nagai, Tomohiro; Mano, Yuzo

    2013-01-01

    This paper describes recent work in the Raman lidar liquid water cloud measurement technique. The range-resolved spectral measurements at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Goddard Space Flight Center indicate that the Raman backscattering spectra measured in and below low clouds agree well with theoretical spectra for vapor and liquid water. The calibration coefficients of the liquid water measurement for the Raman lidar at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program Southern Great Plains site of the U.S. Department of Energy were determined by comparison with the liquid water path (LWP) obtained with Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer (AERI) and the liquid water content (LWC) obtained with the millimeter wavelength cloud radar and water vapor radiometer (MMCR-WVR) together. These comparisons were used to estimate the Raman liquid water cross-sectional value. The results indicate a bias consistent with an effective liquid water Raman cross-sectional value that is 28%-46% lower than published, which may be explained by the fact that the difference in the detectors' sensitivity has not been accounted for. The LWP of a thin altostratus cloud showed good qualitative agreement between lidar retrievals and AERI. However, the overall ensemble of comparisons of LWP showed considerable scatter, possibly because of the different fields of view of the instruments, the 350-m distance between the instruments, and the horizontal inhomogeneity of the clouds. The LWC profiles for a thick stratus cloud showed agreement between lidar retrievals andMMCR-WVR between the cloud base and 150m above that where the optical depth was less than 3. Areas requiring further research in this technique are discussed.

  1. Rainforest aerosols as biogenic nuclei of clouds and precipitation in the Amazon.

    PubMed

    Pöschl, U; Martin, S T; Sinha, B; Chen, Q; Gunthe, S S; Huffman, J A; Borrmann, S; Farmer, D K; Garland, R M; Helas, G; Jimenez, J L; King, S M; Manzi, A; Mikhailov, E; Pauliquevis, T; Petters, M D; Prenni, A J; Roldin, P; Rose, D; Schneider, J; Su, H; Zorn, S R; Artaxo, P; Andreae, M O

    2010-09-17

    The Amazon is one of the few continental regions where atmospheric aerosol particles and their effects on climate are not dominated by anthropogenic sources. During the wet season, the ambient conditions approach those of the pristine pre-industrial era. We show that the fine submicrometer particles accounting for most cloud condensation nuclei are predominantly composed of secondary organic material formed by oxidation of gaseous biogenic precursors. Supermicrometer particles, which are relevant as ice nuclei, consist mostly of primary biological material directly released from rainforest biota. The Amazon Basin appears to be a biogeochemical reactor, in which the biosphere and atmospheric photochemistry produce nuclei for clouds and precipitation sustaining the hydrological cycle. The prevailing regime of aerosol-cloud interactions in this natural environment is distinctly different from polluted regions.

  2. Rainforest Aerosols as Biogenic Nuclei of Clouds and Precipitation in the Amazon

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pöschl, U.; Martin, S. T.; Sinha, B.; Chen, Q.; Gunthe, S. S.; Huffman, J. A.; Borrmann, S.; Farmer, D. K.; Garland, R. M.; Helas, G.; Jimenez, J. L.; King, S. M.; Manzi, A.; Mikhailov, E.; Pauliquevis, T.; Petters, M. D.; Prenni, A. J.; Roldin, P.; Rose, D.; Schneider, J.; Su, H.; Zorn, S. R.; Artaxo, P.; Andreae, M. O.

    2010-09-01

    The Amazon is one of the few continental regions where atmospheric aerosol particles and their effects on climate are not dominated by anthropogenic sources. During the wet season, the ambient conditions approach those of the pristine pre-industrial era. We show that the fine submicrometer particles accounting for most cloud condensation nuclei are predominantly composed of secondary organic material formed by oxidation of gaseous biogenic precursors. Supermicrometer particles, which are relevant as ice nuclei, consist mostly of primary biological material directly released from rainforest biota. The Amazon Basin appears to be a biogeochemical reactor, in which the biosphere and atmospheric photochemistry produce nuclei for clouds and precipitation sustaining the hydrological cycle. The prevailing regime of aerosol-cloud interactions in this natural environment is distinctly different from polluted regions.

  3. Clouds Aerosols Internal Affaires: Increasing Cloud Fraction and Enhancing the Convection

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Koren, Ilan; Kaufman, Yoram; Remer, Lorraine; Rosenfeld, Danny; Rudich, Yinon

    2004-01-01

    Clouds developing in a polluted environment have more numerous, smaller cloud droplets that can increase the cloud lifetime and liquid water content. Such changes in the cloud droplet properties may suppress low precipitation allowing development of a stronger convection and higher freezing level. Delaying the washout of the cloud water (and aerosol), and the stronger convection will result in higher clouds with longer life time and larger anvils. We show these effects by using large statistics of the new, 1km resolution data from MODIS on the Terra satellite. We isolate the aerosol effects from meteorology by regression and showing that aerosol microphysical effects increases cloud fraction by average of 30 presents for all cloud types and increases convective cloud top pressure by average of 35mb. We analyze the aerosol cloud interaction separately for high pressure trade wind cloud systems and separately for deep convective cloud systems. The resultant aerosol radiative effect on climate for the high pressure cloud system is: -10 to -13 W/sq m at the top of the atmosphere (TOA) and -11 to -14 W/sq m at the surface. For deeper convective clouds the forcing is: -4 to -5 W/sq m at the TOA and -6 to -7 W/sq m at the surface.

  4. Using High-Resolution Satellite Observations for Evaluation of Cloud and Precipitation Statistics from Cloud-Resolving Model Simulations. Part I: South China Sea Monsoon Experiment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhou, Y.; Hou, A.; Lau, W. K.; Shie, C.; Tao, W.; Lin, X.; Chou, M.; Olson, W. S.; Grecu, M.

    2006-05-01

    The cloud and precipitation statistics simulated by 3D Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) model during the South China Sea Monsoon Experiment (SCSMEX) is compared with Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) TMI and PR rainfall measurements and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) single scanner footprint (SSF) radiation and cloud retrievals. It is found that GCE is capable of simulating major convective system development and reproducing total surface rainfall amount as compared with rainfall estimated from the soundings. Mesoscale organization is adequately simulated except when environmental wind shear is very weak. The partitions between convective and stratiform rain are also close to TMI and PR classification. However, the model simulated rain spectrum is quite different from either TMI or PR measurements. The model produces more heavy rains and light rains (less than 0.1 mm/hr) than the observations. The model also produces heavier vertical hydrometer profiles of rain, graupel when compared with TMI retrievals and PR radar reflectivity. Comparing GCE simulated OLR and cloud properties with CERES measurements found that the model has much larger domain averaged OLR due to smaller total cloud fraction and a much skewed distribution of OLR and cloud top than CERES observations, indicating that the model's cloud field is not wide spread, consistent with the model's precipitation activity. These results will be used as guidance for improving the model's microphysics.

  5. Aerosol Microphysical and Radiative Effects on Continental Cloud Ensembles

    DOE PAGES

    Wang, Yuan; Vogel, Jonathan M.; Lin, Yun; ...

    2018-01-10

    Aerosol-cloud-radiation interactions represent one of the largest uncertainties in the current climate assessment. Much of the complexity arises from the non-monotonic responses of clouds, precipitation and radiative fluxes to aerosol perturbations under various meteorological conditions. Here, an aerosol-aware Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model is used to investigate the microphysical and radiative effects of aerosols in three weather systems during the March 2000 Cloud Intensive Observational Period campaign at the Southern Great Plains site of the US Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program. Three cloud ensembles with different meteorological conditions are simulated, including a low-pressure deep convective cloud system, a series ofmore » lessprecipitating stratus and shallow cumulus, and a cold frontal passage. The WRF simulations are evaluated by the available observations of cloud fraction, liquid water path, precipitation, and surface temperature. The microphysical properties of cloud hydrometeors, such as their mass and number concentrations, generally show monotonic trends as a function of cloud condensation nuclei concentrations. Aerosol radiative effects do not interfere the trends of cloud microphysics, except for the stratus and shallow cumulus cases where aerosol semi-direct effects are identified. The precipitation changes by aerosols vary with the cloud types and their evolving stages, with more prominent aerosol invigoration effect and associated enhanced precipitation from the convective sources. Furthermore, the simulated aerosol direct effect suppresses precipitation in all three cases but does not overturn the direction of precipitation changes by the aerosol indirect effect. Cloud fraction exhibits much smaller sensitivity (typically less than 2%) to aerosol perturbations than the cloud microphysics, and the responses vary with aerosol concentrations and cloud regimes. The surface shortwave radiation shows a monotonic decrease by

  6. Aerosol Microphysical and Radiative Effects on Continental Cloud Ensembles

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wang, Yuan; Vogel, Jonathan M.; Lin, Yun

    Aerosol-cloud-radiation interactions represent one of the largest uncertainties in the current climate assessment. Much of the complexity arises from the non-monotonic responses of clouds, precipitation and radiative fluxes to aerosol perturbations under various meteorological conditions. Here, an aerosol-aware Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model is used to investigate the microphysical and radiative effects of aerosols in three weather systems during the March 2000 Cloud Intensive Observational Period campaign at the Southern Great Plains site of the US Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program. Three cloud ensembles with different meteorological conditions are simulated, including a low-pressure deep convective cloud system, a series ofmore » lessprecipitating stratus and shallow cumulus, and a cold frontal passage. The WRF simulations are evaluated by the available observations of cloud fraction, liquid water path, precipitation, and surface temperature. The microphysical properties of cloud hydrometeors, such as their mass and number concentrations, generally show monotonic trends as a function of cloud condensation nuclei concentrations. Aerosol radiative effects do not interfere the trends of cloud microphysics, except for the stratus and shallow cumulus cases where aerosol semi-direct effects are identified. The precipitation changes by aerosols vary with the cloud types and their evolving stages, with more prominent aerosol invigoration effect and associated enhanced precipitation from the convective sources. Furthermore, the simulated aerosol direct effect suppresses precipitation in all three cases but does not overturn the direction of precipitation changes by the aerosol indirect effect. Cloud fraction exhibits much smaller sensitivity (typically less than 2%) to aerosol perturbations than the cloud microphysics, and the responses vary with aerosol concentrations and cloud regimes. The surface shortwave radiation shows a monotonic decrease by

  7. Microphysical Timescales in Clouds and their Application in Cloud-Resolving Modeling

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zeng, Xiping; Tao, Wei-Kuo; Simpson, Joanne

    2007-01-01

    Independent prognostic variables in cloud-resolving modeling are chosen on the basis of the analysis of microphysical timescales in clouds versus a time step for numerical integration. Two of them are the moist entropy and the total mixing ratio of airborne water with no contributions from precipitating particles. As a result, temperature can be diagnosed easily from those prognostic variables, and cloud microphysics be separated (or modularized) from moist thermodynamics. Numerical comparison experiments show that those prognostic variables can work well while a large time step (e.g., 10 s) is used for numerical integration.

  8. Stratocumulus Precipitation and Entrainment Experiment (SPEE) Field Campaign Report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Albrecht, Bruce; Ghate, Virendra; CADeddu, Maria

    2016-06-01

    The scientific focus of this project was to examine precipitation and entrainment processes in marine stratocumulus clouds. The entrainment studies focused on characterizing cloud turbulence at cloud top using Doppler cloud radar observations. The precipitation studies focused on characterizing the precipitation and the macroscopic properties (cloud thickness, and liquid water path) of the clouds. This project will contribute to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility’s overall objective of providing the remote-sensing observations needed to improve the representation of key cloud processes in climate models. It will be of direct relevance to the componentsmore » of ARM dealing with entrainment and precipitation processes in stratiform clouds. Further, the radar observing techniques that will be used in this study were developed using ARM Southern Great Plains (SGP) facility observations under Atmospheric System Research (ASR) support. The observing systems operating automatously from a site located just north of the Center for Interdisciplinary Remotely-Piloted Aircraft Studies (CIRPAS) aircraft hangar in Marina, California during the period of 1 May to 4 November 2015 included: 1. Microwave radiometer: ARM Microwave Radiometer, 3-Channel (MWR3C) with channels centered at 23.834, 30, and 89 GHz; supported by Dr. Maria Cadeddu. 2. Cloud Radar: CIRPAS 95 GHz Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) Cloud Radar (Centroid Frequency Chirp Rate [CFCR]); operations overseen by Drs. Ghate and Albrecht. 3. Ceilometer: Vaisala CK-14; operations overseen by Drs. Ghate and Albrecht.« less

  9. The Impact of Aerosols on Cloud and Precipitation Processes: Cloud-Resolving Model Simulations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tao, Wei-Kuo; Li, X.; Khain, A.; Simpson, S.; Johnson, D.; Remer, L.

    2004-01-01

    Cloud microphysics is inevitably affected by the smoke particle (CCN, cloud condensation nuclei) size distributions below the clouds. Therefore, size distributions parameterized as spectral bin microphysics are needed to explicitly study the effects of atmospheric aerosol concentration on cloud development, rainfall production, and rainfall rates for convective clouds. Recently, two detailed spectral-bin microphysical schemes were implemented into the Goddard Cumulus Ensembel (GCE) model. The formulation for the explicit spectral-bin microphysical processes is based on solving stochastic kinetic equations for the size distribution functions of water droplets (i.e., cloud droplets and raindrops), and several types of ice particles [i.e. pristine ice crystals (columnar and plate-like), snow (dendrites and aggregates), graupel and frozen drops/hail]. Each type is described by a special size distribution function containing many categories (i.e. 33 bins). Atmospheric aerosols are also described using number density size distribution functions. A spectral-bin microphysical model is very expensive from a computational point of view and has only been implemented into the 2D version of the GCE at the present time. The model is tested by studying the evolution of deep tropical clouds in the west Pacific warm pool region and in the mid-latitude continent with different concentrations of CCN: a low "c1ean"concentration and a high "dirty" concentration. In addition, differences and similarities between bulk microphysics and spectral-bin microphysical schemes will be examined and discussed.

  10. The Impact of Aerosols on Cloud and Precipitation Processes: Cloud-resolving Model Simulations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tao, Wei-Kuo; Li, X.; Khain, A.; Simpson, S.; Johnson, D.; Remer, L.

    2004-01-01

    Cloud microphysics is inevitably affected by the smoke particle (CCN, cloud condensation nuclei) size distributions below the clouds. Therefore, size distributions parameterized as spectral bin microphysics are needed to explicitly study the effects of atmospheric aerosol concentration on cloud development, r d a U production, and rainfall rates for convective clouds. Recently, two detailed spectral-bin microphysical schemes were implemented into the Goddard Cumulus Ensembe1 (GCE) model. The formulation for the explicit spectral-bin microphysical processes is based on solving stochastic kinetic equations for the size distribution functions of water droplets (i.e., cloud droplets and raindrops), and several types of ice particles [i.e. pristine ice crystals (columnar and platelike), snow (dendrites and aggregates), graupel and frozen drops/hail]. Each type is described by a special size distribution function containing many categories (i.e. 33 bins). Atmospheric aerosols are also described using number density size-distribution functions. A spectral-bin microphysical model is very expensive from a computational point of view and has only been implemented into the 2D version of the GCE at the present time. The model is tested by studying the evolution of deep tropical clouds in the west Pacific warm pool region and in the mid-latitude continent with different concentrations of CCN: a low "c1ean"concentration and a high "dirty" concentration. In addition, differences and similarities between bulk microphysics and spectral-bin microphysical schemes will be examined and discussed.

  11. An Uncertainty Data Set for Passive Microwave Satellite Observations of Warm Cloud Liquid Water Path

    PubMed Central

    Bennartz, Ralf; Lebsock, Matthew; Teixeira, João

    2018-01-01

    Abstract The first extended comprehensive data set of the retrieval uncertainties in passive microwave observations of cloud liquid water path (CLWP) for warm oceanic clouds has been created for practical use in climate applications. Four major sources of systematic errors were considered over the 9‐year record of the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer‐EOS (AMSR‐E): clear‐sky bias, cloud‐rain partition (CRP) bias, cloud‐fraction‐dependent bias, and cloud temperature bias. Errors were estimated using a unique merged AMSR‐E/Moderate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer Level 2 data set as well as observations from the Cloud‐Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization and the CloudSat Cloud Profiling Radar. To quantify the CRP bias more accurately, a new parameterization was developed to improve the inference of CLWP in warm rain. The cloud‐fraction‐dependent bias was found to be a combination of the CRP bias, an in‐cloud bias, and an adjacent precipitation bias. Globally, the mean net bias was 0.012 kg/m2, dominated by the CRP and in‐cloud biases, but with considerable regional and seasonal variation. Good qualitative agreement between a bias‐corrected AMSR‐E CLWP climatology and ship observations in the Northeast Pacific suggests that the bias estimates are reasonable. However, a possible underestimation of the net bias in certain conditions may be due in part to the crude method used in classifying precipitation, underscoring the need for an independent method of detecting rain in warm clouds. This study demonstrates the importance of combining visible‐infrared imager data and passive microwave CLWP observations for estimating uncertainties and improving the accuracy of these observations. PMID:29938146

  12. Homogeneous Aerosol Freezing in the Tops of High-Altitude Tropical Cumulonimbus Clouds

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jensen, E. J.; Ackerman, A. S.

    2006-01-01

    Numerical simulations of deep, intense continental tropical convection indicate that when the cloud tops extend more than a few kilometers above the liquid water homogeneous freezing level, ice nucleation due to freezing of entrained aqueous sulfate aerosols generates large concentrations of small crystals (diameters less than approx. equal to 20 micrometers). The small crystals produced by aerosol freezing have the largest impact on cloud-top ice concentration for convective clouds with strong updrafts but relatively low aerosol concentrations. An implication of this result is that cloud-top ice concentrations in high anvil cirrus can be controlled primarily by updraft speeds in the tops of convective plumes and to a lesser extent by aerosol concentrations in the uppermost troposphere. While larger crystals precipitate out and sublimate in subsaturated air below, the population of small crystals can persist in the saturated uppermost troposphere for many hours, thereby prolonging the lifetime of remnants from anvil cirrus in the tropical tropopause layer.

  13. Contrasting Cloud Composition Between Coupled and Decoupled Marine Boundary Layer Clouds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    WANG, Z.; Mora, M.; Dadashazar, H.; MacDonald, A.; Crosbie, E.; Bates, K. H.; Coggon, M. M.; Craven, J. S.; Xian, P.; Campbell, J. R.; AzadiAghdam, M.; Woods, R. K.; Jonsson, H.; Flagan, R. C.; Seinfeld, J.; Sorooshian, A.

    2016-12-01

    Marine stratocumulus clouds often become decoupled from the vertical layer immediately above the ocean surface. This study contrasts cloud chemical composition between coupled and decoupled marine stratocumulus clouds. Cloud water and droplet residual particle composition were measured in clouds off the California coast during three airborne experiments in July-August of separate years (E-PEACE 2011, NiCE 2013, BOAS 2015). Decoupled clouds exhibited significantly lower overall mass concentrations in both cloud water and droplet residual particles, consistent with reduced cloud droplet number concentration and sub-cloud aerosol (Dp > 100 nm) number concentration, owing to detachment from surface sources. Non-refractory sub-micrometer aerosol measurements show that coupled clouds exhibit higher sulfate mass fractions in droplet residual particles, owing to more abundant precursor emissions from the ocean and ships. Consequently, decoupled clouds exhibited higher mass fractions of organics, nitrate, and ammonium in droplet residual particles, owing to effects of long-range transport from more distant sources. Total cloud water mass concentration in coupled clouds was dominated by sodium and chloride, and their mass fractions and concentrations exceeded those in decoupled clouds. Conversely, with the exception of sea salt constituents (e.g., Cl, Na, Mg, K), cloud water mass fractions of all species examined were higher in decoupled clouds relative to coupled clouds. These results suggest that an important variable is the extent to which clouds are coupled to the surface layer when interpreting microphysical data relevant to clouds and aerosol particles.

  14. Homogeneous ice nucleation and supercooled liquid water in orographic wave clouds

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Heymsfield, Andrew J.; Miloshevich, Larry M.

    1993-01-01

    This study investigates ice nucleation mechanisms in cold lenticular wave clouds, a cloud type characterized by quasi-steady-state air motions and microphysical properties. It is concluded that homogeneous ice nucleation is responsible for the ice production in these clouds at temperatures below about -33 C. The lack of ice nucleation observed above -33 C indicates a dearth of ice-forming nuclei, and hence heterogeneous ice nucleation, in these clouds. Aircraft measurements in the temperature range -31 to -41 C show the following complement of simultaneous and abrupt changes in cloud properties that indicate a transition from the liquid phase to ice: disappearance of liquid water; decrease in relative humidity from near water saturation to ice saturation; increase in mean particle size; change in particle concentration; and change in temperature due to the release of latent heat. A numerical model of cloud particle growth and homogeneous ice nucleation is used to aid in interpretation of our in situ measurements. The abrupt changes in observed cloud properties compare favorably, both qualitatively and quantitatively, with results from the homogeneous ice nucleation model. It is shown that the homogeneous ice nucleation rates from the measurements are consistent with the temperature-dependent rates employed by the model (within a factor of 100, corresponding to about 1 C in temperature) in the temperature range -35 deg to -38 C. Given the theoretical basis of the modeled rates, it may be reasonable to apply them throughout the -30 to -50 C temperature range considered by the theory.

  15. Water Ice Clouds in the Martian Atmosphere: A View from MGS TES

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hale, A. S.; Tamppari, L. K.; Christensen, P. R.; Smith, M. D.; Bass, Deborah; Qu, Zheng; Pearl, J. C.

    2005-01-01

    We use the method of Tamppari et al. to map water ice clouds in the Martian atmosphere. This technique was originally developed to analyze the broadband Viking IRTM channels and we have now applied it to the TES data. To do this, the TES spectra are convolved to the IRTM bandshapes and spatial resolutions, enabling use of the same processing techniques as were used in Tamppari et al.. This retrieval technique relies on using the temperature difference recorded in the 20 micron and 11 micron IRTM bands (or IRTM convolved TES bands) to map cold water ice clouds above the warmer Martian surface. Careful removal of surface contributions to the observed radiance is therefore necessary, and we have used both older Viking-derived basemaps of the surface emissivity and albedo, and new MGS derived basemaps in order the explore any possible differences on cloud retrieval due to differences in surface contribution removal. These results will be presented in our poster. Our previous work has concentrated primarily on comparing MGS TES to Viking data; that work saw that large-scale cloud features, such as the aphelion cloud belt, are quite repeatable from year to year, though small scale behavior shows some variation. Comparison of Viking and MGS era cloud maps will be presented in our poster. In the current stage of our study, we have concentrated our efforts on close analysis of water ice cloud behavior in the northern summer of the three MGS mapping years on relatively small spatial scales, and present our results below. Additional information is included in the original extended abstract.

  16. Precipitation Processes developed during ARM (1997), TOGA COARE(1992), GATE(1 974), SCSMEX(1998) and KWAJEX(1999): Consistent 2D and 3D Cloud Resolving Model Simulations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tao, W.-K.; Shie, C.-H.; Simpson, J.; Starr, D.; Johnson, D.; Sud, Y.

    2003-01-01

    Real clouds and clouds systems are inherently three dimensional (3D). Because of the limitations in computer resources, however, most cloud-resolving models (CRMs) today are still two-dimensional (2D). A few 3D CRMs have been used to study the response of clouds to large-scale forcing. In these 3D simulations, the model domain was small, and the integration time was 6 hours. Only recently have 3D experiments been performed for multi-day periods for tropical cloud system with large horizontal domains at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. The results indicate that surface precipitation and latent heating profiles are very similar between the 2D and 3D simulations of these same cases. The reason for the strong similarity between the 2D and 3D CRM simulations is that the observed large-scale advective tendencies of potential temperature, water vapor mixing ratio, and horizontal momentum were used as the main forcing in both the 2D and 3D models. Interestingly, the 2D and 3D versions of the CRM used in CSU and U.K. Met Office showed significant differences in the rainfall and cloud statistics for three ARM cases. The major objectives of this project are to calculate and axamine: (1)the surface energy and water budgets, (2) the precipitation processes in the convective and stratiform regions, (3) the cloud upward and downward mass fluxes in the convective and stratiform regions; (4) cloud characteristics such as size, updraft intensity and lifetime, and (5) the entrainment and detrainment rates associated with clouds and cloud systems that developed in TOGA COARE, GATE, SCSMEX, ARM and KWAJEX. Of special note is that the analyzed (model generated) data sets are all produced by the same current version of the GCE model, i.e. consistent model physics and configurations. Trajectory analyse and inert tracer calculation will be conducted to identify the differences and similarities in the organization of convection between simulated 2D and 3D cloud systems.

  17. First observations of tracking clouds using scanning ARM cloud radars

    DOE PAGES

    Borque, Paloma; Giangrande, Scott; Kollias, Pavlos

    2014-12-01

    Tracking clouds using scanning cloud radars can help to document the temporal evolution of cloud properties well before large drop formation (‘‘first echo’’). These measurements complement cloud and precipitation tracking using geostationary satellites and weather radars. Here, two-dimensional (2-D) Along-Wind Range Height Indicator (AW-RHI) observations of a population of shallow cumuli (with and without precipitation) from the 35-GHz scanning ARM cloud radar (SACR) at the DOE Atmospheric Radiation Measurements (ARM) program Southern Great Plains (SGP) site are presented. Observations from the ARM SGP network of scanning precipitation radars are used to provide the larger scale context of the cloud fieldmore » and to highlight the advantages of the SACR to detect the numerous, small, non-precipitating cloud elements. A new Cloud Identification and Tracking Algorithm (CITA) is developed to track cloud elements. In CITA, a cloud element is identified as a region having a contiguous set of pixels exceeding a preset reflectivity and size threshold. The high temporal resolution of the SACR 2-D observations (30 sec) allows for an area superposition criteria algorithm to match cloud elements at consecutive times. Following CITA, the temporal evolution of cloud element properties (number, size, and maximum reflectivity) is presented. The vast majority of the designated elements during this cumulus event were short-lived non-precipitating clouds having an apparent life cycle shorter than 15 minutes. The advantages and disadvantages of cloud tracking using an SACR are discussed.« less

  18. First observations of tracking clouds using scanning ARM cloud radars

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Borque, Paloma; Giangrande, Scott; Kollias, Pavlos

    Tracking clouds using scanning cloud radars can help to document the temporal evolution of cloud properties well before large drop formation (‘‘first echo’’). These measurements complement cloud and precipitation tracking using geostationary satellites and weather radars. Here, two-dimensional (2-D) Along-Wind Range Height Indicator (AW-RHI) observations of a population of shallow cumuli (with and without precipitation) from the 35-GHz scanning ARM cloud radar (SACR) at the DOE Atmospheric Radiation Measurements (ARM) program Southern Great Plains (SGP) site are presented. Observations from the ARM SGP network of scanning precipitation radars are used to provide the larger scale context of the cloud fieldmore » and to highlight the advantages of the SACR to detect the numerous, small, non-precipitating cloud elements. A new Cloud Identification and Tracking Algorithm (CITA) is developed to track cloud elements. In CITA, a cloud element is identified as a region having a contiguous set of pixels exceeding a preset reflectivity and size threshold. The high temporal resolution of the SACR 2-D observations (30 sec) allows for an area superposition criteria algorithm to match cloud elements at consecutive times. Following CITA, the temporal evolution of cloud element properties (number, size, and maximum reflectivity) is presented. The vast majority of the designated elements during this cumulus event were short-lived non-precipitating clouds having an apparent life cycle shorter than 15 minutes. The advantages and disadvantages of cloud tracking using an SACR are discussed.« less

  19. Volcano and Ship Tracks Indicate Excessive Aerosol-Induced Cloud Water Increases in a Climate Model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Toll, Velle; Christensen, Matthew; Gassó, Santiago; Bellouin, Nicolas

    2017-12-01

    Aerosol-cloud interaction is the most uncertain mechanism of anthropogenic radiative forcing of Earth's climate, and aerosol-induced cloud water changes are particularly poorly constrained in climate models. By combining satellite retrievals of volcano and ship tracks in stratocumulus clouds, we compile a unique observational data set and confirm that liquid water path (LWP) responses to aerosols are bidirectional, and on average the increases in LWP are closely compensated by the decreases. Moreover, the meteorological parameters controlling the LWP responses are strikingly similar between the volcano and ship tracks. In stark contrast to observations, there are substantial unidirectional increases in LWP in the Hadley Centre climate model, because the model accounts only for the decreased precipitation efficiency and not for the enhanced entrainment drying. If the LWP increases in the model were compensated by the decreases as the observations suggest, its indirect aerosol radiative forcing in stratocumulus regions would decrease by 45%.

  20. How Do A-train Sensors Intercompare in the Retrieval of Above-cloud Aerosol Optical Depth? A Case Study-based Assessment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jethva, Hiren; Torres, Omar; Waquet, Fabien; Chand, Duli; Hu, Yongxiang

    2014-01-01

    We intercompare the above-cloud aerosol optical depth (ACAOD) of biomass burning plumes retrieved from A-train sensors, i.e., Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP), Polarization and Directionality of Earth Reflectances (POLDER), and Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI). These sensors have shown independent capabilities to retrieve aerosol loading above marine boundary layer clouds-a kind of situation often found over the southeast Atlantic Ocean during dry burning season. A systematic comparison reveals that all passive sensors and CALIOP-based research methods derive comparable ACAOD with differences mostly within 0.2 over homogeneous cloud fields. The 532 nm ACAOD retrieved by CALIOP operational algorithm is underestimated. The retrieved 1064 nm AOD however shows closer agreement with passive sensors. Given the different types of measurements processed with different algorithms, the reported close agreement between them is encouraging. Due to unavailability of direct measurements above cloud, the validation of satellite-based ACAOD remains an open challenge. The intersatellite comparison however can be useful for the relative evaluation and consistency check

  1. New Cloud and Precipitation Research Avenues Enabled by low-cost Phased-array Radar Technology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kollias, P.; Oue, M.; Fridlind, A. M.; Matsui, T.; McLaughlin, D. J.

    2017-12-01

    For over half a century, radars operating in a wide range of frequencies have been the primary source of observational insights of clouds and precipitation microphysics and dynamics and contributed to numerous significant advancements in the field of cloud and precipitation physics. The development of multi-wavelength and polarization diversity techniques has further strengthened the quality of microphysical and dynamical retrievals from radars and has assisted in overcoming some of the limitations imposed by the physics of scattering. Atmospheric radars have historically employed a mechanically-scanning dish antenna and their ability to point to, survey, and revisit specific points or regions in the atmosphere is limited by mechanical inertia. Electronically scanned, or phased-array, radars capable of high-speed, inertialess beam steering, have been available for several decades, but the cost of this technology has limited its use to military applications. During the last 10 years, lower power and lower-cost versions of electronically scanning radars have been developed, and this presents an attractive and affordable new tool for the atmospheric sciences. The operational and research communities are currently exploring phased array advantages in signal processing (i.e. beam multiplexing, improved clutter rejection, cross beam wind estimation, adaptive sensing) and science applications (i.e. tornadic storm morphology studies). Here, we will present some areas of atmospheric research where inertia-less radars with ability to provide rapid volume imaging offers the potential to advance cloud and precipitation research. We will discuss the added value of single phased-array radars as well as networks of these radars for several problems including: multi-Doppler wind retrieval techniques, cloud lifetime studies and aerosol-convection interactions. The performance of current (dish) and future (e-scan) radar systems for these atmospheric studies will be evaluated using

  2. Heterogeneous nucleation and its relationship to precipitation type. Technical memo

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Smith, G.

    1995-04-01

    The purpose of this study is to present important elements of cloud microphysics that will be useful to the operational meteorologist in determining precipitation type. Synoptic-scale environments and vertical atmospheric structures of cases, where freezing precipitation occurred, will be examined. Furthermore, only cases in which the entire depth of the troposphere was below freezing are studied. The absences of lower tropospheric warm layers (above freezing) suggest that the primary atmospheric process that influenced precipitation type was heterogeneous nucleation rather than melting.

  3. Hemispherical Field-of-View Above-Water Surface Imager for Submarines

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hemmati, Hamid; Kovalik, Joseph M.; Farr, William H.; Dannecker, John D.

    2012-01-01

    A document discusses solutions to the problem of submarines having to rise above water to detect airplanes in the general vicinity. Two solutions are provided, in which a sensor is located just under the water surface, and at a few to tens of meter depth under the water surface. The first option is a Fish Eye Lens (FEL) digital-camera combination, situated just under the water surface that will have near-full- hemisphere (360 azimuth and 90 elevation) field of view for detecting objects on the water surface. This sensor can provide a three-dimensional picture of the airspace both in the marine and in the land environment. The FEL is coupled to a camera and can continuously look at the entire sky above it. The camera can have an Active Pixel Sensor (APS) focal plane array that allows logic circuitry to be built directly in the sensor. The logic circuitry allows data processing to occur on the sensor head without the need for any other external electronics. In the second option, a single-photon sensitive (photon counting) detector-array is used at depth, without the need for any optics in front of it, since at this location, optical signals are scattered and arrive at a wide (tens of degrees) range of angles. Beam scattering through clouds and seawater effectively negates optical imaging at depths below a few meters under cloudy or turbulent conditions. Under those conditions, maximum collection efficiency can be achieved by using a non-imaging photon-counting detector behind narrowband filters. In either case, signals from these sensors may be fused and correlated or decorrelated with other sensor data to get an accurate picture of the object(s) above the submarine. These devices can complement traditional submarine periscopes that have a limited field of view in the elevation direction. Also, these techniques circumvent the need for exposing the entire submarine or its periscopes to the outside environment.

  4. Retrieval, Inter-Comparison, and Validation of Above-Cloud Aerosol Optical Depth from A-train Sensors

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jethva, Hiren; Torres, Omar; Bhartia, Pawan K.; Remer, Lorraine; Redemann, Jens; Dunagan, Stephen E.; Livingston, John; Shinozuka, Yohei; Kacenelenbogen, Meloe; Segal-Rosenbeimer, Michal; hide

    2014-01-01

    Absorbing aerosols produced from biomass burning and dust outbreaks are often found to overlay lower level cloud decks and pose greater potentials of exerting positive radiative effects (warming) whose magnitude directly depends on the aerosol loading above cloud, optical properties of clouds and aerosols, and cloud fraction. Recent development of a 'color ratio' (CR) algorithm applied to observations made by the Aura/OMI and Aqua/MODIS constitutes a major breakthrough and has provided unprecedented maps of above-cloud aerosol optical depth (ACAOD). The CR technique employs reflectance measurements at TOA in two channels (354 and 388 nm for OMI; 470 and 860 nm for MODIS) to retrieve ACAOD in near-UV and visible regions and aerosol-corrected cloud optical depth, simultaneously. An inter-satellite comparison of ACAOD retrieved from NASA's A-train sensors reveals a good level of agreement between the passive sensors over the homogeneous cloud fields. Direct measurements of ACA such as carried out by the NASA Ames Airborne Tracking Sunphotometer (AATS) and Spectrometer for Sky-Scanning, Sun-Tracking Atmospheric Research (4STAR) can be of immense help in validating ACA retrievals. We validate the ACA optical depth retrieved using the CR method applied to the MODIS cloudy-sky reflectance against the airborne AATS and 4STAR measurements. A thorough search of the historic AATS-4STAR database collected during different field campaigns revealed five events where biomass burning, dust, and wildfire-emitted aerosols were found to overlay lower level cloud decks observed during SAFARI-2000, ACE-ASIA 2001, and SEAC4RS- 2013, respectively. The co-located satellite-airborne measurements revealed a good agreement (RMSE less than 0.1 for AOD at 500 nm) with most matchups falling within the estimated uncertainties in the MODIS retrievals. An extensive validation of satellite-based ACA retrievals requires equivalent field measurements particularly over the regions where ACA are often

  5. Observing Ice in Clouds from Space

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ackerman, S.; Star, D. O'C.; Skofronick-Jackson, G.; Evans, F.; Wang, J. R.; Norris, P.; daSilva, A.; Soden, B.

    2006-01-01

    There are many satellite observations of cloud top properties and the liquid and rain content of clouds, however, we do not yet quantitatively understand the processes that control the water budget of the upper troposphere where ice is the predominant phase, and how these processes are linked to precipitation processes and the radiative energy budget. The ice in clouds in the upper troposphere either melts into rain or is detrained, and persists, as cirrus clouds affecting the hydrological and energy cycle, respectively. Fully modeling the Earth's climate and improving weather and climate forecasts requires accurate satellite measurements of various cloud properties at the temporal and spatial scales of cloud processes. These properties include cloud horizontal and vertical structure, cloud water content and some measure of particle sizes and shapes. The uncertainty in knowledge of these ice characteristics is reflected in the large discrepancies in model simulations of the upper tropospheric water budget. Model simulations are sensitive to the partition of ice between precipitation and outflow processes, i.e., to the parameterization of ice clouds and ice processes. One barrier to achieving accurate global ice cloud properties is the lack of adequate observations at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths (183-874 GHz). Recent advances in instrumentation have allowed for the development and implementation of an airborne submillimeter-wave radiometer. The brightness temperatures at these frequencies are especially sensitive to cirrus ice particle sizes (because they are comparable to the wavelength). This allows for more accurate ice water path estimates when multiple channels are used to probe into the cloud layers. Further, submillimeter wavelengths offer simplicity in the retrieval algorithms because they do not probe into the liquid and near surface portions of clouds, thus requiring only one term of the radiative transfer equation (ice scattering) to relate

  6. Mars Global Surveyor TES Results: Observations of Water Ice Clouds

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pearl, John C.; Smith, M. D.; Conrath, B. J.; Bandfield, J. L.; Christensen, P. R.

    1999-01-01

    On July 31, 1999, Mars Global Surveyor completed its first martian year in orbit. During this time, the Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) experiment gathered extensive data on water ice clouds. We report here on three types of martian clouds. 1) Martian southern summer has long been characterized as the season when the most severe dust storms occur. It is now apparent that northern spring/summer is characterized as a time of substantial low latitude ice clouds [1]. TES observations beginning in the northern summer (Lsubs=107) show a well developed cloud belt between 10S and 30N latitude; 12 micron opacities were typically 0.15. This system decreased dramatically after Lsubs= 130. Thereafter, remnants were most persistent over the Tharsis ridge. 2) Clouds associated with major orographic features follow a different pattern [2]. Clouds of this type were present prior to the regional Noachis dust storm of 1997. They disappeared with the onset of the storm, but reappeared rather quickly following its decay. Typical infrared opacities were near 0.5. 3) Extensive, very thin clouds are also widespread [3]. Found at high altitudes (above 35 km), their opacities are typically a few hundredths. At times, such as in northern spring, these clouds are limited in their northern extent only by the southern edge of the polar vortex. We describe the distribution, infrared optical properties, and seasonal trends of these systems during the first martian year of TES operations.

  7. Microwave (SSM/I) Estimates of the Precipitation Rate to Improve Numerical Atmospheric Model Forecasts

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Raymond, William H.; Olson, William S.

    1990-01-01

    Delay in the spin-up of precipitation early in numerical atmospheric forecasts is a deficiency correctable by diabatic initialization combined with diabatic forcing. For either to be effective requires some knowledge of the magnitude and vertical placement of the latent heating fields. Until recently the best source of cloud and rain water data was the remotely sensed vertical integrated precipitation rate or liquid water content. Vertical placement of the condensation remains unknown. Some information about the vertical distribution of the heating rates and precipitating liquid water and ice can be obtained from retrieval techniques that use a physical model of precipitating clouds to refine and improve the interpretation of the remotely sensed data. A description of this procedure and an examination of its 3-D liquid water products, along with improved modeling methods that enhance or speed-up storm development is discussed.

  8. Biases in Total Precipitable Water Vapor Climatologies from Atmospheric Infrared Sounder and Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fetzer, Eric J.; Lambrigtsen, Bjorn H.; Eldering, Annmarie; Aumann, Hartmut H.; Chahine, Moustafa T.

    2006-01-01

    We examine differences in total precipitable water vapor (PWV) from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) and the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR-E) experiments sharing the Aqua spacecraft platform. Both systems provide estimates of PWV over water surfaces. We compare AIRS and AMSR-E PWV to constrain AIRS retrieval uncertainties as functions of AIRS retrieved infrared cloud fraction. PWV differences between the two instruments vary only weakly with infrared cloud fraction up to about 70%. Maps of AIRS-AMSR-E PWV differences vary with location and season. Observational biases, when both instruments observe identical scenes, are generally less than 5%. Exceptions are in cold air outbreaks where AIRS is biased moist by 10-20% or 10-60% (depending on retrieval processing) and at high latitudes in winter where AIRS is dry by 5-10%. Sampling biases, from different sampling characteristics of AIRS and AMSR-E, vary in sign and magnitude. AIRS sampling is dry by up to 30% in most high-latitude regions but moist by 5-15% in subtropical stratus cloud belts. Over the northwest Pacific, AIRS samples conditions more moist than AMSR-E by a much as 60%. We hypothesize that both wet and dry sampling biases are due to the effects of clouds on the AIRS retrieval methodology. The sign and magnitude of these biases depend upon the types of cloud present and on the relationship between clouds and PWV. These results for PWV imply that climatologies of height-resolved water vapor from AIRS must take into consideration local meteorological processes affecting AIRS sampling.

  9. Integrated Precipitation and Hydrology Experiment (IPHEx)/Orographic Precipitation Processes Study Field Campaign Report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Barros, A. P.; Petersen, W.; Wilson, A. M.

    2016-04-01

    Three Microwave Radiometers (two 3-channel and one 2-channel) were deployed in the Southern Appalachian Mountains in western North Carolina as part of the Integrated Precipitation and Hydrology Experiment (IPHEx), which was the first National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Global Precipitation Mission (GPM) Ground Validation (GV) field campaign after the launch of the GPM Core Satellite (Barros et al. 2014). The radiometers were used along with other instrumentation to estimate the liquid water content of low-level clouds and fog. Specifically, data from the radiometers were collected to help, with other instrumentation, to characterize fog formation, evolution, and dissipation in themore » region (by monitoring the liquid water path in the column) and observe the effect of that fog on the precipitation regime. Data were collected at three locations in the Southern Appalachians, specifically western North Carolina: a valley in the inner mountain region, a valley in the open mountain pass region, and a ridge in the inner region. This project contributes to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility mission by providing in situ observations designed to improve the understanding of clouds and precipitation processes in complex terrain. The end goal is to use this improved understanding of physical processes to improve remote-sensing algorithms and representations of orographic precipitation microphysics in climate and earth system models.« less

  10. Aerosol processing in stratiform clouds in ECHAM6-HAM

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Neubauer, David; Lohmann, Ulrike; Hoose, Corinna

    2013-04-01

    Aerosol processing in stratiform clouds by uptake into cloud particles, collision-coalescence, chemical processing inside the cloud particles and release back into the atmosphere has important effects on aerosol concentration, size distribution, chemical composition and mixing state. Aerosol particles can act as cloud condensation nuclei. Cloud droplets can take up further aerosol particles by collisions. Atmospheric gases may also be transferred into the cloud droplets and undergo chemical reactions, e.g. the production of atmospheric sulphate. Aerosol particles are also processed in ice crystals. They may be taken up by homogeneous freezing of cloud droplets below -38° C or by heterogeneous freezing above -38° C. This includes immersion freezing of already immersed aerosol particles in the droplets and contact freezing of particles colliding with a droplet. Many clouds do not form precipitation and also much of the precipitation evaporates before it reaches the ground. The water soluble part of the aerosol particles concentrates in the hydrometeors and together with the insoluble part forms a single, mixed, larger particle, which is released. We have implemented aerosol processing into the current version of the general circulation model ECHAM6 (Stevens et al., 2013) coupled to the aerosol module HAM (Stier et al., 2005). ECHAM6-HAM solves prognostic equations for the cloud droplet number and ice crystal number concentrations. In the standard version of HAM, seven modes are used to describe the total aerosol. The modes are divided into soluble/mixed and insoluble modes and the number concentrations and masses of different chemical components (sulphate, black carbon, organic carbon, sea salt and mineral dust) are prognostic variables. We extended this by an explicit representation of aerosol particles in cloud droplets and ice crystals in stratiform clouds similar to Hoose et al. (2008a,b). Aerosol particles in cloud droplets are represented by 5 tracers for the

  11. Precipitation Recycling and the Vertical Distribution of Local and Remote Sources of Water for Precipitation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bosilovich, Michael G.; Atlas, Robert (Technical Monitor)

    2002-01-01

    Precipitation recycling is defined as the amount of water that evaporates from a region that precipitates within the same region. This is also interpreted as the local source of water for precipitation. In this study, the local and remote sources of water for precipitation have been diagnosed through the use of passive constituent tracers that represent regional evaporative sources along with their transport and precipitation. We will discuss the differences between this method and the simpler bulk diagnostic approach to precipitation recycling. A summer seasonal simulation has been analyzed for the regional sources of the United States Great Plains precipitation. While the tropical Atlantic Ocean (including the Gulf of Mexico) and the local continental sources of precipitation are most dominant, the vertically integrated column of water contains substantial water content originating from the Northern Pacific Ocean, which is not precipitated. The vertical profiles of regional water sources indicate that local Great Plains source of water dominates the lower troposphere, predominantly in the PBL. However, the Pacific Ocean source is dominant over a large portion of the middle to upper troposphere. The influence of the tropical Atlantic Ocean is reasonably uniform throughout the column. While the results are not unexpected given the formulation of the model's convective parameterization, the analysis provides a quantitative assessment of the impact of local evaporation on the occurrence of convective precipitation in the GCM. Further, these results suggest that local source of water is not well mixed throughout the vertical column.

  12. A Coupled GCM-Cloud Resolving Modeling System, and a Regional Scale Model to Study Precipitation Processes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tao, Wei-Kuo

    2006-01-01

    Recent GEWEX Cloud System Study (GCSS) model comparison projects have indicated that cloud-resolving models (CRMs) agree with observations better than traditional single-column models in simulating various types of clouds and cloud systems from different geographic locations. Current and future NASA satellite programs can provide cloud, precipitation, aerosol and other data at very fine spatial and temporal scales. It requires a coupled global circulation model (GCM) and cloud-scale model (termed a super-parameterization or multi-scale modeling framework, MMF) to use these satellite data to improve the understanding of the physical processes that are responsible for the variation in global and regional climate and hydrological systems. The use of a GCM will enable global coverage, and the use of a CRM will allow for better and more sophisticated physical parameterization. NASA satellite and field campaign cloud related datasets can provide initial conditions as well as validation for both the MMF and CFWs. The Goddard MMF is based on the 2D Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) model and the Goddard finite volume general circulation model (fvGCM), and it has started production runs with two years results (1 998 and 1999). In this talk, I will present: (1) A brief review on GCE model and its applications on precipitation processes (microphysical and land processes), (2) The Goddard MMF and the major difference between two existing MMFs (CSU MMF and Goddard MMF), and preliminary results (the comparison with traditional GCMs), and (3) A discussion on the Goddard WRF version (its developments and applications).

  13. An Equation for Moist Entropy in a Precipitating and Icy Atmosphere

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tao, Wei-Kuo; Simpson, Joanne; Zeng, Xiping

    2003-01-01

    Moist entropy is nearly conserved in adiabatic motion. It is redistributed rather than created by moist convection. Thus moist entropy and its equation, as a healthy direction, can be used to construct analytical and numerical models for the interaction between tropical convective clouds and large-scale circulations. Hence, an accurate equation of moist entropy is needed for the analysis and modeling of atmospheric convective clouds. On the basis of the consistency between the energy and the entropy equations, a complete equation of moist entropy is derived from the energy equation. The equation expresses explicitly the internal and external sources of moist entropy, including those in relation to the microphysics of clouds and precipitation. In addition, an accurate formula for the surface flux of moist entropy from the underlying surface into the air above is derived. Because moist entropy deals "easily" with the transition among three water phases, it will be used as a prognostic variable in the next generation of cloud-resolving models (e. g. a global cloud-resolving model) for low computational noise. Its equation that is derived in this paper is accurate and complete, providing a theoretical basis for using moist entropy as a prognostic variable in the long-term modeling of clouds and large-scale circulations.

  14. Raman Lidar Measurements of Water Vapor and Cirrus Clouds During The Passage of Hurricane Bonnie

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Whiteman, D. N.; Evans, K. D.; Demoz, B.; Starr, D OC.; Eloranta, E. W.; Tobin, D.; Feltz, W.; Jedlovec, G. J.; Gutman, S. I.; Schwemmer, G. K.; hide

    2000-01-01

    The NASA/GSFC Scanning Raman Lidar (SRL) was stationed on Andros Island in the Bahamas during August - September, 1998 as a part of the third Convection and Moisture Experiment (CAMEX-3) which focussed on hurricane development and tracking. During the period August 21 - 24, hurricane Bonnie passed near Andros Island and influenced the water vapor and cirrus cloud measurements acquired by the SRL. Two drying signatures related to the hurricane were recorded by the SRL and other sensors. Cirrus cloud optical depths (at 351 nm) were also measured during this period. Optical depth values ranged from less than 0.01 to 1.5. The influence of multiple scattering on these optical depth measurements was studied. A correction technique is presented which minimizes the influences of multiple scattering and derives information about cirrus cloud optical and physical properties. The UV/IR cirrus cloud optical depth ratio was estimated based on a comparison of lidar and GOES measurements. Simple radiative transfer model calculations compared with GOES satellite brightness temperatures indicate that satellite radiances are significantly affected by the presence of cirrus clouds if IR optical depths are approximately 0.005 or greater. Using the ISCCP detection threshold for cirrus clouds on the GOES data presented here, a high bias of up to 40% in the GOES precipitable water retrieval was found.

  15. Diurnal Variation of Tropical Ice Cloud Microphysics: Evidence from Global Precipitation Measurement Microwave Imager Polarimetric Measurements

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gong, Jie; Zeng, Xiping; Wu, Dong L.; Li, Xiaowen

    2018-01-01

    The diurnal variation of tropical ice clouds has been well observed and examined in terms of the occurring frequency and total mass but rarely from the viewpoint of ice microphysical parameters. It accounts for a large portion of uncertainties in evaluating ice clouds' role on global radiation and hydrological budgets. Owing to the advantage of precession orbit design and paired polarized observations at a high-frequency microwave band that is particularly sensitive to ice particle microphysical properties, 3 years of polarimetric difference (PD) measurements using the 166 GHz channel of Global Precipitation Measurement Microwave Imager (GPM-GMI) are compiled to reveal a strong diurnal cycle over tropical land (30°S-30°N) with peak amplitude varying up to 38%. Since the PD signal is dominantly determined by ice crystal size, shape, and orientation, the diurnal cycle observed by GMI can be used to infer changes in ice crystal properties. Moreover, PD change is found to lead the diurnal changes of ice cloud occurring frequency and total ice mass by about 2 h, which strongly implies that understanding ice microphysics is critical to predict, infer, and model ice cloud evolution and precipitation processes.

  16. Process-model Simulations of Cloud Albedo Enhancement by Aerosols in the Arctic

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kravitz, Benjamin S.; Wang, Hailong; Rasch, Philip J.

    2014-11-17

    A cloud-resolving model is used to simulate the effectiveness of Arctic marine cloud brightening via injection of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). An updated cloud microphysical scheme is employed, with prognostic CCN and cloud particle numbers in both liquid and mixed-phase marine low clouds. Injection of CCN into the marine boundary layer can delay the collapse of the boundary layer and increase low-cloud albedo. Because nearly all of the albedo effects are in the liquid phase due to the removal of ice water by snowfall when ice processes are involved, albedo increases are stronger for pure liquid clouds than mixed-phase clouds.more » Liquid precipitation can be suppressed by CCN injection, whereas ice precipitation (snow) is affected less; thus the effectiveness of brightening mixed-phase clouds is lower than for liquid-only clouds. CCN injection into a clean regime results in a greater albedo increase than injection into a polluted regime, consistent with current knowledge about aerosol-cloud interactions. Unlike previous studies investigating warm clouds, dynamical changes in circulation due to precipitation changes are small.« less

  17. Analysis and modeling of summertime convective cloud and precipitation structure over the Southeastern United States

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Knupp, Kevin R.

    1991-01-01

    A summary of an investigation of deep convective cloud systems that typify the summertime subtropical environment of northern Alabama is presented. The major portion of the research effort included analysis of data acquired during the 1986 Cooperative Huntsville Meteorological Experiment (COHMEX), which consisted of the joint programs Satellite Precipitation and Cloud Experiment (SPACE) under NASA direction, the Microburst and Service Thunderstorm (MIST) Program under NSF sponsorship, and the FAA-Lincoln Laboratory Weather Study (FLOWS). This work relates closely to the SPACE component of COHMEX, one of the general goals of which was to further the understanding of kinematic and precipitation structure of convective cloud systems. The special observational plateforms that were available under the SPACE/COHMEX Program are shown. The original objectives included studies of both isolated deep convection and of (small) mesoscale convection systems that are observed in the Southeast environment. In addition, it was proposed to include both observational and comparative numerical modeling studies of these characteristic cloud systems. Changes in scope were made during the course of this investigation to better accommodate both the manpower available and the data that was acquired. A greater emphasis was placed on determination of the internal structure of small mesoscale convective systems, and the relationship of internal dynamical and microphysical processes to the observed cloud top behavior as inferred from GOES IR (30 min) data. The major accomplishments of this investigation are presented.

  18. Indian Summer Monsoon Drought 2009: Role of Aerosol and Cloud Microphysics

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hazra, Anupam; Taraphdar, Sourav; Halder, Madhuparna

    2013-07-01

    Cloud dynamics played a fundamental role in defining Indian summer monsoon (ISM) rainfall during drought in 2009. The anomalously negative precipitation was consistent with cloud properties. Although, aerosols inhibited the growth of cloud effective radius in the background of sparse water vapor, their role is secondary. The primary role, however, is played by the interactive feedback between cloud microphysics and dynamics owing to reduced efficient cloud droplet growth, lesser latent heating release and shortage of water content. Cloud microphysical processes were instrumental for the occurrence of ISM drought 2009.

  19. New Directions: Emerging Satellite Observations of Above-cloud Aerosols and Direct Radiative Forcing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Yu, Hongbin; Zhang, Zhibo

    2013-01-01

    Spaceborne lidar and passive sensors with multi-wavelength and polarization capabilities onboard the A-Train provide unprecedented opportunities of observing above-cloud aerosols and direct radiative forcing. Significant progress has been made in recent years in exploring these new aerosol remote sensing capabilities and generating unique datasets. The emerging observations will advance the understanding of aerosol climate forcing.

  20. A Novel Method for Estimating Shortwave Direct Radiative Effect of Above-cloud Aerosols over Ocean Using CALIOP and MODIS Data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zhang, Z.; Meyer, K.; Platnick, S.; Oreopoulos, L.; Lee, D.; Yu, H.

    2013-01-01

    This paper describes an efficient and unique method for computing the shortwave direct radiative effect (DRE) of aerosol residing above low-level liquid-phase clouds using CALIOP and MODIS data. It accounts for the overlapping of aerosol and cloud rigorously by utilizing the joint histogram of cloud optical depth and cloud top pressure. Effects of sub-grid scale cloud and aerosol variations on DRE are accounted for. It is computationally efficient through using grid-level cloud and aerosol statistics, instead of pixel-level products, and a pre-computed look-up table in radiative transfer calculations. We verified that for smoke over the southeast Atlantic Ocean the method yields a seasonal mean instantaneous shortwave DRE that generally agrees with more rigorous pixel-level computation within 4%. We have also computed the annual mean instantaneous shortwave DRE of light-absorbing aerosols (i.e., smoke and polluted dust) over global ocean based on 4 yr of CALIOP and MODIS data. We found that the variability of the annual mean shortwave DRE of above-cloud light-absorbing aerosol is mainly driven by the optical depth of the underlying clouds.

  1. How do A-train Sensors Inter-Compare in the Retrieval of Above-Cloud Aerosol Optical Depth? A Case Study based Assessment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jethva, H. T.; Torres, O.; Waquet, F.; Chand, D.

    2013-12-01

    Atmospheric aerosols are known to produce a net cooling effect in the cloud-free conditions. However, when present over the reflective cloud decks, absorbing aerosols such as biomass burning generated smoke and wind-blown dust can potentially exert a large positive forcing through enhanced atmospheric heating resulting from cloud-aerosol radiative interactions. The interest on this aspect of aerosol science has grown significantly in the recent years. Particularly, development of the satellite-based retrieval techniques and unprecedented knowledge on the above-cloud aerosol optical depth (ACAOD) is of great relevance. A direct validation of satellite ACAOD is a difficult task primarily due to lack of ample in situ and/or remote sensing measurements of aerosols above cloud. In these circumstances, a comparative analysis on the inter-satellite ACAOD retrievals can be performed for the sack of consistency check. Here, we inter-compare the ACAOD of biomass burning plumes observed from different A-train sensors, i.e., MODIS [Jethva et al., 2013], CALIOP [Chand et al., 2008], POLDER [Waquet et al., 2009], and OMI [Torres et al., 2012]. These sensors have been shown to acquire sensitivity and independent capabilities to detect and retrieve aerosol loading above marine stratocumulus clouds--a kind of situation often found over the southeastern Atlantic Ocean during dry burning season. A systematic one-to-one comparison reveals that, in general, all passive sensors and CALIOP-based research methods retrieve comparable ACAOD over homogeneous cloud fields. The high-resolution sensors (MODIS and CALIOP) are able to retrieve aerosols over thin clouds but with larger discrepancies. Given the different types of sensor measurements processed with different algorithms, a reasonable agreement between them is encouraging. A direct validation of satellite-based ACAOD remains an open challenge for which dedicated field measurements over the region of frequent aerosol/cloud overlap are

  2. Evaluating Satellite Retrievals of Smoke Aerosol above Clouds using Airborne High Spectral Resolution Lidar Measurements during ORACLES

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ferrare, R. A.; Burton, S. P.; Cook, A. L.; Harper, D. B.; Hostetler, C. A.; Hair, J. W.; Vaughan, M.; Hu, Y.; Fenn, M. A.; Clayton, M.; Scarino, A. J.; Jethva, H. T.; Sayer, A. M.; Meyer, K.; Torres, O.; Josset, D. B.; Redemann, J.

    2017-12-01

    The NASA Langley Research Center airborne High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL-2) provided extensive measurements of smoke above shallow marine clouds while deployed from the NASA ER-2 aircraft during the NASA EV-S Observations of Aerosols above Clouds and their Interactions (ORACLES) mission. During the first ORACLES field campaign in September 2016, the ER-2 was deployed from Walvis Bay, Namibia and conducted flights over the southeastern Atlantic Ocean. HSRL-2 measured profiles of aerosol backscattering, extinction and aerosol optical depth (AOD) at 355 and 532 nm and aerosol backscattering and depolarization at 1064 nm and so provided an excellent characterization of the widespread smoke layers above shallow marine clouds. OMI, MODIS, and CALIOP satellite retrievals of above cloud AOD (ACAOD) are compared to the HSRL-2 measurements. The OMI above-cloud aerosols data product (OMACA) ACAOD product relies on the spectral contrast produced by aerosol absorption in two near-UV measurements (354 and 388 nm) to derive ACAOD. Two MODIS ACAOD products are examined; the first ("multichannel') relies on the spectral contrast in aerosol absorption derived from reflectance measurements at six MODIS channels from the visible to the shortwave infrared (swIR). The second method is an extension of the "Deep Blue" method and differs from the multichannel method in that it does not use swIR channels. The CALIOP V4 operational and "depolarization ratio (DR)" methods of retrieving ACAOD are also examined. The MODIS and OMI ACAOD values were well correlated (r2>0.6) with the HSRL-2 ACAOD values; bias differences were generally less than about 0.1 at 532 nm (10-30%). The CALIOP operational retrievals missed a significant amount of aerosol and so were biased low by 50-75% compared to HSRL-2. In contrast, the CALIOP DR method produced ACAOD values in excellent agreement (bias differences less than 0.03 (5%)) with HSRL-2. Aerosol extinction profiles computed for the smoke layer using

  3. Tropical Oceanic Precipitation Processes over Warm Pool: 2D and 3D Cloud Resolving Model Simulations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tao, W.- K.; Johnson, D.

    1998-01-01

    Rainfall is a key link in the hydrologic cycle as well as the primary heat source for the atmosphere, The vertical distribution of convective latent-heat release modulates the large-scale circulations of the tropics, Furthermore, changes in the moisture distribution at middle and upper levels of the troposphere can affect cloud distributions and cloud liquid water and ice contents. How the incoming solar and outgoing longwave radiation respond to these changes in clouds is a major factor in assessing climate change. Present large-scale weather and climate models simulate cloud processes only crudely, reducing confidence in their predictions on both global and regional scales. One of the most promising methods to test physical parameterizations used in General Circulation Models (GCMS) and climate models is to use field observations together with Cloud Resolving Models (CRMs). The CRMs use more sophisticated and physically realistic parameterizations of cloud microphysical processes, and allow for their complex interactions with solar and infrared radiative transfer processes. The CRMs can reasonably well resolve the evolution, structure, and life cycles of individual clouds and cloud systems, The major objective of this paper is to investigate the latent heating, moisture and momenti,im budgets associated with several convective systems developed during the TOGA COARE IFA - westerly wind burst event (late December, 1992). The tool for this study is the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (CCE) model which includes a 3-class ice-phase microphysical scheme, The model domain contains 256 x 256 grid points (using 2 km resolution) in the horizontal and 38 grid points (to a depth of 22 km depth) in the vertical, The 2D domain has 1024 grid points. The simulations are performed over a 7 day time period. We will examine (1) the precipitation processes (i.e., condensation/evaporation) and their interaction with warm pool; (2) the heating and moisture budgets in the convective and

  4. Life in the clouds: are tropical montane cloud forests responding to changes in climate?

    PubMed

    Hu, Jia; Riveros-Iregui, Diego A

    2016-04-01

    The humid tropics represent only one example of the many places worldwide where anthropogenic disturbance and climate change are quickly affecting the feedbacks between water and trees. In this article, we address the need for a more long-term perspective on the effects of climate change on tropical montane cloud forests (TMCF) in order to fully assess the combined vulnerability and long-term response of tropical trees to changes in precipitation regimes, including cloud immersion. We first review the ecophysiological benefits that cloud water interception offers to trees in TMCF and then examine current climatological evidence that suggests changes in cloud base height and impending changes in cloud immersion for TMCF. Finally, we propose an experimental approach to examine the long-term dynamics of tropical trees in TMCF in response to environmental conditions on decade-to-century time scales. This information is important to assess the vulnerability and long-term response of TMCF to changes in cloud cover and fog frequency and duration.

  5. A Mission to Observe Ice in Clouds from Space

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ackerman, S.; O'CStarr, D.; Skofronick-Jackson, G.; Evans, F.; Wang, J. R.; Racette, P.; Norris, P.; daSilva, A.; Soden, B.

    2006-01-01

    To date there have been multiple satellite missions to observe and retrieve cloud top properties and the liquid in, and precipitation from, clouds. There are currently a few missions that attempt to measure cloud ice properties as a byproduct of other observations. However, we do not yet quantitatively understand the processes that control the water budget of the upper troposphere where ice is the predominant phase, and how these processes are linked to precipitation processes and the radiative energy budget. The ice in clouds either melts into rain or is detrained, and persists, as cirrus clouds affecting the hydrological and energy cycle, respectively. Fully modeling the Earth's climate and improving weather and climate forecasts requires accurate satellite measurements of various cloud properties at the temporal and spatial scales of cloud processes. The uncertainty in knowledge of these ice characteristics is reflected in the large discrepancies in model simulations of the upper tropospheric water budget. Model simulations are sensitive to the partition of ice between precipitation and outflow processes, i.e., to the parameterization of ice clouds and ice processes. This presentation will describe the Submillimeter-wave InfraRed Ice Cloud Experiment (SIRICE) concept, a satellite mission designed to acquire global Earth radiance measurements in the infrared and submillimeter-wave region (183-874 GHz). If successful, this mission will bridge the measurement gap between microwave sounders and shorter-wavelength infrared and visible sensors. The brightness temperatures at submillimeter-wave frequencies are especially sensitive to cirrus ice particle sizes (because they are comparable to the wavelength). This allows for more accurate ice water path estimates when multiple channels are used to probe into the cloud layers. Further, submillimeter wavelengths offer simplicity in the retrieval algorithms because they do not probe into the liquid and near surface portions

  6. Estimate of the Impact of Absorbing Aerosol Over Cloud on the MODIS Retrievals of Cloud Optical Thickness and Effective Radius Using Two Independent Retrievals of Liquid Water Path

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wilcox, Eric M.; Harshvardhan; Platnick, Steven

    2009-01-01

    Two independent satellite retrievals of cloud liquid water path (LWP) from the NASA Aqua satellite are used to diagnose the impact of absorbing biomass burning aerosol overlaying boundary-layer marine water clouds on the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) retrievals of cloud optical thickness (tau) and cloud droplet effective radius (r(sub e)). In the MODIS retrieval over oceans, cloud reflectance in the 0.86-micrometer and 2.13-micrometer bands is used to simultaneously retrieve tau and r(sub e). A low bias in the MODIS tau retrieval may result from reductions in the 0.86-micrometer reflectance, which is only very weakly absorbed by clouds, owing to absorption by aerosols in cases where biomass burning aerosols occur above water clouds. MODIS LWP, derived from the product of the retrieved tau and r(sub e), is compared with LWP ocean retrievals from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer-EOS (AMSR-E), determined from cloud microwave emission that is transparent to aerosols. For the coastal Atlantic southern African region investigated in this study, a systematic difference between AMSR-E and MODIS LWP retrievals is found for stratocumulus clouds over three biomass burning months in 2005 and 2006 that is consistent with above-cloud absorbing aerosols. Biomass burning aerosol is detected using the ultraviolet aerosol index from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on the Aura satellite. The LWP difference (AMSR-E minus MODIS) increases both with increasing tau and increasing OMI aerosol index. During the biomass burning season the mean LWP difference is 14 g per square meters, which is within the 15-20 g per square meter range of estimated uncertainties in instantaneous LWP retrievals. For samples with only low amounts of overlaying smoke (OMI AI less than or equal to 1) the difference is 9.4, suggesting that the impact of smoke aerosols on the mean MODIS LWP is 5.6 g per square meter. Only for scenes with OMI aerosol index greater than 2 does the

  7. A Coupled GCM-Cloud Resolving Modeling System, and a Regional Scale Model to Study Precipitation Processes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tao, Wei-Kuo

    2007-01-01

    Recent GEWEX Cloud System Study (GCSS) model comparison projects have indicated that cloud-resolving models (CRMs) agree with observations better than traditional single-column models in simulating various types of clouds and cloud systems from different geographic locations. Current and future NASA satellite programs can provide cloud, precipitation, aerosol and other data at very fine spatial and temporal scales. It requires a coupled global circulation model (GCM) and cloud-scale model (termed a superparameterization or multi-scale modeling framework, MMF) to use these satellite data to improve the understanding of the physical processes that are responsible for the variation in global and regional climate and hydrological systems. The use of a GCM will enable global coverage, and the use of a CRM will allow for better and more sophisticated physical parameterization. NASA satellite and field campaign cloud related datasets can provide initial conditions as well as validation for both the MMF and CRMs. The Goddard MMF is based on the 2D Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) model and the Goddard finite volume general circulation model (fvGCM), and it has started production runs with two years results (1998 and 1999). Also, at Goddard, we have implemented several Goddard microphysical schemes (2ICE, several 31CE), Goddard radiation (including explicitly calculated cloud optical properties), and Goddard Land Information (LIS, that includes the CLM and NOAH land surface models) into a next generatio11 regional scale model, WRF. In this talk, I will present: (1) A brief review on GCE model and its applications on precipitation processes (microphysical and land processes), (2) The Goddard MMF and the major difference between two existing MMFs (CSU MMF and Goddard MMF), and preliminary results (the comparison with traditional GCMs), and (3) A discussion on the Goddard WRF version (its developments and applications).

  8. A Coupled GCM-Cloud Resolving Modeling System, and A Regional Scale Model to Study Precipitation Processes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tao, Wei-Kuo

    2006-01-01

    Recent GEWEX Cloud System Study (GCSS) model comparison projects have indicated that cloud-resolving models (CRMs) agree with observations better than traditional single-column models in simulating various types of clouds and cloud systems from different geographic locations. Current and future NASA satellite programs can provide cloud, precipitation, aerosol and other data at very fine spatial and temporal scales. It requires a coupled global circulation model (GCM) and cloud-scale model (termed a super-parameterization or multi-scale modeling framework, MMF) to use these satellite data to improve the understanding of the physical processes that are responsible for the variation in global and regional climate and hydrological systems. The use of a GCM will enable global coverage, and the use of a CRM will allow for better and more sophisticated physical parameterization. NASA satellite and field campaign cloud related datasets can provide initial conditions as well as validation for both the MMF and CRMs. The Goddard MMF is based on the 2D Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) model and the Goddard finite volume general circulation model (fvGCM), and it has started production runs with two years results (1998 and 1999). Also, at Goddard, we have implemented several Goddard microphysical schemes (21CE, several 31CE), Goddard radiation (including explicitly calculated cloud optical properties), and Goddard Land Information (LIS, that includes the CLM and NOAH land surface models) into a next generation regional scale model, WRF. In this talk, I will present: (1) A brief review on GCE model and its applications on precipitation processes (microphysical and land processes), (2) The Goddard MMF and the major difference between two existing MMFs (CSU MMF and Goddard MMF), and preliminary results (the comparison with traditional GCMs), and (3) A discussion on the Goddard WRF version (its developments and applications).

  9. Winter QPF Sensitivities to Snow Parameterizations and Comparisons to NASA CloudSat Observations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Molthan, Andrew; Haynes, John M.; Jedlovec, Gary J.; Lapenta, William M.

    2009-01-01

    Steady increases in computing power have allowed for numerical weather prediction models to be initialized and run at high spatial resolution, permitting a transition from larger scale parameterizations of the effects of clouds and precipitation to the simulation of specific microphysical processes and hydrometeor size distributions. Although still relatively coarse in comparison to true cloud resolving models, these high resolution forecasts (on the order of 4 km or less) have demonstrated value in the prediction of severe storm mode and evolution and are being explored for use in winter weather events . Several single-moment bulk water microphysics schemes are available within the latest release of the Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model suite, including the NASA Goddard Cumulus Ensemble, which incorporate some assumptions in the size distribution of a small number of hydrometeor classes in order to predict their evolution, advection and precipitation within the forecast domain. Although many of these schemes produce similar forecasts of events on the synoptic scale, there are often significant details regarding precipitation and cloud cover, as well as the distribution of water mass among the constituent hydrometeor classes. Unfortunately, validating data for cloud resolving model simulations are sparse. Field campaigns require in-cloud measurements of hydrometeors from aircraft in coordination with extensive and coincident ground based measurements. Radar remote sensing is utilized to detect the spatial coverage and structure of precipitation. Here, two radar systems characterize the structure of winter precipitation for comparison to equivalent features within a forecast model: a 3 GHz, Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) based in Omaha, Nebraska, and the 94 GHz NASA CloudSat Cloud Profiling Radar, a spaceborne instrument and member of the afternoon or "A-Train" of polar orbiting satellites tasked with cataloguing global cloud

  10. Contrasting cloud composition between coupled and decoupled marine boundary layer clouds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Zhen; Mora Ramirez, Marco; Dadashazar, Hossein; MacDonald, Alex B.; Crosbie, Ewan; Bates, Kelvin H.; Coggon, Matthew M.; Craven, Jill S.; Lynch, Peng; Campbell, James R.; Azadi Aghdam, Mojtaba; Woods, Roy K.; Jonsson, Haflidi; Flagan, Richard C.; Seinfeld, John H.; Sorooshian, Armin

    2016-10-01

    Marine stratocumulus clouds often become decoupled from the vertical layer immediately above the ocean surface. This study contrasts cloud chemical composition between coupled and decoupled marine stratocumulus clouds for dissolved nonwater substances. Cloud water and droplet residual particle composition were measured in clouds off the California coast during three airborne experiments in July-August of separate years (Eastern Pacific Emitted Aerosol Cloud Experiment 2011, Nucleation in California Experiment 2013, and Biological and Oceanic Atmospheric Study 2015). Decoupled clouds exhibited significantly lower air-equivalent mass concentrations in both cloud water and droplet residual particles, consistent with reduced cloud droplet number concentration and subcloud aerosol (Dp > 100 nm) number concentration, owing to detachment from surface sources. Nonrefractory submicrometer aerosol measurements show that coupled clouds exhibit higher sulfate mass fractions in droplet residual particles, owing to more abundant precursor emissions from the ocean and ships. Consequently, decoupled clouds exhibited higher mass fractions of organics, nitrate, and ammonium in droplet residual particles, owing to effects of long-range transport from more distant sources. Sodium and chloride dominated in terms of air-equivalent concentration in cloud water for coupled clouds, and their mass fractions and concentrations exceeded those in decoupled clouds. Conversely, with the exception of sea-salt constituents (e.g., Cl, Na, Mg, and K), cloud water mass fractions of all species examined were higher in decoupled clouds relative to coupled clouds. Satellite and Navy Aerosol Analysis and Prediction System-based reanalysis data are compared with each other, and the airborne data to conclude that limitations in resolving boundary layer processes in a global model prevent it from accurately quantifying observed differences between coupled and decoupled cloud composition.

  11. Interannual Variations in Aerosol Sources and Their Impact on Orographic Precipitation over California's Central Sierra Nevada

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Creamean, J.; Ault, A. P.; White, A. B.; Neiman, P. J.; Minnis, P.; Prather, K. A.

    2014-12-01

    Aerosols that serve as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) and ice nuclei (IN) have the potential to profoundly influence precipitation processes. Furthermore, changes in orographic precipitation have broad implications for reservoir storage and flood risks. As part of the CalWater I field campaign (2009-2011), the impacts of aerosol sources on precipitation were investigated in the California Sierra Nevada Mountains. In 2009, the precipitation collected on the ground was influenced by both local biomass burning and long-range transported dust and biological particles, while in 2010, by mostly local sources of biomass burning and pollution, and in 2011 by mostly long-range transport of dust and biological particles from distant sources. Although vast differences in the sources of residues were observed from year-to-year, dust and biological residues were omnipresent (on average, 55% of the total residues combined) and were associated with storms consisting of deep convective cloud systems and larger quantities of precipitation initiated in the ice phase. Further, biological residues were dominant during storms with relatively warm cloud temperatures (up to -15°C), suggesting biological components were more efficient IN than mineral dust. On the other hand, when precipitation quantities were lower, local biomass burning and pollution residues were observed (on average 31% and 9%, respectively), suggesting these residues potentially served as CCN at the base of shallow cloud systems and that lower level polluted clouds of storm systems produced less precipitation than non-polluted (i.e., marine) clouds. The direct connection of the sources of aerosols within clouds and precipitation type and quantity can be used in models to better assess how local emissions versus long-range transported dust and biological aerosols play a role in impacting regional weather and climate, ultimately with the goal of more accurate predictive weather forecast models and water resource

  12. Deuterium excess in precipitation of Alpine regions - moisture recycling.

    PubMed

    Froehlich, Klaus; Kralik, Martin; Papesch, Wolfgang; Rank, Dieter; Scheifinger, Helfried; Stichler, Willibald

    2008-03-01

    The paper evaluates long-term seasonal variations of the deuterium excess (d-excess = delta(2)H - 8. delta(18)O) in precipitation of stations located north and south of the main ridge of the Austrian Alps. It demonstrates that sub-cloud evaporation during precipitation and continental moisture recycling are local, respectively, regional processes controlling these variations. In general, sub-cloud evaporation decreases and moisture recycling increases the d-excess. Therefore, evaluation of d-excess variations in terms of moisture recycling, the main aim of this paper, includes determination of the effect of sub-cloud evaporation. Since sub-cloud evaporation is governed by saturation deficit and distance between cloud base and the ground, its effect on the d-excess is expected to be lower at mountain than at lowland/valley stations. To determine quantitatively this difference, we examined long-term seasonal d-excess variations measured at three selected mountain and adjoining valley stations. The altitude differences between mountain and valley stations ranged from 470 to 1665 m. Adapting the 'falling water drop' model by Stewart [J. Geophys. Res., 80(9), 1133-1146 (1975).], we estimated that the long-term average of sub-cloud evaporation at the selected mountain stations (altitudes between about 1600 and 2250 m.a.s.l.) is less than 1 % of the precipitation and causes a decrease of the d-excess of less than 2 per thousand. For the selected valley stations, the corresponding evaporated fraction is at maximum 7 % and the difference in d-excess ranges up to 8 per thousand. The estimated d-excess differences have been used to correct the measured long-term d-excess values at the selected stations. Finally, the corresponding fraction of water vapour has been estimated that recycled by evaporation of surface water including soil water from the ground. For the two mountain stations Patscherkofel and Feuerkogel, which are located north of the main ridge of the Alps, the

  13. Cloud remote sensing from space in the era of the A-Train

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stephens, Graeme L.; Vane, Deborah G.

    2006-09-01

    The clouds of Earth are fundamental to most aspects of human life. Through production of precipitation, they are essential for delivering and sustaining the supplies of fresh water upon which human life depends. Clouds further exert a principal influence on the planet's energy balance. It is in clouds that latent heat is released through the process of condensation and the formation of precipitation affecting the development and evolution of the planet's storm systems. Clouds further exert a profound influence on the solar and infrared radiation that enters and leaves the atmosphere, further exerting profound effects on climate and on forces that affect climate change (Stephens, 2005). It is for these reasons, among others, that the need to observe the distribution and variability of the properties of clouds and precipitation has emerged as a priority in Earth observations. Most past and current observational programs are contructed in such a way that clouds and precipitation are treated as separate entities. Nature does not work this way and there is much to be gained scientifically in moving away from these artificial practices toward observing clouds and precipitation properties jointly. We are now embarking on a new age of remote sensing of clouds and precipitation using active sensors, starting with the tropical rainfall measurement mission (TRMM) and continuing on with the A-Train (described below). This new age provides us with the opportunity to move away from past and present artificial observing practices offering a more unified approach to observing clouds and precipitation properties jointly.

  14. The tropical water and energy cycles in a cumulus ensemble model. Part 1: Equilibrium climate

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sui, C. H.; Lau, K. M.; Tao, W. K.; Simpson, J.

    1994-01-01

    A cumulus ensemble model is used to study the tropical water and energy cycles and their role in the climate system. The model includes cloud dynamics, radiative processes, and microphysics that incorporate all important production and conversion processes among water vapor and five species of hydrometeors. Radiative transfer in clouds is parameterized based on cloud contents and size distributions of each bulk hydrometeor. Several model integrations have been carried out under a variety of imposed boundary and large-scale conditions. In Part 1 of this paper, the primary focus is on the water and heat budgets of the control experiment, which is designed to simulate the convective - radiative equilibrium response of the model to an imposed vertical velocity and a fixed sea surface temperature at 28 C. The simulated atmosphere is conditionally unstable below the freezing level and close to neutral above the freezing level. The equilibrium water budget shows that the total moisture source, M(sub s), which is contributed by surface evaporation (0.24 M(sub s)) and the large-scale advection (0.76 M(sub s)), all converts to mean surface precipitation bar-P(sub s). Most of M(sub s) is transported verticaly in convective regions where much of the condensate is generated and falls to surface (0.68 bar-P(sub s)). The remaining condensate detrains at a rate of 0.48 bar-P(sub s) and constitutes 65% of the source for stratiform clouds above the melting level. The upper-level stratiform cloud dissipates into clear environment at a rate of 0.14 bar-P(sub s), which is a significant moisture source comparable to the detrained water vapor (0.15 bar-P(sub s)) to the upper troposphere from convective clouds. In the lower troposphere, stratiform clouds evaporate at a rate of 0.41 bar-P(sub s), which is a more dominant moisture source than surface evaporation (0.22 bar-P(sub s)). The precipitation falling to the surface in the stratiform region is about 0.32 bar-P(sub s). The associated

  15. Aerosol concentration and size distribution measured below, in, and above cloud from the DOE G-1 during VOCALS-REx

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kleinman L. I.; Daum, P. H.; Lee, Y.-N.

    2012-01-04

    During the VOCALS Regional Experiment, the DOE G-1 aircraft was used to sample a varying aerosol environment pertinent to properties of stratocumulus clouds over a longitude band extending 800 km west from the Chilean coast at Arica. Trace gas and aerosol measurements are presented as a function of longitude, altitude, and dew point in this study. Spatial distributions are consistent with an upper atmospheric source for O{sub 3} and South American coastal sources for marine boundary layer (MBL) CO and aerosol, most of which is acidic sulfate. Pollutant layers in the free troposphere (FT) can be a result of emissionsmore » to the north in Peru or long range transport from the west. At a given altitude in the FT (up to 3 km), dew point varies by 40 C with dry air descending from the upper atmospheric and moist air having a boundary layer (BL) contribution. Ascent of BL air to a cold high altitude results in the condensation and precipitation removal of all but a few percent of BL water along with aerosol that served as CCN. Thus, aerosol volume decreases with dew point in the FT. Aerosol size spectra have a bimodal structure in the MBL and an intermediate diameter unimodal distribution in the FT. Comparing cloud droplet number concentration (CDNC) and pre-cloud aerosol (D{sub p} > 100 nm) gives a linear relation up to a number concentration of {approx}150 cm{sup -3}, followed by a less than proportional increase in CDNC at higher aerosol number concentration. A number balance between below cloud aerosol and cloud droplets indicates that {approx}25 % of aerosol with D{sub p} > 100 nm are interstitial (not activated). A direct comparison of pre-cloud and in-cloud aerosol yields a higher estimate. Artifacts in the measurement of interstitial aerosol due to droplet shatter and evaporation are discussed. Within each of 102 constant altitude cloud transects, CDNC and interstitial aerosol were anti-correlated. An examination of one cloud as a case study shows that the

  16. Regional grassland productivity responses to precipitation during multiyear above- and below-average rainfall periods.

    PubMed

    Petrie, Matthew D; Peters, Debra P C; Yao, Jin; Blair, John M; Burruss, Nathan D; Collins, Scott L; Derner, Justin D; Gherardi, Laureano A; Hendrickson, John R; Sala, Osvaldo E; Starks, Patrick J; Steiner, Jean L

    2018-05-01

    There is considerable uncertainty in the magnitude and direction of changes in precipitation associated with climate change, and ecosystem responses are also uncertain. Multiyear periods of above- and below-average rainfall may foretell consequences of changes in rainfall regime. We compiled long-term aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) and precipitation (PPT) data for eight North American grasslands, and quantified relationships between ANPP and PPT at each site, and in 1-3 year periods of above- and below-average rainfall for mesic, semiarid cool, and semiarid warm grassland types. Our objective was to improve understanding of ANPP dynamics associated with changing climatic conditions by contrasting PPT-ANPP relationships in above- and below-average PPT years to those that occurred during sequences of multiple above- and below-average years. We found differences in PPT-ANPP relationships in above- and below-average years compared to long-term site averages, and variation in ANPP not explained by PPT totals that likely are attributed to legacy effects. The correlation between ANPP and current- and prior-year conditions changed from year to year throughout multiyear periods, with some legacy effects declining, and new responses emerging. Thus, ANPP in a given year was influenced by sequences of conditions that varied across grassland types and climates. Most importantly, the influence of prior-year ANPP often increased with the length of multiyear periods, whereas the influence of the amount of current-year PPT declined. Although the mechanisms by which a directional change in the frequency of above- and below-average years imposes a persistent change in grassland ANPP require further investigation, our results emphasize the importance of legacy effects on productivity for sequences of above- vs. below-average years, and illustrate the utility of long-term data to examine these patterns. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  17. Achieve a Better Understanding of Cloud and Precipitation Processes for the Promotion of Water Security in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Farrah, S.; Al Yazidi, O.

    2016-12-01

    The UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science (UAEREP) is an international research initiative designed to advance the science and technology of rain enhancement. It comes from an understanding of the needs of countries suffering from scarcity of fresh water, and its will to support innovation globally. The Program focuses on the following topics: Climate change, Climate modelling, Climatology, Atmospheric physics, Atmospheric dynamics, Weather modification, Cloud physics, Cloud dynamics, Cloud seeding, Weather radars, Dust modelling, Aerosol physics , Aerosol chemistry, Aerosol/cloud interactions, Water resources, Physics, Numerical modelling, Material science, Nanotechnology, Meteorology, Hydrology, Hydrogeology, Rocket technology, Laser technology, Water sustainability, Remote sensing, Environmental sciences... In 2015, three research teams from Japan, Germany and the UAE led by Prof. Masataka Murakami, Volker Wulfmeyer and Linda Zou have been respectively awarded. Together, they are addressing the issue of water security through innovative ideas: algorithms and sensors, land cover modification, and nanotechnologies to accelerate condensation. These three projects are undergoing now with extensive research and progresses. This session will be an opportunity to present their latest results as well as to detail the evolution of research in rain enhancement. In 2016 indeed, the Program saw a remarkable increase in participation, with 91 pre-proposals from 398 scientists, researchers and technologists affiliated to 180 institutes from 45 countries. The projects submitted are now focusing on modelling to predict weather, autonomous vehicles, rocket technology, lasers or new seeding materials… The science of rain enhancement offers considerable potential in terms of research, development and innovation. Though cloud seeding has been pursued since the late 1940s, it has been viewed as a relatively marginal field of interest for scientists. This benign neglect

  18. Retrieval of Boundary Layer 3D Cloud Properties Using Scanning Cloud Radar and 3D Radiative Transfer

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Marchand, Roger

    Retrievals of cloud optical and microphysical properties for boundary layer clouds, including those widely used by ASR investigators, frequently assume that clouds are sufficiently horizontally homogeneous that scattering and absorption (at all wavelengths) can be treated using one dimensional (1D) radiative transfer, and that differences in the field-of-view of different sensors are unimportant. Unfortunately, most boundary layer clouds are far from horizontally homogeneous, and numerous theoretical and observational studies show that the assumption of horizontal homogeneity leads to significant errors. The introduction of scanning cloud and precipitation radars at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) programmore » sites presents opportunities to move beyond the horizontally homogeneous assumption. The primary objective of this project was to develop a 3D retrieval for warm-phase (liquid only) boundary layer cloud microphysical properties, and to assess errors in current 1D (non-scanning) approaches. Specific research activities also involved examination of the diurnal cycle of hydrometeors as viewed by ARM cloud radar, and continued assessment of precipitation impacts on retrievals of cloud liquid water path using passive microwaves.« less

  19. Scaling analysis of cloud and rain water in marine stratocumulus and implications for scale-aware microphysical parameterizations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Witte, M.; Morrison, H.; Jensen, J. B.; Bansemer, A.; Gettelman, A.

    2017-12-01

    The spatial covariance of cloud and rain water (or in simpler terms, small and large drops, respectively) is an important quantity for accurate prediction of the accretion rate in bulk microphysical parameterizations that account for subgrid variability using assumed probability density functions (pdfs). Past diagnoses of this covariance from remote sensing, in situ measurements and large eddy simulation output have implicitly assumed that the magnitude of the covariance is insensitive to grain size (i.e. horizontal resolution) and averaging length, but this is not the case because both cloud and rain water exhibit scale invariance across a wide range of scales - from tens of centimeters to tens of kilometers in the case of cloud water, a range that we will show is primarily limited by instrumentation and sampling issues. Since the individual variances systematically vary as a function of spatial scale, it should be expected that the covariance follows a similar relationship. In this study, we quantify the scaling properties of cloud and rain water content and their covariability from high frequency in situ aircraft measurements of marine stratocumulus taken over the southeastern Pacific Ocean aboard the NSF/NCAR C-130 during the VOCALS-REx field experiment of October-November 2008. First we confirm that cloud and rain water scale in distinct manners, indicating that there is a statistically and potentially physically significant difference in the spatial structure of the two fields. Next, we demonstrate that the covariance is a strong function of spatial scale, which implies important caveats regarding the ability of limited-area models with domains smaller than a few tens of kilometers across to accurately reproduce the spatial organization of precipitation. Finally, we present preliminary work on the development of a scale-aware parameterization of cloud-rain water subgrid covariability based in multifractal analysis intended for application in large-scale model

  20. Ice Particle Impact on Cloud Water Content Instrumentation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Emery, Edward F.; Miller, Dean R.; Plaskon, Stephen R.; Strapp, Walter; Lillie, Lyle

    2004-01-01

    Determining the total amount of water contained in an icing cloud necessitates the measurement of both the liquid droplets and ice particles. One commonly accepted method for measuring cloud water content utilizes a hot wire sensing element, which is maintained at a constant temperature. In this approach, the cloud water content is equated with the power required to keep the sense element at a constant temperature. This method inherently assumes that impinging cloud particles remain on the sensing element surface long enough to be evaporated. In the case of ice particles, this assumption requires that the particles do not bounce off the surface after impact. Recent tests aimed at characterizing ice particle impact on a thermally heated wing section, have raised questions about the validity of this assumption. Ice particles were observed to bounce off the heated wing section a very high percentage of the time. This result could have implications for Total Water Content sensors which are designed to capture ice particles, and thus do not account for bouncing or breakup of ice particles. Based on these results, a test was conducted to investigate ice particle impact on the sensing elements of the following hot-wire cloud water content probes: (1) Nevzorov Total Water Content (TWC)/Liquid Water Content (LWC) probe, (2) Science Engineering Associates TWC probe, and (3) Particle Measuring Systems King probe. Close-up video imaging was used to study ice particle impact on the sensing element of each probe. The measured water content from each probe was also determined for each cloud condition. This paper will present results from this investigation and attempt to evaluate the significance of ice particle impact on hot-wire cloud water content measurements.

  1. Tharsis Limb Cloud

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2005-01-01

    [figure removed for brevity, see original site] Annotated image of Tharsis Limb Cloud

    7 September 2005 This composite of red and blue Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) daily global images acquired on 6 July 2005 shows an isolated water ice cloud extending more than 30 kilometers (more than 18 miles) above the martian surface. Clouds such as this are common in late spring over the terrain located southwest of the Arsia Mons volcano. Arsia Mons is the dark, oval feature near the limb, just to the left of the 'T' in the 'Tharsis Montes' label. The dark, nearly circular feature above the 'S' in 'Tharsis' is the volcano, Pavonis Mons, and the other dark circular feature, above and to the right of 's' in 'Montes,' is Ascraeus Mons. Illumination is from the left/lower left.

    Season: Northern Autumn/Southern Spring

  2. Rocks above the clouds: A hiker's and climber's guide to Colorado mountain geology

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Reed, Jack; Ellis, Gene

    2008-01-01

    Rocks Above the Clouds is the first geology book written for climbers, scramblers and hikers. It is an exploration of how the nature of mountains and the challenges they present to the climber and hiker are influenced by the rocks that form them, in other words, by their geology. After describing the types of rocks found in mountains, the authors of Rocks Above the Clouds cover the geologic process from the big bang through the processes that continue to shape the mountains today. This mountain geology primer is a range-by-range description of what to expect in the Colorado mountains followed by some very curious information on the Colorado 14ers. Whether you travel in the mountains as a casual hiker, peak bagging scrambler, or technical climber, knowledge of mountain geology can help in planning your route, selecting your campsite and evaluating the hazards you face. Knowing something about different rock types might enable you to pick a route that avoids loose rock. Knowing that when wet, a particular rock surface will feel like oil might encourage you to forgo that siesta on the summit and head down before the afternoon thunderstorm.

  3. Laser-filamentation-induced water condensation and snow formation in a cloud chamber filled with different ambient gases.

    PubMed

    Liu, Yonghong; Sun, Haiyi; Liu, Jiansheng; Liang, Hong; Ju, Jingjing; Wang, Tiejun; Tian, Ye; Wang, Cheng; Liu, Yi; Chin, See Leang; Li, Ruxin

    2016-04-04

    We investigated femtosecond laser-filamentation-induced airflow, water condensation and snow formation in a cloud chamber filled respectively with air, argon and helium. The mass of snow induced by laser filaments was found being the maximum when the chamber was filled with argon, followed by air and being the minimum with helium. We also discussed the mechanisms of water condensation in different gases. The results show that filaments with higher laser absorption efficiency, which result in higher plasma density, are beneficial for triggering intense airflow and thus more water condensation and precipitation.

  4. Relationship Between Turbulence and Drizzle in Continental and Marine Low Stratiform Clouds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Borque, P.; Luke, E. P.; Kollias, P.

    2016-12-01

    Turbulence is always present in clouds. Several mechanisms have been proposed that link turbulence to cloud evolution and microphysics. However, it is still unclear to what extent turbulence influences the production and development of drizzle in low-level stratiform clouds. This study presents data collected at two U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Mobile Facility (AMF) deployments. Surface-based measurements of cloud condensation nuclei number concentration (NCCN) and drizzle rate estimated at cloud base (RCB) are used to compute the precipitation susceptibility (S0) for different liquid water path (LWP) intervals. From this it was found that aerosols are likely suppressors of precipitation. Moreover, estimation of eddy dissipation rate (EDR) at different cloud levels are used to conditionally sampled S0 and analyze the role of turbulence in precipitation formation and/or inhibition. For medium to high values of LWP, low turbulence at cloud top is likely to enhance the effect of NCCN in precipitation suppression whereas, high turbulence is likely to counteract this effect. On the other hand, turbulence was not found to have a key role in precipitation evolution for low values of LWP. The additional role of boundary layer depth and coupling state in modulating the behavior of drizzle onset and growth is also investigated here.

  5. Relationships between lower tropospheric stability, low cloud cover, and water vapor isotopic composition in the subtropical Pacific

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Galewsky, J.

    2017-12-01

    Understanding the processes that govern the relationships between lower tropospheric stability and low-cloud cover is crucial for improved constraints on low-cloud feedbacks and for improving the parameterizations of low-cloud cover used in climate models. The stable isotopic composition of atmospheric water vapor is a sensitive recorder of the balance of moistening and drying processes that set the humidity of the lower troposphere and may thus provide a useful framework for improving our understanding low-cloud processes. In-situ measurements of water vapor isotopic composition collected at the NOAA Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii, along with twice-daily soundings from Hilo and remote sensing of cloud cover, show a clear inverse relationship between the estimated inversion strength (EIS) and the mixing ratios and water vapor δ -values, and a positive relationship between EIS, deuterium excess, and Δ δ D, defined as the difference between an observation and a reference Rayleigh distillation curve. These relationships are consistent with reduced moistening and an enhanced upper-tropospheric contribution above the trade inversion under high EIS conditions and stronger moistening under weaker EIS conditions. The cloud fraction, cloud liquid water path, and cloud-top pressure were all found to be higher under low EIS conditions. Inverse modeling of the isotopic data for the highest and lowest terciles of EIS conditions provide quantitative constraints on the cold-point temperatures and mixing fractions that govern the humidity above the trade inversion. The modeling shows the moistening fraction between moist boundary layer air and dry middle tropospheric air 24±1.5% under low EIS conditions is and 6±1.5% under high EIS conditions. A cold-point (last-saturation) temperature of -30C can match the observations for both low and high EIS conditions. The isotopic composition of the moistening source as derived from the inversion (-114±10‰ ) requires moderate

  6. Evaluation of Model Microphysics Within Precipitation Bands of Extratropical Cyclones

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Colle, Brian A.; Yu, Ruyi; Molthan, Andrew L.; Nesbitt, Steven

    2014-01-01

    It is hypothesized microphysical predictions have greater uncertainties/errors when there are complex interactions that result from mixed phased processes like riming. Use Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission ground validation studies in Ontario, Canada to verify and improve parameterizations. The WRF realistically simulated the warm frontal snowband at relatively short lead times (1014 h). The snowband structire is sensitive to the microphysical parameterization used in WRF. The Goddard and SBUYLin most realistically predicted the band structure, but overpredicted snow content. The double moment Morrison scheme best produced the slope of the snow distribution, but it underpredicted the intercept. All schemes and the radar derived (which used dry snow ZR) underpredicted the surface precipitation amount, likely because there was more cloud water than expected. The Morrison had the most cloud water and the best precipitation prediction of all schemes.

  7. A unified parameterization of clouds and turbulence using CLUBB and subcolumns in the Community Atmosphere Model

    DOE PAGES

    Thayer-Calder, K.; Gettelman, A.; Craig, C.; ...

    2015-06-30

    Most global climate models parameterize separate cloud types using separate parameterizations. This approach has several disadvantages, including obscure interactions between parameterizations and inaccurate triggering of cumulus parameterizations. Alternatively, a unified cloud parameterization uses one equation set to represent all cloud types. Such cloud types include stratiform liquid and ice cloud, shallow convective cloud, and deep convective cloud. Vital to the success of a unified parameterization is a general interface between clouds and microphysics. One such interface involves drawing Monte Carlo samples of subgrid variability of temperature, water vapor, cloud liquid, and cloud ice, and feeding the sample points into amore » microphysics scheme.This study evaluates a unified cloud parameterization and a Monte Carlo microphysics interface that has been implemented in the Community Atmosphere Model (CAM) version 5.3. Results describing the mean climate and tropical variability from global simulations are presented. The new model shows a degradation in precipitation skill but improvements in short-wave cloud forcing, liquid water path, long-wave cloud forcing, precipitable water, and tropical wave simulation. Also presented are estimations of computational expense and investigation of sensitivity to number of subcolumns.« less

  8. GEWEX Cloud Systems Study (GCSS)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Moncrieff, Mitch

    1993-01-01

    The Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) Cloud Systems Study (GCSS) program seeks to improve the physical understanding of sub-grid scale cloud processes and their representation in parameterization schemes. By improving the description and understanding of key cloud system processes, GCSS aims to develop the necessary parameterizations in climate and numerical weather prediction (NWP) models. GCSS will address these issues mainly through the development and use of cloud-resolving or cumulus ensemble models to generate realizations of a set of archetypal cloud systems. The focus of GCSS is on mesoscale cloud systems, including precipitating convectively-driven cloud systems like MCS's and boundary layer clouds, rather than individual clouds, and on their large-scale effects. Some of the key scientific issues confronting GCSS that particularly relate to research activities in the central U.S. are presented.

  9. Improving Reanalyses Using TRMM and SSM/I-Derived Precipitation and Total Precipitable Water Observations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hou, Arthur Y.; Zhang, Sara Q.; daSilva, Arlindo M.

    1999-01-01

    Global reanalyses currently contain significant errors in the primary fields of the hydrological cycle such as precipitation, evaporation, moisture, and the related cloud fields, especially in the tropics. The Data Assimilation Office (DAO) at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center has been exploring the use of rainfall and total precipitable water (TPW) observations from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Microwave Imager (TMI) and the Special Sensor Microwave/ Imager (SSM/I) instruments to improve these fields in reanalyses. The DAO has developed a "1+1"D procedure to assimilate 6-hr averaged rainfall and TPW into the Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) Data Assimilation System (DAS). The algorithm is based on a 6-hr time integration of a column version of the GEOS DAS. The "1+1" designation refers to one spatial dimension plus one temporal dimension. The scheme minimizes the least-square differences between the satellite-retrieved rain rates and those produced by the column model over the 6-hr analysis window. The control variables are analysis increments of moisture within the Incremental Analysis Update (IAU) framework of the GEOS DAS. This 1+1D scheme, in its generalization to four dimensions, is related to the standard 4D variational assimilation but differs in its choice of the control variable. Instead of estimating the initial condition at the beginning of the assimilation cycle, it estimates the constant IAU forcing applied over a 6-hr assimilation cycle. In doing so, it imposes the forecast model as a weak constraint in a manner similar to the variational continuous assimilation techniques. We present results from an experiment in which the observed rain rate and TPW are assumed to be "perfect". They show that assimilating the TMI and SSM/I-derived surface precipitation and TPW observations improves not only the precipitation and moisture fields but also key climate parameters directly linked to convective activities such as clouds, the

  10. Parameterizations of Cloud Microphysics and Indirect Aerosol Effects

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Tao, Wei-Kuo

    1. OVERVIEW Aerosols and especially their effect on clouds are one of the key components of the climate system and the hydrological cycle [Ramanathan et al., 2001]. Yet, the aerosol effect on clouds remains largely unknown and the processes involved not well understood. A recent report published by the National Academy of Science states "The greatest uncertainty about the aerosol climate forcing - indeed, the largest of all the uncertainties about global climate forcing - is probably the indirect effect of aerosols on clouds [NRC, 2001]." The aerosol effect on clouds is often categorized into the traditional "first indirect (i.e.,more » Twomey)" effect on the cloud droplet sizes for a constant liquid water path [Twomey, 1977] and the "semi-direct" effect on cloud coverage [e.g., Ackerman et al., 2000]. Enhanced aerosol concentrations can also suppress warm rain processes by producing a narrow droplet spectrum that inhibits collision and coalescence processes [e.g., Squires and Twomey, 1961; Warner and Twomey, 1967; Warner, 1968; Rosenfeld, 1999]. The aerosol effect on precipitation processes, also known as the second type of aerosol indirect effect [Albrecht, 1989], is even more complex, especially for mixed-phase convective clouds. Table 1 summarizes the key observational studies identifying the microphysical properties, cloud characteristics, thermodynamics and dynamics associated with cloud systems from high-aerosol continental environments. For example, atmospheric aerosol concentrations can influence cloud droplet size distributions, warm-rain process, cold-rain process, cloud-top height, the depth of the mixed phase region, and occurrence of lightning. In addition, high aerosol concentrations in urban environments could affect precipitation variability by providing an enhanced source of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). Hypotheses have been developed to explain the effect of urban regions on convection and precipitation [van den Heever and Cotton, 2007 and

  11. Aerosols and their Impact on Radiation, Clouds, Precipitation & Severe Weather Events

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Li, Zhanqing; Rosenfeld, Daniel; Fan, Jiwen

    Aerosols, the tiny particles suspended in the atmosphere, have been in the forefront of environmental and climate change sciences as the primary atmospheric pollutant and external force affecting Earth’s weather and climate. There are two dominant mechanisms by which aerosols affect weather and climate: aerosol-radiation interactions (ARI) and aerosol-cloud interactions (ACI). ARI arises from aerosol scattering and absorption, which alters the radiation budgets of the atmosphere and surface, while ACI is rooted to the fact that aerosols serve as cloud condensation nuclei and ice nuclei. Both ARI and ACI are coupled with atmospheric dynamics to produce a chain of complexmore » interactions with a large range of meteorological variables that influence both weather and climate. Elaborated here are the impacts of aerosols on the radiation budget, clouds (microphysics, structure, and lifetime), precipitation, and severe weather events (lightning, thunderstorms, hail, and tornados). Depending on environmental variables and aerosol properties, the effects can be both positive and negative, posing the largest uncertainties in the external forcing of the climate system. This has considerably hindered our ability in projecting future climate changes and in doing accurate numerical weather predictions.« less

  12. The dependence of entrainment and drizzle in marine stratiform clouds on biomass burning aerosols derived from stable isotope and thermodynamic profiles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Henze, D.; Noone, D.

    2017-12-01

    A third of the world's biomass burning aerosol (BBA) particles are generated in southern Africa, and these particles are swept into the midlevel troposphere over the southeast Atlantic Ocean. The presence of these aerosols over the marine environment of the south east Atlantic offers a unique natural laboratory for studying aerosol effects on climate, and specifically a modification to the hydrologic cycle and microphysical characteristics of clouds. Different rates of condensation with high aerosol numbers change the precipitation rates in drizzling stratiform clouds, while the mixing of aerosols into the cloud layer is synonymous with entrainment from above cloud top near the top of the subtropical inversion. To better understanding the magnitude of the aerosol influence on southeast Atlantic boundary layer clouds we analyze the cloud-top entrainment and drizzle as a function of aerosol loading to determine the impact of BBA. Entrainment was determined from mixing line analysis based on profile measurements of moist static energy, total water, and the two most common heavy isotopes of water - HDO and H218O. Data was collected on the P-3 Orion aircraft during the NASA 2017 ORACLES campaign. Using these measurements, a box model was constructed using the combined conservation laws associated with all four of these quantities to estimate the entrainment and rainout of cloud liquid. The population of profiles sampled by the aircraft over the course of the 30 day mission spans varying concentrations of BBA. Initial plots of the water isotope mixing lines show where and to what degree the BBA air mass has mixed into the boundary layer air mass from above. This is demonstrated by the fact that the mixing end-members are the same for the different areas sampled, but the rate at which the various mixing lines are traversed as a function of altitude varies. Further, the mixing lines as a function of height traverse back and forth between end members multiple times over one

  13. Significance of aerosol radiative effect in energy balance control on global precipitation change

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Suzuki, Kentaroh; Stephens, Graeme L.; Golaz, Jean-Christophe

    Historical changes of global precipitation in the 20th century simulated by a climate model are investigated. The results simulated with alternate configurations of cloud microphysics are analyzed in the context of energy balance controls on global precipitation, where the latent heat changes associated with the precipitation change is nearly balanced with changes to atmospheric radiative cooling. The atmospheric radiative cooling is dominated by its clear-sky component, which is found to correlate with changes to both column water vapor and aerosol optical depth (AOD). The water vapor-dependent component of the clear-sky radiative cooling is then found to scale with global temperaturemore » change through the Clausius–Clapeyron relationship. This component results in a tendency of global precipitation increase with increasing temperature at a rate of approximately 2%K -1. Another component of the clear-sky radiative cooling, which is well correlated with changes to AOD, is also found to vary in magnitude among different scenarios with alternate configurations of cloud microphysics that controls the precipitation efficiency, a major factor influencing the aerosol scavenging process that can lead to different aerosol loadings. These results propose how different characteristics of cloud microphysics can cause different aerosol loadings that in turn perturb global energy balance to significantly change global precipitation. This implies a possible coupling of aerosol–cloud interaction with aerosol–radiation interaction in the context of global energy balance.« less

  14. Significance of aerosol radiative effect in energy balance control on global precipitation change

    DOE PAGES

    Suzuki, Kentaroh; Stephens, Graeme L.; Golaz, Jean-Christophe

    2017-10-17

    Historical changes of global precipitation in the 20th century simulated by a climate model are investigated. The results simulated with alternate configurations of cloud microphysics are analyzed in the context of energy balance controls on global precipitation, where the latent heat changes associated with the precipitation change is nearly balanced with changes to atmospheric radiative cooling. The atmospheric radiative cooling is dominated by its clear-sky component, which is found to correlate with changes to both column water vapor and aerosol optical depth (AOD). The water vapor-dependent component of the clear-sky radiative cooling is then found to scale with global temperaturemore » change through the Clausius–Clapeyron relationship. This component results in a tendency of global precipitation increase with increasing temperature at a rate of approximately 2%K -1. Another component of the clear-sky radiative cooling, which is well correlated with changes to AOD, is also found to vary in magnitude among different scenarios with alternate configurations of cloud microphysics that controls the precipitation efficiency, a major factor influencing the aerosol scavenging process that can lead to different aerosol loadings. These results propose how different characteristics of cloud microphysics can cause different aerosol loadings that in turn perturb global energy balance to significantly change global precipitation. This implies a possible coupling of aerosol–cloud interaction with aerosol–radiation interaction in the context of global energy balance.« less

  15. Added Value of Far-Infrared Radiometry for Ice Cloud Remote Sensing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Libois, Q.; Blanchet, J. P.; Ivanescu, L.; S Pelletier, L.; Laurence, C.

    2017-12-01

    Several cloud retrieval algorithms based on satellite observations in the infrared have been developed in the last decades. However, most of these observations only cover the midinfrared (MIR, λ < 15 μm) part of the spectrum, and none are available in the far-infrared (FIR, λ ≥ 15 μm). Recent developments in FIR sensors technology, though, now make it possible to consider spaceborne remote sensing in the FIR. Here we show that adding a few FIR channels with realistic radiometric performances to existing spaceborne narrowband radiometers would significantly improve their ability to retrieve ice cloud radiative properties. For clouds encountered in the polar regions and the upper troposphere, where the atmosphere above clouds is sufficiently transparent in the FIR, using FIR channels would reduce by more than 50% the uncertainties on retrieved values of optical thickness, effective particle diameter, and cloud top altitude. This would somehow extend the range of applicability of current infrared retrieval methods to the polar regions and to clouds with large optical thickness, where MIR algorithms perform poorly. The high performance of solar reflection-based algorithms would thus be reached in nighttime conditions. Using FIR observations is a promising venue for studying ice cloud microphysics and precipitation processes, which is highly relevant for cirrus clouds and convective towers, and for investigating the water cycle in the driest regions of the atmosphere.

  16. Trends of total water vapor column above the Arctic from satellites observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alraddawi, Dunya; Sarkissian, Alain; Keckhut, Philippe; Bock, Olivier; Claud, Chantal; Irbah, Abdenour

    2016-04-01

    Atmospheric water vapor (H2O) is the most important natural (as opposed to man-made) greenhouse gas, accounting for about two-thirds of the natural greenhouse effect. Despite this importance, its role in climate and its reaction to climate change are still difficult to assess. Many details of the hydrological cycle are poorly understood, such as the process of cloud formation and the transport and release of latent heat contained in the water vapor. In contrast to other important greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane, water vapor has a much higher temporal and spatial variability. Total precipitable water (TPW) or the total column of water vapor (TCWV) is the amount of liquid water that would result if all the water vapor in the atmospheric column of unit area were condensed. TCWV distribution contains valuable information on the vigor of the hydrological processes and moisture transport in the atmosphere. Measurement of TPW can be obtained based on atmospheric water vapor absorption or emission of radiation in the spectral range from UV to MW. TRENDS were found over the terrestrial Arctic by means of TCWV retrievals (using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectro-radiometer (MODIS) near-infrared (2001-2015) records). More detailed approach was made for comparisons with ground based instruments over Sodankyla - Finland (TCWV from: SCIAMACHY 2003-2011, GOME-2A 2007-2011, SAOZ 2003-2011, GPS 2003-2011, MODIS 2003-2011)

  17. Mesoscale modeling of smoke transport over the Southeast Asian Maritime Continent: Coupling of smoke direct radiative feedbacks below and above the low-level clouds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ge, C.; Wang, J.; Reid, J. S.

    2013-12-01

    The online-coupled Weather Research and Forecasting model with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) is used to simulate the direct and semi-direct radiative impacts of smoke particles over the southeast Asian Marine Continents (MC, 10°S - 10°N, 90°E-150°E) during October 2006 when a significant El Nino event caused the highest biomass burning activity since 1997. With the use of OC (Organic Carbon) /BC (Black Carbon) ratio of 10 in the smoke emission inventory, the baseline simulation shows that the low-level clouds amplifying effect on smoke absorption led to a warming effect at the top-of-atmosphere (TOA) with a domain/monthly average forcing value of ~20 Wm-2 over the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. The smoke-induced monthly average daytime heating (0.3K) that is largely confined above the low-level clouds results in the local convergence over the smoke source region. This heating-induced convergence coupled with daytime planetary boundary layer turbulent mixing, transports more smoke particles above the planetary boundary layer height (PBLH), hence rendering a positive feedback. This positive feedback contrasts with the decrease of cloud fraction resulted from the combined effects of smoke heating within the cloud layer and the more stability in the boundary layer; the latter can be considered as a negative feedback in which decrease of cloud fraction weakens the heating by smoke particles above the clouds. During nighttime, the elevated smoke layer (above clouds in daytime) is decoupled from boundary layer, and the reduction of PBLH due to the residual surface cooling from the daytime lead to the accumulation of smoke particles near the surface. Because of smoke radiative extinction, on monthly basis, the amount of the solar input at the surface is reduced as large as 60 Wm-2, which lead to the decrease of sensible heat, latent heat, 2-m air temperature, and PBLH by a maximum of 20 Wm-2, 20 Wm-2, 1K, 120 m, respectively. The cloud changes over continents are mostly

  18. Stable water isotopologue ratios in fog and cloud droplets of liquid clouds are not size-dependent

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Spiegel, J.K.; Aemisegger, F.; Scholl, M.; Wienhold, F.G.; Collett, J.L.; Lee, T.; van Pinxteren, D.; Mertes, S.; Tilgner, A.; Herrmann, H.; Werner, Roland A.; Buchmann, N.; Eugster, W.

    2012-01-01

    In this work, we present the first observations of stable water isotopologue ratios in cloud droplets of different sizes collected simultaneously. We address the question whether the isotope ratio of droplets in a liquid cloud varies as a function of droplet size. Samples were collected from a ground intercepted cloud (= fog) during the Hill Cap Cloud Thuringia 2010 campaign (HCCT-2010) using a three-stage Caltech Active Strand Cloud water Collector (CASCC). An instrument test revealed that no artificial isotopic fractionation occurs during sample collection with the CASCC. Furthermore, we could experimentally confirm the hypothesis that the δ values of cloud droplets of the relevant droplet sizes (μm-range) were not significantly different and thus can be assumed to be in isotopic equilibrium immediately with the surrounding water vapor. However, during the dissolution period of the cloud, when the supersaturation inside the cloud decreased and the cloud began to clear, differences in isotope ratios of the different droplet sizes tended to be larger. This is likely to result from the cloud's heterogeneity, implying that larger and smaller cloud droplets have been collected at different moments in time, delivering isotope ratios from different collection times.

  19. A Novel Method for Estimating Shortwave Direct Radiative Effect of Above-Cloud Aerosols Using CALIOP and MODIS Data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zhang, Zhibo; Meyer, Kerry G.; Platnick, Steven; Oreopoulos, Lazaros; Lee, Dongmin; Yu, Hongbin

    2014-01-01

    This paper describes an efficient and unique method for computing the shortwave direct radiative effect (DRE) of aerosol residing above low-level liquid-phase clouds using CALIOP and MODIS data. It addresses the overlap of aerosol and cloud rigorously by utilizing the joint histogram of cloud optical depth and cloud top pressure while also accounting for subgrid-scale variations of aerosols. The method is computationally efficient because of its use of grid-level cloud and aerosol statistics, instead of pixel-level products, and a pre-computed look-up table based on radiative transfer calculations. We verify that for smoke over the southeast Atlantic Ocean the method yields a seasonal mean instantaneous (approximately 1:30PM local time) shortwave DRE of above cloud aerosol (ACA) that generally agrees with more rigorous pixel-level computation within 4 percent. We also estimate the impact of potential CALIOP aerosol optical depth (AOD) retrieval bias of ACA on DRE. We find that the regional and seasonal mean instantaneous DRE of ACA over southeast Atlantic Ocean would increase, from the original value of 6.4 W m(-2) based on operational CALIOP AOD to 9.6 W m(-2) if CALIOP AOD retrieval are biased low by a factor of 1.5 (Meyer et al., 2013) and further to 30.9 W m(-2) if CALIOP AOD retrieval are biased low by a factor of 5 as suggested in (Jethva et al., 2014). In contrast, the instantaneous ACA radiative forcing efficiency (RFE) remains relatively invariant in all cases at about 53 W m(-2) AOD(-1), suggesting a near linear relation between the instantaneous RFE and AOD. We also compute the annual mean instantaneous shortwave DRE of light-absorbing aerosols (i.e., smoke and polluted dust) over global oceans based on 4 years of CALIOP and MODIS data. We find that the variability of the annual mean shortwave DRE of above-cloud light-absorbing aerosol is mainly driven by the optical depth of the underlying clouds. While we demonstrate our method using CALIOP and MODIS

  20. Robust relations between CCN and the vertical evolution of cloud drop size distribution in deep convective clouds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Freud, E.; Rosenfeld, D.; Andreae, M. O.; Costa, A. A.; Artaxo, P.

    2008-03-01

    In-situ measurements in convective clouds (up to the freezing level) over the Amazon basin show that smoke from deforestation fires prevents clouds from precipitating until they acquire a vertical development of at least 4 km, compared to only 1-2 km in clean clouds. The average cloud depth required for the onset of warm rain increased by ~350 m for each additional 100 cloud condensation nuclei per cm3 at a super-saturation of 0.5% (CCN0.5%). In polluted clouds, the diameter of modal liquid water content grows much slower with cloud depth (at least by a factor of ~2), due to the large number of droplets that compete for available water and to the suppressed coalescence processes. Contrary to what other studies have suggested, we did not observe this effect to reach saturation at 3000 or more accumulation mode particles per cm3. The CCN0.5% concentration was found to be a very good predictor for the cloud depth required for the onset of warm precipitation and other microphysical factors, leaving only a secondary role for the updraft velocities in determining the cloud drop size distributions. The effective radius of the cloud droplets (re) was found to be a quite robust parameter for a given environment and cloud depth, showing only a small effect of partial droplet evaporation from the cloud's mixing with its drier environment. This supports one of the basic assumptions of satellite analysis of cloud microphysical processes: the ability to look at different cloud top heights in the same region and regard their re as if they had been measured inside one well developed cloud. The dependence of re on the adiabatic fraction decreased higher in the clouds, especially for cleaner conditions, and disappeared at re≥~10 μm. We propose that droplet coalescence, which is at its peak when warm rain is formed in the cloud at re=~10 μm, continues to be significant during the cloud's mixing with the entrained air, cancelling out the decrease in re due to evaporation.

  1. Robust relations between CCN and the vertical evolution of cloud drop size distribution in deep convective clouds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Freud, E.; Rosenfeld, D.; Andreae, M. O.; Costa, A. A.; Artaxo, P.

    2005-10-01

    In-situ measurements in convective clouds (up to the freezing level) over the Amazon basin show that smoke from deforestation fires prevents clouds from precipitating until they acquire a vertical development of at least 4 km, compared to only 1-2 km in clean clouds. The average cloud depth required for the onset of warm rain increased by ~350 m for each additional 100 cloud condensation nuclei per cm3 at a super-saturation of 0.5% (CCN0.5%). In polluted clouds, the diameter of modal liquid water content grows much slower with cloud depth (at least by a factor of ~2), due to the large number of droplets that compete for available water and to the suppressed coalescence processes. Contrary to what other studies have suggested, we did not observe this effect to reach saturation at 3000 or more accumulation mode particles per cm3. The CCN0.5% concentration was found to be a very good predictor for the cloud depth required for the onset of warm precipitation and other microphysical factors, leaving only a secondary role for the updraft velocities in determining the cloud drop size distributions. The effective radius of the cloud droplets (re) was found to be a quite robust parameter for a given environment and cloud depth, showing only a small effect of partial droplet evaporation from the cloud's mixing with its drier environment. This supports one of the basic assumptions of satellite analysis of cloud microphysical processes: the ability to look at different cloud top heights in the same region and regard their re as if they had been measured inside one well developed cloud. The dependence of re on the adiabatic fraction decreased higher in the clouds, especially for cleaner conditions, and disappeared at re≥~10 µm. We propose that droplet coalescence, which is at its peak when warm rain is formed in the cloud at re~10 µm, continues to be significant during the cloud's mixing with the entrained air, canceling out the decrease in re due to evaporation.

  2. Total Column Water Vapor Trends from 15 Years of MODIS/NIR above the Arctic

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    OMAR, D. A.; Sarkissian, A.; Keckhut, P.; Bock, O.; Claud, C.; Irbah, A.

    2016-12-01

    Water vapor is defined as a major climate indicator at many occasions, highly variable spatially and temporarily, water vapor has the most important natural GHG effect, through his high infra-red absorption capacity, and temperature changes sensitivity, water vapor affects the Earth radiative budget and energy transfer, evolved at many atmospheric dynamics including the cloud formation and the aerosols composition. As a consequence to the accelerated transition towards the new climate especially above the arctic, and to investigate the feedback to the arctic amplification and the global warming, we study the water vapor variability and trends on a relatively long term above the arctic region, using the Total Column Water Vapor retrieval from MODIS/NIR spectro-radiometer on board of TERRA satellite. These 15 Years monthly daytime satellite data were compared to GPS integrated water vapor over four selected NDACC polar stations: Sodankyla-Finland, Ny-Alesund -Svalbard, Thule-Greenland, Scoresbysund-Greenland. GPS data are calculated with the temperature and pressure profile of the nearest coastal ERA-Interim station. These data were filtered for nearly coincident time to satellite over pass in order to exclude the timing effects. Errors, relative biases and RMSE at both monthly and seasonally scales will be presented and discussed. Then the MODIS 15 years linear trends and anomalies above the whole Arctic will be shown with a special focus on sea ice extent decline feed-back and hydrologic cycle connections with respect to heat waves. Results show wetter trends on the Mackenzie and mid-Siberia at September, unlike the European arctic summer which is getting drier, while Svalbard is getting wetter almost all the year. Conclusion and perspectives are also presented.

  3. New Cloud Science from the New ARM Cloud Radar Systems (Invited)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wiscombe, W. J.

    2010-12-01

    The DOE ARM Program is deploying over $30M worth of scanning polarimetric Doppler radars at its four fixed and two mobile sites, with the object of advancing cloud lifecycle science, and cloud-aerosol-precipitation interaction science, by a quantum leap. As of 2011, there will be 13 scanning radar systems to complement its existing array of profiling cloud radars: C-band for precipitation, X-band for drizzle and precipitation, and two-frequency radars for cloud droplets and drizzle. This will make ARM the world’s largest science user of, and largest provider of data from, ground-based cloud radars. The philosophy behind this leap is actually quite simple, to wit: dimensionality really does matter. Just as 2D turbulence is fundamentally different from 3D turbulence, so observing clouds only at zenith provides a dimensionally starved, and sometimes misleading, picture of real clouds. In particular, the zenith view can say little or nothing about cloud lifecycle and the second indirect effect, nor about aerosol-precipitation interactions. It is not even particularly good at retrieving the cloud fraction (no matter how that slippery quantity is defined). This talk will review the history that led to this development and then discuss the aspirations for how this will propel cloud-aerosol-precipitation science forward. The step by step plan for translating raw radar data into information that is useful to cloud and aerosol scientists and climate modelers will be laid out, with examples from ARM’s recent scanning cloud radar deployments in the Azores and Oklahoma . In the end, the new systems should allow cloud systems to be understood as 4D coherent entities rather than dimensionally crippled 2D or 3D entities such as observed by satellites and zenith-pointing radars.

  4. Estimation of precipitable water at different locations using surface dew-point

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Abdel Wahab, M.; Sharif, T. A.

    1995-09-01

    The Reitan (1963) regression equation of the form ln w = a + bT d has been examined and tested to estimate precipitable water vapor content from the surface dew point temperature at different locations. The results of this study indicate that the slope b of the above equation has a constant value of 0.0681, while the intercept a changes rapidly with latitude. The use of the variable intercept technique can improve the estimated result by about 2%.

  5. Water-Ammonia Ionic Ocean on Uranus and Neptune-Clue from Tropospheric Hydrogen Sulfide Clouds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Atreya, S. K.; Egeler, P. A.; Wong, A.

    2005-12-01

    Interior models of the ice-giants, Uranus and Neptune, predict a water-ammonia ionic ocean at tens of kilobar pressure [1,2]. If correct, its implication for planetary formation models is profound. In this presentation we demonstrate that the existence of an ionic ocean will manifest itself in the planets' tropospheric cloud structure, particularly in the form of a hydrogen sulfide, i.e. H2S-ice, cloud. In fact, an H2S cloud was introduced ad hoc in the 3-5 bar region to explain microwave absorption [3] and the methane [4] observations, but its presence cannot be proved in the absence of entry probes. Our equilibrium cloud condensation model (ECCM) shows that an H2S-ice cloud does not form when conventional enrichment factors (20-30× solar at Uranus, and 30-50× solar at Neptune) are employed for all heavy elements (mass >4) [5]. However, a deep ``cloud'' composed of a weak solution of ammonia and water forms, and its base is at 370 and 500 bars, respectively, for 30× solar and 50× solar enrichment factors. If an ionic ``ocean'' exists much deeper, water vapor, as well as ammonia dissolved in it, would be severely depleted at levels above this ocean. The consequences of such water vapor and ammonia depletions are that (1) clouds of water and ammonia, if present, are much less prominent; (2) only small amount of H2S vapor is removed by NH3, to form an NH4SH cloud; so that (3) a cloud of H2S-ice can now form; and (4) an H2O ``ocean'' in the 1-kilobar region [6] does not form. This scenario has important implications for the design of entry probe missions, as measurements to only 10-20 bars, rather than kilobar levels, will need to be made. The heavy elements, Ar, Kr, Xe, Ne, C, and S, as well as He, D/H, GeH4, AsH3, PH3, and CO can all be accessed at pressures less than 20 bars. These measurements are critical for constraining the formation models [5,7,8]. Measurement of water in the well-mixed region of Uranus and Neptune is technologically highly challenging

  6. Precipitation processes developed during TOGA COARE (1992), GATE (1974), SCSMEX (1998), and KWAJEX (1999): 3D Cloud Resolving Model Simulation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tao, W.-K.

    2006-01-01

    Real clouds and cloud systems are inherently three-dimensional (3D). Because of the limitations in computer resources, however, most cloud-resolving models (CRMs) today are still two-dimensional (2D). A few 3D CRMs have been used to study the response of clouds to large-scale forcing. In these 3D simulations, the model domain was small, and the integration time was 6 hours. Only recently have 3D experiments been performed for multi-day periods for tropical cloud systems with large horizontal domains at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), NOAA GFDL, the U.K. Met. Office, Colorado State University and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. An improved 3D Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) model was recently used to simulate periods during TOGA COARE (December 19-27, 1992), GATE (september 1-7, 1974), SCSMEX (May 18-26, June 2-11, 1998) and KWAJEX (August 7-13, August 18-21, and August 29-September 12, 1999) using a 512 by 512 km domain and 41 vertical layers. The major objectives of this paper are: (1) to identify the differences and similarities in the simulated precipitation processes and their associated surface and water energy budgets in TOGA COARE, GATE, KWAJEX, and SCSMEX, and (2) to asses the impact of microphysics, radiation budget and surface fluxes on the organization of convection in tropics.

  7. StatisticAl Characteristics of Cloud over Beijing, China Obtained FRom Ka band Doppler Radar Observation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    LIU, J.; Bi, Y.; Duan, S.; Lu, D.

    2017-12-01

    It is well-known that cloud characteristics, such as top and base heights and their layering structure of micro-physical parameters, spatial coverage and temporal duration are very important factors influencing both radiation budget and its vertical partitioning as well as hydrological cycle through precipitation data. Also, cloud structure and their statistical distribution and typical values will have respective characteristics with geographical and seasonal variation. Ka band radar is a powerful tool to obtain above parameters around the world, such as ARM cloud radar at the Oklahoma US, Since 2006, Cloudsat is one of NASA's A-Train satellite constellation, continuously observe the cloud structure with global coverage, but only twice a day it monitor clouds over same local site at same local time.By using IAP Ka band Doppler radar which has been operating continuously since early 2013 over the roof of IAP building in Beijing, we obtained the statistical characteristic of clouds, including cloud layering, cloud top and base heights, as well as the thickness of each cloud layer and their distribution, and were analyzed monthly and seasonal and diurnal variation, statistical analysis of cloud reflectivity profiles is also made. The analysis covers both non-precipitating clouds and precipitating clouds. Also, some preliminary comparison of the results with Cloudsat/Calipso products for same period and same area are made.

  8. Jets and Water Clouds on Jupiter

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lian, Yuan; Showman, A. P.

    2012-10-01

    Ground-based and spacecraft observations show that Jupiter exhibits multiple banded zonal jet structures. These banded jets correlate with dark and bright clouds, often called "belts" and "zones". The mechanisms that produce these banded zonal jets and clouds are poorly understood. Our previous studies showed that the latent heat released by condensation of water vapor could produce equatorial superrotation along with multiple zonal jets in the mid-to-high latitudes. However, that previous work assumed complete and instant removal of condensate and therefore could not predict the cloud formation. Here we present an improved 3D Jupiter model to investigate some effects of cloud microphysics on large-scale dynamics using a closed water cycle that includes condensation, three-dimensional advection of cloud material by the large-scale circulation, evaporation and sedimentation. We use a dry convective adjustment scheme to adjust the temperature towards a dry adiabat when atmospheric columns become convectively unstable, and the tracers are mixed within the unstable layers accordingly. Other physics parameterizations included in our model are the bottom drag and internal heat flux as well as the choices of either Newtonian heating scheme or gray radiative transfer. Given the poorly understood cloud microphysics, we perform case studies by treating the particle size and condensation/evaporation time scale as free parameters. We find that, in some cases, the active water cycle can produce multiple banded jets and clouds. However, the equatorial jet is generally very weak in all the cases because of insufficient supply of eastward eddy momentum fluxes. These differences may result from differences in the overall vertical stratification, baroclinicity, and moisture distribution in our new models relative to the older ones; we expect to elucidate the dynamical mechanisms in continuing work.

  9. Idealized Cloud-System Resolving Modeling for Tropical Convection Studies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Anber, Usama M.

    -monotonic dependence of rainfall on shear is observed when the imposed surface fluxes are moderate. For larger surface fluxes, convection in the unsheared basic state is already strongly organized, but increasing wind shear still leads to increasing rainfall. In addition to surface rainfall, the impacts of shear on the parameterized large-scale vertical velocity, convective mass fluxes, cloud fraction, and momentum transport are also discussed. For experiments with interactive radiative cooling profile, the effect of cloud-radiation interaction on cumulus ensemble is examined in sheared and unsheared environments with both fixed and interactive sea surface temperature (SST). For fixed SST, interactive radiation, when compared to simulations in which radiative profile has the same magnitude and vertical shape but does not interact with clouds or water vapor, is found to suppress mean precipitation by inducing strong descent in the lower troposphere, increasing the gross moist stability. For interactive SST, using a slab ocean mixed layer, there exists a shear strength above which the system becomes unstable and develops oscillatory behavior. Oscillations have periods of wet precipitating states followed by periods of dry non-precipitating states. The frequencies of oscillations are intraseasonal to subseasonal, depending on the mixed layer depth. Finally, the model is coupled to a land surface model with fully interactive radiation and surface fluxes to study the diurnal and seasonal radiation and water cycles in the Amazon basin. The model successfully captures the afternoon precipitation and cloud cover peak and the greater latent heat flux in the dry season for the first time; two major biases in GCMs with implications for correct estimates of evaporation and gross primary production in the Amazon. One of the key findings is that the fog layer near the surface in the west season is crucial for determining the surface energy budget and precipitation. This suggests that features on

  10. Water in dense molecular clouds

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wannier, P.G.; Kuiper, T.B.H.; Frerking, M.A.

    1991-08-01

    The G.P. Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO) was used to make initial observations of the half-millimeter ground-state transition of water in seven giant molecular clouds and in two late-type stars. No significant detections were made, and the resulting upper limits are significantly below those expected from other, indirect observations and from several theoretical models. The implied interstellar H2O/CO abundance is less than 0.003 in the cores of three giant molecular clouds. This value is less than expected from cloud chemistry models and also than estimates based on HDO and H3O(+) observations. 78 refs.

  11. Tower-Perturbation Measurements in Above-Water Radiometry

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hooker, Stanford B. (Editor); Firestone, Elaine R. (Editor); Zibordi, Giuseppe; Berthon, Jean-Francois; DAlimonte, Davide; vanderLinde, Dirk; Brown, James W.

    2003-01-01

    This report documents the scientific activities which took place during June 2001 and June 2002 on the Acqua Alta Oceanographic Tower (AAOT) in the northern Adriatic Sea. The primary objective of these field campaigns was to quantify the effect of platform perturbations (principally reflections of sunlight onto the sea surface) on above-water measurements of water-leaving radiances. The deployment goals documented in this report were to: a) collect an extensive and simultaneous set of above- and in-water optical measurements under predominantly clear-sky conditions; b) establish the vertical properties of the water column using a variety of ancillary measurements, many of which were taken coincidently with the optical measurements; and c) determine the bulk properties of the environment using a diversity of atmospheric, biogeochemical, and meteorological techniques. A preliminary assessment of the data collected during the two field campaigns shows the perturbation in above-water radiometry caused by a large offshore structure is very similar to that caused by a large research vessel.

  12. Platform and Environmental Effects on Above- and In-Water Determinations of Water-Leaving Radiances

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hooker, Stanford B.; Morel, Andre; McClain, Charles R. (Technical Monitor)

    2001-01-01

    A comparison of above- and in-water spectral measurements in Case-1 conditions showed the uncertainty in above-water determinations of water-leaving radiances depended on the pointing angle of the above-water instruments with respect to the side of the ship. Two above-water methods were used to create a diagnostic variable to quantify the presence of superstructure reflections which degraded the above-water intracomparisons of water-leaving radiances by 10.9-33.4% (for far-to-near viewing distances, respectively). The primary conclusions of the above- and in-water intercomparison of water-leaving radiances were as follows: a) the SeaWiFS 5% radiometric objective was achieved with the above-water approach, but reliably with only one method and only for about half the data; b) a decrease in water-leaving radiance values was seen in the presence of swell, although, wave crests were radiometrically brighter than the troughs; and c) standard band ratios used in ocean color algorithms remained severely affected, because of the relatively low signal and, thus, proportionally significant contamination at the 555nm wavelength.

  13. Analysis of the Diurnal Cycle of Precipitation and its Relation to Cloud Radiative Forcing Using TRMM Products

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Randall, David A.; Fowler, Laura D.; Lin, Xin

    1998-01-01

    In order to improve our understanding of the interactions between clouds, radiation, and the hydrological cycle simulated in the Colorado State University General Circulation Model (CSU GCM), we focused our research on the analysis of the diurnal cycle of precipitation, top-of-the-atmosphere and surface radiation budgets, and cloudiness using 10-year long Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project (AMIP) simulations. Comparisons the simulated diurnal cycle were made against the diurnal cycle of Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) radiation budget and International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) cloud products. This report summarizes our major findings over the Amazon Basin.

  14. Estimation of canopy water interception of a near-tropical montane cloud forest in Taiwan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Apurva, B.; Huang, C. Y.; Zhang, J.

    2017-12-01

    substantial amount of fog water can be harvested by the montane cloud forest, and this horizontal precipitation is not negligible and should be taken into account for ecological research.

  15. Aerosol concentration and size distribution measured below, in, and above cloud from the DOE G-1 during VOCALS-REx

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kleinman, L.I.; Daum, P. H.; Lee, Y.-N.

    2011-06-21

    During the VOCALS Regional Experiment, the DOE G-1 aircraft was used to sample a varying aerosol environment pertinent to properties of stratocumulus clouds over a longitude band extending 800 km west from the Chilean coast at Arica. Trace gas and aerosol measurements are presented as a function of longitude, altitude, and dew point in this study. Spatial distributions are consistent with an upper atmospheric source for O{sub 3} and South American coastal sources for marine boundary layer (MBL) CO and aerosol, most of which is acidic sulfate in agreement with the dominant pollution source being SO{sub 2} from Cu smeltersmore » and power plants. Pollutant layers in the free troposphere (FT) can be a result of emissions to the north in Peru or long range transport from the west. At a given altitude in the FT (up to 3 km), dew point varies by 40 C with dry air descending from the upper atmospheric and moist air having a BL contribution. Ascent of BL air to a cold high altitude results in the condensation and precipitation removal of all but a few percent of BL water along with aerosol that served as CCN. Thus, aerosol volume decreases with dew point in the FT. Aerosol size spectra have a bimodal structure in the MBL and an intermediate diameter unimodal distribution in the FT. Comparing cloud droplet number concentration (CDNC) and pre-cloud aerosol (Dp > 100 nm) gives a linear relation up to a number concentration of {approx}150 cm{sup -3}, followed by a less than proportional increase in CDNC at higher aerosol number concentration. A number balance between below cloud aerosol and cloud droplets indicates that {approx}25% of aerosol in the PCASP size range are interstitial (not activated). One hundred and two constant altitude cloud transects were identified and used to determine properties of interstitial aerosol. One transect is examined in detail as a case study. Approximately 25 to 50% of aerosol with D{sub p} > 110 nm were not activated, the difference between

  16. Dust and biological aerosols from the Sahara and Asia influence precipitation in the western U.S.

    PubMed

    Creamean, Jessie M; Suski, Kaitlyn J; Rosenfeld, Daniel; Cazorla, Alberto; DeMott, Paul J; Sullivan, Ryan C; White, Allen B; Ralph, F Martin; Minnis, Patrick; Comstock, Jennifer M; Tomlinson, Jason M; Prather, Kimberly A

    2013-03-29

    Winter storms in California's Sierra Nevada increase seasonal snowpack and provide critical water resources and hydropower for the state. Thus, the mechanisms influencing precipitation in this region have been the subject of research for decades. Previous studies suggest Asian dust enhances cloud ice and precipitation, whereas few studies consider biological aerosols as an important global source of ice nuclei (IN). Here, we show that dust and biological aerosols transported from as far as the Sahara were present in glaciated high-altitude clouds coincident with elevated IN concentrations and ice-induced precipitation. This study presents the first direct cloud and precipitation measurements showing that Saharan and Asian dust and biological aerosols probably serve as IN and play an important role in orographic precipitation processes over the western United States.

  17. Sensitivity of simulated snow cloud properties to mass-diameter parameterizations.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Duffy, G.; Nesbitt, S. W.; McFarquhar, G. M.

    2015-12-01

    Mass to diameter (m-D) relationships are used in model parameterization schemes to represent ice cloud microphysics and in retrievals of bulk cloud properties from remote sensing instruments. One of the most common relationships, used in the current Global Precipitation Measurement retrieval algorithm for example, assigns the density of snow as a constant tenth of the density of ice (0.1g/m^3). This assumption stands in contrast to the results of derived m-D relationships of snow particles, which imply decreasing particle densities at larger sizes and result in particle masses orders of magnitude below the constant density relationship. In this study, forward simulations of bulk cloud properties (e.g., total water content, radar reflectivity and precipitation rate) derived from measured size distributions using several historical m-D relationships are presented. This expands upon previous studies that mainly focused on smaller ice particles because of the examination of precipitation-sized particles here. In situ and remote sensing data from the GPM Cold season Experiment (GCPEx) and Canadian CloudSAT/Calypso Validation Program (C3VP), both synoptic snowstorm field experiments in southern Ontario, Canada, are used to evaluate the forward simulations against total water content measured by the Nevzorov and Cloud Spectrometer and Impactor (CSI) probe, radar reflectivity measured by a C band ground based radar and a nadir pointing Ku/Ka dual frequency airborne radar, and precipitation rate measured by a 2D video disdrometer. There are differences between the bulk cloud properties derived using varying m-D relations, with constant density assumptions producing results differing substantially from the bulk measured quantities. The variability in bulk cloud properties derived using different m-D relations is compared against the natural variability in those parameters seen in the GCPEx and C3VP field experiments.

  18. Indirect and Semi-Direct Aerosol Campaign: The Impact of Arctic Aerosols on Clouds

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    McFarquhar, Greg; Ghan, Steven J.; Verlinde, J.

    2011-02-01

    A comprehensive dataset of microphysical and radiative properties of aerosols and clouds in the arctic boundary layer in the vicinity of Barrow, Alaska was collected in April 2008 during the Indirect and Semi-Direct Aerosol Campaign (ISDAC) sponsored by the Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) and Atmospheric Science Programs. The primary aim of ISDAC was to examine indirect effects of aerosols on clouds that contain both liquid and ice water. The experiment utilized the ARM permanent observational facilities at the North Slope of Alaska (NSA) in Barrow. These include a cloud radar, a polarized micropulse lidar, and an atmosphericmore » emitted radiance interferometer as well as instruments specially deployed for ISDAC measuring aerosol, ice fog, precipitation and spectral shortwave radiation. The National Research Council of Canada Convair-580 flew 27 sorties during ISDAC, collecting data using an unprecedented 42 cloud and aerosol instruments for more than 100 hours on 12 different days. Data were obtained above, below and within single-layer stratus on 8 April and 26 April 2008. These data enable a process-oriented understanding of how aerosols affect the microphysical and radiative properties of arctic clouds influenced by different surface conditions. Observations acquired on a heavily polluted day, 19 April 2008, are enhancing this understanding. Data acquired in cirrus on transit flights between Fairbanks and Barrow are improving our understanding of the performance of cloud probes in ice. Ultimately the ISDAC data will be used to improve the representation of cloud and aerosol processes in models covering a variety of spatial and temporal scales, and to determine the extent to which long-term surface-based measurements can provide retrievals of aerosols, clouds, precipitation and radiative heating in the Arctic.« less

  19. Global precipitation measurement (GPM) preliminary design

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Neeck, Steven P.; Kakar, Ramesh K.; Azarbarzin, Ardeshir A.; Hou, Arthur Y.

    2008-10-01

    The overarching Earth science mission objective of the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission is to develop a scientific understanding of the Earth system and its response to natural and human-induced changes. This will enable improved prediction of climate, weather, and natural hazards for present and future generations. The specific scientific objectives of GPM are advancing: Precipitation Measurement through combined use of active and passive remote-sensing techniques, Water/Energy Cycle Variability through improved knowledge of the global water/energy cycle and fresh water availability, Climate Prediction through better understanding of surface water fluxes, soil moisture storage, cloud/precipitation microphysics and latent heat release, Weather Prediction through improved numerical weather prediction (NWP) skills from more accurate and frequent measurements of instantaneous rain rates with better error characterizations and improved assimilation methods, Hydrometeorological Prediction through better temporal sampling and spatial coverage of highresolution precipitation measurements and innovative hydro-meteorological modeling. GPM is a joint initiative with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and other international partners and is the backbone of the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) Precipitation Constellation. It will unify and improve global precipitation measurements from a constellation of dedicated and operational active/passive microwave sensors. GPM is completing the Preliminary Design Phase and is advancing towards launch in 2013 and 2014.

  20. Sensitivity of a Cumulus Parameterization Scheme to Precipitation Production Representation and Its Impact on a Heavy Rain Event over Korea

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Han, Ji-Young; Hong, Song-You; Sunny Lim, Kyo-Sun

    The sensitivity of a cumulus parameterization scheme (CPS) to a representation of precipitation production is examined. To do this, the parameter that determines the fraction of cloud condensate converted to precipitation in the simplified Arakawa–Schubert (SAS) convection scheme is modified following the results from a cloud-resolving simulation. While the original conversion parameter is assumed to be constant, the revised parameter includes a temperature dependency above the freezing level, whichleadstolessproductionoffrozenprecipitating condensate with height. The revised CPS has been evaluated for a heavy rainfall event over Korea as well as medium-range forecasts using the Global/Regional Integrated Model system (GRIMs). The inefficient conversionmore » of cloud condensate to convective precipitation at colder temperatures generally leads to a decrease in pre-cipitation, especially in the category of heavy rainfall. The resultant increase of detrained moisture induces moistening and cooling at the top of clouds. A statistical evaluation of the medium-range forecasts with the revised precipitation conversion parameter shows an overall improvement of the forecast skill in precipitation and large-scale fields, indicating importance of more realistic representation of microphysical processes in CPSs.« less

  1. Stable isotopes in water vapor and precipitation for a coastal lagoon at mid latitudes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zannoni, Daniele; Bergamasco, Andrea; Dreossi, Giuliano; Rampazzo, Giancarlo; Stenni, Barbara

    2016-04-01

    The stable oxygen and hydrogen isotope composition in precipitation can be used in hydrology to describe the signature of local meteoric water. The isotopic composition of water vapor is usually obtained indirectly from measurements of δD and δ18O in precipitation, assuming the isotopic equilibrium between rain and water vapor. Only few studies report isotopic data in both phases for the same area, thus providing a complete Local Meteoric Water Line (LMWL). The goal of this study is to build a complete LMWL for the lagoon of Venice (northern Italy) with observations of both water vapor and precipitation. The sampling campaign has started in March 2015 and will be carried out until the end of 2016. Water vapor is collected once a week with cold traps at low temperatures (-77°C). Precipitation is collected on event and monthly basis with a custom automatic rain sampler and a rain gauge, respectively. Liquid samples are analyzed with a Picarro L1102-i and results are reported vs VSMOW. The main meteorological parameters are continuously recorded in the same area by the campus automatic weather station. Preliminary data show an LMWL close to the Global Meteoric Water Line (GMWL) with lower slope and intercept. An evaporation line is clearly recognizable, considering samples that evaporated between the cloud base and the ground. The deviation from the GMWL parameters, especially intercept, can be attributed to evaporated rain or to the humidity conditions of the water vapor source. Water vapor collected during rainfall shows that rain and vapor are near the isotopic equilibrium, just considering air temperature measured at ground level. Temperature is one of the main factor that controls the isotopic composition of the atmospheric water vapor. Nevertheless, the circulation of air masses is a crucial parameter which has to be considered. Water vapor samples collected in different days but with the same meteorological conditions (air temperature and relative humidity

  2. The Sensitivity of Atmospheric Water Isotopes to Entrainment and Precipitation Efficiency in a Bulk Plume Model of Convection

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Duan, S.; Wright, J. S.; Romps, D. M.

    2016-12-01

    Atmospheric water isotopes have been proposed as potentially powerful constraints on the physics of convective clouds and parameterizations of convective processes in models. We have previously derived an analytical model of water vapor (H2O) and one of its heavy isotopes (HDO) in convective environments based on a bulk-plume convective water budget in radiative convective equilibrium. This analytical model provides a useful starting point for examining the joint responses of water vapor and its isotopic composition to changes in convective parameters; however, certain idealistic assumptions are required to make the model analytically solvable. Here, we develop a more flexible numerical framework that enables a wider range of model configurations and includes additional isotopic tracers. This model provides a bridge between Rayleigh distillation, which is simple but inflexible, and more complicated convection schemes and cloud resolving models, which are more realistic but also more difficult to perturb and interpret. Application of realistic in-cloud water profiles in our model produces vertical distributions of δD that qualitatively match satellite observations from the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES). We test the sensitivity of water vapor and its isotopic composition to a wide range of perturbations in the model parameters and their vertical profiles. In this presentation, we focus especially on establishing constraints for convective entrainment and precipitation efficiency. We conclude by discussing the potential application of this model as part of a larger water isotope toolkit for use with offline diagnostics provided by reanalyses and GCMs.

  3. Spatio-temporal variability in cloud microphysical properties over the South East Atlantic

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gupta, S.; McFarquhar, G. M.; Poellot, M.; O'Brien, J.; Delene, D. J.

    2016-12-01

    The ObseRvations of Aerosols above Clouds and their intEractionS (ORACLES) project will provide in-situ measurements and remotely sensed retrievals of aerosol and cloud properties over the South East Atlantic off the coast of Namibia during August-September 2016. Biomass burning aerosol from Southern Africa is advected toward the South East Atlantic at elevated altitudes and overlies the ubiquitous stratocumulus cloud deck over the ocean. The aerosols subside farther from the coast so that the vertical displacement between the clouds and aerosols varies, and whose effect on aerosol-cloud interaction is poorly known. A NASA P-3 aircraft will be equipped with a Cloud Droplet Probe CDP sizing particles between 2 and 50μm, a Cloud and Aerosol Spectrometer CAS sizing between 0.51 and 50μm, a 2D-stereo probe 2DS, nominally sizing between 10 and 1280μm, a Cloud Imaging Probe CIP, from 25 to 1600μm, and a High Volume Precipitation Sampler HVPS-3, from 150μm to 1.92cm for measuring number distribution functions (n(D)) along with a King probe and hot wire probe for measuring the total liquid water content, LWC. A Passive Cavity Aerosol Spectrometer Probe PCASP will measure aerosol particles between 0.1 to 3μm. By examining consistency between n(D) measured by probes in the overlap ranges and by conducting closure tests whereby the bulk LWC is compared against that derived from n(D), a probe-independent product will be generated to provide the best estimate of the following cloud parameters: total concentration, extinction, n(D), effective radius and LWC. The resulting database will be used to determine how cloud properties vary with distance away from the coast of Africa and with aerosol concentrations measured in the accumulation mode by the PCASP above and below cloud. The impact of the changing separation between the cloud and aerosol layers will be examined and potential impacts of the variation of cloud microphysical properties with aerosol concentrations on

  4. Meteorological Analysis of Icing Conditions Encountered in Low-Altitude Stratiform Clouds

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kline, D. B.; Walker, J. A.

    1951-01-01

    Liquid-water content, droplet size, and temperature data measured during 22 flights in predominatly stratiform clouds through the 1948-49 and the 1949-50 winters are presented. Several icing encounters were of greater severity than those previously measured over the same geographical area, but were within the limits of similar measurements obtained over different terrain within the United States. An analysis of meteorological conditions existing during the 74 flights conducted for four winters indicated an inverse relation of liquid-water concentration to maximum horizontal extent of icing clouds. Data on the vertical extent of supercooled clouds are also presented. Icing conditions were most likely to occur in the southwest and northwest quadrants of a cyclone area, and least likely to occur in the southeast and northeast quadrants where convergent air flow and lifting over the associated warm frontal surface usually cause precipitation. Additional data indicated that, icing conditions were usually encountered in nonprecipitating clouds existing at subfreezing temperatures and were unlikely over areas where most weather observing stations reported the existence of precipitation. Measurements of liquid-water content obtained during 12 flights near the time and location of radiosonde observations were compared with theoretical values. The average liquid-water content of a cloud layer, as measured by the multicylinder technique, seldom exceeded two-thirds of that which could be released by adiabatic lifting. Local areas near the cloud tops equaled or occasionally exceeded the calculated maximum quantity of liquid water.

  5. Detecting High Ice Water Content Cloud Regions Using Airborne and Satellite Observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kheyrollah Pour, H.; Korolev, A.; Barker, H.; Wolde, M.; Heckman, I.; Duguay, C. R.

    2016-12-01

    Tropical mesoscale convective systems (MCS) have significant impacts on local and global hydrological cycles and radiation budgets. Moreover, high ice water content (HIWC) found inside MCS clouds at altitudes above 7 km have been identified as hazardous for aviation safety. The environment inside HIWC cloud regions may cause icing of aircraft engines resulting in uncontrolled engine power loss or damage. This phenomenon is known as ice crystal icing (ICI). International aviation regulatory agencies are now attempting to define techniques that enable prediction and detection of potential ICI environments. Such techniques range from on-board HIWC detection to nowcasting of ice crystal weather using satellite data and numerical weather prediction models. The most practical way to monitor continuously for areas of HIWC is by remote sensing with passive radiometers on geostationary satellites. Establishing correlations between HIWC cloud regions and radiances is, however, a challenging problem. This is because regions of HIWC can occur several kilometers below cloud top, while passive satellite radiometers response mainly to the upper kilometers of MCS clouds. The High Altitude Ice Crystals - High Ice Water Content (HAIC-HIWC) field campaigns in Cayenne, French Guiana collected a rich dataset from aboard the Canadian NRC Convair-580 that was equipped with a suite of in-situ microphysical instruments and Dopplerized W- and X-band radars with vertically- and horizontally-directed antenna. This paper aims to describe an algorithm that has been developed to establish relationships between satellite radiances and locations of HIWC regions identified from in-situ measurements of microphysical properties, Doppler velocities, and vertical and horizontal radar reflectivity.

  6. Model simulations with COSMO-SPECS: impact of heterogeneous freezing modes and ice nucleating particle types on ice formation and precipitation in a deep convective cloud

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Diehl, Karoline; Grützun, Verena

    2018-03-01

    In deep convective clouds, heavy rain is often formed involving the ice phase. Simulations were performed using the 3-D cloud resolving model COSMO-SPECS with detailed spectral microphysics including parameterizations of homogeneous and three heterogeneous freezing modes. The initial conditions were selected to result in a deep convective cloud reaching 14 km of altitude with strong updrafts up to 40 m s-1. At such altitudes with corresponding temperatures below -40 °C the major fraction of liquid drops freezes homogeneously. The goal of the present model simulations was to investigate how additional heterogeneous freezing will affect ice formation and precipitation although its contribution to total ice formation may be rather low. In such a situation small perturbations that do not show significant effects at first sight may trigger cloud microphysical responses. Effects of the following small perturbations were studied: (1) additional ice formation via immersion, contact, and deposition modes in comparison to solely homogeneous freezing, (2) contact and deposition freezing in comparison to immersion freezing, and (3) small fractions of biological ice nucleating particles (INPs) in comparison to higher fractions of mineral dust INP. The results indicate that the modification of precipitation proceeds via the formation of larger ice particles, which may be supported by direct freezing of larger drops, the growth of pristine ice particles by riming, and by nucleation of larger drops by collisions with pristine ice particles. In comparison to the reference case with homogeneous freezing only, such small perturbations due to additional heterogeneous freezing rather affect the total precipitation amount. It is more likely that the temporal development and the local distribution of precipitation are affected by such perturbations. This results in a gradual increase in precipitation at early cloud stages instead of a strong increase at later cloud stages coupled with

  7. MM-Wave Radiometric Measurements of Low Amounts of Precipitable Water Vapor

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Racette, P.; Westwater, Ed; Han, Yong; Manning, Will; Jones, David; Gasiewski, Al

    2000-01-01

    An experiment was conducted during March, 1999 to study ways in which to improve techniques for measuring low amounts of total-column precipitable water vapor (PWV). The experiment was conducted at the DOE's ARM program's North Slope of Alaska/Adjacent Arctic Ocean Cloud and Radiation Testbed site (DoE ARM NSA/AAO CaRT) located just outside Barrow, Alaska. NASA and NOAA deployed a suite of radiometers covering 25 channels in the frequency range of 20 GHz up to 340 GHz including 8 channels around the 183 GHz water vapor absorption line. In addition to the usual CaRT site instrumentation the NOAA Depolarization and Backscatter Unattended Lidar (DABUL), the SUNY Rotating Shadowband Spectroradiometer (RSS) and other surface based meteorological instrumentation were deployed during the intensive observation period. Vaisala RS80 radiosondes were launched daily as well as nearby National Weather Service VIZ sondes. Atmospheric conditions ranged from clear calm skies to blowing snow and heavy multi-layer cloud coverage. Measurements made by the radiosondes indicate the PWV varied from approx. 1 to approx. 5 mm during the experiment. The near-surface temperature varied between about -40 C to - 15 C. In this presentation, an overview of the experiment with examples of data collected will be presented. Application of the data for assessing the potential and limitations of millimeter-wave radiometry for retrieving very low amounts of PWV will be discussed.

  8. Characterizing the Trade Space Between Capability and Complexity in Next Generation Cloud and Precipitation Observing Systems Using Markov Chain Monte Carlos Techniques

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xu, Z.; Mace, G. G.; Posselt, D. J.

    2017-12-01

    As we begin to contemplate the next generation atmospheric observing systems, it will be critically important that we are able to make informed decisions regarding the trade space between scientific capability and the need to keep complexity and cost within definable limits. To explore this trade space as it pertains to understanding key cloud and precipitation processes, we are developing a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm suite that allows us to arbitrarily define the specifications of candidate observing systems and then explore how the uncertainties in key retrieved geophysical parameters respond to that observing system. MCMC algorithms produce a more complete posterior solution space, and allow for an objective examination of information contained in measurements. In our initial implementation, MCMC experiments are performed to retrieve vertical profiles of cloud and precipitation properties from a spectrum of active and passive measurements collected by aircraft during the ACE Radiation Definition Experiments (RADEX). Focusing on shallow cumulus clouds observed during the Integrated Precipitation and Hydrology EXperiment (IPHEX), observing systems in this study we consider W and Ka-band radar reflectivity, path-integrated attenuation at those frequencies, 31 and 94 GHz brightness temperatures as well as visible and near-infrared reflectance. By varying the sensitivity and uncertainty of these measurements, we quantify the capacity of various combinations of observations to characterize the physical properties of clouds and precipitation.

  9. High cloud variations with surface temperature from 2002 to 2015: Contributions to atmospheric radiative cooling rate and precipitation changes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Run; Liou, Kuo-Nan; Su, Hui; Gu, Yu; Zhao, Bin; Jiang, Jonathan H.; Liu, Shaw Chen

    2017-05-01

    The global mean precipitation is largely constrained by atmospheric radiative cooling rates (Qr), which are sensitive to changes in high cloud fraction. We investigate variations of high cloud fraction with surface temperature (Ts) from July 2002 to June 2015 and compute their radiative effects on Qr using the Fu-Liou-Gu plane-parallel radiation model. We find that the tropical mean (30°S-30°N) high cloud fraction decreases with increasing Ts at a rate of about -1.0 ± 0.34% K-1 from 2002 to 2015, which leads to an enhanced atmospheric cooling around 0.86 W m-2 K-1. On the other hand, the northern midlatitudes (30°N-60°N) high cloud fraction increases with surface warming at a rate of 1.85 ± 0.65% K-1 and the near-global mean (60°S-60°N) high cloud fraction shows a statistically insignificant decreasing trend with increasing Ts over the analysis period. Dividing high clouds into cirrus, cirrostratus, and deep convective clouds, we find that cirrus cloud fraction increases with surface warming at a rate of 0.32 ± 0.11% K-1 (0.01 ± 0.17% K-1) for the near-global mean (tropical mean), while cirrostratus and deep convective clouds decrease with surface warming at a rate of -0.02 ± 0.18% K-1 and -0.33 ± 0.18% K-1 for the near-global mean and -0.64 ± 0.23% K-1 and -0.37 ± 0.13% K-1 for the tropical mean, respectively. High cloud fraction response to feedback to Ts accounts for approximately 1.9 ± 0.7% and 16.0 ± 6.1% of the increase in precipitation per unit surface warming over the period of 2002-2015 for the near-global mean and the tropical mean, respectively.

  10. Water Ice Clouds over the Northern Plains

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2002-01-01

    (Released 14 May 2002) The Science This image, centered near 48.5 N and 240.5 W, displays splotchy water ice clouds that obscure the northern lowland plains in the region where the Viking 2 spacecraft landed. This image is far enough north to catch the edge of the north polar hood that develops during the northern winter. This is a cap of water and carbon dioxide ice clouds that form over the Martian north pole. As Mars progresses into northern spring, the persistent north polar hood ice clouds will dissipate and the surface viewing conditions will improve greatly. As the season develops, an equatorial belt of water ice clouds will form. This belt of water ice clouds is as characteristic of the Martian climate as the southern hemisphere summer dust storm season. Seasons on Mars have a dramatic effect on the state of the dynamic Martian atmosphere. The Story Muted in an almost air-brushed manner, this image doesn't have the crispness that most THEMIS images have. That's because clouds were rising over the surface of the red planet on the day this picture was taken. Finding clouds on Mars might remind us of conditions here on Earth, but these Martian clouds are made of frozen water and frozen carbon dioxide -- in other words, clouds of ice and 'dry ice.' Strange as that may sound, the clouds seen here form on a pretty regular basis at the north Martian pole during its winter season. As springtime comes to the northern hemisphere of Mars (and fall comes to the southern), these clouds will slowly disappear, and a nice belt of water ice clouds will form around the equator. So, if you were a THEMIS camera aimer, that might tell you when your best viewing conditions for different areas on Mars would be. As interesting as clear pictures of Martian landforms are, however, you wouldn't want to bypass the weather altogether. Pictures showing seasonal shifts are great for scientists to study, because they reveal a lot about the patterns of the Martian climate and the

  11. Total Precipitable Water

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    None

    2012-01-01

    The simulation was performed on 64K cores of Intrepid, running at 0.25 simulated-years-per-day and taking 25 million core-hours. This is the first simulation using both the CAM5 physics and the highly scalable spectral element dynamical core. The animation of Total Precipitable Water clearly shows hurricanes developing in the Atlantic and Pacific.

  12. What does Reflection from Cloud Sides tell us about Vertical Distribution of Cloud Droplet Sizes?

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Marshak, A.; Martins, J. V.; Zubko, V.; Kaufman, Y. J.

    2006-01-01

    Cloud development, the onset of precipitation and the effect of aerosol on clouds depend on the structure of the cloud profiles of droplet size and phase. Aircraft measurements of cloud profiles are limited in their temporal and spatial extent. Satellites were used to observe cloud tops not cloud profiles with vertical profiles of precipitation-sized droplets anticipated from CloudSat. The recently proposed CLAIM-3D satellite mission (cloud aerosol interaction mission in 3-D) suggests to measure profiles of cloud microphysical properties by retrieving them from the solar and infrared radiation reflected or emitted from cloud sides. Inversion of measurements from the cloud sides requires rigorous understanding of the 3-dimentional(3-D) properties of clouds. Here we discuss the reflected sunlight from the cloud sides and top at two wavelengths: one nonabsorbing to solar radiation (0.67 microns) and one with liquid water efficient absorption of solar radiation (2.1 microns). In contrast to the plane-parallel approximation, a conventional approach to all current operational retrievals, 3-D radiative transfer is used for interpreting the observed reflectances. General properties of the radiation reflected from the sides of an isolated cloud are discussed. As a proof of concept, the paper shows a few examples of radiation reflected from cloud fields generated by a simple stochastic cloud model with the prescribed vertically resolved microphysics. To retrieve the information about droplet sizes, we propose to use the probability density function of the droplet size distribution and its first two moments instead of the assumption about fixed values of the droplet effective radius. The retrieval algorithm is based on the Bayesian theorem that combines prior information about cloud structure and microphysics with radiative transfer calculations.

  13. Modeling COSMO-SkyMed measurements of precipitating clouds over the sea using simultaneous weather radar observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Roberto, N.; Baldini, L.; Facheris, L.; Chandrasekar, V.

    2014-07-01

    Several satellite missions employing X-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) have been activated to provide high-resolution images of normalized radar cross-sections (NRCS) on land and ocean for numerous applications. Rainfall and wind affect the sea surface roughness and consequently the NRCS from the combined effects of corrugation due to impinging raindrops and surface wind. X-band frequencies are sensitive to precipitation: intense convective cells result in irregularly bright and dark patches in SAR images, masking changes in surface NRCS. Several works have modeled SAR images of intense precipitation over land; less adequately investigated is the precipitation effect over the sea surface. These images are analyzed in this study by modeling both the scattering and attenuation of radiation by hydrometeors in the rain cells and the NRCS surface changes using weather radar precipitation estimates as input. The reconstruction of X-band SAR returns in precipitating clouds is obtained by the joint utilization of volume reflectivity and attenuation, the latter estimated by coupling ground-based radar measurements and an electromagnetic model to predict the sea surface NRCS. Radar signatures of rain cells were investigated using X-band SAR images collected from the COSMO-SkyMed constellation of the Italian Space Agency. Two case studies were analyzed. The first occurred over the sea off the coast of Louisiana (USA) in summer 2010 with COSMO-SkyMed (CSK®) ScanSar mode monitoring of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Simultaneously, the NEXRAD S-band Doppler radar (KLIX) located in New Orleans was scanning the same portion of ocean. The second case study occurred in Liguria (Italy) on November 4, 2011, during an extraordinary flood event. The same events were observed by the Bric della Croce C-band dual polarization radar located close to Turin (Italy). The polarimetric capability of the ground radars utilized allows discrimination of the composition of the precipitation

  14. Evolution in Cloud Population Statistics of the MJO: From AMIE Field Observations to Global-Cloud Permitting Models Final Report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kollias, Pavlos

    This is a multi-institutional, collaborative project using a three-tier modeling approach to bridge field observations and global cloud-permitting models, with emphases on cloud population structural evolution through various large-scale environments. Our contribution was in data analysis for the generation of high value cloud and precipitation products and derive cloud statistics for model validation. There are two areas in data analysis that we contributed: the development of a synergistic cloud and precipitation cloud classification that identify different cloud (e.g. shallow cumulus, cirrus) and precipitation types (shallow, deep, convective, stratiform) using profiling ARM observations and the development of a quantitative precipitation ratemore » retrieval algorithm using profiling ARM observations. Similar efforts have been developed in the past for precipitation (weather radars), but not for the millimeter-wavelength (cloud) radar deployed at the ARM sites.« less

  15. Domain-averaged, Shallow Precipitation Measurements During the Aerosol and Cloud Experiments in the Eastern North Atlantic (ACE-ENA)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lamer, K.; Luke, E. P.; Kollias, P.; Oue, M.; Wang, J.

    2017-12-01

    The Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility operates a fixed observatory in the Eastern North Atlantic (ENA) on Graciosa Island in the Azores. Straddling the tropics and extratropics, the Azores receive air transported from North America, the Arctic and sometimes Europe. At the ARM ENA site, marine boundary layer clouds are frequently observed all year round. Estimates of drizzle mass flux from the surface to cloud base height are documented using a combination of high sensitivity profiling 35-GHz radar and ceilometer observations. Three years of drizzle mass flux retrievals reveal that statistically, directly over the ENA site, marine boundary layer cloud drizzle rates tend to be weak with few heavy drizzle events. In the summer of 2017, this site hosted the first phase of the Aerosol and Cloud Experiments in the Eastern North Atlantic (ACE-ENA) field campaign, which is motivated by the need for comprehensive in situ characterization of boundary layer structure, low clouds and aerosols. During this phase, the 35-GHz scanning ARM cloud radar was operated as a surveillance radar, providing regional context for the profiling observations. While less sensitive, the scanning radar measurements document a larger number of heavier drizzle events and provide domain-representative estimates of shallow precipitation. A best estimate, domain averaged, shallow precipitation rate for the region around the ARM ENA site is presented. The methodology optimally combines the ability of the profiling observations to detect the weak but frequently occurring drizzle events with the scanning cloud radar's ability to capture the less frequent heavier drizzle events. The technique is also evaluated using high resolution model output and a sophisticated forward radar operator.

  16. Interannual Variations in Aerosol Sources and Their Impact on Orographic Precipitation Over California's Central Sierra Nevada

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Creamean, J. M.; Ault, A. P.; White, A. B.; Neiman, P. J.; Ralph, F. M.; Minnis, Patrick; Prather, K. A.

    2014-01-01

    Aerosols that serve as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) and ice nuclei (IN) have the potential to profoundly influence precipitation processes. Furthermore, changes in orographic precipitation have broad implications for reservoir storage and flood risks. As part of the CalWater I field campaign (2009-2011), the impacts of aerosol sources on precipitation were investigated in the California Sierra Nevada. In 2009, the precipitation collected on the ground was influenced by both local biomass burning (up to 79% of the insoluble residues found in precipitation) and long-range transported dust and biological particles (up to 80% combined), while in 2010, by mostly local sources of biomass burning and pollution (30-79% combined), and in 2011 by mostly long-range transport from distant sources (up to 100% dust and biological). Although vast differences in the source of residues was observed from year-to-year, dust and biological residues were omnipresent (on average, 55% of the total residues combined) and were associated with storms consisting of deep convective cloud systems and larger quantities of precipitation initiated in the ice phase. Further, biological residues were dominant during storms with relatively warm cloud temperatures (up to -15 C), suggesting these particles were more efficient IN compared to mineral dust. On the other hand, lower percentages of residues from local biomass burning and pollution were observed (on average 31% and 9%, respectively), yet these residues potentially served as CCN at the base of shallow cloud systems when precipitation quantities were low. The direct connection of the source of aerosols within clouds and precipitation type and quantity can be used in models to better assess how local emissions versus long-range transported dust and biological aerosols play a role in impacting regional weather and climate, ultimately with the goal of more accurate predictive weather forecast models and water resource management.

  17. Comparison of aerosol optical properties above clouds between POLDER and AeroCom models over the South East Atlantic Ocean during the fire season

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Peers, F.; Bellouin, N.; Waquet, F.; Ducos, F.; Goloub, P.; Mollard, J.; Myhre, G.; Skeie, R. B.; Takemura, T.; Tanré, D.; Thieuleux, F.; Zhang, K.

    2016-04-01

    Aerosol properties above clouds have been retrieved over the South East Atlantic Ocean during the fire season 2006 using satellite observations from POLDER (Polarization and Directionality of Earth Reflectances). From June to October, POLDER has observed a mean Above-Cloud Aerosol Optical Thickness (ACAOT) of 0.28 and a mean Above-Clouds Single Scattering Albedo (ACSSA) of 0.87 at 550 nm. These results have been used to evaluate the simulation of aerosols above clouds in five Aerosol Comparisons between Observations and Models (Goddard Chemistry Aerosol Radiation and Transport (GOCART), Hadley Centre Global Environmental Model 3 (HadGEM3), European Centre Hamburg Model 5-Hamburg Aerosol Module 2 (ECHAM5-HAM2), Oslo-Chemical Transport Model 2 (OsloCTM2), and Spectral Radiation-Transport Model for Aerosol Species (SPRINTARS)). Most models do not reproduce the observed large aerosol load episodes. The comparison highlights the importance of the injection height and the vertical transport parameterizations to simulate the large ACAOT observed by POLDER. Furthermore, POLDER ACSSA is best reproduced by models with a high imaginary part of black carbon refractive index, in accordance with recent recommendations.

  18. What Does Reflection from Cloud Sides Tell Us About Vertical Distribution of Cloud Droplet Sizes?

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Marshak, Alexander; Martins, J. Vanderlei; Zubko, Victor; Kaufman, Yoram, J.

    2005-01-01

    Cloud development, the onset of precipitation and the effect of aerosol on clouds depend on the structure of the cloud profiles of droplet size and phase. Aircraft measurements of cloud profiles are limited in their temporal and spatial extent. Satellites were used to observe cloud tops not cloud profiles with vertical profiles of precipitation-sized droplets anticipated from Cloudsat. The recently proposed CLAIM-3D satellite mission (cloud aerosol interaction mission in 3D) suggests to measure profiles of cloud microphysical properties by retrieving them from the solar and infrared radiation reflected or emitted from cloud sides. Inversion of measurements from the cloud sides requires rigorous understanding of the 3-dimensional (3D) properties of clouds. Here we discuss the reflected sunlight from the cloud sides and top at two wavelengths: one nonabsorbing to solar radiation (0.67 micrometers) and one with liquid water efficient absorption of solar radiation (2.1 micrometers). In contrast to the plane-parallel approximation, a conventional approach to all current operational retrievals, 3D radiative transfer is used for interpreting the observed reflectances. General properties of the radiation reflected from the sides of an isolated cloud are discussed. As a proof of concept, the paper shows a few examples of radiation reflected from cloud fields generated by a simple stochastic cloud model with the prescribed vertically resolved microphysics. To retrieve the information about droplet sizes, we propose to use the probability density function of the droplet size distribution and its first two moments instead of the assumption about fixed values of the droplet effective radius. The retrieval algorithm is based on the Bayesian theorem that combines prior information about cloud structure and microphysics with radiative transfer calculations.

  19. Precipitation evidences on X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar imagery: an approach for quantitative detection and estimation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mori, Saverio; Marzano, Frank S.; Montopoli, Mario; Pulvirenti, Luca; Pierdicca, Nazzareno

    2017-04-01

    Spaceborne synthetic aperture radars (SARs) operating at L-band and above are nowadays a well-established tool for Earth remote sensing; among the numerous civil applications we can indicate flood areas detection and monitoring, earthquakes analysis, digital elevation model production, land use monitoring and classification. Appealing characteristics of this kind of instruments is the high spatial resolution ensured in almost all-weather conditions and with a reasonable duty cycle and coverage. This result has achieved by the by the most recent generation of SAR missions, which moreover allow polarimetric observation of the target. Nevertheless, atmospheric clouds, in particular the precipitating ones, can significantly affect the signal backscattered from the ground surface (e.g. Ferrazzoli and Schiavon, 1997), on both amplitude and phase, with effects increasing with the operating frequency. In this respect, proofs are given by several recent works (e.g. Marzano et al., 2010, Baldini et al., 2014) using X-Band SAR data by COSMO-SkyMed (CSK) and TerraSAR-X (TSX) missions. On the other hand, this sensitivity open interesting perspectives towards the SAR observation, and eventually quantification, of precipitations. In this respect, a proposal approach for X-SARs precipitation maps production and cloud masking arise from our work. Cloud masking allows detection of precipitation compromised areas. Respect precipitation maps, satellite X-SARs offer the unique possibility to ingest within flood forecasting model precipitation data at the catchment scale. This aspect is particularly innovative, even if work has been done the late years, and some aspects need to still address. Our developed processing framework allows, within the cloud masking stage, distinguishing flooded areas, precipitating clouds together with permanent water bodies, all appearing dark in the SAR image. The procedure is mainly based on image segmentation techniques and fuzzy logic (e.g. Pulvirenti et

  20. Moisture structure of tropical cloud systems as inferred from SSM/I

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Robertson, Franklin R.

    1989-01-01

    The structure of tropical cloud systems was examined using data obtained by the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager on vertically-integrated vapor, ice, and liquid water (including precipitable water) in a cloud cluster associated with a Pacific easterly wave. The cloud cluster provided a sample of the varying signatures of bulk microphysical processes in organized tropical convection. Composition techniques were used to interpret this variability and its significance in terms of the response of convection to its thermodynamic environment. The relative intensities of the ice and liquid-water signatures should provide insight on the relative contribution of stratiform vs convective rain and the characteristics of the water budgets of mesoscale convective systems.

  1. Validating Above-cloud Aerosol Optical Depth Retrieved from MODIS using NASA Ames Airborne Sun-Tracking Photometric and Spectrometric (AATS and 4STAR) Measurements

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jethva, H. T.; Torres, O.; Remer, L. A.; Redemann, J.; Dunagan, S. E.; Livingston, J. M.; Shinozuka, Y.; Kacenelenbogen, M. S.; Segal-Rosenhaimer, M.

    2014-12-01

    Absorbing aerosols produced from biomass burning and dust outbreaks are often found to overlay the lower level cloud decks as evident in the satellite images. In contrast to the cloud-free atmosphere, in which aerosols generally tend to cool the atmosphere, the presence of absorbing aerosols above cloud poses greater potential of exerting positive radiative effects (warming) whose magnitude directly depends on the aerosol loading above cloud, optical properties of clouds and aerosols, and cloud fraction. In recent years, development of algorithms that exploit satellite-based passive measurements of ultraviolet (UV), visible, and polarized light as well as lidar-based active measurements constitute a major breakthrough in the field of remote sensing of aerosols. While the unprecedented quantitative information on aerosol loading above cloud is now available from NASA's A-train sensors, a greater question remains ahead: How to validate the satellite retrievals of above-cloud aerosols (ACA)? Direct measurements of ACA such as carried out by the NASA Ames Airborne Tracking Sunphotometer (AATS) and Spectrometer for Sky-Scanning, Sun-Tracking Atmospheric Research (4STAR) can be of immense help in validating ACA retrievals. In this study, we validate the ACA optical depth retrieved using the 'color ratio' (CR) method applied to the MODIS cloudy-sky reflectance by using the airborne AATS and 4STAR measurements. A thorough search of the historic AATS-4STAR database collected during different field campaigns revealed five events where biomass burning, dust, and wildfire-emitted aerosols were found to overlay lower level cloud decks observed during SAFARI-2000, ACE-ASIA 2001, and SEAC4RS-2013, respectively. The co-located satellite-airborne measurements revealed a good agreement (root-mean-square-error<0.1 for Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) at 500 nm) with most matchups falling within the estimated uncertainties in the MODIS retrievals (-10% to +50%). An extensive validation of

  2. Joint retrievals of cloud and drizzle in marine boundary layer clouds using ground-based radar, lidar and zenith radiances

    DOE PAGES

    Fielding, M. D.; Chiu, J. C.; Hogan, R. J.; ...

    2015-07-02

    Active remote sensing of marine boundary-layer clouds is challenging as drizzle drops often dominate the observed radar reflectivity. We present a new method to simultaneously retrieve cloud and drizzle vertical profiles in drizzling boundary-layer clouds using surface-based observations of radar reflectivity, lidar attenuated backscatter, and zenith radiances under conditions when precipitation does not reach the surface. Specifically, the vertical structure of droplet size and water content of both cloud and drizzle is characterised throughout the cloud. An ensemble optimal estimation approach provides full error statistics given the uncertainty in the observations. To evaluate the new method, we first perform retrievalsmore » using synthetic measurements from large-eddy simulation snapshots of cumulus under stratocumulus, where cloud water path is retrieved with an error of 31 g m -2. The method also performs well in non-drizzling clouds where no assumption of the cloud profile is required. We then apply the method to observations of marine stratocumulus obtained during the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement MAGIC deployment in the Northeast Pacific. Here, retrieved cloud water path agrees well with independent three-channel microwave radiometer retrievals, with a root mean square difference of 10–20 g m -2.« less

  3. Multi-sensor measurements of mixed-phase clouds above Greenland

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stillwell, Robert A.; Shupe, Matthew D.; Thayer, Jeffrey P.; Neely, Ryan R.; Turner, David D.

    2018-04-01

    Liquid-only and mixed-phase clouds in the Arctic strongly affect the regional surface energy and ice mass budgets, yet much remains unknown about the nature of these clouds due to the lack of intensive measurements. Lidar measurements of these clouds are challenged by very large signal dynamic range, which makes even seemingly simple tasks, such as thermodynamic phase classification, difficult. This work focuses on a set of measurements made by the Clouds Aerosol Polarization and Backscatter Lidar at Summit, Greenland and its retrieval algorithms, which use both analog and photon counting as well as orthogonal and non-orthogonal polarization retrievals to extend dynamic range and improve overall measurement quality and quantity. Presented here is an algorithm for cloud parameter retrievals that leverages enhanced dynamic range retrievals to classify mixed-phase clouds. This best guess retrieval is compared to co-located instruments for validation.

  4. Sensitivity of warm-frontal processes to cloud-nucleating aerosol concentrations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Igel, Adele L.; Van Den Heever, Susan C.; Naud, Catherine M.; Saleeby, Stephen M.; Posselt, Derek J.

    2013-01-01

    An extratropical cyclone that crossed the United States on 9-11 April 2009 was successfully simulated at high resolution (3-km horizontal grid spacing) using the Colorado State University Regional Atmospheric Modeling System. The sensitivity of the associated warm front to increasing pollution levels was then explored by conducting the same experiment with three different background profiles of cloud-nucleating aerosol concentration. To the authors' knowledge, no study has examined the indirect effects of aerosols on warm fronts. The budgets of ice, cloud water, and rain in the simulation with the lowest aerosol concentrations were examined. The ice mass was found to be produced in equal amounts through vapor deposition and riming, and the melting of ice produced approximately 75% of the total rain. Conversion of cloud water to rain accounted for the other 25%. When cloud-nucleating aerosol concentrations were increased, significant changes were seen in the budget terms, but total precipitation remained relatively constant. Vapor deposition onto ice increased, but riming of cloud water decreased such that there was only a small change in the total ice production and hence there was no significant change in melting. These responses can be understood in terms of a buffering effect in which smaller cloud droplets in the mixed-phase region lead to both an enhanced vapor deposition and decreased riming efficiency with increasing aerosol concentrations. Overall, while large changes were seen in the microphysical structure of the frontal cloud, cloud-nucleating aerosols had little impact on the precipitation production of the warm front.

  5. The Study of Energy and Water Exchanges above an Evergreen Forest in Taiwan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Y.; Li, M.; Wei, G.

    2006-12-01

    Energy and water exchanges above forest ecosystems are fundamental processes for characterizing land- atmosphere interactions in earth hydrological cycles. The objective of this study is to improve our understanding of the influence of atmospheric forcing on the rate and magnitude of forest energy and water fluxes. The Lien-Hua-Chih (LHC) observation site (23o55'52" N, 120o53'39" E, 773 m elevation) was established in the summer of 2006 in a natural evergreen forest. It is located inside an experimental watershed (No.4 watershed, 8.39 ha) managed by the Taiwan Forestry Research Institute and the averaged canopy height is about 17 m. Soil moistures/temperatures were measured at -10 cm, -30 cm, -50 cm, -70 cm, and - 90 cm. Soil heat flux plate was placed at -5 cm. A drainage gauge was installed at -50 cm to collect infiltrated water. Temperature and relative humidity sensors were placed every 5 m from ground surface to the top of the tower at 20 m, where net radiation and wind speed/directions were also installed. Long-term data of low response instruments were recorded every 30-minute averaged from 10-minute samplings. A nearby weather station provides daily pan evaporation and precipitation data. Prior to the construction of observation tower, soil moistures/temperatures at multiple depths of three different sites were measured since the summer of 2004. By neglecting horizontal soil water flow (e.g., small surface gradient) and infiltration (e.g., normally 2~3 days after rainfalls), the loss of soil water is equivalent to the amount of evapotranspiration (ET). For those days right after rainfalls cease, the ET is estimated by potential ET due to high soil moisture content. Since the response of soil water variations is relatively slow to the fluctuations of atmospheric forcing, only daily ET is estimated from daily soil water loss. The annual precipitation (P) of 2005 was 2674 mm and the annual ET estimated from soil water losses was 664 mm. The amount of winter ET

  6. Water Management Applications of Advanced Precipitation Products

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Johnson, L. E.; Braswell, G.; Delaney, C.

    2012-12-01

    Advanced precipitation sensors and numerical models track storms as they occur and forecast the likelihood of heavy rain for time frames ranging from 1 to 8 hours, 1 day, and extended outlooks out to 3 to 7 days. Forecast skill decreases at the extended time frames but the outlooks have been shown to provide "situational awareness" which aids in preparation for flood mitigation and water supply operations. In California the California-Nevada River Forecast Centers and local Weather Forecast Offices provide precipitation products that are widely used to support water management and flood response activities of various kinds. The Hydrometeorology Testbed (HMT) program is being conducted to help advance the science of precipitation tracking and forecasting in support of the NWS. HMT high-resolution products have found applications for other non-federal water management activities as well. This presentation will describe water management applications of HMT advanced precipitation products, and characterization of benefits expected to accrue. Two case examples will be highlighted, 1) reservoir operations for flood control and water supply, and 2) urban stormwater management. Application of advanced precipitation products in support of reservoir operations is a focus of the Sonoma County Water Agency. Examples include: a) interfacing the high-resolution QPE products with a distributed hydrologic model for the Russian-Napa watersheds, b) providing early warning of in-coming storms for flood preparedness and water supply storage operations. For the stormwater case, San Francisco wastewater engineers are developing a plan to deploy high resolution gap-filling radars looking off shore to obtain longer lead times on approaching storms. A 4 to 8 hour lead time would provide opportunity to optimize stormwater capture and treatment operations, and minimize combined sewer overflows into the Bay.ussian River distributed hydrologic model.

  7. Sensitivity of a cloud parameterization package in the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Climate Model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kao, C.-Y. J.; Smith, W. S.

    1999-05-01

    A physically based cloud parameterization package, which includes the Arakawa-Schubert (AS) scheme for subgrid-scale convective clouds and the Sundqvist (SUN) scheme for nonconvective grid-scale layered clouds (hereafter referred to as the SUNAS cloud package), is incorporated into the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Community Climate Model, Version 2 (CCM2). The AS scheme is used for a more reasonable heating distribution due to convective clouds and their associated precipitation. The SUN scheme allows for the prognostic computation of cloud water so that the cloud optical properties are more physically determined for shortwave and longwave radiation calculations. In addition, the formation of anvil-like clouds from deep convective systems is able to be simulated with the SUNAS package. A 10-year simulation spanning the period from 1980 to 1989 is conducted, and the effect of the cloud package on the January climate is assessed by comparing it with various available data sets and the National Center for Environmental Protection/NCAR reanalysis. Strengths and deficiencies of both the SUN and AS methods are identified and discussed. The AS scheme improves some aspects of the model dynamics and precipitation, especially with respect to the Pacific North America (PNA) pattern. CCM2's tendency to produce a westward bias of the 500 mbar stationary wave (time-averaged zonal anomalies) in the PNA sector is remedied apparently because of a less "locked-in" heating pattern in the tropics. The additional degree of freedom added by the prognostic calculation of cloud water in the SUN scheme produces interesting results in the modeled cloud and radiation fields compared with data. In general, too little cloud water forms in the tropics, while excessive cloud cover and cloud liquid water are simulated in midlatitudes. This results in a somewhat degraded simulation of the radiation budget. The overall simulated precipitation by the SUNAS package is, however

  8. A Study of the Response of Deep Tropical Clouds to Mesoscale Processes. Part 2; Sensitivities to Microphysics, Radiation, and Surface Fluxes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Johnson, Daniel; Tao, Wei-Kuo; Simpson, Joanne

    2004-01-01

    The Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) model is used to examine the sensitivities of surface fluxes, explicit radiation, and ice microphysical processes on multi-day simulations of deep tropical convection over the Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere Response Experiment (TOGA COARE). The simulations incorporate large-scale advective temperature and moisture forcing, as well as large-scale momentum, that are updated every time step on a periodic lateral boundary grid. This study shows that when surface fluxes are eliminated, the mean atmosphere is much cooler and drier, convection and CAPE are much weaker, precipitation is less, and cloud coverage in stratiform regions much greater. Surface fluxes using the TOGA COARE flux algorithm are weaker than with the aerodynamic formulation, but closer to the observed fluxes. In addition, similar trends noted above for the case without surface fluxes are produced for the TOGA flux case, albeit to a much lesser extent. The elimination of explicit shortwave and longwave radiation is found to have only minimal effects on the mean thermodynamics, convection, and precipitation. However explicit radiation does have a significant impact on cloud temperatures and structure above 200 mb and on the overall mean vertical circulation. The removal of ice processes produces major changes in the structure of the cloud. Much of the liquid water is transported aloft and into anvils above the melting layer (600 mb), leaving narrow, but intense bands of rainfall in convective regions. The elimination of melting processes leads to greater hydrometeor mass below the melting layer, and produces a much warmer and moister boundary layer, leading to a greater mean CAPE. Finally, the elimination of the graupel species has only a small impact on mean total precipitation, thermodynamics, and dynamics of the simulation, but does produce much greater snow mass just above the melting layer. Some of these results differ from previous CRM

  9. Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Ground Validation (GV) Science Implementation Plan

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Petersen, Walter A.; Hou, Arthur Y.

    2008-01-01

    For pre-launch algorithm development and post-launch product evaluation Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Ground Validation (GV) goes beyond direct comparisons of surface rain rates between ground and satellite measurements to provide the means for improving retrieval algorithms and model applications.Three approaches to GPM GV include direct statistical validation (at the surface), precipitation physics validation (in a vertical columns), and integrated science validation (4-dimensional). These three approaches support five themes: core satellite error characterization; constellation satellites validation; development of physical models of snow, cloud water, and mixed phase; development of cloud-resolving model (CRM) and land-surface models to bridge observations and algorithms; and, development of coupled CRM-land surface modeling for basin-scale water budget studies and natural hazard prediction. This presentation describes the implementation of these approaches.

  10. Determination of ice water path in ice-over-water cloud systems using combined MODIS and AMSR-E measurements

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Huang, Jianping; Minnis, Patrick; Lin, Bing; Yi, Yuhong; Fan, T.-F.; Sun-Mack, Sunny; Ayers, J. K.

    2006-11-01

    To provide more accurate ice cloud microphysical properties, the multi-layered cloud retrieval system (MCRS) is used to retrieve ice water path (IWP) in ice-over-water cloud systems globally over oceans using combined instrument data from Aqua. The liquid water path (LWP) of lower-layer water clouds is estimated from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS (AMSR-E) measurements. The properties of the upper-level ice clouds are then derived from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) measurements by matching simulated radiances from a two-cloud-layer radiative transfer model. The results show that the MCRS can significantly improve the accuracy and reduce the over-estimation of optical depth and IWP retrievals for ice-over-water cloud systems. The mean daytime ice cloud optical depth and IWP for overlapped ice-over-water clouds over oceans from Aqua are 7.6 and 146.4 gm-2, respectively, down from the initial single-layer retrievals of 17.3 and 322.3 gm-2. The mean IWP for actual single-layer clouds is 128.2 gm-2.

  11. Fresh clouds: A parameterized updraft method for calculating cloud densities in one-dimensional models

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wong, Michael H.; Atreya, Sushil K.; Kuhn, William R.; Romani, Paul N.; Mihalka, Kristen M.

    2015-01-01

    Models of cloud condensation under thermodynamic equilibrium in planetary atmospheres are useful for several reasons. These equilibrium cloud condensation models (ECCMs) calculate the wet adiabatic lapse rate, determine saturation-limited mixing ratios of condensing species, calculate the stabilizing effect of latent heat release and molecular weight stratification, and locate cloud base levels. Many ECCMs trace their heritage to Lewis (Lewis, J.S. [1969]. Icarus 10, 365-378) and Weidenschilling and Lewis (Weidenschilling, S.J., Lewis, J.S. [1973]. Icarus 20, 465-476). Calculation of atmospheric structure and gas mixing ratios are correct in these models. We resolve errors affecting the cloud density calculation in these models by first calculating a cloud density rate: the change in cloud density with updraft length scale. The updraft length scale parameterizes the strength of the cloud-forming updraft, and converts the cloud density rate from the ECCM into cloud density. The method is validated by comparison with terrestrial cloud data. Our parameterized updraft method gives a first-order prediction of cloud densities in a “fresh” cloud, where condensation is the dominant microphysical process. Older evolved clouds may be better approximated by another 1-D method, the diffusive-precipitative Ackerman and Marley (Ackerman, A.S., Marley, M.S. [2001]. Astrophys. J. 556, 872-884) model, which represents a steady-state equilibrium between precipitation and condensation of vapor delivered by turbulent diffusion. We re-evaluate observed cloud densities in the Galileo Probe entry site (Ragent, B. et al. [1998]. J. Geophys. Res. 103, 22891-22910), and show that the upper and lower observed clouds at ∼0.5 and ∼3 bars are consistent with weak (cirrus-like) updrafts under conditions of saturated ammonia and water vapor, respectively. The densest observed cloud, near 1.3 bar, requires unexpectedly strong updraft conditions, or higher cloud density rates. The cloud

  12. MWR3C physical retrievals of precipitable water vapor and cloud liquid water path

    DOE Data Explorer

    Cadeddu, Maria

    2016-10-12

    The data set contains physical retrievals of PWV and cloud LWP retrieved from MWR3C measurements during the MAGIC campaign. Additional data used in the retrieval process include radiosondes and ceilometer. The retrieval is based on an optimal estimation technique that starts from a first guess and iteratively repeats the forward model calculations until a predefined convergence criterion is satisfied. The first guess is a vector of [PWV,LWP] from the neural network retrieval fields in the netcdf file. When convergence is achieved the 'a posteriori' covariance is computed and its square root is expressed in the file as the retrieval 1-sigma uncertainty. The closest radiosonde profile is used for the radiative transfer calculations and ceilometer data are used to constrain the cloud base height. The RMS error between the brightness temperatures is computed at the last iterations as a consistency check and is written in the last column of the output file.

  13. Effectiveness of Two Forecast Models for Stratiform Precipitation

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2004-04-01

    an enhanced release of precipitation in clouds containing a mixture of droplets and ice crystals (Bergeron- Findeisen mechanism), he adds another...Fcrc c COF H w gg r ρρ (16) where COF = Parameter to include Bergeron- Findeisen mechanism for precipitation formation ρw = density of water The...subscript F in the term Q(c,cr)F indicates that the additional parameter for the coalescence and Bergeron- Findeisen mechanism are included. The final

  14. An Examination of the Nature of Global MODIS Cloud Regimes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Oreopoulos, Lazaros; Cho, Nayeong; Lee, Dongmin; Kato, Seiji; Huffman, George J.

    2014-01-01

    We introduce global cloud regimes (previously also referred to as "weather states") derived from cloud retrievals that use measurements by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument aboard the Aqua and Terra satellites. The regimes are obtained by applying clustering analysis on joint histograms of retrieved cloud top pressure and cloud optical thickness. By employing a compositing approach on data sets from satellites and other sources, we examine regime structural and thermodynamical characteristics. We establish that the MODIS cloud regimes tend to form in distinct dynamical and thermodynamical environments and have diverse profiles of cloud fraction and water content. When compositing radiative fluxes from the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System instrument and surface precipitation from the Global Precipitation Climatology Project, we find that regimes with a radiative warming effect on the atmosphere also produce the largest implied latent heat. Taken as a whole, the results of the study corroborate the usefulness of the cloud regime concept, reaffirm the fundamental nature of the regimes as appropriate building blocks for cloud system classification, clarify their association with standard cloud types, and underscore their distinct radiative and hydrological signatures.

  15. Automated detection of Martian water ice clouds: the Valles Marineris

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ogohara, Kazunori; Munetomo, Takafumi; Hatanaka, Yuji; Okumura, Susumu

    2016-10-01

    We need to extract water ice clouds from the large number of Mars images in order to reveal spatial and temporal variations of water ice cloud occurrence and to meteorologically understand climatology of water ice clouds. However, visible images observed by Mars orbiters for several years are too many to visually inspect each of them even though the inspection was limited to one region. Therefore, an automated detection algorithm of Martian water ice clouds is necessary for collecting ice cloud images efficiently. In addition, it may visualize new aspects of spatial and temporal variations of water ice clouds that we have never been aware. We present a method for automatically evaluating the presence of Martian water ice clouds using difference images and cross-correlation distributions calculated from blue band images of the Valles Marineris obtained by the Mars Orbiter Camera onboard the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS/MOC). We derived one subtracted image and one cross-correlation distribution from two reflectance images. The difference between the maximum and the average, variance, kurtosis, and skewness of the subtracted image were calculated. Those of the cross-correlation distribution were also calculated. These eight statistics were used as feature vectors for training Support Vector Machine, and its generalization ability was tested using 10-fold cross-validation. F-measure and accuracy tended to be approximately 0.8 if the maximum in the normalized reflectance and the difference of the maximum and the average in the cross-correlation were chosen as features. In the process of the development of the detection algorithm, we found many cases where the Valles Marineris became clearly brighter than adjacent areas in the blue band. It is at present unclear whether the bright Valles Marineris means the occurrence of water ice clouds inside the Valles Marineris or not. Therefore, subtracted images showing the bright Valles Marineris were excluded from the detection of

  16. Intensification of convective extremes driven by cloud-cloud interaction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moseley, Christopher; Hohenegger, Cathy; Berg, Peter; Haerter, Jan O.

    2016-10-01

    In a changing climate, a key role may be played by the response of convective-type cloud and precipitation to temperature changes. Yet, it is unclear if convective precipitation intensities will increase mainly due to thermodynamic or dynamical processes. Here we perform large eddy simulations of convection by imposing a realistic diurnal cycle of surface temperature. We find convective events to gradually self-organize into larger cloud clusters and those events occurring late in the day to produce the highest precipitation intensities. Tracking rain cells throughout their life cycles, we show that events which result from collisions respond strongly to changes in boundary conditions, such as temperature changes. Conversely, events not resulting from collisions remain largely unaffected by the boundary conditions. Increased surface temperature indeed leads to more interaction between events and stronger precipitation extremes. However, comparable intensification occurs when leaving temperature unchanged but simply granting more time for self-organization. These findings imply that the convective field as a whole acquires a memory of past precipitation and inter-cloud dynamics, driving extremes. For global climate model projections, our results suggest that the interaction between convective clouds must be incorporated to simulate convective extremes and the diurnal cycle more realistically.

  17. Cloud microphysical background for the Israel-4 cloud seeding experiment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Freud, Eyal; Koussevitzky, Hagai; Goren, Tom; Rosenfeld, Daniel

    2015-05-01

    The modest amount of rainfall in Israel occurs in winter storms that bring convective clouds from the Mediterranean Sea when the cold post frontal air interacts with its relatively warm surface. These clouds were seeded in the Israel-1 and Israel-2 cloud glaciogenic seeding experiments, which have shown statistically significant positive effect of added rainfall of at least 13% in northern Israel, whereas the Israel-3 experiment showed no added rainfall in the south. This was followed by operational seeding in the north since 1975. The lack of physical evidence for the causes of the positive effects in the north caused a lack of confidence in the statistical results and led to the Israel-4 randomized seeding experiment in northern Israel. This experiment started in the winter of 2013/14. The main difference from the previous experiments is the focus on the orographic clouds in the catchment of the Sea of Galilee. The decision to commence the experiment was partially based on evidence supporting the existence of seeding potential, which is reported here. Aircraft and satellite microphysical and dynamic measurements of the clouds document the critical roles of aerosols, especially sea spray, on cloud microstructure and precipitation forming processes. It was found that the convective clouds over sea and coastal areas are naturally seeded hygroscopically by sea spray and develop precipitation efficiently. The diminution of the large sea spray aerosols farther inland along with the increase in aerosol concentrations causes the clouds to develop precipitation more slowly. The short time available for the precipitation forming processes in super-cooled orographic clouds over the Golan Heights farthest inland represents the best glaciogenic seeding potential.

  18. Determination of Ice Water Path in Ice-over-Water Cloud Systems Using Combined MODIS and AMSR-E Measurements

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Huang, Jianping; Minnis, Patrick; Lin, Bing; Yi, Yuhong; Fan, T.-F.; Sun-Mack, Sunny; Ayers, J. K.

    2006-01-01

    To provide more accurate ice cloud properties for evaluating climate models, the updated version of multi-layered cloud retrieval system (MCRS) is used to retrieve ice water path (IWP) in ice-over-water cloud systems over global ocean using combined instrument data from the Aqua satellite. The liquid water path (LWP) of lower layer water clouds is estimated from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS (AMSR-E) measurements. With the lower layer LWP known, the properties of the upper-level ice clouds are then derived from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer measurements by matching simulated radiances from a two-cloud layer radiative transfer model. Comparisons with single-layer cirrus systems and surface-based radar retrievals show that the MCRS can significantly improve the accuracy and reduce the over-estimation of optical depth and ice water path retrievals for ice over-water cloud systems. During the period from December 2004 through February 2005, the mean daytime ice cloud optical depth and IWP for overlapped ice-over-water clouds over ocean from Aqua are 7.6 and 146.4 gm(sup -2), respectively, significantly less than the initial single layer retrievals of 17.3 and 322.3 gm(sup -2). The mean IWP for actual single-layer clouds was 128.2 gm(sup -2).

  19. Dependence of stratocumulus-topped boundary-layer entrainment on cloud-water sedimentation: Impact on global aerosol indirect effect in GISS ModelE3 single column model and global simulations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ackerman, A. S.; Kelley, M.; Cheng, Y.; Fridlind, A. M.; Del Genio, A. D.; Bauer, S.

    2017-12-01

    Reduction in cloud-water sedimentation induced by increasing droplet concentrations has been shown in large-eddy simulations (LES) and direct numerical simulation (DNS) to enhance boundary-layer entrainment, thereby reducing cloud liquid water path and offsetting the Twomey effect when the overlying air is sufficiently dry, which is typical. Among recent upgrades to ModelE3, the latest version of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) general circulation model (GCM), are a two-moment stratiform cloud microphysics treatment with prognostic precipitation and a moist turbulence scheme that includes an option in its entrainment closure of a simple parameterization for the effect of cloud-water sedimentation. Single column model (SCM) simulations are compared to LES results for a stratocumulus case study and show that invoking the sedimentation-entrainment parameterization option indeed reduces the dependence of cloud liquid water path on increasing aerosol concentrations. Impacts of variations of the SCM configuration and the sedimentation-entrainment parameterization will be explored. Its impact on global aerosol indirect forcing in the framework of idealized atmospheric GCM simulations will also be assessed.

  20. Surface crystallization of supercooled water in clouds

    PubMed Central

    Tabazadeh, A.; Djikaev, Y. S.; Reiss, H.

    2002-01-01

    The process by which liquid cloud droplets homogeneously crystallize into ice is still not well understood. The ice nucleation process based on the standard and classical theory of homogeneous freezing initiates within the interior volume of a cloud droplet. Current experimental data on homogeneous freezing rates of ice in droplets of supercooled water, both in air and emulsion oil samples, show considerable scatter. For example, at −33°C, the reported volume-based freezing rates of ice in supercooled water vary by as many as 5 orders of magnitude, which is well outside the range of measurement uncertainties. Here, we show that the process of ice nucleus formation at the air (or oil)-liquid water interface may help to explain why experimental results on ice nucleation rates yield different results in different ambient phases. Our results also suggest that surface crystallization of ice in cloud droplets can explain why low amounts of supercooled water have been observed in the atmosphere near −40°C. PMID:12456877

  1. An examination of the effects of explicit cloud water in the UCLA GCM

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ose, Tomoaki

    1993-01-01

    The effect of explicit cloud water on the climate simulation by the University of California of Los Angeles GCM is investigated by adding the mixing ratios of cloud ice and cloud liquid water to the prognostic variables of the model. The detrained cloud ice and cloud liquid water are obtained by the microphysical calculation in the Arakawa-Schubert (1974) cumulus scheme. The results are compared with the observations concerned with cloudiness, planetary albedo, OLR, and the dependence of cloud water content on temperature.

  2. The Chemistry and Excitation of Water in Molecular Clouds

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hollenbach, David

    2003-01-01

    We model the chemistry and thermal balance of opaque molecular clouds exposed to an external flux of ultraviolet photons. We include the processes of gas phase and grain surface chemical reactions; in particular we examine closely the freezing of atoms and molecules onto grain surfaces and the desorption of molecules from grain surfaces as a function of depth into a molecular cloud. We find that on the surface of a molecular cloud the gas phase water abundances are low because of photodissociation, and the grain phase water (ice) abundance is low because of photodesorption of water from the grain surfaces. Deeper into the cloud, at A(sub v) less than or approximately 2-8 depending on the strength of the external ultraviolet flux, the gas phase water abundance increases with depth as the photodissociation rates decline due to dust attenuation of the ultraviolet field. However, beyond A(sub v) less than or approximately 2-8 the gas phase water abundance declines because the water freezes as water ice on the grains, and photodesorption is no longer effective in clearing the ice. A peak water abundance of about 10(exp -6) to 10(exp -7) occurs at about A(sub v) approximately 2-8, relatively independent of the gas density and the ultraviolet field. We show that such a model matches very closely the observations of the Submillimeter Wave Astronomical Satellite (SWAS), a NASA Small Explorer Mission. The model elucidates several mechanisms that have been recently invoked to understand gas phase chemistry in clouds, including-the freeze-out of molecules onto grain surface, the desorption of these molecules from the surfaces, and the abundance gradients of molecules as functions of depth into molecular clouds.

  3. Stratocumulus Cloud Top Radiative Cooling and Cloud Base Updraft Speeds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kazil, J.; Feingold, G.; Balsells, J.; Klinger, C.

    2017-12-01

    Cloud top radiative cooling is a primary driver of turbulence in the stratocumulus-topped marine boundary. A functional relationship between cloud top cooling and cloud base updraft speeds may therefore exist. A correlation of cloud top radiative cooling and cloud base updraft speeds has been recently identified empirically, providing a basis for satellite retrieval of cloud base updraft speeds. Such retrievals may enable analysis of aerosol-cloud interactions using satellite observations: Updraft speeds at cloud base co-determine supersaturation and therefore the activation of cloud condensation nuclei, which in turn co-determine cloud properties and precipitation formation. We use large eddy simulation and an off-line radiative transfer model to explore the relationship between cloud-top radiative cooling and cloud base updraft speeds in a marine stratocumulus cloud over the course of the diurnal cycle. We find that during daytime, at low cloud water path (CWP < 50 g m-2), cloud base updraft speeds and cloud top cooling are well-correlated, in agreement with the reported empirical relationship. During the night, in the absence of short-wave heating, CWP builds up (CWP > 50 g m-2) and long-wave emissions from cloud top saturate, while cloud base heating increases. In combination, cloud top cooling and cloud base updrafts become weakly anti-correlated. A functional relationship between cloud top cooling and cloud base updraft speed can hence be expected for stratocumulus clouds with a sufficiently low CWP and sub-saturated long-wave emissions, in particular during daytime. At higher CWPs, in particular at night, the relationship breaks down due to saturation of long-wave emissions from cloud top.

  4. Towards a Multisensor Approach to Improve on Current TRMM Retrievals of Clouds and Precipitation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Stephens, Graeme L.; LEcuyer, Tristan S.; Austin, Richard T.

    2002-01-01

    The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) was designed to measure tropical rainfall and its variation from a low inclination orbiting satellite. The TRMM payload was carefully chosen to overcome a number of limitations of past satellite observing systems. This payload is predicated on the combination of active and passive observations from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR) and TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) and Visible and Infrared Scanner (VIRS). Our research over the past three years has been devoted to the challenge of developing the most effective way of combining complementary information from these sensors to provide the most consistent estimate of precipitation. We have approached this problem from three directions. The first was to carry out preliminary analysis of passive microwave and infrared data from the TMI and VIRS instruments to understand the character of clear and cloudy skies in the basis defined by polarization and brightness temperature differences. Using this information as a foundation, the properties of two retrieval algorithms were analyzed, one for retrieving ice clouds from VIRS that was developed in parallel with this project and the other for rainfall from the TMI. Finally, the knowledge gleaned from each of these studies, coupled with ancillary data from NWP models and a broadband radiative transfer model, was used to create and algorithm for synthesizing the principal components of the Earth's energy budget from the basic building blocks of the atmosphere, gases, clouds, and precipitation. Principal results from each of these areas of research and their role in the TRMM and climate communities are summarized.

  5. Effects of Aerosols on Autumn Precipitation over Mid-Eastern China

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Chen, Siyu; Huang, J.; Qian, Yun

    2014-09-20

    Long-term observational data indicated a decreasing trend for the amount of autumn precipitation (i.e. 54.3 mm per decade) over Mid-Eastern China, especially after 1980s (~ 5.6% per decade). To examine the cause of the decreasing trend, the mechanisms associated with the change of autumn precipitation were investigated from the perspective of water vapor transportation, atmospheric stability and cloud microphysics. Results show that the decrease of convective available potential energy (i.e. 12.81 J kg-1/ decade) and change of cloud microphysics, which were closely related to the increase of aerosol loading during the past twenty years, were the two primary factors responsiblemore » for the decrease of autumn precipitation. Ours results showed that increased aerosol could enhance the atmospheric stability thus weaken the convection. Meanwhile, more aerosols also led to a significant decline of raindrop concentration and to a delay of raindrop formation because of smaller size of cloud droplets. Thus, increased aerosols produced by air pollution could be one of the major reasons for the decrease of autumn precipitation. Furthermore, we found that the aerosol effects on precipitation in autumn was more significant than in other seasons, partly due to the relatively more stable synoptic system in autumn. The impact of large-scale circulation dominated in autumn and the dynamic influence on precipitation was more important than the thermodynamic activity.« less

  6. Observed cloud reflectivities and liquid water paths: An update

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Coakley, James A., Jr.; Snider, Jack B.

    1990-01-01

    The FIRE microwave radiometer observations of liquid water path from San Nicolas Island and simultaneous NOAA AVHRR observations of cloud reflectivity were used to test a relationship between cloud liquid water path and cloud reflectivity that is often used in general circulation climate models (Stephens, 1978). The results of attempts to improve the data analysis which was described at the previous FIRE Science Team Workshop and elsewhere (Coakley and Snider, 1989) are reported. The improvements included the analysis of additional satellite passes over San Nicolas and sensitivity studies to estimate the effects on the observed reflectivities due to: (1) nonzero surface reflectivities beneath the clouds; (2) the anisotropy of the reflected radiances observed by the AVHRR; (3) small scale spatial structure in the liquid water path; and (4) adjustments to the calibration of AVHRR.

  7. Horizontal Variability of Water and Its Relationship to Cloud Fraction near the Tropical Tropopause: Using Aircraft Observations of Water Vapor to Improve the Representation of Grid-scale Cloud Formation in GEOS-5

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Selkirk, Henry B.; Molod, Andrea M.

    2014-01-01

    Large-scale models such as GEOS-5 typically calculate grid-scale fractional cloudiness through a PDF parameterization of the sub-gridscale distribution of specific humidity. The GEOS-5 moisture routine uses a simple rectangular PDF varying in height that follows a tanh profile. While below 10 km this profile is informed by moisture information from the AIRS instrument, there is relatively little empirical basis for the profile above that level. ATTREX provides an opportunity to refine the profile using estimates of the horizontal variability of measurements of water vapor, total water and ice particles from the Global Hawk aircraft at or near the tropopause. These measurements will be compared with estimates of large-scale cloud fraction from CALIPSO and lidar retrievals from the CPL on the aircraft. We will use the variability measurements to perform studies of the sensitivity of the GEOS-5 cloud-fraction to various modifications to the PDF shape and to its vertical profile.

  8. Cold Water Vapor in the Barnard 5 Molecular Cloud

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wirstrom, E. S.; Charnley, S. B.; Persson, C. M.; Buckle, J. V.; Cordiner, M. A.; Takakuwa, S.

    2014-01-01

    After more than 30 yr of investigations, the nature of gas-grain interactions at low temperatures remains an unresolved issue in astrochemistry. Water ice is the dominant ice found in cold molecular clouds; however, there is only one region where cold ((is) approximately 10 K) water vapor has been detected-L1544. This study aims to shed light on ice desorption mechanisms under cold cloud conditions by expanding the sample. The clumpy distribution of methanol in dark clouds testifies to transient desorption processes at work-likely to also disrupt water ice mantles. Therefore, the Herschel HIFI instrument was used to search for cold water in a small sample of prominent methanol emission peaks. We report detections of the ground-state transition of o-H2O (J = 110-101) at 556.9360 GHz toward two positions in the cold molecular cloud, Barnard 5. The relative abundances of methanol and water gas support a desorption mechanism which disrupts the outer ice mantle layers, rather than causing complete mantle removal.

  9. First Results of AirMSPI Imaging Polarimetry at ORACLES 2016: Aerosol and Water Cloud Retrievals

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    van Harten, G.; Xu, F.; Diner, D. J.; Rheingans, B. E.; Tosca, M.; Seidel, F.; Bull, M. A.; Tkatcheva, I. N.; McDuffie, J. L.; Garay, M. J.; Jovanovic, V. M.; Cairns, B.; Alexandrov, M. D.; Hostetler, C. A.; Ferrare, R. A.; Burton, S. P.

    2017-12-01

    The Airborne Multiangle SpectroPolarimetric Imager (AirMSPI) is a remote sensing instrument for the characterization of atmospheric aerosols and clouds. We will report on the successful deployment and resulting data products of AirMSPI in the 2016 field campaign as part of NASA's ObseRvations of Aerosols above CLouds and their intEractionS (ORACLES). The goal of this five-year investigation is to study the impacts of African biomass burning aerosols on the radiative properties of the subtropical stratocumulus cloud deck over the southeast Atlantic Ocean. On board the NASA ER-2 high-altitude aircraft, AirMSPI collected over 4000 high-resolution images on 16 days. The observations are performed in two different modes: step-and-stare mode, in which a 10x10 km target is observed from 9 view angles at 10 m resolution, and sweep mode, where a 80-100 km along-track by 10-25 km across-track target is observed with continuously changing view angle between ±67° at 25 m resolution. This Level 1B2 calibrated and georectified imagery is publically available at the NASA Langley Atmospheric Science Data Center (ASDC)*. We will then describe the Level 2 water cloud products that will be made publically available, viz. optical depth and droplet size distribution, which are retrieved using a polarimetric algorithm. Finally, we will present the results of a recently developed research algorithm for the simultaneous retrieval of these cloud properties and above-cloud aerosols, and validations using collocated High Spectral Resolution Lidar-2 (HSRL-2) and Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP) products. * https://eosweb.larc.nasa.gov/project/airmspi/airmspi_table

  10. Cloud Droplet Size and Liquid Water Path Retrievals From Zenith Radiance Measurements: Examples From the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program and the Aerosol Robotic Network

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chiu, J. C.; Marshak, A.; Huang, C.-H.; Varnai, T.; Hogan, R. J.; Giles, D. M.; Holben, B. N.; Knyazikhin, Y.; O'Connor, E. J.; Wiscombe, W. J.

    2012-01-01

    The ground-based Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program (ARM) and NASA Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) routinely monitor clouds using zenith radiances at visible and near-infrared wavelengths. Using the transmittance calculated from such measurements, we have developed a new retrieval method for cloud effective droplet size and conducted extensive tests for non-precipitating liquid water clouds. The underlying principle is to combine a water-absorbing wavelength (i.e. 1640 nm) with a nonwater-absorbing wavelength for acquiring information on cloud droplet size and optical depth. For simulated stratocumulus clouds with liquid water path less than 300 g/sq m and horizontal resolution of 201m, the retrieval method underestimates the mean effective radius by 0.8 m, with a root-mean-squared error of 1.7 m and a relative deviation of 13 %. For actual observations with a liquid water path less than 450 gm.2 at the ARM Oklahoma site during 2007-2008, our 1.5 min-averaged retrievals are generally larger by around 1 m than those from combined ground-based cloud radar and microwave radiometer at a 5min temporal resolution. We also compared our retrievals to those from combined shortwave flux and microwave observations for relatively homogeneous clouds, showing that the bias between these two retrieval sets is negligible, but the error of 2.6 m and the relative deviation of 22% are larger than those found in our simulation case. Finally, the transmittance-based cloud effective droplet radii agree to better than 11% with satellite observations and have a negative bias of 1 m. Overall, the retrieval method provides reasonable cloud effective radius estimates, which can enhance the cloud products of both ARM and AERONET.

  11. Cloud Properties Derived from Surface-Based Near-Infrared Spectral Transmission

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pilewskie, Peter; Twomey, S.; Gore, Warren J. Y. (Technical Monitor)

    1996-01-01

    Surface based near-infrared cloud spectral transmission measurements from a recent precipitation/cloud physics field study are used to determine cloud physical properties and relate them to other remote sensing and in situ measurements. Asymptotic formulae provide an effective means of closely approximating the qualitative and quantitative behavior of transmission computed by more laborious detailed methods. Relationships derived from asymptotic formulae are applied to measured transmission spectra to test objectively the internal consistency of data sets acquired during the field program and they confirmed the quality of the measurements. These relationships appear to be very useful in themselves, not merely as a quality control measure, but also a potentially valuable remote-sensing technique in its own right. Additional benefits from this analysis have been the separation of condensed water (cloud) transmission and water vapor transmission and the development of a method to derive cloud liquid water content.

  12. Anticipated Improvements in Precipitation Physics and Understanding of Water Cycle from GPM Mission

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Smith, Eric A.

    2003-01-01

    The GPM mission is currently planned for start in the late-2007 to early-2008 time frame. Its main scientific goal is to help answer pressing scientific problems arising within the context of global and regional water cycles. These problems cut across a hierarchy of scales and include climate-water cycle interactions, techniques for improving weather and climate predictions, and better methods for combining observed precipitation with hydrometeorological prediction models for applications to hazardous flood-producing storms, seasonal flood/draught conditions, and fresh water resource assessments. The GPM mission will expand the scope of precipitation measurement through the use of a constellation of some 9 satellites, one of which will be an advanced TRMM-like core satellite carrying a dual-frequency Ku-Ka band precipitation radar and an advanced, multifrequency passive microwave radiometer with vertical-horizontal polarization discrimination. The other constellation members will include new dedicated satellites and co-existing operational/research satellites carrying similar (but not identical) passive microwave radiometers. The goal of the constellation is to achieve approximately 3-hour sampling at any spot on the globe -- continuously. The constellation s orbit architecture will consist of a mix of sun-synchronous and non-sun-synchronous satellites with the core satellite providing measurements of cloud-precipitation microphysical processes plus calibration-quality rainrate retrievals to be used with the other retrieval information to ensure bias-free constellation coverage. GPM is organized internationally, involving existing, pending, projected, and under-study partnerships which will link NASA and NOAA in the US, NASDA in Japan, ESA in Europe, ISRO in India, CNES in France, and possibly AS1 in Italy, KARI in South Korea, CSA in Canada, and AEB in Brazil. Additionally, the program is actively pursuing agreements with other international collaborators and

  13. Intercomparison of vertical structure of storms revealed by ground-based (NMQ) and spaceborne radars (CloudSat-CPR and TRMM-PR).

    PubMed

    Fall, Veronica M; Cao, Qing; Hong, Yang

    2013-01-01

    Spaceborne radars provide great opportunities to investigate the vertical structure of clouds and precipitation. Two typical spaceborne radars for such a study are the W-band Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR) and Ku-band Precipitation Radar (PR), which are onboard NASA's CloudSat and TRMM satellites, respectively. Compared to S-band ground-based radars, they have distinct scattering characteristics for different hydrometeors in clouds and precipitation. The combination of spaceborne and ground-based radar observations can help in the identification of hydrometeors and improve the radar-based quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE). This study analyzes the vertical structure of the 18 January, 2009 storm using data from the CloudSat CPR, TRMM PR, and a NEXRAD-based National Mosaic and Multisensor QPE (NMQ) system. Microphysics above, within, and below the melting layer are studied through an intercomparison of multifrequency measurements. Hydrometeors' type and their radar scattering characteristics are analyzed. Additionally, the study of the vertical profile of reflectivity (VPR) reveals the brightband properties in the cold-season precipitation and its effect on the radar-based QPE. In all, the joint analysis of spaceborne and ground-based radar data increases the understanding of the vertical structure of storm systems and provides a good insight into the microphysical modeling for weather forecasts.

  14. Intercomparison of Vertical Structure of Storms Revealed by Ground-Based (NMQ) and Spaceborne Radars (CloudSat-CPR and TRMM-PR)

    PubMed Central

    Fall, Veronica M.; Hong, Yang

    2013-01-01

    Spaceborne radars provide great opportunities to investigate the vertical structure of clouds and precipitation. Two typical spaceborne radars for such a study are the W-band Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR) and Ku-band Precipitation Radar (PR), which are onboard NASA's CloudSat and TRMM satellites, respectively. Compared to S-band ground-based radars, they have distinct scattering characteristics for different hydrometeors in clouds and precipitation. The combination of spaceborne and ground-based radar observations can help in the identification of hydrometeors and improve the radar-based quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE). This study analyzes the vertical structure of the 18 January, 2009 storm using data from the CloudSat CPR, TRMM PR, and a NEXRAD-based National Mosaic and Multisensor QPE (NMQ) system. Microphysics above, within, and below the melting layer are studied through an intercomparison of multifrequency measurements. Hydrometeors' type and their radar scattering characteristics are analyzed. Additionally, the study of the vertical profile of reflectivity (VPR) reveals the brightband properties in the cold-season precipitation and its effect on the radar-based QPE. In all, the joint analysis of spaceborne and ground-based radar data increases the understanding of the vertical structure of storm systems and provides a good insight into the microphysical modeling for weather forecasts. PMID:24459424

  15. Characterization of hydrometeors and precipitation over the Indian monsoon region using aircraft measurements

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Maheskumar, R. S.; Padmakumari, B.; Konwar, Mahen; Morwal, S. B.; Deshpande, C. G.

    2018-06-01

    In-situ observations of cloud microphysical properties, carried out over different parts of Indian sub-continent using an instrumented research aircraft during Phase-I of Cloud Aerosol Interaction and Precipitation Enhancement EXperiment (CAIPEEX) from June to September 2009, were studied. Different cloud probes were used to characterize the hydrometeor and precipitation types in the monsoon clouds. The results revealed that all liquid phase hydrometeors were present at temperatures -12 °C to 15 °C. Most of the presence of rain drops were found in the liquid water content (LWC) range from 0.5 to 2 g/m3. In general, rain drops are initiated when the droplet effective radius (Re) exceeded 12 μm. Rain dominated at the tops of young growing convective clouds even at temperatures colder than -10 °C. Mixed phase hydrometeors were present at temperatures from -2 °C to -18 °C. The cases where mixed phase precipitation occurred at temperatures warmer than about -7 °C were associated with influx of transported dust aerosol at the upper (supercooled) region of these cloud systems. Ice only hydrometeors were found at temperatures extending from -10 °C to -22 °C. Most of the monsoon rain is produced by warm and cold cloud/mixed-phase processes in the cloud. The combined Re from two different cloud probes is useful for validation of satellite derived cloud microphysical parameter.

  16. Water Ice Cloud Opacities and Temperatures Derived from the Viking IRTM Data Set

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    TamppariL. K.; Zurek, R. W.; Paige, D. A.

    1999-01-01

    The degree to which water ice clouds play a role in the Mars climate is unknown. Latent heating of water ice clouds is small and since most hazes appeared to be thin (tau less than or = 1) their radiative effects have been neglected. Condensation likely limits the vertical extent of water vapor in the water column and a lowering of the condensation altitude, as seen in the northern spring and summer, could increase the seasonal exchange of water between the atmosphere and the surface. It has been suggested that water ice cloud formation is more frequent and widespread in the aphelic hemisphere (currently the northern). This may limit water to the northern hemisphere through greater exchange with the regolith and through restricted southward transport of water vapor by the Mars Hadley circulation. In addition, it has been suggested that water ice cloud formation also controls the vertical distribution of atmospheric dust in some seasons. This scavenging of dust may Continuing from the IRTM cloud maps, derived cloud opacities and cloud temperatures for several locations and seasons will be presented. Sensitivities to cloud particle sizes, surface temperature, and dust opacity will be discussed.

  17. Comparison of Dawn and Dusk Precipitating Electron Energy Populations Shortly After the Initial Shock for the January 10th, 1997 Magnetic Cloud

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Spann, J.; Germany, G.; Swift, W.; Parks, G.; Brittnacher, M.; Elsen, R.

    1997-01-01

    The observed precipitating electron energy between 0130 UT and 0400 UT of January 10 th, 1997, indicates that there is a more energetic precipitating electron population that appears in the auroral oval at 1800-2200 UT at 030) UT. This increase in energy occurs after the initial shock of the magnetic cloud reaches the Earth (0114 UT) and after faint but dynamic polar cap precipitation has been cleared out. The more energetic population is observed to remain rather constant in MLT through the onset of auroral activity (0330 UT) and to the end of the Polar spacecraft apogee pass. Data from the Ultraviolet Imager LBH long and LBH short images are used to quantify the average energy of the precipitating auroral electrons. The Wind spacecraft located about 100 RE upstream monitored the IMF and plasma parameters during the passing of the cloud. The affects of oblique angle viewing are included in the analysis. Suggestions as to the source of this hot electron population will be presented.

  18. Assimilating All-Sky GPM Microwave Imager(GMI) Radiance Data in NASA GEOS-5 System for Global Cloud and Precipitation Analyses

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, M. J.; Jin, J.; McCarty, W.; Todling, R.; Holdaway, D. R.; Gelaro, R.

    2014-12-01

    The NASA Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) works to maximize the impact of satellite observations in the analysis and prediction of climate and weather through integrated Earth system modeling and data assimilation. To achieve this goal, the GMAO undertakes model and assimilation development, generates products to support NASA instrument teams and the NASA Earth science program. Currently Atmospheric Data Assimilation System (ADAS) in the Goddard Earth Observing System Model, Version 5(GEOS-5) system combines millions of observations and short-term forecasts to determine the best estimate, or analysis, of the instantaneous atmospheric state. However, ADAS has been geared towards utilization of observations in clear sky conditions and the majority of satellite channel data affected by clouds are discarded. Microwave imager data from satellites can be a significant source of information for clouds and precipitation but the data are presently underutilized, as only surface rain rates from the Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) Microwave Imager (TMI) are assimilated with small weight assigned in the analysis process. As clouds and precipitation often occur in regions with high forecast sensitivity, improvements in the temperature, moisture, wind and cloud analysis of these regions are likely to contribute to significant gains in numerical weather prediction accuracy. This presentation is intended to give an overview of GMAO's recent progress in assimilating the all-sky GPM Microwave Imager (GMI) radiance data in GEOS-5 system. This includes development of various new components to assimilate cloud and precipitation affected data in addition to data in clear sky condition. New observation operators, quality controls, moisture control variables, observation and background error models, and a methodology to incorporate the linearlized moisture physics in the assimilation system are described. In addition preliminary results showing impacts of

  19. Mixed phase clouds: observations and theoretical advances (overview)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Korolev, Alexei

    2013-04-01

    Mixed phase clouds play important role in precipitation formation and radiation budget of the Earth. The microphysical measurements in mixed phase clouds are notoriously difficult due to many technical challenges. The airborne instrumentation for characterization of the microstructure of mixed phase clouds is discussed. The results multiyear airborne observations and measurements of frequency of occurrence of mixed phase, characteristic spatial scales, humidity in mixed phase and ice clouds are presented. A theoretical framework describing the thermodynamics and phase transformation of a three phase component system consisting of ice particles, liquid droplets and water vapor is discussed. It is shown that the Wegener-Bergeron-Findeisen process plays different role in clouds with different dynamics. The problem of maintenance and longevity of mixed phase clouds is discussed.

  20. Variability of Radiosonde-Observed Precipitable Water in the Baltic Region

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Jakobson, Erko; Ohvril, H.; Okulov, O.

    The total mass of columnar water vapor (precipitable water, W) is an important parameter of atmospheric thermodynamic and radiative models. In this work radiosonde observations from 17 aerological stations in the Baltic region during 14 years, 1989?2002, were used to examine the variability of precipitable water. A table of monthly and annual means of W for the stations is given. Seasonal and annual means of W are expressed as linear functions of geographical latitude. Linear formulas are also derived for parameterization of precipitable water as function of surface water vapor pressure at each station.

  1. Raman Lidar Observations of a MCS in the frame of the Convective and Orographically-induced Precipitation Study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Di Girolamo, Paolo; Bhawar, Rohini; Summa, Donato; Di Iorio, Tatiana; Demoz, Belay B.

    2009-03-01

    The Raman lidar system BASIL was deployed in Achern (Supersite R, Lat: 48.64° N, Long: 8.06° E, Elev.: 140 m) in the frame of the Convective and Orographically-induced Precipitation Study. On 20 July 2007 a frontal zone passed over the COPS region, with a Mesoscale Convective System (MCS) imbedded in it. BASIL was operated continuously during this day, providing measurements of temperature, water vapour, particle backscattering coefficient at 355, 532 and 1064 nm, particle extinction coefficient at 355 and 532 nm and particle depolarization at 355 and 532 nm. The thunderstorm approaching determined the lowering of the anvil clouds, which is clearly visible in the lidar data. A cloud deck is present at 2 km, which represents a mid-level outflow from the thunderstorm/MCS. The mid-level outflow spits out hydrometeor-debris (mostly virga) and it is recycled back into it. The MCS modified the environment at 1.6-2.5 km levels directly (outflow) and the lower levels through the virga/precipitation. Wave structures were observed in the particle backscatter data. The wave activity seems to be a reflection of the shear that is produced by the MCS and the inflow environmental wind. Measurements in terms of particle backscatter and water vapour mixing ratio are discussed to illustrate the above phenomena.

  2. Development of a New Model for Accurate Prediction of Cloud Water Deposition on Vegetation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Katata, G.; Nagai, H.; Wrzesinsky, T.; Klemm, O.; Eugster, W.; Burkard, R.

    2006-12-01

    Scarcity of water resources in arid and semi-arid areas is of great concern in the light of population growth and food shortages. Several experiments focusing on cloud (fog) water deposition on the land surface suggest that cloud water plays an important role in water resource in such regions. A one-dimensional vegetation model including the process of cloud water deposition on vegetation has been developed to better predict cloud water deposition on the vegetation. New schemes to calculate capture efficiency of leaf, cloud droplet size distribution, and gravitational flux of cloud water were incorporated in the model. Model calculations were compared with the data acquired at the Norway spruce forest at the Waldstein site, Germany. High performance of the model was confirmed by comparisons of calculated net radiation, sensible and latent heat, and cloud water fluxes over the forest with measurements. The present model provided a better prediction of measured turbulent and gravitational fluxes of cloud water over the canopy than the Lovett model, which is a commonly used cloud water deposition model. Detailed calculations of evapotranspiration and of turbulent exchange of heat and water vapor within the canopy and the modifications are necessary for accurate prediction of cloud water deposition. Numerical experiments to examine the dependence of cloud water deposition on the vegetation species (coniferous and broad-leaved trees, flat and cylindrical grasses) and structures (Leaf Area Index (LAI) and canopy height) are performed using the presented model. The results indicate that the differences of leaf shape and size have a large impact on cloud water deposition. Cloud water deposition also varies with the growth of vegetation and seasonal change of LAI. We found that the coniferous trees whose height and LAI are 24 m and 2.0 m2m-2, respectively, produce the largest amount of cloud water deposition in all combinations of vegetation species and structures in the

  3. The Dominant Snow-forming Process in Warm and Cold Mixed-phase Orographic Clouds: Effects of Cloud Condensation Nuclei and Ice Nuclei

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fan, J.; Rosenfeld, D.; Leung, L. R.; DeMott, P. J.

    2014-12-01

    Mineral dust aerosols often observed over California in winter and spring from long-range transport can be efficient ice nuclei (IN) and enhance snow precipitation in mixed-phase orographic clouds. On the other hand, local pollution particles can serve as good CCN and suppress warm rain, but their impacts on cold rain processes are uncertain. The main snow-forming mechanism in warm and cold mixed-phase orographic clouds (refer to as WMOC and CMOC, respectively) could be very different, leading to different precipitation response to CCN and IN. We have conducted 1-km resolution model simulations using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model coupled with a spectral-bin cloud microphysical model for WMOC and CMOC cases from CalWater2011. We investigated the response of cloud microphysical processes and precipitation to CCN and IN with extremely low to extremely high concentrations using ice nucleation parameterizations that connect with dust and implemented based on observational evidences. We find that riming is the dominant process for producing snow in WMOC while deposition plays a more important role than riming in CMOC. Increasing IN leads to much more snow precipitation mainly due to an increase of deposition in CMOC and increased rimming in WMOC. Increasing CCN decreases precipitation in WMOC by efficiently suppressing warm rain, although snow is increased. In CMOC where cold rain dominates, increasing CCN significantly increases snow, leading to a net increase in precipitation. The sensitivity of supercooled liquid to CCN and IN has also been analyzed. The mechanism for the increased snow by CCN and caveats due to uncertainties in ice nucleation parameterizations will be discussed.

  4. Absorption of Sunlight by Water Vapor in Cloudy Conditions: A Partial Explanation for the Cloud Absorption Anomaly

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Crisp, D.

    1997-01-01

    The atmospheric radiative transfer algorithms used in most global general circulation models underestimate the globally-averaged solar energy absorbed by cloudy atmospheres by up to 25 W/sq m. The origin of this anomalous absorption is not yet known, but it has been attributed to a variety of sources including oversimplified or missing physical processes in these models, uncertainties in the input data, and even measurement errors. Here, a sophisticated atmospheric radiative transfer model was used to provide a more comprehensive description of the physical processes that contribute to the absorption of solar radiation by the Earth's atmosphere. We found that the amount of sunlight absorbed by a cloudy atmosphere is inversely proportional to the solar zenith angle and the cloud top height, and directly proportional to the cloud optical depth and the water vapor concentration within the clouds. Atmospheres with saturated, optically-thick, low clouds absorbed about 12 W/sq m more than clear atmospheres. This accounts for about 1/2 to 1/3 of the anomalous ab- sorption. Atmospheres with optically thick middle and high clouds usually absorb less than clear atmospheres. Because water vapor is concentrated within and below the cloud tops, this absorber is most effective at small solar zenith angles. An additional absorber that is distributed at or above the cloud tops is needed to produce the amplitude and zenith angle dependence of the observed anomalous absorption.

  5. Macroscopic impacts of cloud and precipitation processes on maritime shallow convection as simulated by a large eddy simulation model with bin microphysics

    DOE PAGES

    Grabowski, W. W.; Wang, L. -P.; Prabha, T. V.

    2015-01-27

    This paper discusses impacts of cloud and precipitation processes on macrophysical properties of shallow convective clouds as simulated by a large eddy model applying warm-rain bin microphysics. Simulations with and without collision–coalescence are considered with cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentrations of 30, 60, 120, and 240 mg -1. Simulations with collision–coalescence include either the standard gravitational collision kernel or a novel kernel that includes enhancements due to the small-scale cloud turbulence. Simulations with droplet collisions were discussed in Wyszogrodzki et al. (2013) focusing on the impact of the turbulent collision kernel. The current paper expands that analysis and puts modelmore » results in the context of previous studies. Despite a significant increase of the drizzle/rain with the decrease of CCN concentration, enhanced by the effects of the small-scale turbulence, impacts on the macroscopic cloud field characteristics are relatively minor. Model results show a systematic shift in the cloud-top height distributions, with an increasing contribution of deeper clouds for stronger precipitating cases. We show that this is consistent with the explanation suggested in Wyszogrodzki et al. (2013); namely, the increase of drizzle/rain leads to a more efficient condensate offloading in the upper parts of the cloud field. A second effect involves suppression of the cloud droplet evaporation near cloud edges in low-CCN simulations, as documented in previous studies (e.g., Xue and Feingold, 2006). We pose the question whether the effects of cloud turbulence on drizzle/rain formation in shallow cumuli can be corroborated by remote sensing observations, for instance, from space. Although a clear signal is extracted from model results, we argue that the answer is negative due to uncertainties caused by the temporal variability of the shallow convective cloud field, sampling and spatial resolution of the satellite data, and overall

  6. An Observationally-Based Evaluation of Cloud Ice and Liquid Water in CMIP3 and CMIP5 GCMs and Contemporary Reanalyses Using Contemporary Satellite Data (Invited)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, J. F.; Waliser, D. E.; Chen, W.; Deng, M.; Lebsock, M. D.; Stephens, G. L.; Guan, B.; Christensen, M.; Teixeira, J.

    2013-12-01

    Representing clouds and cloud climate feedbacks in global climate models (GCMs) remains a pressing challenge to reduce and quantify uncertainties associated with climate change projection. Vertical structures of clouds simulated by present-day models have not been extensively examined using vertically-resolved cloud hydrometers such as cloud ice water (CIW) content and cloud liquid water (CLW) content. The gap in available observations for cloud mass was clearly evident from the wide disparity in the CIW path [Waliser et al., 2009] and CLW path [Li et al., 2008;2011] values exhibited in the CMIP3 GCMs. We present an observationally-based evaluation of the CIW and CLW of present-day GCMs, notably 20th century CMIP5 simulations, and compare these results to the CMIP3 and two recent reanalyses (ECMWF and MERRA). We use three different CloudSat+CALIPSO CIW products as well as three different observation CLW products, CloudSat, MODIS and AMSRE and their combined product for CLW with methods to remove the contribution from the convective core ice mass and/or precipitating cloud hydrometeors with variable sizes and falling speeds so that a robust observational estimate with uncertainty can be obtained for model evaluations. Note, considering the CloudSat's limitations of CLW retrievals due to contamination from the precipitation and from radar clutter near the surface, an alternative CLW is synergistically constructed using MODIS CLW and CloudSat CLW. The results show that for annual mean CIW path, there are factors of 2-10 in the differences between observations and models for a majority of the GCMs and for a number of regions. Based on a number of metrics, the ensemble behavior of CMIP5 has improved considerably relative to CMIP3 (~ 50%), although neither the CMIP5 ensemble mean nor any individual model performs particularly well, and there are still a number of models that exhibit very large biases despite the availability of relevant observations. For CLW, most of the

  7. Possible near-IR channels for remote sensing precipitable water vapor from geostationary satellite platforms

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gao, B.-C.; Goetz, A. F. H.; Westwater, Ed R.; Conel, J. E.; Green, R. O.

    1993-01-01

    Remote sensing of troposheric water vapor profiles from current geostationary weather satellites is made using a few broadband infrared (IR) channels in the 6-13 micron region. Uncertainties greater than 20% exist in derived water vapor values just above the surface from the IR emission measurements. In this paper, we propose three near-IR channels, one within the 0.94-micron water vapor band absorption region, and the other two in nearby atmospheric windows, for remote sensing of precipitable water vapor over land areas, excluding lakes and rivers, during daytime from future geostationary satellite platforms. The physical principles are as follows. The reflectance of most surface targets varies approximately linearly with wavelength near 1 micron. The solar radiation on the sun-surface-sensor ray path is attenuated by atmospheric water vapor. The ratio of the radiance from the absorption channel with the radiances from the two window channels removes the surface reflectance effects and yields approximately the mean atmospheric water vapor transmittance of the absorption channel. The integrated water vapor amount from ground to space can be obtained with a precision of better than 5% from the mean transmittance. Because surface reflectances vary slowly with time, temporal variation of precipitable water vapor can be determined reliably. High spatial resolution, precipitable water vapor images are derived from spectral data collected by the Airborne Visable-Infrared Imaging Spectrometer, which measures solar radiation reflected by the surface in the 0.4-2.5 micron region in 10-nm channels and has a ground instantaneous field of view of 20 m from its platform on an ER-2 aircraft at 20 km. The proposed near-IR reflectance technique would complement the IR emission techniques for remote sensing of water vapor profiles from geostationary satellite platforms, especially in the boundary layer where most of the water vapor is located.

  8. Simulating Aerosol Indirect Effects with Improved Aerosol-Cloud- Precipitation Representations in a Coupled Regional Climate Model

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zhang, Yang; Leung, L. Ruby; Fan, Jiwen

    This is a collaborative project among North Carolina State University, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego to address the critical need for an accurate representation of aerosol indirect effect in climate and Earth system models. In this project, we propose to develop and improve parameterizations of aerosol-cloud-precipitation feedbacks in climate models and apply them to study the effect of aerosols and clouds on radiation and hydrologic cycle. Our overall objective is to develop, improve, and evaluate parameterizations to enable more accurate simulations of these feedbacks in high resolution regional and globalmore » climate models.« less

  9. Synergizing High-Resolution EOS Terra Satellite Data and S-POLKa Radar Reflectivity to Assess Trade Wind Cumuli Precipitation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Snodgrass, E. R.; di Girolamo, L.; Rauber, R.; Zhao, G.

    2005-12-01

    During the RICO field campaign, the EOS Terra Spacecraft and NCAR's S-POLKa radar collected coincident high-resolution visible and near-IR satellite data and dual-polarized S-band and Ka-band radar reflectivity data to understand trade wind cumuli cloud distribution and precipitation. In this paper, the comparison of the trade wind cloud field's satellite-derived cloud properties and radar-derived precipitation characteristics are presented. Specifically, these results focus on the relationship between radar reflectivity and derived rain rate to the satellite visible radiance, cloud fraction, height and thickness. Also results concerning the relationship between cloud area estimated by satellite and cloud boundary estimated by radar Bragg and Rayleigh scattering will be presented. The resolution effects between visible satellite data from the ASTER instrument at 15m ground-resolution and the S-POLKa radar data will be reviewed. The potential applications of these results to the estimation of trade wind cumuli's role in returning water to the ocean through precipitation, and to cloud and climate model parameterization will be discussed.

  10. PROGRESS REPORT OF FY 2004 ACTIVITIES: IMPROVED WATER VAPOR AND CLOUD RETRIEVALS AT THE NSA/AAO

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    E. R. Westwater; V. V. Leuskiy; M. Klein

    2004-11-01

    The basic goals of the research are to develop and test algorithms and deploy instruments that improve measurements of water vapor, cloud liquid, and cloud coverage, with a focus on the Arctic conditions of cold temperatures and low concentrations of water vapor. The importance of accurate measurements of column amounts of water vapor and cloud liquid has been well documented by scientists within the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program. Although several technologies have been investigated to measure these column amounts, microwave radiometers (MWR) have been used operationally by the ARM program for passive retrievals of these quantities: precipitable water vapor (PWV)more » and integrated water liquid (IWL). The technology of PWV and IWL retrievals has advanced steadily since the basic 2-channel MWR was first deployed at ARM CART sites Important advances are the development and refinement of the tipcal calibration method [1,2], and improvement of forward model radiative transfer algorithms [3,4]. However, the concern still remains that current instruments deployed by ARM may be inadequate to measure low amounts of PWV and IWL. In the case of water vapor, this is especially important because of the possibility of scaling and/or quality control of radiosondes by the water amount. Extremely dry conditions, with PWV less than 3 mm, commonly occur in Polar Regions during the winter months. Accurate measurements of the PWV during such dry conditions are needed to improve our understanding of the regional radiation energy budgets. The results of a 1999 experiment conducted at the ARM North Slope of Alaska/Adjacent Arctic Ocean (NSA/AAO) site during March of 1999 [5] have shown that the strength associated with the 183 GHz water vapor absorption line makes radiometry in this frequency regime suitable for measuring low amounts of PWV. As a portion of our research, we conducted another millimeter wave radiometric experiment at the NSA/AAO in March-April 2004. This

  11. Mixed Calcium Dust and Carbonaceous Particles from Asia Contributing to Precipitation Changes in California

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kristensen, L.; Cornwell, G.; Sedlacek, A. J., III; Prather, K. A.

    2016-12-01

    Mineral dust particles can serve as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN), with enhanced CCN activity observed when the dust is mixed with additional soluble species. Long range atmospheric transport can change the composition of dust particles through aging, cloud processing and mixing with other particles. The CalWater2 campaign measured single particles and cloud dynamics to investigate the influence aerosols have on the hydrological cycle in California. An Aircraft Aerosol Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer (ATOFMS) was used to characterize and identify single particles within clouds potentially acting as ice and cloud nuclei. Two matching flights over California's mountains in March 2015 detected significantly different particle types that resulted in different precipitation totals. Calcium dust dominated the particle composition during the first flight which had an observed decrease in orographic precipitation. Particle composition and air mass back trajectories indicate an Asian desert origin. The calcium dust particles contained secondary acids, in particular oxalic acid, acquired during transport from Asia to California. This chemical processing likely increased the solubility of the dust, enabling the particles to act as more effective CCN. The chemical composition also showed oligomeric carbonaceous species were mixed with the calcium dust particles, potentially further increasing the solubility the particles. A single particle soot photometer (SP2) measured black carbon concurrently and returned intense incandescence when calcium dust was present, confirming the calcium dust particles were internally mixed with a carbonaceous species. Dust particles were greatly reduced during the second flight with local biomass burning particles the dominant type. Observed precipitation in California were within forecast levels during the second flight. These single particle measurements from CalWater2 show that dust particles from Asia can affect cloud process and thus

  12. Epiphyte Water Retention and Evaporation in Native and Invaded Tropical Montane Cloud Forests in Hawaii

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mudd, R. G.; Giambelluca, T. W.

    2006-12-01

    Epiphyte water retention was quantified at two montane cloud forest sites in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, one native and the other invaded by an alien tree species. Water storage elements measured included all epiphytic mosses, leafy liverworts, and filmy ferns. Tree surface area was estimated and a careful survey was taken to account for all epiphytes in the sample area of the forest. Samples were collected and analyzed in the lab for epiphyte water retention capacity (WRC). Based on the volume of the different kinds of epiphytes and their corresponding WRC, forest stand water retention capacity for each survey area was estimated. Evaporation from the epiphyte mass was quantified using artificial reference samples attached to trees that were weighed at intervals to determine changes in stored water on days without significant rain or fog. In addition, a soil moisture sensor was wrapped in an epiphyte sample and left in the forest for a 6-day period. Epiphyte biomass at the Native Site and Invaded Site were estimated to be 2.89 t ha-1 and 1.05 t ha-1, respectively. Average WRC at the Native Site and Invaded Site were estimated at 1.45 mm and 0.68 mm, respectively. The difference is likely due to the presence of the invasive Psidium cattleianum at the Invaded Site because its smooth stem surface is unable to support a significant epiphytic layer. The evaporation rate from the epiphyte mass near WSC for the forest stand at the Native Site was measured at 0.38 mm day-1, which represented 10.6 % of the total ET from the forest canopy at the Native Site during the period. The above research has been recently complemented by a thorough investigation of the WSC of all water storage elements (tree stems, tree leaves, shrubs, grasses, litter, fallen branches, and epiphytes) at six forested sites at different elevations within, above, and below the zone of frequent cloud-cover. The goal of this study was to create an inexpensive and efficient methodology for acquiring

  13. Introducing Convective Cloud Microphysics to a Deep Convection Parameterization Facilitating Aerosol Indirect Effects

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alapaty, K.; Zhang, G. J.; Song, X.; Kain, J. S.; Herwehe, J. A.

    2012-12-01

    Short lived pollutants such as aerosols play an important role in modulating not only the radiative balance but also cloud microphysical properties and precipitation rates. In the past, to understand the interactions of aerosols with clouds, several cloud-resolving modeling studies were conducted. These studies indicated that in the presence of anthropogenic aerosols, single-phase deep convection precipitation is reduced or suppressed. On the other hand, anthropogenic aerosol pollution led to enhanced precipitation for mixed-phase deep convective clouds. To date, there have not been many efforts to incorporate such aerosol indirect effects (AIE) in mesoscale models or global models that use parameterization schemes for deep convection. Thus, the objective of this work is to implement a diagnostic cloud microphysical scheme directly into a deep convection parameterization facilitating aerosol indirect effects in the WRF-CMAQ integrated modeling systems. Major research issues addressed in this study are: What is the sensitivity of a deep convection scheme to cloud microphysical processes represented by a bulk double-moment scheme? How close are the simulated cloud water paths as compared to observations? Does increased aerosol pollution lead to increased precipitation for mixed-phase clouds? These research questions are addressed by performing several WRF simulations using the Kain-Fritsch convection parameterization and a diagnostic cloud microphysical scheme. In the first set of simulations (control simulations) the WRF model is used to simulate two scenarios of deep convection over the continental U.S. during two summer periods at 36 km grid resolution. In the second set, these simulations are repeated after incorporating a diagnostic cloud microphysical scheme to study the impacts of inclusion of cloud microphysical processes. Finally, in the third set, aerosol concentrations simulated by the CMAQ modeling system are supplied to the embedded cloud microphysical

  14. Polarized View of Supercooled Liquid Water Clouds

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Alexandrov, Mikhail D.; Cairns, Brian; Van Diedenhoven, Bastiaan; Ackerman, Andrew S.; Wasilewski, Andrzej P.; McGill, Matthew J.; Yorks, John E.; Hlavka, Dennis L.; Platnick, Steven E.; Arnold, G. Thomas

    2016-01-01

    Supercooled liquid water (SLW) clouds, where liquid droplets exist at temperatures below 0 C present a well known aviation hazard through aircraft icing, in which SLW accretes on the airframe. SLW clouds are common over the Southern Ocean, and climate-induced changes in their occurrence is thought to constitute a strong cloud feedback on global climate. The two recent NASA field campaigns POlarimeter Definition EXperiment (PODEX, based in Palmdale, California, January-February 2013) and Studies of Emissions and Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys (SEAC4RS, based in Houston, Texas in August- September 2013) provided a unique opportunity to observe SLW clouds from the high-altitude airborne platform of NASA's ER-2 aircraft. We present an analysis of measurements made by the Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP) during these experiments accompanied by correlative retrievals from other sensors. The RSP measures both polarized and total reflectance in 9 spectral channels with wavelengths ranging from 410 to 2250 nm. It is a scanning sensor taking samples at 0.8deg intervals within 60deg from nadir in both forward and backward directions. This unique angular resolution allows for characterization of liquid water droplet size using the rainbow structure observed in the polarized reflectances in the scattering angle range between 135deg and 165deg. Simple parametric fitting algorithms applied to the polarized reflectance provide retrievals of the droplet effective radius and variance assuming a prescribed size distribution shape (gamma distribution). In addition to this, we use a non-parametric method, Rainbow Fourier Transform (RFT),which allows retrieval of the droplet size distribution without assuming a size distribution shape. We present an overview of the RSP campaign datasets available from the NASA GISS website, as well as two detailed examples of the retrievals. In these case studies we focus on cloud fields with spatial features

  15. The UAE Rainfall Enhancement Assessment Program: Implications of Thermodynamic Profiles on the Development of Precipitation in Convective Clouds over the Oman Mountains

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Breed, D.; Bruintjes, R.; Jensen, T.; Salazar, V.; Fowler, T.

    2005-12-01

    During the winter and summer seasons of 2001 and 2002, data were collected to assess the efficacy of cloud seeding to enhance precipitation in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The results of the feasibility study concluded: 1) that winter clouds in the UAE rarely produced conditions amenable to hygroscopic cloud seeding; 2) that summer convective clouds developed often enough, particularly over the Oman Mountains (e.g., the Hajar Mountains along the eastern UAE border and into Oman) to justify a randomized seeding experiment; 3) that collecting quantitative radar observations continues to be a complex but essential part of evaluating a cloud seeding experiment; 4) that successful flight operations would require solving several logistical issues; and 5) that several scientific questions would need to be studied in order to fully evaluate the efficacy and feasibility of hygroscopic cloud seeding, including cloud physical responses, radar-derived rainfall estimates as related to rainfall at the ground, and hydrological impacts. Based on these results, the UAE program proceeded through the design and implemention of a randomized hygroscopic cloud seeding experiment during the summer seasons to statistically quantify the potential for cloud seeding to enhance rainfall, specifically over the UAE and Oman Mountains, while collecting concurrent and separate physical measurements to support the statistical results and provide substantiation for the physical hypothesis. The randomized seeding experiment was carried out over the summers of 2003 and 2004, and a total of 134 cases were treated over the two summer seasons, of which 96 met the analysis criteria established in the experimental design of the program. The statistical evaluation of these cases yielded largely inconclusive results. Evidence will show that the thermodynamic profile had a large influence on storm characteristics and on precipitation development. This in turn provided a confounding factor in the conduct

  16. Using Stable Isotopes in Water Vapor to Diagnose Relationships Between Lower-Tropospheric Stability, Mixing, and Low-Cloud Cover Near the Island of Hawaii

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Galewsky, Joseph

    2018-01-01

    In situ measurements of water vapor isotopic composition from Mauna Loa, Hawaii, are merged with soundings from Hilo to show an inverse relationship between the estimated inversion strength (EIS) and isotopically derived measures of lower-tropospheric mixing. Remote sensing estimates of cloud fraction, cloud liquid water path, and cloud top pressure were all found to be higher (lower) under low (high) EIS. Inverse modeling of the isotopic data corresponding to terciles of EIS conditions provide quantitative constraints on the last-saturation temperatures and mixing fractions that govern the humidity above the trade inversion. The mixing fraction of water vapor transported from the boundary layer to Mauna Loa decreases with respect to EIS at a rate of about 3% K-1, corresponding to a mixing ratio decrease of 0.6 g kg-1 K-1. A last-saturation temperature of 240 K can match all observations. This approach can be applied in other settings and may be used to test models of low-cloud climate feedbacks.

  17. Tundra water budget and implications of precipitation underestimation.

    PubMed

    Liljedahl, Anna K; Hinzman, Larry D; Kane, Douglas L; Oechel, Walter C; Tweedie, Craig E; Zona, Donatella

    2017-08-01

    Difficulties in obtaining accurate precipitation measurements have limited meaningful hydrologic assessment for over a century due to performance challenges of conventional snowfall and rainfall gauges in windy environments. Here, we compare snowfall observations and bias adjusted snowfall to end-of-winter snow accumulation measurements on the ground for 16 years (1999-2014) and assess the implication of precipitation underestimation on the water balance for a low-gradient tundra wetland near Utqiagvik (formerly Barrow), Alaska (2007-2009). In agreement with other studies, and not accounting for sublimation, conventional snowfall gauges captured 23-56% of end-of-winter snow accumulation. Once snowfall and rainfall are bias adjusted, long-term annual precipitation estimates more than double (from 123 to 274 mm), highlighting the risk of studies using conventional or unadjusted precipitation that dramatically under-represent water balance components. Applying conventional precipitation information to the water balance analysis produced consistent storage deficits (79 to 152 mm) that were all larger than the largest actual deficit (75 mm), which was observed in the unusually low rainfall summer of 2007. Year-to-year variability in adjusted rainfall (±33 mm) was larger than evapotranspiration (±13 mm). Measured interannual variability in partitioning of snow into runoff (29% in 2008 to 68% in 2009) in years with similar end-of-winter snow accumulation (180 and 164 mm, respectively) highlights the importance of the previous summer's rainfall (25 and 60 mm, respectively) on spring runoff production. Incorrect representation of precipitation can therefore have major implications for Arctic water budget descriptions that in turn can alter estimates of carbon and energy fluxes.

  18. Trends in precipitation and stream-water chemistry in the northeastern United States, water years 1984-96

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Clow, D.W.; Mast, M. Alisa

    1999-01-01

    Trends in precipitation and stream-water chemistry during water years 1984-96 were examined at eight precipitation monitoring sites and five nearby streams operated by the U.S. Geological Survey in the northeastern United States. The statistical analyses indicate the following: 1)Stream-water sulfate (SO4) concentrations decreased at seven of eight precipitation monitoring sites and in each of five streams. 2)Calcium plus magnesium (Ca + Mg) concentrations decreased at seven of eight precipitation monitoring sites and in three of five streams. 3)Precipitation acidity decreased at five of eight precipitation monitoring sites, but alkalinity increased in only one stream. These results indicate that decreases in atmospheric deposition of SO4 have resulted in decreased precipitation acidity. The chemical response of stream water to changes in precipitation chemistry was complex. Decreases in stream-water SO4 concentrations generally matched decreases of precipitation SO4. In stream water, increases in alkalinity were uncommon because decreases in SO4 concentrations often were accompanied by decreases in Ca + Mg concentrations. The decreases in Ca + Mg concentrations might be related to depletion of base cations from soil caused by long-term exposure to acidic deposition. Increases in streamwater alkalinity might not occur until rates of acidic deposition are reduced to substantially less than the rate of cation resupply by weathering and atmospheric deposition. In areas where forests are aggrading, recovery of stream-water alkalinity will be delayed further because of the acidifying effect of biomass accumulation.

  19. Sampling of Atmospheric Precipitation and Deposits for Analysis of Atmospheric Pollution

    PubMed Central

    Skarżyńska, K.; Polkowska, Ż; Namieśnik, J.

    2006-01-01

    This paper reviews techniques and equipment for collecting precipitation samples from the atmosphere (fog and cloud water) and from atmospheric deposits (dew, hoarfrost, and rime) that are suitable for the evaluation of atmospheric pollution. It discusses the storage and preparation of samples for analysis and also presents bibliographic information on the concentration ranges of inorganic and organic compounds in the precipitation and atmospheric deposit samples. PMID:17671615

  20. Validation on MERSI/FY-3A precipitable water vapor product

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gong, Shaoqi; Fiifi Hagan, Daniel; Lu, Jing; Wang, Guojie

    2018-01-01

    The precipitable water vapor is one of the most active gases in the atmosphere which strongly affects the climate. China's second-generation polar orbit meteorological satellite FY-3A equipped with a Medium Resolution Spectral Imager (MERSI) is able to detect atmospheric water vapor. In this paper, water vapor data from AERONET, radiosonde and MODIS were used to validate the accuracy of the MERSI water vapor product in the different seasons and climatic regions of East Asia. The results show that the values of MERSI water vapor product are relatively lower than that of the other instruments and its accuracy is generally lower. The mean bias (MB) was -0.8 to -12.7 mm, the root mean square error (RMSE) was 2.2-17.0 mm, and the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) varied from 31.8% to 44.1%. On the spatial variation, the accuracy of MERSI water vapor product in a descending order was from North China, West China, Japan -Korea, East China, to South China, while the seasonal variation of accuracy was the best for winter, followed by spring, then in autumn and the lowest in summer. It was found that the errors of MERSI water vapor product was mainly due to the low accuracy of radiation calibration of the MERSI absorption channel, along with the inaccurate look-up table of apparent reflectance and water vapor within the water vapor retrieved algorithm. In addition, the surface reflectance, the mixed pixels of image cloud, the humidity and temperature of atmospheric vertical profile and the haze were also found to have affected the accuracy of MERSI water vapor product.