An automated cirrus classification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gryspeerdt, Edward; Quaas, Johannes; Sourdeval, Odran; Goren, Tom

2017-04-01

Cirrus clouds play an important role in determining the radiation budget of the earth, but our understanding of the lifecycle and controls on cirrus clouds remains incomplete. Cirrus clouds can have very different properties and development depending on their environment, particularly during their formation. However, the relevant factors often cannot be distinguished using commonly retrieved satellite data products (such as cloud optical depth). In particular, the initial cloud phase has been identified as an important factor in cloud development, but although back-trajectory based methods can provide information on the initial cloud phase, they are computationally expensive and depend on the cloud parametrisations used in re-analysis products. In this work, a classification system (Identification and Classification of Cirrus, IC-CIR) is introduced. Using re-analysis and satellite data, cirrus clouds are separated in four main types: frontal, convective, orographic and in-situ. The properties of these classes show that this classification is able to provide useful information on the properties and initial phase of cirrus clouds, information that could not be provided by instantaneous satellite retrieved cloud properties alone. This classification is designed to be easily implemented in global climate models, helping to improve future comparisons between observations and models and reducing the uncertainty in cirrus clouds properties, leading to improved cloud parametrisations.

New approaches to quantifying aerosol influence on the cloud radiative effect

DOE PAGES

Feingold, Graham; McComiskey, Allison; Yamaguchi, Takanobu; ...

2016-02-01

The topic of cloud radiative forcing associated with the atmospheric aerosol has been the focus of intense scrutiny for decades. The enormity of the problem is reflected in the need to understand aspects such as aerosol composition, optical properties, cloud condensation, and ice nucleation potential, along with the global distribution of these properties, controlled by emissions, transport, transformation, and sinks. Equally daunting is that clouds themselves are complex, turbulent, microphysical entities and, by their very nature, ephemeral and hard to predict. Atmospheric general circulation models represent aerosol–cloud interactions at ever-increasing levels of detail, but these models lack the resolution tomore » represent clouds and aerosol–cloud interactions adequately. There is a dearth of observational constraints on aerosol–cloud interactions. In this paper, we develop a conceptual approach to systematically constrain the aerosol–cloud radiative effect in shallow clouds through a combination of routine process modeling and satellite and surface-based shortwave radiation measurements. Finally, we heed the call to merge Darwinian and Newtonian strategies by balancing microphysical detail with scaling and emergent properties of the aerosol–cloud radiation system.« less

New approaches to quantifying aerosol influence on the cloud radiative effect

PubMed Central

Feingold, Graham; McComiskey, Allison; Yamaguchi, Takanobu; Johnson, Jill S.; Carslaw, Kenneth S.; Schmidt, K. Sebastian

2016-01-01

The topic of cloud radiative forcing associated with the atmospheric aerosol has been the focus of intense scrutiny for decades. The enormity of the problem is reflected in the need to understand aspects such as aerosol composition, optical properties, cloud condensation, and ice nucleation potential, along with the global distribution of these properties, controlled by emissions, transport, transformation, and sinks. Equally daunting is that clouds themselves are complex, turbulent, microphysical entities and, by their very nature, ephemeral and hard to predict. Atmospheric general circulation models represent aerosol−cloud interactions at ever-increasing levels of detail, but these models lack the resolution to represent clouds and aerosol−cloud interactions adequately. There is a dearth of observational constraints on aerosol−cloud interactions. We develop a conceptual approach to systematically constrain the aerosol−cloud radiative effect in shallow clouds through a combination of routine process modeling and satellite and surface-based shortwave radiation measurements. We heed the call to merge Darwinian and Newtonian strategies by balancing microphysical detail with scaling and emergent properties of the aerosol−cloud radiation system. PMID:26831092

New approaches to quantifying aerosol influence on the cloud radiative effect.

PubMed

Feingold, Graham; McComiskey, Allison; Yamaguchi, Takanobu; Johnson, Jill S; Carslaw, Kenneth S; Schmidt, K Sebastian

2016-05-24

The topic of cloud radiative forcing associated with the atmospheric aerosol has been the focus of intense scrutiny for decades. The enormity of the problem is reflected in the need to understand aspects such as aerosol composition, optical properties, cloud condensation, and ice nucleation potential, along with the global distribution of these properties, controlled by emissions, transport, transformation, and sinks. Equally daunting is that clouds themselves are complex, turbulent, microphysical entities and, by their very nature, ephemeral and hard to predict. Atmospheric general circulation models represent aerosol-cloud interactions at ever-increasing levels of detail, but these models lack the resolution to represent clouds and aerosol-cloud interactions adequately. There is a dearth of observational constraints on aerosol-cloud interactions. We develop a conceptual approach to systematically constrain the aerosol-cloud radiative effect in shallow clouds through a combination of routine process modeling and satellite and surface-based shortwave radiation measurements. We heed the call to merge Darwinian and Newtonian strategies by balancing microphysical detail with scaling and emergent properties of the aerosol-cloud radiation system.

Model-Observation Comparisons of Biomass Burning Smoke and Clouds Over the Southeast Atlantic Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doherty, S. J.; Saide, P.; Zuidema, P.; Shinozuka, Y.; daSilva, A.; McFarquhar, G. M.; Pfister, L.; Carmichael, G. R.; Ferrada, G. A.; Howell, S. G.; Freitag, S.; Dobracki, A. N.; Smirnow, N.; Longo, K.; LeBlanc, S. E.; Adebiyi, A. A.; Podolske, J. R.; Small Griswold, J. D.; Hekkila, A.; Ueyama, R.; Wood, R.; Redemann, J.

2017-12-01

From August through October, in the SE Atlantic a plume of biomass burning smoke from central Africa overlays a relatively persistent stratocumulus-to-cumulus cloud deck. These smoke aerosols are believed to have significant climate forcing via aerosol-radiation and aerosol-cloud interactions, though both the magnitude and sign of this forcing is highly uncertain. This is due to large model spread in simulated aerosol and cloud properties and, until now, a sparsity of observations to constrain the models. Here we will present a comparison of both aerosol and cloud properties over the region using data from the first deployment of the NASA ORACLES (ObseRvations of Aerosols above CLouds and their intEractionS) field experiment (August-September 2016). We examine both horizontal and geographic variations in a range of aerosol and cloud properties and their position relative to each other, since the degree to which aerosols and clouds coincide both horizontally and vertically is perhaps the greatest source of uncertainty in their climate forcing.

A Simple Model for the Cloud Adjacency Effect and the Apparent Bluing of Aerosols Near Clouds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marshak, Alexander; Wen, Guoyong; Coakley, James A., Jr.; Remer, Lorraine A.; Loeb,Norman G.; Cahalan, Robert F.

2008-01-01

In determining aerosol-cloud interactions, the properties of aerosols must be characterized in the vicinity of clouds. Numerous studies based on satellite observations have reported that aerosol optical depths increase with increasing cloud cover. Part of the increase comes from the humidification and consequent growth of aerosol particles in the moist cloud environment, but part comes from 3D cloud-radiative transfer effects on the retrieved aerosol properties. Often, discerning whether the observed increases in aerosol optical depths are artifacts or real proves difficult. The paper provides a simple model that quantifies the enhanced illumination of cloud-free columns in the vicinity of clouds that are used in the aerosol retrievals. This model is based on the assumption that the enhancement in the cloud-free column radiance comes from enhanced Rayleigh scattering that results from the presence of the nearby clouds. The enhancement in Rayleigh scattering is estimated using a stochastic cloud model to obtain the radiative flux reflected by broken clouds and comparing this flux with that obtained with the molecules in the atmosphere causing extinction, but no scattering.

Role of Gravity Waves in Determining Cirrus Cloud Properties

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

OCStarr, David; Singleton, Tamara; Lin, Ruei-Fong

2008-01-01

Cirrus clouds are important in the Earth's radiation budget. They typically exhibit variable physical properties within a given cloud system and from system to system. Ambient vertical motion is a key factor in determining the cloud properties in most cases. The obvious exception is convectively generated cirrus (anvils), but even in this case, the subsequent cloud evolution is strongly influenced by the ambient vertical motion field. It is well know that gravity waves are ubiquitous in the atmosphere and occur over a wide range of scales and amplitudes. Moreover, researchers have found that inclusion of statistical account of gravity wave effects can markedly improve the realism of simulations of persisting large-scale cirrus cloud features. Here, we use a 1 -dimensional (z) cirrus cloud model, to systematically examine the effects of gravity waves on cirrus cloud properties. The model includes a detailed representation of cloud microphysical processes (bin microphysics and aerosols) and is run at relatively fine vertical resolution so as to adequately resolve nucleation events, and over an extended time span so as to incorporate the passage of multiple gravity waves. The prescribed gravity waves "propagate" at 15 m s (sup -1), with wavelengths from 5 to 100 km, amplitudes range up to 1 m s (sup -1)'. Despite the fact that the net gravity wave vertical motion forcing is zero, it will be shown that the bulk cloud properties, e.g., vertically-integrated ice water path, can differ quite significantly from simulations without gravity waves and that the effects do depend on the wave characteristics. We conclude that account of gravity wave effects is important if large-scale models are to generate realistic cirrus cloud property climatology (statistics).

Statistical properties of a cloud ensemble - A numerical study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tao, Wei-Kuo; Simpson, Joanne; Soong, Su-Tzai

1987-01-01

The statistical properties of cloud ensembles under a specified large-scale environment, such as mass flux by cloud drafts and vertical velocity as well as the condensation and evaporation associated with these cloud drafts, are examined using a three-dimensional numerical cloud ensemble model described by Soong and Ogura (1980) and Tao and Soong (1986). The cloud drafts are classified as active and inactive, and separate contributions to cloud statistics in areas of different cloud activity are then evaluated. The model results compare well with results obtained from aircraft measurements of a well-organized ITCZ rainband that occurred on August 12, 1974, during the Global Atmospheric Research Program's Atlantic Tropical Experiment.

Determining Best Estimates and Uncertainties in Cloud Microphysical Parameters from ARM Field Data: Implications for Models, Retrieval Schemes and Aerosol-Cloud-Radiation Interactions

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

McFarquhar, Greg

We proposed to analyze in-situ cloud data collected during ARM/ASR field campaigns to create databases of cloud microphysical properties and their uncertainties as needed for the development of improved cloud parameterizations for models and remote sensing retrievals, and for evaluation of model simulations and retrievals. In particular, we proposed to analyze data collected over the Southern Great Plains (SGP) during the Mid-latitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment (MC3E), the Storm Peak Laboratory Cloud Property Validation Experiment (STORMVEX), the Small Particles in Cirrus (SPARTICUS) Experiment and the Routine AAF Clouds with Low Optical Water Depths (CLOWD) Optical Radiative Observations (RACORO) field campaign,more » over the North Slope of Alaska during the Indirect and Semi-Direct Aerosol Campaign (ISDAC) and the Mixed-Phase Arctic Cloud Experiment (M-PACE), and over the Tropical Western Pacific (TWP) during The Tropical Warm Pool International Cloud Experiment (TWP-ICE), to meet the following 3 objectives; derive statistical databases of single ice particle properties (aspect ratio AR, dominant habit, mass, projected area) and distributions of ice crystals (size distributions SDs, mass-dimension m-D, area-dimension A-D relations, mass-weighted fall speeds, single-scattering properties, total concentrations N, ice mass contents IWC), complete with uncertainty estimates; assess processes by which aerosols modulate cloud properties in arctic stratus and mid-latitude cumuli, and quantify aerosol’s influence in context of varying meteorological and surface conditions; and determine how ice cloud microphysical, single-scattering and fall-out properties and contributions of small ice crystals to such properties vary according to location, environment, surface, meteorological and aerosol conditions, and develop parameterizations of such effects.In this report we describe the accomplishments that we made on all 3 research objectives.« less

Progress in Understanding the Impacts of 3-D Cloud Structure on MODIS Cloud Property Retrievals for Marine Boundary Layer Clouds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zhang, Zhibo; Werner, Frank; Miller, Daniel; Platnick, Steven; Ackerman, Andrew; DiGirolamo, Larry; Meyer, Kerry; Marshak, Alexander; Wind, Galina; Zhao, Guangyu

2016-01-01

Theory: A novel framework based on 2-D Tayler expansion for quantifying the uncertainty in MODIS retrievals caused by sub-pixel reflectance inhomogeneity. (Zhang et al. 2016). How cloud vertical structure influences MODIS LWP retrievals. (Miller et al. 2016). Observation: Analysis of failed MODIS cloud property retrievals. (Cho et al. 2015). Cloud property retrievals from 15m resolution ASTER observations. (Werner et al. 2016). Modeling: LES-Satellite observation simulator (Zhang et al. 2012, Miller et al. 2016).

Evaluating aerosol influence on cloud models using in-situ measurements during the INUPIAQ campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farrington, R.; Connolly, P.; Choularton, T.; Bower, K.; Lloyd, G.; Flynn, M.; Crosier, J.; Field, P.

2014-12-01

At temperatures between -35°C and 0°C, the presence of insoluble aerosols acting as ice nuclei (IN) initiate the nucleation of ice under atmospheric conditions. Previous field and laboratory campaigns have suggested that mineral dust present in the atmosphere act as IN at temperatures around -20°C (e.g. Sassen et al. 2003), however the cause of ice nucleation at temperatures of around -5°C is less certain. Coupled with the limited representation of aerosol and cloud processes in large-scale weather and climate models, the need for improved in-situ measurements of aerosol properties and cloud micro-physical processes to drive the improvement of aerosol-clouds processes in models is evident. As part of the Ice NUcleation Process Investigation and Quantification (INUPIAQ) project, two field campaigns were conducted in early 2013 and early 2014. Both campaigns included measurements of cloud micro-physical properties at the summit of Jungfraujoch in Switzerland (3580m asl). Using data from the 2013 campaign and modelling simulations from the Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF), an upwind site, located at Schilthorn (2970m asl), was determined for measuring aerosol properties out of cloud during the 2014 campaign. Further measurements of the cloud and aerosols properties were taken remotely using a doppler LiDAR located at Kleine Scheidegg (2061m asl). The aim of this project is to determine whether detailed aerosol information is important to determining cloud and precipitation properties downwind. To this end WRF was run using the aerosol number concentrations and size distributions measured at the Schilthorn site to compare modelled ice number concentrations with measurements taken at Jungfraujoch using state of the science cloud ice probes, including the Three-View Cloud Particle Imager (3V-CPI) and the Cloud Aerosol Spectrometer with Depolarization (CAS-DPOL), with the results of the comparison presented and discussed at this meeting. ReferencesSassen, K., et al, 2003: Saharan dust storms and indirect aerosol effects on clouds: Crystal-face results. Geophys. Res. Lett., 30(12), 1633-1636.

Parameterization of Cirrus Cloud Vertical Profiles and Geometrical Thickness Using CALIPSO and CloudSat Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khatri, P.; Iwabuchi, H.; Saito, M.

2017-12-01

High-level cirrus clouds, which normally occur over more than 20% of the globe, are known to have profound impacts on energy budget and climate change. The scientific knowledge regarding the vertical structure of such high-level cirrus clouds and their geometrical thickness are relatively poorer compared to low-level water clouds. Knowledge regarding cloud vertical structure is especially important in passive remote sensing of cloud properties using infrared channels or channels strongly influenced by gaseous absorption when clouds are geometrically thick and optically thin. Such information is also very useful for validating cloud resolving numerical models. This study analyzes global scale data of ice clouds identified by Cloud profiling Radar (CPR) onboard CloudSat and Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) onboard CALIPSO to parameterize (i) vertical profiles of ice water content (IWC), cloud-particle effective radius (CER), and ice-particle number concentration for varying ice water path (IWP) values and (ii) the relation of cloud geometrical thickness (CGT) with IWP and CER for varying cloud top temperature (CTT) values. It is found that the maxima in IWC and CER profile shifts towards cloud base with the increase of IWP. Similarly, if the cloud properties remain same, CGT shows an increasing trend with the decrease of CTT. The implementation of such cloud vertical inhomogeneity parameterization in the forward model used in the Integrated Cloud Analysis System ICAS (Iwabuchi et al., 2016) generally shows increase of brightness temperatures in infrared channels compared to vertically homogeneous cloud assumption. The cloud vertical inhomogeneity is found to bring noticeable changes in retrieved cloud properties. Retrieved CER and cloud top height become larger for optically thick cloud. We will show results of comparison of cloud properties retrieved from infrared measurements and active remote sensing.

Representation of Arctic mixed-phase clouds and the Wegener-Bergeron-Findeisen process in climate models: Perspectives from a cloud-resolving study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Jiwen; Ghan, Steven; Ovchinnikov, Mikhail; Liu, Xiaohong; Rasch, Philip J.; Korolev, Alexei

2011-01-01

Two types of Arctic mixed-phase clouds observed during the ISDAC and M-PACE field campaigns are simulated using a 3-dimensional cloud-resolving model (CRM) with size-resolved cloud microphysics. The modeled cloud properties agree reasonably well with aircraft measurements and surface-based retrievals. Cloud properties such as the probability density function (PDF) of vertical velocity (w), cloud liquid and ice, regimes of cloud particle growth, including the Wegener-Bergeron-Findeisen (WBF) process, and the relationships among properties/processes in mixed-phase clouds are examined to gain insights for improving their representation in General Circulation Models (GCMs). The PDF of the simulated w is well represented by a Gaussian function, validating, at least for arctic clouds, the subgrid treatment used in GCMs. The PDFs of liquid and ice water contents can be approximated by Gamma functions, and a Gaussian function can describe the total water distribution, but a fixed variance assumption should be avoided in both cases. The CRM results support the assumption frequently used in GCMs that mixed phase clouds maintain water vapor near liquid saturation. Thus, ice continues to grow throughout the stratiform cloud but the WBF process occurs in about 50% of cloud volume where liquid and ice co-exist, predominantly in downdrafts. In updrafts, liquid and ice particles grow simultaneously. The relationship between the ice depositional growth rate and cloud ice strongly depends on the capacitance of ice particles. The simplified size-independent capacitance of ice particles used in GCMs could lead to large deviations in ice depositional growth.

Investigation of the effects of the macrophysical and microphysical properties of cirrus clouds on the retrieval of optical properties: Results for FIRE 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stackhouse, Paul W., Jr.; Stephens, Graeme L.

1993-01-01

Due to the prevalence and persistence of cirrus cloudiness across the globe, cirrus clouds are believed to have an important effect on the climate. Stephens et al., (1990) among others have shown that the important factor determining how cirrus clouds modulate the climate is the balance between the albedo and emittance effect of the cloud systems. This factor was shown to depend in part upon the effective sizes of the cirrus cloud particles. Since effective sizes of cirrus cloud microphysical distributions are used as a basis of parameterizations in climate models, it is crucial that the relationships between effective sizes and radiative properties be clearly established. In this preliminary study, the retrieval of cirrus cloud effective sizes are examined using a two dimensional radiative transfer model for a cirrus cloud case sampled during FIRE Cirrus 11. The purpose of this paper is to present preliminary results from the SHSG model demonstrating the sensitivity of the bispectral relationships of reflected radiances and thus the retrieval of effective sizes to phase function and dimensionality.

Simultaneous and synergistic profiling of cloud and drizzle properties using ground-based observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rusli, Stephanie P.; Donovan, David P.; Russchenberg, Herman W. J.

2017-12-01

Despite the importance of radar reflectivity (Z) measurements in the retrieval of liquid water cloud properties, it remains nontrivial to interpret Z due to the possible presence of drizzle droplets within the clouds. So far, there has been no published work that utilizes Z to identify the presence of drizzle above the cloud base in an optimized and a physically consistent manner. In this work, we develop a retrieval technique that exploits the synergy of different remote sensing systems to carry out this task and to subsequently profile the microphysical properties of the cloud and drizzle in a unified framework. This is accomplished by using ground-based measurements of Z, lidar attenuated backscatter below as well as above the cloud base, and microwave brightness temperatures. Fast physical forward models coupled to cloud and drizzle structure parameterization are used in an optimal-estimation-type framework in order to retrieve the best estimate for the cloud and drizzle property profiles. The cloud retrieval is first evaluated using synthetic signals generated from large-eddy simulation (LES) output to verify the forward models used in the retrieval procedure and the vertical parameterization of the liquid water content (LWC). From this exercise it is found that, on average, the cloud properties can be retrieved within 5 % of the mean truth. The full cloud-drizzle retrieval method is then applied to a selected ACCEPT (Analysis of the Composition of Clouds with Extended Polarization Techniques) campaign dataset collected in Cabauw, the Netherlands. An assessment of the retrieval products is performed using three independent methods from the literature; each was specifically developed to retrieve only the cloud properties, the drizzle properties below the cloud base, or the drizzle fraction within the cloud. One-to-one comparisons, taking into account the uncertainties or limitations of each retrieval, show that our results are consistent with what is derived using the three independent methods.

Instantaneous Linkages between Clouds and Large-Scale Meteorology over the Southern Ocean in Observations and a Climate Model

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

Wall, Casey J.; Hartmann, Dennis L.; Ma, Po-Lun

Instantaneous, coincident, footprint-level satellite observations of cloud properties and radiation taken during austral summer over the Southern Ocean are used to study relationships between clouds and large-scale meteorology. Cloud properties are very sensitive to the strength of vertical motion in the middle-troposphere, and low-cloud properties are sensitive to estimated inversion strength, low-level temperature advection, and sea surface temperature. These relationships are quantified. An index for the meteorological anomalies associated with midlatitude cyclones is presented, and it is used to reveal the sensitivity of clouds to the meteorology within the warm- and cold-sector of cyclones. The observed relationships between clouds andmore » meteorology are compared to those in the Community Atmosphere Model version 5 (CAM5) using satellite simulators. Low-clouds simulated by CAM5 are too few, too bright, and contain too much ice, and low-clouds located in the cold-sector of cyclones are too sensitive to variations in the meteorology. The latter two biases are dramatically reduced when CAM5 is coupled with an updated boundary layer parameterization know as Cloud Layers Unified by Binormals (CLUBB). More generally, this study demonstrates that examining the instantaneous timescale is a powerful approach to understanding the physical processes that control clouds and how they are represented in climate models. Such an evaluation goes beyond the cloud climatology and exposes model bias under various meteorological conditions.« less

Extraction of Profile Information from Cloud Contaminated Radiances. Appendixes 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, W. L.; Zhou, D. K.; Huang, H.-L.; Li, Jun; Liu, X.; Larar, A. M.

2003-01-01

Clouds act to reduce the signal level and may produce noise dependence on the complexity of the cloud properties and the manner in which they are treated in the profile retrieval process. There are essentially three ways to extract profile information from cloud contaminated radiances: (1) cloud-clearing using spatially adjacent cloud contaminated radiance measurements, (2) retrieval based upon the assumption of opaque cloud conditions, and (3) retrieval or radiance assimilation using a physically correct cloud radiative transfer model which accounts for the absorption and scattering of the radiance observed. Cloud clearing extracts the radiance arising from the clear air portion of partly clouded fields of view permitting soundings to the surface or the assimilation of radiances as in the clear field of view case. However, the accuracy of the clear air radiance signal depends upon the cloud height and optical property uniformity across the two fields of view used in the cloud clearing process. The assumption of opaque clouds within the field of view permits relatively accurate profiles to be retrieved down to near cloud top levels, the accuracy near the cloud top level being dependent upon the actual microphysical properties of the cloud. The use of a physically correct cloud radiative transfer model enables accurate retrievals down to cloud top levels and below semi-transparent cloud layers (e.g., cirrus). It should also be possible to assimilate cloudy radiances directly into the model given a physically correct cloud radiative transfer model using geometric and microphysical cloud parameters retrieved from the radiance spectra as initial cloud variables in the radiance assimilation process. This presentation reviews the above three ways to extract profile information from cloud contaminated radiances. NPOESS Airborne Sounder Testbed-Interferometer radiance spectra and Aqua satellite AIRS radiance spectra are used to illustrate how cloudy radiances can be used in the profile retrieval process.

Climatology analysis of cirrus cloud in ARM site: South Great Plain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olayinka, K.

2017-12-01

Cirrus cloud play an important role in the atmospheric energy balance and hence in the earth's climate system. The properties of optically thin clouds can be determined from measurements of transmission of the direct solar beam. The accuracy of cloud optical properties determined in this way is compromised by contamination of the direct transmission by light that is scattered into the sensors field of view. With the forward scattering correction method developed by Min et al., (2004), the accuracy of thin cloud retrievals from MFRSR has been improved. Our result shows over 30% of cirrus cloud present in the atmosphere are within optical depth between (1-2). In this study, we do statistics studies on cirrus clouds properties based on multi-years cirrus cloud measurements from MFRSR at ARM site from the South Great Plain (SGP) site due to its relatively easy accessibility, wide variability of climate cloud types and surface flux properties, large seasonal variation in temperature and specific humidity. Through the statistic studies, temporal and spatial variations of cirrus clouds are investigated. Since the presence of cirrus cloud increases the effect of greenhouse gases, we will retrieve the aerosol optical depth in all the cirrus cloud regions using a radiative transfer model for atmospheric correction. Calculate thin clouds optical depth (COD), and aerosol optical depth (AOD) using a radiative transfer model algorithm, e.g.: MODTRAN (MODerate resolution atmospheric TRANsmission)

Modeling Cloud Phase Fraction Based on In-situ Observations in Stratiform Clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boudala, F. S.; Isaac, G. A.

2005-12-01

Mixed-phase clouds influence weather and climate in several ways. Due to the fact that they exhibit very different optical properties as compared to ice or liquid only clouds, they play an important role in the earth's radiation balance by modifying the optical properties of clouds. Precipitation development in clouds is also enhanced under mixed-phase conditions and these clouds may contain large supercooled drops that freeze quickly in contact with aircraft surfaces that may be a hazard to aviation. The existence of ice and liquid phase clouds together in the same environment is thermodynamically unstable, and thus they are expected to disappear quickly. However, several observations show that mixed-phase clouds are relatively stable in the natural environment and last for several hours. Although there have been some efforts being made in the past to study the microphysical properties of mixed-phase clouds, there are still a number of uncertainties in modeling these clouds particularly in large scale numerical models. In most models, very simple temperature dependent parameterizations of cloud phase fraction are being used to estimate the fraction of ice or liquid phase in a given mixed-phase cloud. In this talk, two different parameterizations of ice fraction using in-situ aircraft measurements of cloud microphysical properties collected in extratropical stratiform clouds during several field programs will be presented. One of the parameterizations has been tested using a single prognostic equation developed by Tremblay et al. (1996) for application in the Canadian regional weather prediction model. The addition of small ice particles significantly increased the vapor deposition rate when the natural atmosphere is assumed to be water saturated, and thus this enhanced the glaciation of simulated mixed-phase cloud via the Bergeron-Findeisen process without significantly affecting the other cloud microphysical processes such as riming and particle sedimentation rates. After the water vapor pressure in mixed-phase cloud was modified based on the Lord et al. (1984) scheme by weighting the saturation water vapor pressure with ice fraction, it was possible to simulate more stable mixed-phase cloud. It was also noted that the ice particle concentration (L>100 μm) in mixed-phase cloud is lower on average by a factor 3 and as a result the parameterization should be corrected for this effect. After accounting for this effect, the parameterized ice fraction agreed well with observed mean ice fraction.

Antarctic cloud and surface properties: Satellite observations and climate implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berque, Joannes

2004-12-01

The radiative effect of clouds in the Antarctic, although small at the top of the atmosphere, is very large within the surface-atmosphere system, and influences a variety of climate processes on a global scale. Because field observations are difficult in the Antarctic interior, satellite observations may be especially valuable in this region; but the remote sensing of clouds and surface properties over the high ice sheets is problematic due to the lack of radiometric contrast between clouds and the snow. A radiative transfer model of the Antarctic snow-atmosphere system is developed, and a new method is proposed for the examination of the problem of cloud properties retrieval from multi-spectral measurements. Key limitations are identified, and a method is developed to overcome them. Using data from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) onboard National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) polar orbiters, snow grain size is retrieved over the course of a summer. Significant variability is observed, and it appears related to major precipitation events. A radiative transfer model and a single-column model are used to evaluate the impact of this variability on the Antarctic plateau. The range of observed grain size induces changes of up to 30 Wm-2 on the absorption of shortwave radiation in both models. Cloud properties are then retrieved in summertime imagery of the South Pole. Comparison of model to observations over a wide range of cloud optical depths suggests that this method allows the meaningful interpretation of AVHRR radiances in terms of cloud properties over the Antarctic plateau. The radiative effect of clouds at the top of the atmosphere is evaluated over the South Pole with ground-based lidar observations and data from Clouds and the Earth Radiant Energy System (CERES) onboard NASA's Terra satellite. In accord with previous work, results indicate that the shortwave and net effect are one of cooling throughout the year, while the longwave effect is one of cooling in winter and slight warming in summer.

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

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

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.

Determinants of Low Cloud Properties - An Artificial Neural Network Approach Using Observation Data Sets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andersen, Hendrik; Cermak, Jan

2015-04-01

This contribution studies the determinants of low cloud properties based on the application of various global observation data sets in machine learning algorithms. Clouds play a crucial role in the climate system as their radiative properties and precipitation patterns significantly impact the Earth's energy balance. Cloud properties are determined by environmental conditions, as cloud formation requires the availability of water vapour ("precipitable water") and condensation nuclei in sufficiently saturated conditions. A main challenge in the research of aerosol-cloud interactions is the separation of aerosol effects from meteorological influence. To gain understanding of the processes that govern low cloud properties in order to increase accuracy of climate models and predictions of future changes in the climate system is thus of great importance. In this study, artificial neural networks are used to relate a selection of predictors (meteorological parameters, aerosol loading) to a set of predictands (cloud microphysical and optical properties). As meteorological parameters, wind direction and velocity, sea level pressure, static stability of the lower troposphere, atmospheric water vapour and temperature at the surface are used (re-analysis data by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts). In addition to meteorological conditions, aerosol loading is used as a predictor of cloud properties (MODIS collection 6 aerosol optical depth). The statistical model reveals significant relationships between predictors and predictands and is able to represent the aerosol-cloud-meteorology system better than frequently used bivariate relationships. The most important predictors can be identified by the additional error when excluding one predictor at a time. The sensitivity of each predictand to each of the predictors is analyzed.

Satellite Analyses of Cirrus Cloud Properties During the FIRE Phase 2 Cirrus Intensive Field Observations over Kansas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Minnis, Patrick; Young, David F.; Heck, Patrick W.; Liou, Kuo-Nan; Takano, Yoshihide

1992-01-01

The First ISCCP (International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project) Regional Experiment (FIRE) Phase II Intensive Field Observations (IFO) were taken over southeastern Kansas between November 13 and December 7,1991, to determine cirrus cloud properties. The observations include in situ microphysical data; surface, aircraft, and satellite remote sensing; and measurements of divergence over meso- and smaller-scale areas using wind profilers. Satellite remote sensing of cloud characteristics is an essential aspect for understanding and predicting the role of clouds in climate variations. The objectives of the satellite cloud analysis during FIRE are to validate cloud property retrievals, develop advanced methods for extracting cloud information from satellite-measured radiances, and provide multiscale cloud data for cloud process studies and for verification of cloud generation models. This paper presents the initial results of cloud property analyses during FIRE-II using Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) data and NOAA Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) radiances.

Validating Satellite-Retrieved Cloud Properties for Weather and Climate Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Minnis, P.; Bedka, K. M.; Smith, W., Jr.; Yost, C. R.; Bedka, S. T.; Palikonda, R.; Spangenberg, D.; Sun-Mack, S.; Trepte, Q.; Dong, X.; Xi, B.

2014-12-01

Cloud properties determined from satellite imager radiances are increasingly used in weather and climate applications, particularly in nowcasting, model assimilation and validation, trend monitoring, and precipitation and radiation analyses. The value of using the satellite-derived cloud parameters is determined by the accuracy of the particular parameter for a given set of conditions, such as viewing and illumination angles, surface background, and cloud type and structure. Because of the great variety of those conditions and of the sensors used to monitor clouds, determining the accuracy or uncertainties in the retrieved cloud parameters is a daunting task. Sensitivity studies of the retrieved parameters to the various inputs for a particular cloud type are helpful for understanding the errors associated with the retrieval algorithm relative to the plane-parallel world assumed in most of the model clouds that serve as the basis for the retrievals. Real world clouds, however, rarely fit the plane-parallel mold and generate radiances that likely produce much greater errors in the retrieved parameter than can be inferred from sensitivity analyses. Thus, independent, empirical methods are used to provide a more reliable uncertainty analysis. At NASA Langley, cloud properties are being retrieved from both geostationary (GEO) and low-earth orbiting (LEO) satellite imagers for climate monitoring and model validation as part of the NASA CERES project since 2000 and from AVHRR data since 1978 as part of the NOAA CDR program. Cloud properties are also being retrieved in near-real time globally from both GEO and LEO satellites for weather model assimilation and nowcasting for hazards such as aircraft icing. This paper discusses the various independent datasets and approaches that are used to assessing the imager-based satellite cloud retrievals. These include, but are not limited to data from ARM sites, CloudSat, and CALIPSO. This paper discusses the use of the various datasets available, the methods employed to utilize them in the cloud property retrieval validation process, and the results and how they aid future development of the retrieval algorithms. Future needs are also discussed.

Evaluation of ACCESS Model Cloud Properties Over the SouthernOcean Area Using Multiple-satellite ProductsSan Luo1,2 Zhian Sun2, Xiaogu Zheng1, Lawrie Rikus2 and Charmaine Franklin31 College of Global Change and Earth System Science, Beijing Normal University, China 2 Collaboration for Australian Weather and Climate Research3 CSIRO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, S.

2016-12-01

Radiation field and cloud properties over the Southern Ocean area generated by the Australian Community Climate and Earth System Simulator (ACCESS) are evaluated using multiple-satellite products from the Fast Longwave And Shortwave radiative Fluxes (FLASHFlux) project and NASA/GEWEX surface radiation budget (SRB) data. The cloud properties are also evaluated using the observational simulator package COSP, a synthetic brightness temperature model (SBTM) and cloud liquid-water path data (UWisc) from the University of Wisconsin satellite retrievals. All of these evaluations are focused on the Southern Ocean area in an effort to understand the reasons behind the short-wave radiation biases at the surface. It is found that the model overestimates the high-level cloud fraction and frequency of occurrence of small ice-water content and underestimates the middle and low-level cloud fraction and water content. In order to improve the modelled radiation fields over the Southern Ocean area, two main modifications have been made to the physical schemes in the ACCESS model. Firstly the autoconversion rate at which the cloud water is converted into rain and the accretion rate in the warm rain scheme have been modified, which increases the cloud liquid-water content in warm cloud layers. Secondly, the scheme which determines the fraction of supercooled liquid water in mixed-phase clouds in the parametrization of cloud optical properties has been changed to use one derived from CALIPSO data which provides larger liquid cloud fractions and thus higher optical depths than the default scheme. Sensitivity tests of these two schemes in ACCESS climate runs have shown that applying either can lead to a reduction of the solar radiation reaching the surface and reduce the short-wave radiation biases.

Understand rotating isothermal collapses yet

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

Tohline, J.E.

1985-01-01

A scalar virial equation is used to describe the dynamic properties of equilibrium gas clouds, taking into account the relative effects of surface pressure, rotation, self gravity and internal isothermal pressure. Details concerning the internal structure of the clouds are ignored in order to obtain a globalized analytical expression. The obtained solution to the equation is found to agree with the surface-pressure-dominated model of Stahler (1983), and the rotation-dominated model of Hayashi, Narita, and Miyama (1982). On the basis of the analytical expression of virial equilibrium in the clouds, some of the limiting properties of isothermal clouds are described, andmore » a realistic starting model for cloud collapse is proposed. 18 references.« less

Infrared Retrievals of Ice Cloud Properties and Uncertainties with an Optimal Estimation Retrieval Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2014-12-01

We developed an optimal estimation (OE)-based method using infrared (IR) observations to retrieve ice cloud optical thickness (COT), cloud effective radius (CER), and cloud top height (CTH) simultaneously. The OE-based retrieval is coupled with a fast IR radiative transfer model (RTM) that simulates observations of different sensors, and corresponding Jacobians in cloudy atmospheres. Ice cloud optical properties are calculated using the MODIS Collection 6 (C6) ice crystal habit (severely roughened hexagonal column aggregates). The OE-based method can be applied to various IR space-borne and airborne sensors, such as the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and the enhanced MODIS Airborne Simulator (eMAS), by optimally selecting IR bands with high information content. Four major error sources (i.e., the measurement error, fast RTM error, model input error, and pre-assumed ice crystal habit error) are taken into account in our OE retrieval method. We show that measurement error and fast RTM error have little impact on cloud retrievals, whereas errors from the model input and pre-assumed ice crystal habit significantly increase retrieval uncertainties when the cloud is optically thin. Comparisons between the OE-retrieved ice cloud properties and other operational cloud products (e.g., the MODIS C6 and CALIOP cloud products) are shown.

Retrieval of cloud microphysical parameters from INSAT-3D: a feasibility study using radiative transfer simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jinya, John; Bipasha, Paul S.

2016-05-01

Clouds strongly modulate the Earths energy balance and its atmosphere through their interaction with the solar and terrestrial radiation. They interact with radiation in various ways like scattering, emission and absorption. By observing these changes in radiation at different wavelength, cloud properties can be estimated. Cloud properties are of utmost importance in studying different weather and climate phenomena. At present, no satellite provides cloud microphysical parameters over the Indian region with high temporal resolution. INSAT-3D imager observations in 6 spectral channels from geostationary platform offer opportunity to study continuous cloud properties over Indian region. Visible (0.65 μm) and shortwave-infrared (1.67 μm) channel radiances can be used to retrieve cloud microphysical parameters such as cloud optical thickness (COT) and cloud effective radius (CER). In this paper, we have carried out a feasibility study with the objective of cloud microphysics retrieval. For this, an inter-comparison of 15 globally available radiative transfer models (RTM) were carried out with the aim of generating a Look-up- Table (LUT). SBDART model was chosen for the simulations. The sensitivity of each spectral channel to different cloud properties was investigated. The inputs to the RT model were configured over our study region (50°S - 50°N and 20°E - 130°E) and a large number of simulations were carried out using random input vectors to generate the LUT. The determination of cloud optical thickness and cloud effective radius from spectral reflectance measurements constitutes the inverse problem and is typically solved by comparing the measured reflectances with entries in LUT and searching for the combination of COT and CER that gives the best fit. The products are available on the website www.mosdac.gov.in

An automated cirrus classification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gryspeerdt, Edward; Quaas, Johannes; Goren, Tom; Klocke, Daniel; Brueck, Matthias

2018-05-01

Cirrus clouds play an important role in determining the radiation budget of the earth, but many of their properties remain uncertain, particularly their response to aerosol variations and to warming. Part of the reason for this uncertainty is the dependence of cirrus cloud properties on the cloud formation mechanism, which itself is strongly dependent on the local meteorological conditions. In this work, a classification system (Identification and Classification of Cirrus or IC-CIR) is introduced to identify cirrus clouds by the cloud formation mechanism. Using reanalysis and satellite data, cirrus clouds are separated into four main types: orographic, frontal, convective and synoptic. Through a comparison to convection-permitting model simulations and back-trajectory-based analysis, it is shown that these observation-based regimes can provide extra information on the cloud-scale updraughts and the frequency of occurrence of liquid-origin ice, with the convective regime having higher updraughts and a greater occurrence of liquid-origin ice compared to the synoptic regimes. Despite having different cloud formation mechanisms, the radiative properties of the regimes are not distinct, indicating that retrieved cloud properties alone are insufficient to completely describe them. This classification is designed to be easily implemented in GCMs, helping improve future model-observation comparisons and leading to improved parametrisations of cirrus cloud processes.

Study of cloud properties using airborne and satellite measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boscornea, Andreea; Stefan, Sabina; Vajaiac, Sorin Nicolae

2014-08-01

The present study investigates cloud microphysics properties using aircraft and satellite measurements. Cloud properties were drawn from data acquired both from in situ measurements with state of the art airborne instrumentation and from satellite products of the MODIS06 System. The used aircraft was ATMOSLAB - Airborne Laboratory for Environmental Atmospheric Research, property of the National Institute for Aerospace Research "Elie Carafoli" (INCAS), Bucharest, Romania, which is specially equipped for this kind of research. The main tool of the airborne laboratory is a Cloud, Aerosol and Precipitation Spectrometer - CAPS (30 bins, 0.51- 50 μm). The data was recorded during two flights during the winter 2013-2014, over a flat region in the south-eastern part of Romania (between Bucharest and Constanta). The analysis of cloud particle size variations and cloud liquid water content provided by CAPS can explain cloud processes, and can also indicate the extent of aerosols effects on clouds. The results, such as cloud coverage and/or cloud types, microphysical parameters of aerosols on the one side and the cloud microphysics parameters obtained from aircraft flights on the other side, was used to illustrate the importance of microphysics cloud properties for including the radiative effects of clouds in the regional climate models.

Understanding Ice Supersaturation, Particle Growth, and Number Concentration in Cirrus Clouds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Comstock, Jennifer M.; Lin, Ruei-Fong; Starr, David O'C.; Yang, Ping

2008-01-01

Many factors control the ice supersaturation and microphysical properties in cirrus clouds. We explore the effects of dynamic forcing, ice nucleation mechanisms, and ice crystal growth rate on the evolution and distribution of water vapor and cloud properties in nighttime cirrus clouds using a one-dimensional cloud model with bin microphysics and remote sensing measurements obtained at the Department of Energy's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility located near Lamont, OK. We forced the model using both large-scale vertical ascent and, for the first time, mean mesoscale velocity derived from radar Doppler velocity measurements. Both heterogeneous and homogeneous nucleation processes are explored, where a classical theory heterogeneous scheme is compared with empirical representations. We evaluated model simulations by examining both bulk cloud properties and distributions of measured radar reflectivity, lidar extinction, and water vapor profiles, as well as retrieved cloud microphysical properties. Our results suggest that mesoscale variability is the primary mechanism needed to reproduce observed quantities. Model sensitivity to the ice growth rate is also investigated. The most realistic simulations as compared with observations are forced using mesoscale waves, include fast ice crystal growth, and initiate ice by either homogeneous or heterogeneous nucleation. Simulated ice crystal number concentrations (tens to hundreds particles per liter) are typically two orders of magnitude smaller than previously published results based on aircraft measurements in cirrus clouds, although higher concentrations are possible in isolated pockets within the nucleation zone.

Spectral Dependence of MODIS Cloud Droplet Effective Radius Retrievals for Marine Boundary Layer Clouds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zhang, Zhibo; Platnick, Steven E.; Ackerman, Andrew S.; Cho, Hyoun-Myoung

2014-01-01

Low-level warm marine boundary layer (MBL) clouds cover large regions of Earth's surface. They have a significant role in Earth's radiative energy balance and hydrological cycle. Despite the fundamental role of low-level warm water clouds in climate, our understanding of these clouds is still limited. In particular, connections between their properties (e.g. cloud fraction, cloud water path, and cloud droplet size) and environmental factors such as aerosol loading and meteorological conditions continue to be uncertain or unknown. Modeling these clouds in climate models remains a challenging problem. As a result, the influence of aerosols on these clouds in the past and future, and the potential impacts of these clouds on global warming remain open questions leading to substantial uncertainty in climate projections. To improve our understanding of these clouds, we need continuous observations of cloud properties on both a global scale and over a long enough timescale for climate studies. At present, satellite-based remote sensing is the only means of providing such observations.

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.

The Role of Clouds in the Long-Term Habitability of Planets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Toon, Owen B.; Tolbert, Margaret

2000-01-01

We proposed to conduct theoretical and laboratory investigations of the role that clouds play in the long-term climate history of the Earth and other habitable planets. We made significant progress in the first area we proposed to consider- the properties of carbon dioxide clouds in atmospheres that are rich in carbon dioxide. We submitted a modeling paper on the microphysical properties of the clouds to Icarus showing that such clouds are unlikely to play an important role in the early greenhouses on Earth or Mars. The model was based on lab studies of the nucleation and growth of carbon dioxide. We have also submitted a manuscript describing these lab studies to Icarus. These lab studies are critical not only to the ancient Mars atmosphere, but also to the current one. We also submitted a paper to Nature describing modeling of current Martian CO2 clouds. We will also model the properties of water clouds in the early history of Earth. Early in Earth's history the atmosphere contained no free oxygen. Without oxygen, sulfate aerosols that are currently the dominant cloud nuclei, cannot form. Without such nuclei the cloud structure would have been far different than it is now. We initiated studies of the aerosols on Titan as part of this work. We reported these studies in a short paper on nucleation and in several conferences.

A Mixed Phase Tale: New Ways of using in-situ cloud observations to reduce climate model biases in Southern Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gettelman, A.; Stith, J. L.

2014-12-01

Southern ocean clouds are a critical part of the earth's energy budget, and significant biases in the climatology of these clouds exist in models used to predict climate change. We compare in situ measurements of cloud microphysical properties of ice and liquid over the S. Ocean with constrained output from the atmospheric component of an Earth System Model. Observations taken during the HIAPER (the NSF/NCAR G-V aircraft) Pole-to-Pole Observations (HIPPO) multi-year field campaign are compared with simulations from the atmospheric component of the Community Earth System Model (CESM). Remarkably, CESM is able to accurately simulate the locations of cloud formation, and even cloud microphysical properties are comparable between the model and observations. Significantly, the simulations do not predict sufficient supercooled liquid. Altering the model cloud and aerosol processes to better reproduce the observations of supercooled liquid acts to reduce long-standing biases in S. Ocean clouds in CESM, which are typical of other models. Furthermore, sensitivity tests show where better observational constraints on aerosols and cloud microphysics can reduce uncertainty and biases in global models. These results are intended to show how we can connect large scale simulations with field observations in the S. Ocean to better understand Southern Ocean cloud processes and reduce biases in global climate simulations.

Global Multispectral Cloud Retrievals from MODIS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

King, Michael D.; Platnick, Steven; Ackerman, Steven A.; Menzel, W. Paul; Riedi, Jerome C.; Baum, Bryan A.

2003-01-01

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) was developed by NASA and launched onboard the Terra spacecraft on December 18,1999 and Aqua spacecraft on May 4,2002. It achieved its final orbit and began Earth observations on February 24, 2000 for Terra and June 24, 2002 for Aqua. A comprehensive set of remote sensing algorithms for cloud masking and the retrieval of cloud physical and optical properties has been developed by members of the MODIS atmosphere science team. The archived products from these algorithms have applications in climate change studies, climate modeling, numerical weather prediction, as well as fundamental atmospheric research. In addition to an extensive cloud mask, products include cloud-top properties (temperature, pressure, effective emissivity), cloud thermodynamic phase, cloud optical and microphysical parameters (optical thickness, effective particle radius, water path), as well as derived statistics. We will describe the various cloud properties being analyzed on a global basis from both Terra and Aqua, and will show characteristics of cloud optical and microphysical properties as a function of latitude for land and ocean separately, and contrast the statistical properties of similar cloud types in various parts of the world.

Direct Comparisons of Ice Cloud Macro- and Microphysical Properties Simulated by the Community Atmosphere Model CAM5 with HIPPO Aircraft Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, C.; Liu, X.; Diao, M.; Zhang, K.; Gettelman, A.

2015-12-01

A dominant source of uncertainty within climate system modeling lies in the representation of cloud processes. This is not only because of the great complexity in cloud microphysics, but also because of the large variations of cloud amount and macroscopic properties in time and space. In this study, the cloud properties simulated by the Community Atmosphere Model version 5.4 (CAM5.4) are evaluated using the HIAPER Pole-to-Pole Observations (HIPPO, 2009-2011). CAM5.4 is driven by the meteorology (U, V, and T) from GEOS5 analysis, while water vapor, hydrometeors and aerosols are calculated by the model itself. For direct comparison of CAM5.4 and HIPPO observations, model output is collocated with HIPPO flights. Generally, the model has an ability to capture specific cloud systems of meso- to large-scales. In total, the model can reproduce 80% of observed cloud occurrences inside model grid boxes, and even higher (93%) for ice clouds (T≤-40°C). However, the model produces plenty of clouds that are not presented in the observation. The model also simulates significantly larger cloud fraction including for ice clouds compared to the observation. Further analysis shows that the overestimation is a result of bias in relative humidity (RH) in the model. The bias of RH can be mostly attributed to the discrepancies of water vapor, and to a lesser extent to those of temperature. Down to the micro-scale level of ice clouds, the model can simulate reasonably well the magnitude of ice and snow number concentration (Ni, with diameter larger than 75 μm). However, the model simulates fewer occurrences of Ni>50 L-1. This can be partially ascribed to the low bias of aerosol number concentration (Naer, with diameter between 0.1-1 μm) simulated by the model. Moreover, the model significantly underestimates both the number mean diameter (Di,n) and the volume mean diameter (Di,v) of ice/snow. The result shows that the underestimation may be related to a weaker positive relationship between Di,n and Naer and/or the underestimation of Naer. Finally, it is suggested that better representation of sub-grid variability of meteorology (e.g., water vapor) is needed to improve the formation and evolution of ice clouds in the model.

On the validation of cloud parametrization schemes in numerical atmospheric models with satellite data from ISCCP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meinke, I.

2003-04-01

A new method is presented to validate cloud parametrization schemes in numerical atmospheric models with satellite data of scanning radiometers. This method is applied to the regional atmospheric model HRM (High Resolution Regional Model) using satellite data from ISCCP (International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project). Due to the limited reliability of former validations there has been a need for developing a new validation method: Up to now differences between simulated and measured cloud properties are mostly declared as deficiencies of the cloud parametrization scheme without further investigation. Other uncertainties connected with the model or with the measurements have not been taken into account. Therefore changes in the cloud parametrization scheme based on such kind of validations might not be realistic. The new method estimates uncertainties of the model and the measurements. Criteria for comparisons of simulated and measured data are derived to localize deficiencies in the model. For a better specification of these deficiencies simulated clouds are classified regarding their parametrization. With this classification the localized model deficiencies are allocated to a certain parametrization scheme. Applying this method to the regional model HRM the quality of forecasting cloud properties is estimated in detail. The overestimation of simulated clouds in low emissivity heights especially during the night is localized as model deficiency. This is caused by subscale cloudiness. As the simulation of subscale clouds in the regional model HRM is described by a relative humidity parametrization these deficiencies are connected with this parameterization.

Retrieval of ice cloud properties using an optimal estimation algorithm and MODIS infrared observations: 1. Forward model, error analysis, and information content

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Chenxi; Platnick, Steven; Zhang, Zhibo; Meyer, Kerry; Yang, Ping

2016-05-01

An optimal estimation (OE) retrieval method is developed to infer three ice cloud properties simultaneously: optical thickness (τ), effective radius (reff), and cloud top height (h). This method is based on a fast radiative transfer (RT) model and infrared (IR) observations from the MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). This study conducts thorough error and information content analyses to understand the error propagation and performance of retrievals from various MODIS band combinations under different cloud/atmosphere states. Specifically, the algorithm takes into account four error sources: measurement uncertainty, fast RT model uncertainty, uncertainties in ancillary data sets (e.g., atmospheric state), and assumed ice crystal habit uncertainties. It is found that the ancillary and ice crystal habit error sources dominate the MODIS IR retrieval uncertainty and cannot be ignored. The information content analysis shows that for a given ice cloud, the use of four MODIS IR observations is sufficient to retrieve the three cloud properties. However, the selection of MODIS IR bands that provide the most information and their order of importance varies with both the ice cloud properties and the ambient atmospheric and the surface states. As a result, this study suggests the inclusion of all MODIS IR bands in practice since little a priori information is available.

Retrieval of ice cloud properties using an optimal estimation algorithm and MODIS infrared observations. Part I: Forward model, error analysis, and information content.

PubMed

Wang, Chenxi; Platnick, Steven; Zhang, Zhibo; Meyer, Kerry; Yang, Ping

2016-05-27

An optimal estimation (OE) retrieval method is developed to infer three ice cloud properties simultaneously: optical thickness ( τ ), effective radius ( r eff ), and cloud-top height ( h ). This method is based on a fast radiative transfer (RT) model and infrared (IR) observations from the MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). This study conducts thorough error and information content analyses to understand the error propagation and performance of retrievals from various MODIS band combinations under different cloud/atmosphere states. Specifically, the algorithm takes into account four error sources: measurement uncertainty, fast RT model uncertainty, uncertainties in ancillary datasets (e.g., atmospheric state), and assumed ice crystal habit uncertainties. It is found that the ancillary and ice crystal habit error sources dominate the MODIS IR retrieval uncertainty and cannot be ignored. The information content analysis shows that, for a given ice cloud, the use of four MODIS IR observations is sufficient to retrieve the three cloud properties. However, the selection of MODIS IR bands that provide the most information and their order of importance varies with both the ice cloud properties and the ambient atmospheric and the surface states. As a result, this study suggests the inclusion of all MODIS IR bands in practice since little a priori information is available.

Using Radar, Lidar, and Radiometer measurements to Classify Cloud Type and Study Middle-Level Cloud Properties

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

Wang, Zhien

2010-06-29

The project is mainly focused on the characterization of cloud macrophysical and microphysical properties, especially for mixed-phased clouds and middle level ice clouds by combining radar, lidar, and radiometer measurements available from the ACRF sites. First, an advanced mixed-phase cloud retrieval algorithm will be developed to cover all mixed-phase clouds observed at the ACRF NSA site. The algorithm will be applied to the ACRF NSA observations to generate a long-term arctic mixed-phase cloud product for model validations and arctic mixed-phase cloud processes studies. To improve the representation of arctic mixed-phase clouds in GCMs, an advanced understanding of mixed-phase cloud processesmore » is needed. By combining retrieved mixed-phase cloud microphysical properties with in situ data and large-scale meteorological data, the project aim to better understand the generations of ice crystals in supercooled water clouds, the maintenance mechanisms of the arctic mixed-phase clouds, and their connections with large-scale dynamics. The project will try to develop a new retrieval algorithm to study more complex mixed-phase clouds observed at the ACRF SGP site. Compared with optically thin ice clouds, optically thick middle level ice clouds are less studied because of limited available tools. The project will develop a new two wavelength radar technique for optically thick ice cloud study at SGP site by combining the MMCR with the W-band radar measurements. With this new algorithm, the SGP site will have a better capability to study all ice clouds. Another area of the proposal is to generate long-term cloud type classification product for the multiple ACRF sites. The cloud type classification product will not only facilitates the generation of the integrated cloud product by applying different retrieval algorithms to different types of clouds operationally, but will also support other research to better understand cloud properties and to validate model simulations. The ultimate goal is to improve our cloud classification algorithm into a VAP.« less

Parameterization of the Extinction Coefficient in Ice and Mixed-Phase Arctic Clouds during the ISDAC Field Campaign

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

Korolev, A; Shashkov, A; Barker, H

This report documents the history of attempts to directly measure cloud extinction, the current measurement device known as the Cloud Extinction Probe (CEP), specific problems with direct measurement of extinction coefficient, and the attempts made here to address these problems. Extinction coefficient is one of the fundamental microphysical parameters characterizing bulk properties of clouds. Knowledge of extinction coefficient is of crucial importance for radiative transfer calculations in weather prediction and climate models given that Earth's radiation budget (ERB) is modulated much by clouds. In order for a large-scale model to properly account for ERB and perturbations to it, it mustmore » ultimately be able to simulate cloud extinction coefficient well. In turn this requires adequate and simultaneous simulation of profiles of cloud water content and particle habit and size. Similarly, remote inference of cloud properties requires assumptions to be made about cloud phase and associated single-scattering properties, of which extinction coefficient is crucial. Hence, extinction coefficient plays an important role in both application and validation of methods for remote inference of cloud properties from data obtained from both satellite and surface sensors (e.g., Barker et al. 2008). While estimation of extinction coefficient within large-scale models is relatively straightforward for pure water droplets, thanks to Mie theory, mixed-phase and ice clouds still present problems. This is because of the myriad forms and sizes that crystals can achieve, each having their own unique extinction properties. For the foreseeable future, large-scale models will have to be content with diagnostic parametrization of crystal size and type. However, before they are able to provide satisfactory values needed for calculation of radiative transfer, they require the intermediate step of assigning single-scattering properties to particles. The most basic of these is extinction coefficient, yet it is rarely measured directly, and therefore verification of parametrizations is difficult. The obvious solution is to be able to measure microphysical properties and extinction at the same time and for the same volume. This is best done by in situ sampling by instruments mounted on either balloon or aircraft. The latter is the usual route and the one employed here. Yet the problem of actually measuring extinction coefficient directly for arbitrarily complicated particles still remains unsolved.« less

Dynamic mineral clouds on HD 189733b. II. Monte Carlo radiative transfer for 3D cloudy exoplanet atmospheres: combining scattering and emission spectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, G. K. H.; Wood, K.; Dobbs-Dixon, I.; Rice, A.; Helling, Ch.

2017-05-01

Context. As the 3D spatial properties of exoplanet atmospheres are being observed in increasing detail by current and new generations of telescopes, the modelling of the 3D scattering effects of cloud forming atmospheres with inhomogeneous opacity structures becomes increasingly important to interpret observational data. Aims: We model the scattering and emission properties of a simulated cloud forming, inhomogeneous opacity, hot Jupiter atmosphere of HD 189733b. We compare our results to available Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and Spitzer data and quantify the effects of 3D multiple scattering on observable properties of the atmosphere. We discuss potential observational properties of HD 189733b for the upcoming Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite (CHEOPS) missions. Methods: We developed a Monte Carlo radiative transfer code and applied it to post-process output of our 3D radiative-hydrodynamic, cloud formation simulation of HD 189733b. We employed three variance reduction techniques, I.e. next event estimation, survival biasing, and composite emission biasing, to improve signal to noise of the output. For cloud particle scattering events, we constructed a log-normal area distribution from the 3D cloud formation radiative-hydrodynamic results, which is stochastically sampled in order to model the Rayleigh and Mie scattering behaviour of a mixture of grain sizes. Results: Stellar photon packets incident on the eastern dayside hemisphere show predominantly Rayleigh, single-scattering behaviour, while multiple scattering occurs on the western hemisphere. Combined scattered and thermal emitted light predictions are consistent with published HST and Spitzer secondary transit observations. Our model predictions are also consistent with geometric albedo constraints from optical wavelength ground-based polarimetry and HST B band measurements. We predict an apparent geometric albedo for HD 189733b of 0.205 and 0.229, in the TESS and CHEOPS photometric bands respectively. Conclusions: Modelling the 3D geometric scattering effects of clouds on observables of exoplanet atmospheres provides an important contribution to the attempt to determine the cloud properties of these objects. Comparisons between TESS and CHEOPS photometry may provide qualitative information on the cloud properties of nearby hot Jupiter exoplanets.

Ice Cloud Backscatter Study and Comparison with CALIPSO and MODIS Satellite Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ding, Jiachen; Yang, Ping; Holz, Robert E.; Platnick, Steven; Meyer, Kerry G.; Vaughan, Mark A.; Hu, Yongxiang; King, Michael D.

2016-01-01

An invariant imbedding T-matrix (II-TM) method is used to calculate the single-scattering properties of 8-column aggregate ice crystals. The II-TM based backscatter values are compared with those calculated by the improved geometric-optics method (IGOM) to refine the backscattering properties of the ice cloud radiative model used in the MODIS Collection 6 cloud optical property product. The integrated attenuated backscatter-to-cloud optical depth (IAB-ICOD) relation is derived from simulations using a CALIPSO (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite) lidar simulator based on a Monte Carlo radiative transfer model. By comparing the simulation results and co-located CALIPSO and MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) observations, the non-uniform zonal distribution of ice clouds over ocean is characterized in terms of a mixture of smooth and rough ice particles. The percentage of the smooth particles is approximately 6 percent and 9 percent for tropical and mid-latitude ice clouds, respectively.

Ice Cloud Formation and Dehydration in the Tropical Tropopause Layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jensen, Eric; Gore, Warren J. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Stratospheric water vapor is important not only for its greenhouse forcing, but also because it plays a significant role in stratospheric chemistry. Several recent studies have focused on the potential for dehydration due to ice cloud formation in air rising slowly through the tropical tropopause layer (TTL). Holton and Gettelman showed that temperature variations associated with horizontal transport of air in the TTL can drive ice cloud formation and dehydration, and Gettelman et al. recently examined the cloud formation and dehydration along kinematic trajectories using simple assumptions about the cloud properties. In this study, a Lagrangian, one-dimensional cloud model has been used to further investigate cloud formation and dehydration as air is transported horizontally and vertically through the TTL. Time-height curtains of temperature are extracted from meteorological analyses. The model tracks the growth, advection, and sedimentation of individual cloud particles. The regional distribution of clouds simulated in the model is comparable to the subvisible cirrus distribution indicated by SAGE II. The simulated cloud properties and cloud frequencies depend strongly on the assumed supersaturation threshold for ice nucleation. The clouds typically do not dehydrate the air along trajectories down to the temperature minimum saturation mixing ratio. Rather the water vapor mixing ratio crossing the tropopause along trajectories is 10-50% larger than the saturation mixing ratio. I will also discuss the impacts of Kelvin waves and gravity waves on cloud properties and dehydration efficiency. These simulations can be used to determine whether observed lower stratospheric water vapor mixing ratios can be explained by dehydration associated with in situ TTL cloud formation alone.

Cloud properties and bulk microphysical properties of semi-transparent cirrus from IR Sounders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stubenrauch, Claudia; Feofilov, Artem; Armante, Raymond; Guignard, Anthony

2013-04-01

Satellite observations provide a continuous survey of the atmosphere over the whole globe. IR sounders have been observing our planet since 1979. The spectral resolution has improved from TIROS-N Operational Vertical Sounders (TOVS) to the Atmospheric InfraRed Sounder (AIRS), and to the InfraRed Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI); resolution within the CO2 absorption band makes these passive sounders most sensitive to semi-transparent cirrus (about 30% of all clouds), day and night. The LMD cloud property retrieval method developed for TOVS, has been adapted to the second generation of IR sounders like AIRS and, recently, IASI. It is based on a weighted χ2 method using different channels within the 15 micron CO2 absorption band. Once the cloud physical properties (cloud pressure and IR emissivity) are retrieved, cirrus bulk microphysical properties (De and IWP) are determined from spectral emissivity differences between 8 and 12 μm. The emissivities are determined using the retrieved cloud pressure and are then compared to those simulated by the radiative transfer model. For IASI, we use the latest version of the radiative transfer model 4A (http://4aop.noveltis.com), which has been coupled with the DISORT algorithm to take into account multiple scattering of ice crystals. The code incorporates single scattering properties of column-like or aggregate-like ice crystals provided by MetOffice (Baran et al. (2001); Baran and Francis (2004)). The synergy of AIRS and two active instruments of the A-Train (lidar and radar of the CALIPSO and CloudSat missions), which provide accurate information on vertical cloud structure, allowed the evaluation of cloud properties retrieved by the weighted χ2 method. We present first results for cloud properties obtained with IASI/ Metop-A and compare them with those of AIRS and other cloud climatologies having participated in the GEWEX cloud assessment. The combination of IASI observations at 9:30 AM and 9:30 PM complement the AIRS observations at 1:30 AM and 1:30 PM local time, giving information on the diurnal cycle of clouds. References: Baran, A.J. and Francis, P.N. and Havemann, S. and Yang, P: A study of the absorption and extinction properties of hexagonal ice columns and plates in random and preferred orientation, using exact T-matrix theory and aircraft observations of cirrus, J. Quant. Spectrosc. Ra., 70, 505-518, 2001 Baran, A. J. and Francis, P. N.: On the radiative properties of cirrus cloud at solar and thermal wavelengths:A test of model consistency using high-resolution airborne radiance measurements, Q. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc.,130, 763-778, 2004.

An Evaluation of Marine Boundary Layer Cloud Property Simulations in the Community Atmosphere Model Using Satellite Observations: Conventional Subgrid Parameterization versus CLUBB

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

Song, Hua; Zhang, Zhibo; Ma, Po-Lun

This paper presents a two-step evaluation of the marine boundary layer (MBL) cloud properties from two Community Atmospheric Model (version 5.3, CAM5) simulations, one based on the CAM5 standard parameterization schemes (CAM5-Base), and the other on the Cloud Layers Unified By Binormals (CLUBB) scheme (CAM5-CLUBB). In the first step, we compare the cloud properties directly from model outputs between the two simulations. We find that the CAM5-CLUBB run produces more MBL clouds in the tropical and subtropical large-scale descending regions. Moreover, the stratocumulus (Sc) to cumulus (Cu) cloud regime transition is much smoother in CAM5-CLUBB than in CAM5-Base. In addition,more » in CAM5-Base we find some grid cells with very small low cloud fraction (<20%) to have very high in-cloud water content (mixing ratio up to 400mg/kg). We find no such grid cells in the CAM5-CLUBB run. However, we also note that both simulations, especially CAM5-CLUBB, produce a significant amount of “empty” low cloud cells with significant cloud fraction (up to 70%) and near-zero in-cloud water content. In the second step, we use satellite observations from CERES, MODIS and CloudSat to evaluate the simulated MBL cloud properties by employing the COSP satellite simulators. We note that a feature of the COSP-MODIS simulator to mimic the minimum detection threshold of MODIS cloud masking removes much more low clouds from CAM5-CLUBB than it does from CAM5-Base. This leads to a surprising result — in the large-scale descending regions CAM5-CLUBB has a smaller COSP-MODIS cloud fraction and weaker shortwave cloud radiative forcing than CAM5-Base. A sensitivity study suggests that this is because CAM5-CLUBB suffers more from the above-mentioned “empty” clouds issue than CAM5-Base. The COSP-MODIS cloud droplet effective radius in CAM5-CLUBB shows a spatial increase from coastal St toward Cu, which is in qualitative agreement with MODIS observations. In contrast, COSP-MODIS cloud droplet effective radius in CAM5-Base almost remains a constant. In comparison with CloudSat observations, the histogram of the radar reflectivity from modeled MBL clouds is too narrow without a distinct separation between cloud and drizzle modes. Moreover, the probability of drizzle in both simulations is almost twice as high as the observation. Future studies are needed to understand the causes of these differences and their potential connection with the “empty” cloud issues in the model.« less

Statistical Analyses of Satellite Cloud Object Data from CERES. Part III; Comparison with Cloud-Resolving Model Simulations of Tropical Convective Clouds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Luo, Yali; Xu, Kuan-Man; Wielicki, Bruce A.; Wong, Takmeng; Eitzen, Zachary A.

2007-01-01

The present study evaluates the ability of a cloud-resolving model (CRM) to simulate the physical properties of tropical deep convective cloud objects identified from a Clouds and the Earth s Radiant Energy System (CERES) data product. The emphasis of this study is the comparisons among the small-, medium- and large-size categories of cloud objects observed during March 1998 and between the large-size categories of cloud objects observed during March 1998 (strong El Ni o) and March 2000 (weak La Ni a). Results from the CRM simulations are analyzed in a way that is consistent with the CERES retrieval algorithm and they are averaged to match the scale of the CERES satellite footprints. Cloud physical properties are analyzed in terms of their summary histograms for each category. It is found that there is a general agreement in the overall shapes of all cloud physical properties between the simulated and observed distributions. Each cloud physical property produced by the CRM also exhibits different degrees of disagreement with observations over different ranges of the property. The simulated cloud tops are generally too high and cloud top temperatures are too low except for the large-size category of March 1998. The probability densities of the simulated top-of-the-atmosphere (TOA) albedos for all four categories are underestimated for high albedos, while those of cloud optical depth are overestimated at its lowest bin. These disagreements are mainly related to uncertainties in the cloud microphysics parameterization and inputs such as cloud ice effective size to the radiation calculation. Summary histograms of cloud optical depth and TOA albedo from the CRM simulations of the large-size category of cloud objects do not differ significantly between the March 1998 and 2000 periods, consistent with the CERES observations. However, the CRM is unable to reproduce the significant differences in the observed cloud top height while it overestimates the differences in the observed outgoing longwave radiation and cloud top temperature between the two periods. Comparisons between the CRM results and the observations for most parameters in March 1998 consistently show that both the simulations and observations have larger differences between the large- and small-size categories than between the large- and medium-size, or between the medium- and small-size categories. However, the simulated cloud properties do not change as much with size as observed. These disagreements are likely related to the spatial averaging of the forcing data and the mismatch in time and in space between the numerical weather prediction model from which the forcing data are produced and the CERES observed cloud systems.

A simple model for the cloud adjacency effect and the apparent bluing of aerosols near clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marshak, Alexander; Wen, Guoyong; Coakley, James A.; Remer, Lorraine A.; Loeb, Norman G.; Cahalan, Robert F.

2008-07-01

In determining aerosol-cloud interactions, the properties of aerosols must be characterized in the vicinity of clouds. Numerous studies based on satellite observations have reported that aerosol optical depths increase with increasing cloud cover. Part of the increase comes from the humidification and consequent growth of aerosol particles in the moist cloud environment, but part comes from 3-D cloud-radiative transfer effects on the retrieved aerosol properties. Often, discerning whether the observed increases in aerosol optical depths are artifacts or real proves difficult. The paper only addresses the cloud-clear sky radiative transfer interaction part. It provides a simple model that quantifies the enhanced illumination of cloud-free columns in the vicinity of clouds that are used in the aerosol retrievals. This model is based on the assumption that the enhancement in the cloud-free column radiance comes from enhanced Rayleigh scattering that results from the presence of the nearby clouds. This assumption leads to a larger increase of AOT for shorter wavelengths, or to a "bluing" of aerosols near clouds. The assumption that contribution from molecular scattering dominates over aerosol scattering and surface reflection is justified for the case of shorter wavelengths, dark surfaces, and an aerosol layer below the cloud tops. The enhancement in Rayleigh scattering is estimated using a stochastic cloud model to obtain the radiative flux reflected by broken clouds and comparing this flux with that obtained with the molecules in the atmosphere causing extinction, but no scattering.

Rocket exhaust ground cloud/atmospheric interactions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hwang, B.; Gould, R. K.

1978-01-01

An attempt to identify and minimize the uncertainties and potential inaccuracies of the NASA Multilayer Diffusion Model (MDM) is performed using data from selected Titan 3 launches. The study is based on detailed parametric calculations using the MDM code and a comparative study of several other diffusion models, the NASA measurements, and the MDM. The results are discussed and evaluated. In addition, the physical/chemical processes taking place during the rocket cloud rise are analyzed. The exhaust properties and the deluge water effects are evaluated. A time-dependent model for two aerosol coagulations is developed and documented. Calculations using this model for dry deposition during cloud rise are made. A simple model for calculating physical properties such as temperature and air mass entrainment during cloud rise is also developed and incorporated with the aerosol model.

Equivalent Sensor Radiance Generation and Remote Sensing from Model Parameters. Part 1; Equivalent Sensor Radiance Formulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wind, Galina; DaSilva, Arlindo M.; Norris, Peter M.; Platnick, Steven E.

2013-01-01

In this paper we describe a general procedure for calculating equivalent sensor radiances from variables output from a global atmospheric forecast model. In order to take proper account of the discrepancies between model resolution and sensor footprint the algorithm takes explicit account of the model subgrid variability, in particular its description of the probably density function of total water (vapor and cloud condensate.) The equivalent sensor radiances are then substituted into an operational remote sensing algorithm processing chain to produce a variety of remote sensing products that would normally be produced from actual sensor output. This output can then be used for a wide variety of purposes such as model parameter verification, remote sensing algorithm validation, testing of new retrieval methods and future sensor studies. We show a specific implementation using the GEOS-5 model, the MODIS instrument and the MODIS Adaptive Processing System (MODAPS) Data Collection 5.1 operational remote sensing cloud algorithm processing chain (including the cloud mask, cloud top properties and cloud optical and microphysical properties products.) We focus on clouds and cloud/aerosol interactions, because they are very important to model development and improvement.

Multi-sensor Cloud Retrieval Simulator and Remote Sensing from Model Parameters . Pt. 1; Synthetic Sensor Radiance Formulation; [Synthetic Sensor Radiance Formulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wind, G.; DaSilva, A. M.; Norris, P. M.; Platnick, S.

2013-01-01

In this paper we describe a general procedure for calculating synthetic sensor radiances from variable output from a global atmospheric forecast model. In order to take proper account of the discrepancies between model resolution and sensor footprint, the algorithm takes explicit account of the model subgrid variability, in particular its description of the probability density function of total water (vapor and cloud condensate.) The simulated sensor radiances are then substituted into an operational remote sensing algorithm processing chain to produce a variety of remote sensing products that would normally be produced from actual sensor output. This output can then be used for a wide variety of purposes such as model parameter verification, remote sensing algorithm validation, testing of new retrieval methods and future sensor studies.We show a specific implementation using the GEOS-5 model, the MODIS instrument and the MODIS Adaptive Processing System (MODAPS) Data Collection 5.1 operational remote sensing cloud algorithm processing chain (including the cloud mask, cloud top properties and cloud optical and microphysical properties products). We focus on clouds because they are very important to model development and improvement.

Comparison of Cloud Properties from CALIPSO-CloudSat and Geostationary Satellite Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nguyen, L.; Minnis, P.; Chang, F.; Winker, D.; Sun-Mack, S.; Spangenberg, D.; Austin, R.

2007-01-01

Cloud properties are being derived in near-real time from geostationary satellite imager data for a variety of weather and climate applications and research. Assessment of the uncertainties in each of the derived cloud parameters is essential for confident use of the products. Determination of cloud amount, cloud top height, and cloud layering is especially important for using these real -time products for applications such as aircraft icing condition diagnosis and numerical weather prediction model assimilation. Furthermore, the distribution of clouds as a function of altitude has become a central component of efforts to evaluate climate model cloud simulations. Validation of those parameters has been difficult except over limited areas where ground-based active sensors, such as cloud radars or lidars, have been available on a regular basis. Retrievals of cloud properties are sensitive to the surface background, time of day, and the clouds themselves. Thus, it is essential to assess the geostationary satellite retrievals over a variety of locations. The availability of cloud radar data from CloudSat and lidar data from CALIPSO make it possible to perform those assessments over each geostationary domain at 0130 and 1330 LT. In this paper, CloudSat and CALIPSO data are matched with contemporaneous Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES), Multi-functional Transport Satellite (MTSAT), and Meteosat-8 data. Unlike comparisons with cloud products derived from A-Train imagers, this study considers comparisons of nadir active sensor data with off-nadir retrievals. These matched data are used to determine the uncertainties in cloud-top heights and cloud amounts derived from the geostationary satellite data using the Clouds and the Earth s Radiant Energy System (CERES) cloud retrieval algorithms. The CERES multi-layer cloud detection method is also evaluated to determine its accuracy and limitations in the off-nadir mode. The results will be useful for constraining the use of the passive retrieval data in models and for improving the accuracy of the retrievals.

The clouds of Venus. [physical and chemical properties

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Young, A. T.

1975-01-01

The physical and chemical properties of the clouds of Venus are reviewed, with special emphasis on data that are related to cloud dynamics. None of the currently-popular interpretations of cloud phenomena on Venus is consistent with all the data. Either a considerable fraction of the observational evidence is faulty or has been misinterpreted, or the clouds of Venus are much more complex than the current simplistic models. Several lines of attack are suggested to resolve some of the contradictions. A sound understanding of the clouds appears to be several years in the future.

Assessing cloud radiative effects on tropospheric photolysis rates and key oxidants during aircraft campaigns using satellite cloud observations and a global chemical transport model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, B.; Liu, H.; Crawford, J. H.; Chen, G.; Voulgarakis, A.; Fairlie, T. D.; Duncan, B. N.; Ham, S. H.; Kato, S.; Payer Sulprizio, M.; Yantosca, R.

2017-12-01

Clouds affect tropospheric photochemistry through modifying solar radiation that determines photolysis rates. Observational and modeling studies have indicated that photolysis rates are enhanced above and in the upper portion of cloud layers and are reduced below optically thick clouds due to their dominant backscattering effect. However, large uncertainties exist in the representation of cloud spatiotemporal (especially vertical) distributions in global models, which makes understanding of cloud radiative effects on tropospheric chemistry challenging. Our previous study using a global 3-D chemical transport model (GEOS-Chem) driven by various meteorological data sets showed that the radiative effects of clouds on photochemistry are more sensitive to the differences in the vertical distribution of clouds than to those in the magnitude of column cloud optical depths. In this work, we evaluate monthly mean cloud optical properties and distributions in the MERRA-2 reanalysis with those in C3M, a 3-D cloud data product developed at NASA Langley Research Center and merged from multiple A-Train satellite (CERES, CloudSat, CALIPSO, and MODIS) observations. We conduct tropospheric chemistry simulations for the periods of several aircraft campaigns, including ARCTAS (April, June-July, 2008), DC3 (May-June, 2012), and SEAC4RS (August-September, 2013) with GEOS-Chem driven by MERRA-2. We compare model simulations with and without constraints of cloud optical properties and distributions from C3M, and evaluate model photolysis rates (J[O1D] and J[NO2]) and key oxidants (e.g., OH and ozone) with aircraft profile measurements. We will assess whether the constraints provided by C3M improve model simulations of photolysis rates and oxidants as well as their variabilities.

Cloud Properties and Radiative Heating Rates for TWP

DOE Data Explorer

Comstock, Jennifer

2013-11-07

A cloud properties and radiative heating rates dataset is presented where cloud properties retrieved using lidar and radar observations are input into a radiative transfer model to compute radiative fluxes and heating rates at three ARM sites located in the Tropical Western Pacific (TWP) region. The cloud properties retrieval is a conditional retrieval that applies various retrieval techniques depending on the available data, that is if lidar, radar or both instruments detect cloud. This Combined Remote Sensor Retrieval Algorithm (CombRet) produces vertical profiles of liquid or ice water content (LWC or IWC), droplet effective radius (re), ice crystal generalized effective size (Dge), cloud phase, and cloud boundaries. The algorithm was compared with 3 other independent algorithms to help estimate the uncertainty in the cloud properties, fluxes, and heating rates (Comstock et al. 2013). The dataset is provided at 2 min temporal and 90 m vertical resolution. The current dataset is applied to time periods when the MMCR (Millimeter Cloud Radar) version of the ARSCL (Active Remotely-Sensed Cloud Locations) Value Added Product (VAP) is available. The MERGESONDE VAP is utilized where temperature and humidity profiles are required. Future additions to this dataset will utilize the new KAZR instrument and its associated VAPs.

Reconciling Simulated and Observed Views of Clouds: MODIS, ISCCP, and the Limits of Instrument Simulators in Climate Models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pincus, Robert; Platnick, Steven E.; Ackerman, Steve; Hemler, Richard; Hofmann, Patrick

2011-01-01

The properties of clouds that may be observed by satellite instruments, such as optical depth and cloud top pressure, are only loosely related to the way clouds are represented in models of the atmosphere. One way to bridge this gap is through "instrument simulators," diagnostic tools that map the model representation to synthetic observations so that differences between simulator output and observations can be interpreted unambiguously as model error. But simulators may themselves be restricted by limited information available from the host model or by internal assumptions. This work examines the extent to which instrument simulators are able to capture essential differences between MODIS and ISCCP, two similar but independent estimates of cloud properties. We focus on the stark differences between MODIS and ISCCP observations of total cloudiness and the distribution of cloud optical thickness can be traced to different approaches to marginal pixels, which MODIS excludes and ISCCP treats as homogeneous. These pixels, which likely contain broken clouds, cover about 15% of the planet and contain almost all of the optically thinnest clouds observed by either instrument. Instrument simulators can not reproduce these differences because the host model does not consider unresolved spatial scales and so can not produce broken pixels. Nonetheless, MODIS and ISCCP observation are consistent for all but the optically-thinnest clouds, and models can be robustly evaluated using instrument simulators by excluding ambiguous observations.

Simulating the Effects of Semivolatile Compounds on Cloud Processing of Aerosol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kokkola, H.; Kudzotsa, I.; Tonttila, J.; Raatikainen, T.; Romakkaniemi, S.

2017-12-01

Aerosol removal processes largely dictate how well aerosol is transported in the atmosphere and thus the aerosol load over remote regions depends on how effectively aerosol is removed during its transport from the source regions. This means that in order to model the global distribution aerosol, both in vertical and horizontal, wet deposition processes have to be properly modelled. However, in large scale models, the description of wet removal and the vertical redistribution of aerosol by cloud processes is often extremely simplified.Here we present a novel aerosol-cloud model SALSA, where the aerosol properties are tracked through different cloud processes. These processes include: cloud droplet activation, precipitation formation, ice nucleation, melting, and evaporation. It is a sectional model that includes separate size sections for non-activated aerosol, cloud droplets, precipitation droplets, and ice crystals. The aerosol-cloud model was coupled to a large eddy model UCLALES which simulates the boundary-layer dynamics. In this study, the model has been applied in studying the wet removal as well as interactions between aerosol, clouds, and semi-volatile compounds, ammonia and nitric acid. These semi-volative compounds are special in the sense that they co-condense together with water during cloud activation and have been suggested to form droplets that can be considered cloud-droplet-like already in subsaturated conditions. In our model, we calculate the kinetic partitioning of ammonia and sulfate thus explicitly taking into account the effect of ammonia and nitric acid in the cloud formation. Our simulations indicate that especially in polluted conditions, these compounds significantly affect the properties of cloud droplets thus significantly affecting the lifecycle of different aerosol compounds.

A Novel Tool for Simulating Aerosol-cloud Interactions with a Sectional Model Implemented to a Large-Eddy Simulator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tonttila, J.; Romakkaniemi, S.; Kokkola, H.; Maalick, Z.; Korhonen, H.; Liqing, H.

2015-12-01

A new cloud-resolving model setup for studying aerosol-cloud interactions, with a special emphasis on partitioning and wet deposition of semi-volatile aerosol species, is presented. The model is based on modified versions of two well-established model components: the Large-Eddy Simulator (LES) UCLALES, and the sectional aerosol model SALSA, previously employed in the ECHAM climate model family. Implementation of the UCLALES-SALSA is described in detail. As the basis for this work, SALSA has been extended to include a sectional representation of the size distributions of cloud droplets and precipitation. Microphysical processes operating on clouds and precipitation have also been added. Given our main motivation, the cloud droplet size bins are defined according to the dry particle diameter. The droplet wet diameter is solved dynamically through condensation equations, but represents an average droplet diameter inside each size bin. This approach allows for accurate tracking of the aerosol properties inside clouds, but minimizes the computational cost. Since the actual cloud droplet diameter is not fully resolved inside the size bins, processes such as precipitation formation rely on parameterizations. For realistic growth of drizzle drops to rain, which is critical for the aerosol wet deposition, the precipitation size bins are defined according to the actual drop size. With these additions, the implementation of the SALSA model replaces most of the microphysical and thermodynamical components within the LES. The cloud properties and aerosol-cloud interactions simulated by the model are analysed and evaluated against detailed cloud microphysical boxmodel results and in-situ aerosol-cloud interaction observations from the Puijo measurement station in Kuopio, Finland. The ability of the model to reproduce the impacts of wet deposition on the aerosol population is demonstrated.

CERES cloud property retrievals from imagers on TRMM, Terra, and Aqua

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Minnis, Patrick; Young, David F.; Sun-Mack, Sunny; Heck, Patrick W.; Doelling, David R.; Trepte, Qing Z.

2004-02-01

The micro- and macrophysical properties of clouds play a crucial role in Earth"s radiation budget. The NASA Clouds and Earth"s Radiant Energy System (CERES) is providing simultaneous measurements of the radiation and cloud fields on a global basis to improve the understanding and modeling of the interaction between clouds and radiation at the top of the atmosphere, at the surface, and within the atmosphere. Cloud properties derived for CERES from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra and Aqua satellites are compared to ensure consistency between the products to ensure the reliability of the retrievals from multiple platforms at different times of day. Comparisons of cloud fraction, height, optical depth, phase, effective particle size, and ice and liquid water paths from the two satellites show excellent consistency. Initial calibration comparisons are also very favorable. Differences between the Aqua and Terra results are generally due to diurnally dependent changes in the clouds. Additional algorithm refinement is needed over the polar regions for Aqua and at night over those same areas for Terra. The results should be extremely valuable for model validation and improvement and for improving our understanding of the relationship between clouds and the radiation budget.

The influence of Cloud Longwave Scattering together with a state-of-the-art Ice Longwave Optical Parameterization in Climate Model Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Y. H.; Kuo, C. P.; Huang, X.; Yang, P.

2017-12-01

Clouds play an important role in the Earth's radiation budget, and thus realistic and comprehensive treatments of cloud optical properties and cloud-sky radiative transfer are crucial for simulating weather and climate. However, most GCMs neglect LW scattering effects by clouds and tend to use inconsistent cloud SW and LW optical parameterizations. Recently, co-authors of this study have developed a new LW optical properties parameterization for ice clouds, which is based on ice cloud particle statistics from MODIS measurements and state-of-the-art scattering calculation. A two-stream multiple-scattering scheme has also been implemented into the RRTMG_LW, a widely used longwave radiation scheme by climate modeling centers. This study is to integrate both the new LW cloud-radiation scheme for ice clouds and the modified RRTMG_LW with scattering capability into the NCAR CESM to improve the cloud longwave radiation treatment. A number of single column model (SCM) simulations using the observation from the ARM SGP site on July 18 to August 4 in 1995 are carried out to assess the impact of new LW optical properties of clouds and scattering-enabled radiation scheme on simulated radiation budget and cloud radiative effect (CRE). The SCM simulation allows interaction between cloud and radiation schemes with other parameterizations, but the large-scale forcing is prescribed or nudged. Comparing to the results from the SCM of the standard CESM, the new ice cloud optical properties alone leads to an increase of LW CRE by 26.85 W m-2 in average, as well as an increase of the downward LW flux at surface by 6.48 W m-2. Enabling LW cloud scattering further increases the LW CRE by another 3.57 W m-2 and the downward LW flux at the surface by 0.2 W m-2. The change of LW CRE is mainly due to an increase of cloud top height, which enhances the LW CRE. A long-term simulation of CESM will be carried out to further understand the impact of such changes on simulated climates.

Influence of Ice Cloud Microphysics on Imager-Based Estimates of Earth's Radiation Budget

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loeb, N. G.; Kato, S.; Minnis, P.; Yang, P.; Sun-Mack, S.; Rose, F. G.; Hong, G.; Ham, S. H.

2016-12-01

A central objective of the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) is to produce a long-term global climate data record of Earth's radiation budget from the TOA down to the surface along with the associated atmospheric and surface properties that influence it. CERES relies on a number of data sources, including broadband radiometers measuring incoming and reflected solar radiation and OLR, high-resolution spectral imagers, meteorological, aerosol and ozone assimilation data, and snow/sea-ice maps based on microwave radiometer data. While the TOA radiation budget is largely determined directly from accurate broadband radiometer measurements, the surface radiation budget is derived indirectly through radiative transfer model calculations initialized using imager-based cloud and aerosol retrievals and meteorological assimilation data. Because ice cloud particles exhibit a wide range of shapes, sizes and habits that cannot be independently retrieved a priori from passive visible/infrared imager measurements, assumptions about the scattering properties of ice clouds are necessary in order to retrieve ice cloud optical properties (e.g., optical depth) from imager radiances and to compute broadband radiative fluxes. This presentation will examine how the choice of an ice cloud particle model impacts computed shortwave (SW) radiative fluxes at the top-of-atmosphere (TOA) and surface. The ice cloud particle models considered correspond to those from prior, current and future CERES data product versions. During the CERES Edition2 (and Edition3) processing, ice cloud particles were assumed to be smooth hexagonal columns. In the Edition4, roughened hexagonal columns are assumed. The CERES team is now working on implementing in a future version an ice cloud particle model comprised of a two-habit ice cloud model consisting of roughened hexagonal columns and aggregates of roughened columnar elements. In each case, we use the same ice particle model in both the imager-based cloud retrievals (inverse problem) and the computed radiative fluxes (forward calculation). In addition to comparing radiative fluxes using the different ice cloud particle models, we also compare instantaneous TOA flux calculations with those observed by the CERES instrument.

Cirrus microphysics and radiative transfer: Cloud field study on October 28, 1986

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kinne, Stefan; Ackerman, Thomas P.; Heymsfield, Andrew J.; Valero, Francisco P. J.; Sassen, Kenneth; Spinhirne, James D.

1990-01-01

The radiative properties of cirrus clouds present one of the unresolved problems in weather and climate research. Uncertainties in ice particle amount and size and, also, the general inability to model the single scattering properties of their usually complex particle shapes, prevent accurate model predictions. For an improved understanding of cirrus radiative effects, field experiments, as those of the Cirrus IFO of FIRE, are necessary. Simultaneous measurements of radiative fluxes and cirrus microphysics at multiple cirrus cloud altitudes allows the pitting of calculated versus measured vertical flux profiles; with the potential to judge current cirrus cloud modeling. Most of the problems in this study are linked to the inhomogeneity of the cloud field. Thus, only studies on more homogeneous cirrus cloud cases promises a possibility to improve current cirrus parameterizations. Still, the current inability to detect small ice particles will remain as a considerable handicap.

Estimation of time-series properties of gourd observed solar irradiance data using cloud properties derived from satellite observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watanabe, T.; Nohara, D.

2017-12-01

The shorter temporal scale variation in the downward solar irradiance at the ground level (DSI) is not understood well because researches in the shorter-scale variation in the DSI is based on the ground observation and ground observation stations are located coarsely. Use of dataset derived from satellite observation will overcome such defect. DSI data and MODIS cloud properties product are analyzed simultaneously. Three metrics: mean, standard deviation and sample entropy, are used to evaluate time-series properties of the DSI. Three metrics are computed from two-hours time-series centered at the observation time of MODIS over the ground observation stations. We apply the regression methods to design prediction models of each three metrics from cloud properties. The validation of the model accuracy show that mean and standard deviation are predicted with a higher degree of accuracy and that the accuracy of prediction of sample entropy, which represents the complexity of time-series, is not high. One of causes of lower prediction skill of sample entropy is the resolution of the MODIS cloud properties. Higher sample entropy is corresponding to the rapid fluctuation, which is caused by the small and unordered cloud. It seems that such clouds isn't retrieved well.

Retrieval of ice cloud properties using an optimal estimation algorithm and MODIS infrared observations. Part I: Forward model, error analysis, and information content

PubMed Central

Wang, Chenxi; Platnick, Steven; Zhang, Zhibo; Meyer, Kerry; Yang, Ping

2018-01-01

An optimal estimation (OE) retrieval method is developed to infer three ice cloud properties simultaneously: optical thickness (τ), effective radius (reff), and cloud-top height (h). This method is based on a fast radiative transfer (RT) model and infrared (IR) observations from the MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). This study conducts thorough error and information content analyses to understand the error propagation and performance of retrievals from various MODIS band combinations under different cloud/atmosphere states. Specifically, the algorithm takes into account four error sources: measurement uncertainty, fast RT model uncertainty, uncertainties in ancillary datasets (e.g., atmospheric state), and assumed ice crystal habit uncertainties. It is found that the ancillary and ice crystal habit error sources dominate the MODIS IR retrieval uncertainty and cannot be ignored. The information content analysis shows that, for a given ice cloud, the use of four MODIS IR observations is sufficient to retrieve the three cloud properties. However, the selection of MODIS IR bands that provide the most information and their order of importance varies with both the ice cloud properties and the ambient atmospheric and the surface states. As a result, this study suggests the inclusion of all MODIS IR bands in practice since little a priori information is available. PMID:29707470

Retrieval of Ice Cloud Properties Using an Optimal Estimation Algorithm and MODIS Infrared Observations. Part I: Forward Model, Error Analysis, and Information Content

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Chenxi; Platnick, Steven; Zhang, Zhibo; Meyer, Kerry; Yang, Ping

2016-01-01

An optimal estimation (OE) retrieval method is developed to infer three ice cloud properties simultaneously: optical thickness (tau), effective radius (r(sub eff)), and cloud-top height (h). This method is based on a fast radiative transfer (RT) model and infrared (IR) observations from the MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). This study conducts thorough error and information content analyses to understand the error propagation and performance of retrievals from various MODIS band combinations under different cloud/atmosphere states. Specifically, the algorithm takes into account four error sources: measurement uncertainty, fast RT model uncertainty, uncertainties in ancillary datasets (e.g., atmospheric state), and assumed ice crystal habit uncertainties. It is found that the ancillary and ice crystal habit error sources dominate the MODIS IR retrieval uncertainty and cannot be ignored. The information content analysis shows that, for a given ice cloud, the use of four MODIS IR observations is sufficient to retrieve the three cloud properties. However, the selection of MODIS IR bands that provide the most information and their order of importance varies with both the ice cloud properties and the ambient atmospheric and the surface states. As a result, this study suggests the inclusion of all MODIS IR bands in practice since little a priori information is available.

Retrieval of Ice Cloud Properties Using an Optimal Estimation Algorithm and MODIS Infrared Observations. Part I: Forward Model, Error Analysis, and Information Content

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Chenxi; Platnick, Steven; Zhang, Zhibo; Meyer, Kerry; Yang, Ping

2016-01-01

An optimal estimation (OE) retrieval method is developed to infer three ice cloud properties simultaneously: optical thickness (tau), effective radius (r(sub eff)), and cloud top height (h). This method is based on a fast radiative transfer (RT) model and infrared (IR) observations from the MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). This study conducts thorough error and information content analyses to understand the error propagation and performance of retrievals from various MODIS band combinations under different cloud/atmosphere states. Specifically, the algorithm takes into account four error sources: measurement uncertainty, fast RT model uncertainty, uncertainties in ancillary data sets (e.g., atmospheric state), and assumed ice crystal habit uncertainties. It is found that the ancillary and ice crystal habit error sources dominate the MODIS IR retrieval uncertainty and cannot be ignored. The information content analysis shows that for a given ice cloud, the use of four MODIS IR observations is sufficient to retrieve the three cloud properties. However, the selection of MODIS IR bands that provide the most information and their order of importance varies with both the ice cloud properties and the ambient atmospheric and the surface states. As a result, this study suggests the inclusion of all MODIS IR bands in practice since little a priori information is available.

Assessing regional scale predictions of aerosols, marine stratocumulus, and their interactions during VOCALS-REx using WRF-Chem

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

Yang Q.; Lee Y.; Gustafson Jr., W. I.

2011-12-02

This study assesses the ability of the recent chemistry version (v3.3) of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF-Chem) model to simulate boundary layer structure, aerosols, stratocumulus clouds, and energy fluxes over the Southeast Pacific Ocean. Measurements from the VAMOS Ocean-Cloud-Atmosphere-Land Study Regional Experiment (VOCALS-REx) and satellite retrievals (i.e., products from the MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), Clouds and Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES), and GOES-10) are used for this assessment. The Morrison double-moment microphysics scheme is newly coupled with interactive aerosols in the model. The 31-day (15 October-16 November 2008) WRF-Chem simulation with aerosol-cloud interactions (AERO hereafter) is also comparedmore » to a simulation (MET hereafter) with fixed cloud droplet number concentrations in the microphysics scheme and simplified cloud and aerosol treatments in the radiation scheme. The well-simulated aerosol quantities (aerosol number, mass composition and optical properties), and the inclusion of full aerosol-cloud couplings lead to significant improvements in many features of the simulated stratocumulus clouds: cloud optical properties and microphysical properties such as cloud top effective radius, cloud water path, and cloud optical thickness. In addition to accounting for the aerosol direct and semi-direct effects, these improvements feed back to the simulation of boundary-layer characteristics and energy budgets. Particularly, inclusion of interactive aerosols in AERO strengthens the temperature and humidity gradients within the capping inversion layer and lowers the marine boundary layer (MBL) depth by 130 m from that of the MET simulation. These differences are associated with weaker entrainment and stronger mean subsidence at the top of the MBL in AERO. Mean top-of-atmosphere outgoing shortwave fluxes, surface latent heat, and surface downwelling longwave fluxes are in better agreement with observations in AERO, compared to the MET simulation. Nevertheless, biases in some of the simulated meteorological quantities (e.g., MBL temperature and humidity) and aerosol quantities (e.g., underestimations of accumulation mode aerosol number) might affect simulated stratocumulus and energy fluxes over the Southeastern Pacific, and require further investigation. The well-simulated timing and outflow patterns of polluted and clean episodes demonstrate the model's ability to capture daily/synoptic scale variations of aerosol and cloud properties, and suggest that the model is suitable for studying atmospheric processes associated with pollution outflow over the ocean. The overall performance of the regional model in simulating mesoscale clouds and boundary layer properties is encouraging and suggests that reproducing gradients of aerosol and cloud droplet concentrations and coupling cloud-aerosol-radiation processes are important when simulating marine stratocumulus over the Southeast Pacific.« less

Improving the Understanding and Model Representation of Processes that Couple Shallow Clouds, Aerosols, and Land-Ecosystems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fast, J. D.; Berg, L. K.; Schmid, B.; Alexander, M. L. L.; Bell, D.; D'Ambro, E.; Hubbe, J. M.; Liu, J.; Mei, F.; Pekour, M. S.; Pinterich, T.; Schobesberger, S.; Shilling, J.; Springston, S. R.; Thornton, J. A.; Tomlinson, J. M.; Wang, J.; Zelenyuk, A.

2016-12-01

Cumulus convection is an important component in the atmospheric radiation budget and hydrologic cycle over the southern Great Plains and over many regions of the world, particularly during the summertime growing season when intense turbulence induced by surface radiation couples the land surface to clouds. Current convective cloud parameterizations, however, contain uncertainties resulting from insufficient coincident data that couples cloud macrophysical and microphysical properties to inhomogeneity in surface layer, boundary layer, and aerosol properties. We describe the measurement strategy and preliminary findings from the recent Holistic Interactions of Shallow Clouds, Aerosols, and Land-Ecosystems (HI-SCALE) campaign conducted in May and September of 2016 in the vicinity of the DOE's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Southern Great Plains (SGP) site located in Oklahoma. The goal of the HI-SCALE campaign is to provide a detailed set of aircraft and surface measurements needed to obtain a more complete understanding and improved parameterizations of the lifecycle of shallow clouds. The sampling is done in two periods, one in the spring and the other in the late summer to take advantage of variations in the "greenness" for various types of vegetation, new particle formation, anthropogenic enhancement of biogenic secondary organic aerosol (SOA), and other aerosol properties. The aircraft measurements will be coupled with extensive routine ARM SGP measurements as well as Large Eddy Simulation (LES), cloud resolving, and cloud-system resolving models. Through these integrated analyses and modeling studies, the affects of inhomogeneity in land use, vegetation, soil moisture, convective eddies, and aerosol properties on the evolution of shallow clouds will be determined, including the feedbacks of cloud radiative effects.

CloudSat-Constrained Cloud Ice Water Path and Cloud Top Height Retrievals from MHS 157 and 183.3 GHz Radiances

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gong, J.; Wu, D. L.

2014-01-01

Ice water path (IWP) and cloud top height (ht) are two of the key variables in determining cloud radiative and thermodynamical properties in climate models. Large uncertainty remains among IWP measurements from satellite sensors, in large part due to the assumptions made for cloud microphysics in these retrievals. In this study, we develop a fast algorithm to retrieve IWP from the 157, 183.3+/-3 and 190.3 GHz radiances of the Microwave Humidity Sounder (MHS) such that the MHS cloud ice retrieval is consistent with CloudSat IWP measurements. This retrieval is obtained by constraining the empirical forward models between collocated and coincident measurements of CloudSat IWP and MHS cloud-induced radiance depression (Tcir) at these channels. The empirical forward model is represented by a lookup table (LUT) of Tcir-IWP relationships as a function of ht and the frequency channel.With ht simultaneously retrieved, the IWP is found to be more accurate. The useful range of the MHS IWP retrieval is between 0.5 and 10 kg/sq m, and agrees well with CloudSat in terms of the normalized probability density function (PDF). Compared to the empirical model, current operational radiative transfer models (RTMs) still have significant uncertainties in characterizing the observed Tcir-IWP relationships. Therefore, the empirical LUT method developed here remains an effective approach to retrieving ice cloud properties from the MHS-like microwave channels.

Aerosol-Radiation-Cloud Interactions in the South-East Atlantic: Future Suborbital Activities to Address Knowledge Gaps in Satellite and Model Assessments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Redemann, Jens; Wood, R.; Zuidema, P.; Haywood, J.; Piketh, S.; Formenti, P.; L'Ecuyer, T.; Kacenelenbogen, M.; Segal-Rosenheimer, M.; Shinozuka, Y.;

Aerosol-Radiation-Cloud Interactions in the South-East Atlantic: Future Suborbital Activities to Address Knowledge Gaps in Satellite and Model Assessments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Redemann, J.; Wood, R.; Zuidema, P.; Haywood, J. M.; Piketh, S.; Formenti, P.; L'Ecuyer, T. S.; Kacenelenbogen, M. S.; Segal-Rosenhaimer, M.; Shinozuka, Y.; LeBlanc, S. E.; Vaughan, M. A.; Schmidt, S.; Flynn, C. J.; Song, S.; Schmid, B.; Luna, B.; Abel, S.

2015-12-01

Southern Africa produces almost a third of the Earth's biomass burning (BB) aerosol particles. Particles lofted into the mid-troposphere are transported westward over the South-East (SE) Atlantic, home to one of the three permanent subtropical stratocumulus (Sc) cloud decks in the world. The SE Atlantic stratocumulus deck interacts with the dense layers of BB aerosols that initially overlay the cloud deck, but later subside and may mix into the clouds. These interactions include adjustments to aerosol-induced solar heating and microphysical effects, and their global representation in climate models remains one of the largest uncertainties in estimates of future climate. Hence, new observations over the SE Atlantic have significant implications for global climate change scenarios. Our understanding of aerosol-cloud interactions in the SE Atlantic is hindered both by the lack of knowledge on aerosol and cloud properties, as well as the lack of knowledge about detailed physical processes involved. Most notably, we are missing knowledge on the absorptive and cloud nucleating properties of aerosols, including their vertical distribution relative to clouds, on the locations and degree of aerosol mixing into clouds, on the processes that govern cloud property adjustments, and on the importance of aerosol effects on clouds relative to co-varying synoptic scale meteorology. We discuss the current knowledge of aerosol and cloud property distributions based on satellite observations and sparse suborbital sampling. Recent efforts to make full use of A-Train aerosol sensor synergies will be highlighted. We describe planned field campaigns in the region to address the existing knowledge gaps. Specifically, we describe the scientific objectives and implementation of the five synergistic, international research activities aimed at providing some of the key aerosol and cloud properties and a process-level understanding of aerosol-cloud interactions over the SE Atlantic: NASA's ORACLES, the UK Met Office's CLARIFY-2016, the DoE's LASIC, NSF's ONFIRE, and CNRS' AEROCLO-SA.

Improvements of top-of-atmosphere and surface irradiance computations with CALIPSO-, CloudSat-, and MODIS-derived cloud and aerosol properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kato, Seiji; Rose, Fred G.; Sun-Mack, Sunny; Miller, Walter F.; Chen, Yan; Rutan, David A.; Stephens, Graeme L.; Loeb, Norman G.; Minnis, Patrick; Wielicki, Bruce A.; Winker, David M.; Charlock, Thomas P.; Stackhouse, Paul W., Jr.; Xu, Kuan-Man; Collins, William D.

2011-10-01

One year of instantaneous top-of-atmosphere (TOA) and surface shortwave and longwave irradiances are computed using cloud and aerosol properties derived from instruments on the A-Train Constellation: the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) on the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) satellite, the CloudSat Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR), and the Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS). When modeled irradiances are compared with those computed with cloud properties derived from MODIS radiances by a Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) cloud algorithm, the global and annual mean of modeled instantaneous TOA irradiances decreases by 12.5 W m-2 (5.0%) for reflected shortwave and 2.5 W m-2 (1.1%) for longwave irradiances. As a result, the global annual mean of instantaneous TOA irradiances agrees better with CERES-derived irradiances to within 0.5W m-2 (out of 237.8 W m-2) for reflected shortwave and 2.6W m-2 (out of 240.1 W m-2) for longwave irradiances. In addition, the global annual mean of instantaneous surface downward longwave irradiances increases by 3.6 W m-2 (1.0%) when CALIOP- and CPR-derived cloud properties are used. The global annual mean of instantaneous surface downward shortwave irradiances also increases by 8.6 W m-2 (1.6%), indicating that the net surface irradiance increases when CALIOP- and CPR-derived cloud properties are used. Increasing the surface downward longwave irradiance is caused by larger cloud fractions (the global annual mean by 0.11, 0.04 excluding clouds with optical thickness less than 0.3) and lower cloud base heights (the global annual mean by 1.6 km). The increase of the surface downward longwave irradiance in the Arctic exceeds 10 W m-2 (˜4%) in winter because CALIOP and CPR detect more clouds in comparison with the cloud detection by the CERES cloud algorithm during polar night. The global annual mean surface downward longwave irradiance of 345.4 W m-2 is estimated by combining the modeled instantaneous surface longwave irradiance computed with CALIOP and CPR cloud profiles with the global annual mean longwave irradiance from the CERES product (AVG), which includes the diurnal variation of the irradiance. The estimated bias error is -1.5 W m-2 and the uncertainty is 6.9 W m-2. The uncertainty is predominately caused by the near-surface temperature and column water vapor amount uncertainties.

Study of the Radiative Properties of Inhomogeneous Stratocumulus Clouds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Batey, Michael

1996-01-01

Clouds play an important role in the radiation budget of the atmosphere. A good understanding of how clouds interact with solar radiation is necessary when considering their effects in both general circulation models and climate models. This study examined the radiative properties of clouds in both an inhomogeneous cloud system, and a simplified cloud system through the use of a Monte Carlo model. The purpose was to become more familiar with the radiative properties of clouds, especially absorption, and to investigate the excess absorption of solar radiation from observations over that calculated from theory. The first cloud system indicated that the absorptance actually decreased as the cloud's inhomogeneity increased, and that cloud forcing does not indicate any changes. The simplified cloud system looked at two different cases of absorption of solar radiation in the cloud. The absorptances calculated from the Monte Carlo is compared to a correction method for calculating absorptances and found that the method can over or underestimate absorptances at cloud edges. Also the cloud edge effects due to solar radiation points to a possibility of overestimating the retrieved optical depth at the edge, and indicates a possible way to correct for it. The effective cloud fraction (Ne) for a long time has been calculated from a cloud's reflectance. From the reflectance it has been observed that the N, for most cloud geometries is greater than the actual cloud fraction (Nc) making a cloud appear wider than it is optically. Recent studies we have performed used a Monte Carlo model to calculate the N, of a cloud using not only the reflectance but also the absorptance. The derived Ne's from the absorptance in some of the Monte Carlo runs did not give the same results as derived from the reflectance. This study also examined the inhomogeneity of clouds to find a relationship between larger and smaller scales, or wavelengths, of the cloud. Both Fourier transforms and wavelet transforms were used to analyze the liquid water content of marine stratocumulus clouds taken during the ASTEX project. From the analysis it was found that the energy in the cloud is not uniformly distributed but is greater at the larger scales than at the smaller scales. This was determined by examining the slope of the power spectrum, and by comparing the variability at two scales from a wavelet analysis.

Validation of Satellite Derived Cloud Properties Over the Southeastern Pacific

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ayers, J.; Minnis, P.; Zuidema, P.; Sun-Mack, S.; Palikonda, R.; Nguyen, L.; Fairall, C.

2005-12-01

Satellite measurements of cloud properties and the radiation budget are essential for understanding meso- and large-scale processes that determine the variability in climate over the southeastern Pacific. Of particular interest in this region is the prevalent stratocumulus cloud deck. The stratocumulus albedos are directly related to cloud microphysical properties that need to be accurately characterized in Global Climate Models (GCMs) to properly estimate the Earth's radiation budget. Meteorological observations in this region are sparse causing large uncertainties in initialized model fields. Remote sensing from satellites can provide a wealth of information about the clouds in this region, but it is vital to validate the remotely sensed parameters and to understand their relationship to other parameters that are not directly observed by the satellites. The variety of measurements from the R/V Roger Revelle during the 2003 STRATUS cruise and from the R/V Ron Brown during EPIC 2001 and the 2004 STRATUS cruises are suitable for validating and improving the interpretation of the satellite derived cloud properties. In this study, satellite-derived cloud properties including coverage, height, optical depth, and liquid water path are compared with in situ measurements taken during the EPIC and STRATUS cruises. The remotely sensed values are derived from Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) imager data, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data from the Terra and Aqua satellites, and from the Visible and Infrared Scanner (VIRS) aboard the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite. The products from this study will include regional monthly cloud climatologies derived from the GOES data for the 2003 and 2004 cruises as well as micro and macro physical cloud property retrievals centered over the ship tracks from MODIS and VIRS.

Short-term solar irradiance forecasting via satellite/model coupling

DOE PAGES

Miller, Steven D.; Rogers, Matthew A.; Haynes, John M.; ...

2017-12-01

The short-term (0-3 h) prediction of solar insolation for renewable energy production is a problem well-suited to satellite-based techniques. The spatial, spectral, temporal and radiometric resolution of instrumentation hosted on the geostationary platform allows these satellites to describe the current cloud spatial distribution and optical properties. These properties relate directly to the transient properties of the downwelling solar irradiance at the surface, which come in the form of 'ramps' that pose a central challenge to energy load balancing in a spatially distributed network of solar farms. The short-term evolution of the cloud field may be approximated to first order simplymore » as translational, but care must be taken in how the advection is handled and where the impacts are assigned. In this research, we describe how geostationary satellite observations are used with operational cloud masking and retrieval algorithms, wind field data from Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP), and radiative transfer calculations to produce short-term forecasts of solar insolation for applications in solar power generation. The scheme utilizes retrieved cloud properties to group pixels into contiguous cloud objects whose future positions are predicted using four-dimensional (space + time) model wind fields, selecting steering levels corresponding to the cloud height properties of each cloud group. The shadows associated with these clouds are adjusted for sensor viewing parallax displacement and combined with solar geometry and terrain height to determine the actual location of cloud shadows. For mid/high-level clouds at mid-latitudes and high solar zenith angles, the combined displacements from these geometric considerations are non-negligible. The cloud information is used to initialize a radiative transfer model that computes the direct and diffuse-sky solar insolation at both shadow locations and intervening clear-sky regions. Here, we describe the formulation of the algorithm and validate its performance against Surface Radiation (SURFRAD; Augustine et al., 2000, 2005) network observations. Typical errors range from 8.5% to 17.2% depending on the complexity of cloud regimes, and an operational demonstration outperformed persistence-based forecasting of Global Horizontal Irradiance (GHI) under all conditions by ~10 W/m2.« less

Short-term solar irradiance forecasting via satellite/model coupling

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

Miller, Steven D.; Rogers, Matthew A.; Haynes, John M.

The short-term (0-3 h) prediction of solar insolation for renewable energy production is a problem well-suited to satellite-based techniques. The spatial, spectral, temporal and radiometric resolution of instrumentation hosted on the geostationary platform allows these satellites to describe the current cloud spatial distribution and optical properties. These properties relate directly to the transient properties of the downwelling solar irradiance at the surface, which come in the form of 'ramps' that pose a central challenge to energy load balancing in a spatially distributed network of solar farms. The short-term evolution of the cloud field may be approximated to first order simplymore » as translational, but care must be taken in how the advection is handled and where the impacts are assigned. In this research, we describe how geostationary satellite observations are used with operational cloud masking and retrieval algorithms, wind field data from Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP), and radiative transfer calculations to produce short-term forecasts of solar insolation for applications in solar power generation. The scheme utilizes retrieved cloud properties to group pixels into contiguous cloud objects whose future positions are predicted using four-dimensional (space + time) model wind fields, selecting steering levels corresponding to the cloud height properties of each cloud group. The shadows associated with these clouds are adjusted for sensor viewing parallax displacement and combined with solar geometry and terrain height to determine the actual location of cloud shadows. For mid/high-level clouds at mid-latitudes and high solar zenith angles, the combined displacements from these geometric considerations are non-negligible. The cloud information is used to initialize a radiative transfer model that computes the direct and diffuse-sky solar insolation at both shadow locations and intervening clear-sky regions. Here, we describe the formulation of the algorithm and validate its performance against Surface Radiation (SURFRAD; Augustine et al., 2000, 2005) network observations. Typical errors range from 8.5% to 17.2% depending on the complexity of cloud regimes, and an operational demonstration outperformed persistence-based forecasting of Global Horizontal Irradiance (GHI) under all conditions by ~10 W/m2.« less

Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Tropospheric Clouds Observed by MODIS Onboard the Terra and Aqua Satellites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

King, Michael D.

2005-01-01

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) was developed by NASA and launched onboard the Terra spacecraft on December 18, 1999 and Aqua spacecraft on May 4, 2002. It achieved its final orbit and began Earth observations on February 24, 2000 for Terra and June 24, 2002 for Aqua. A comprehensive set of remote sensing algorithms for cloud masking and the retrieval of cloud physical and optical properties has been developed by members of the MODIS atmosphere science team. The archived products from these algorithms have applications in climate change studies, climate modeling, numerical weather prediction, as well as fundamental atmospheric research. In addition to an extensive cloud mask, products include cloud-top properties (temperature, pressure, effective emissivity), cloud thermodynamic phase, cloud optical and microphysical parameters (optical thickness, effective particle radius, water path), as well as derived statistics. We will describe the various cloud properties being analyzed on a global basis from both Terra and Aqua. These include the latitudinal distribution of cloud optical and radiative properties of both liquid water and ice clouds, as well as joint histograms of cloud optical thickness and effective radius for selected geographical locations around the world.

Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Tropospheric Clouds Observed by MODIS Onboard the Terra and Aqua Satellites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

King, Michael D.; Platnick, Steven

2005-01-01

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) was developed by NASA and launched onboard the Terra spacecraft on December 18,1999 and Aqua spacecraft on May 4, 2002. It achieved its final orbit and began Earth observations on February 24, 2000 for Terra and June 24, 2002 for Aqua. A comprehensive set of remote sensing algorithms for cloud masking and the retrieval of cloud physical and optical properties has been developed by members of the MODIS atmosphere science team. The archived products from these algorithms have applications in climate change studies, climate modeling, numerical weather prediction, as well as fundamental atmospheric research. In addition to an extensive cloud mask, products include cloud-top properties (temperature, pressure, effective emissivity), cloud thermodynamic phase, cloud optical and microphysical parameters (optical thickness, effective particle radius, water path), as well as derived statistics. We will describe the various cloud properties being analyzed on a global basis from both Terra and Aqua. These include the latitudinal distribution of cloud optical and radiative properties of both liquid water and ice clouds, as well as joint histograms of cloud optical thickness and effective radius for selected geographical locations around the world.

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.

The application of time series models to cloud field morphology analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chin, Roland T.; Jau, Jack Y. C.; Weinman, James A.

1987-01-01

A modeling method for the quantitative description of remotely sensed cloud field images is presented. A two-dimensional texture modeling scheme based on one-dimensional time series procedures is adopted for this purpose. The time series procedure used is the seasonal autoregressive, moving average (ARMA) process in Box and Jenkins. Cloud field properties such as directionality, clustering and cloud coverage can be retrieved by this method. It has been demonstrated that a cloud field image can be quantitatively defined by a small set of parameters and synthesized surrogates can be reconstructed from these model parameters. This method enables cloud climatology to be studied quantitatively.

Lidar Penetration Depth Observations for Constraining Cloud Longwave Feedbacks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vaillant de Guelis, T.; Chepfer, H.; Noel, V.; Guzman, R.; Winker, D. M.; Kay, J. E.; Bonazzola, M.

2017-12-01

Satellite-borne active remote sensing Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations [CALIPSO; Winker et al., 2010] and CloudSat [Stephens et al., 2002] provide direct measurements of the cloud vertical distribution, with a very high vertical resolution. The penetration depth of the laser of the lidar Z_Opaque is directly linked to the LongWave (LW) Cloud Radiative Effect (CRE) at Top Of Atmosphere (TOA) [Vaillant de Guélis et al., in review]. In addition, this measurement is extremely stable in time making it an excellent observational candidate to verify and constrain the cloud LW feedback mechanism [Chepfer et al., 2014]. In this work, we present a method to decompose the variations of the LW CRE at TOA using cloud properties observed by lidar [GOCCP v3.0; Guzman et al., 2017]. We decompose these variations into contributions due to changes in five cloud properties: opaque cloud cover, opaque cloud altitude, thin cloud cover, thin cloud altitude, and thin cloud emissivity [Vaillant de Guélis et al., in review]. We apply this method, in the real world, to the CRE variations of CALIPSO 2008-2015 record, and, in climate model, to LMDZ6 and CESM simulations of the CRE variations of 2008-2015 period and of the CRE difference between a warm climate and the current climate. In climate model simulations, the same cloud properties as those observed by CALIOP are extracted from the CFMIP Observation Simulator Package (COSP) [Bodas-Salcedo et al., 2011] lidar simulator [Chepfer et al., 2008], which mimics the observations that would be performed by the lidar on board CALIPSO satellite. This method, when applied on multi-model simulations of current and future climate, could reveal the altitude of cloud opacity level observed by lidar as a strong constrain for cloud LW feedback, since the altitude feedback mechanism is physically explainable and the altitude of cloud opacity accurately observed by lidar.

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

Long Term Cloud Property Datasets From MODIS and AVHRR Using the CERES Cloud Algorithm

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Minnis, Patrick; Bedka, Kristopher M.; Doelling, David R.; Sun-Mack, Sunny; Yost, Christopher R.; Trepte, Qing Z.; Bedka, Sarah T.; Palikonda, Rabindra; Scarino, Benjamin R.; Chen, Yan;

Cloud Properties Simulated by a Single-Column Model. Part II: Evaluation of Cumulus Detrainment and Ice-phase Microphysics Using a Cloud Resolving Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Luo, Yali; Krueger, Steven K.; Xu, Kuan-Man

2005-01-01

This paper is the second in a series in which kilometer-scale-resolving observations from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program and a cloud-resolving model (CRM) are used to evaluate the single-column model (SCM) version of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction Global Forecast System model. Part I demonstrated that kilometer-scale cirrus properties simulated by the SCM significantly differ from the cloud radar observations while the CRM simulation reproduced most of the cirrus properties as revealed by the observations. The present study describes an evaluation, through a comparison with the CRM, of the SCM's representation of detrainment from deep cumulus and ice-phase microphysics in an effort to better understand the findings of Part I. It is found that detrainment occurs too infrequently at a single level at a time in the SCM, although the detrainment rate averaged over the entire simulation period is somewhat comparable to that of the CRM simulation. Relatively too much detrained ice is sublimated when first detrained. Snow falls over too deep of a layer due to the assumption that snow source and sink terms exactly balance within one time step in the SCM. These characteristics in the SCM parameterizations may explain many of the differences in the cirrus properties between the SCM and the observations (or between the SCM and the CRM). A possible improvement for the SCM consists of the inclusion of multiple cumulus cloud types as in the original Arakawa-Schubert scheme, prognostically determining the stratiform cloud fraction and snow mixing ratio. This would allow better representation of the detrainment from deep convection, better coupling of the volume of detrained air with cloud fraction, and better representation of snow field.

Global distributions of cloud properties for CERES

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun-Mack, S.; Minnis, P.; Heck, P.; Young, D.

2003-04-01

The microphysical and macrophysical properties of clouds play a crucial role in the earth's radiation budget. Simultaneous measurement of the radiation and cloud fields on a global basis has long been recognized as a key component in understanding and modeling the interaction between clouds and radiation at the top of the atmosphere, at the surface, and within the atmosphere. With the implementation of the NASA Clouds and Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) in 1998, this need is being met. Broadband shortwave and longwave radiance measurements taken by the CERES scanners at resolutions between 10 and 20 km on the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), Terra, and Aqua satellites are matched to simultaneous retrievals of cloud height, phase, particle size, water path, and optical depth from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on Terra and Aqua. The combined cloud-radiation product has already been used for developing new, highly accurate anisotropic directional models for converting broadband radiances to flux. They also provide a consistent measure of cloud properties at different times of day over the globe since January 1998. These data will be valuable for determining the indirect effects of aerosols and for linking cloud water to cloud radiation. This paper provides an overview of the CERES cloud products from the three satellites including the retrieval methodology, validation, and global distributions. Availability and access to the datasets will also be discussed.

Reconciling Simulated and Observed Views of Clouds: MODIS, ISCCP, and the Limits or Instrument Simulators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ackerman, Steven A.; Hemler, Richard S.; Hofman, Robert J. Patrick; Pincus, Robert; Platnick, Steven

2011-01-01

The properties of clouds that may be observed by satellite instruments, such as optical depth and cloud top pressure, are only loosely related to the way clouds m-e represented in models of the atmosphere. One way to bridge this gap is through "instrument simulators," diagnostic tools that map the model representation to synthetic observations so that differences between simulator output and observations can be interpreted unambiguously as model error. But simulators may themselves be restricted by limited information available from the host model or by internal assumptions. This paper considers the extent to which instrument simulators are able to capture essential differences between MODIS and ISCCP, two similar but independent estimates of cloud properties. The authors review the measurements and algorithms underlying these two cloud climatologies, introduce a MODIS simulator, and detail data sets developed for comparison with global models using ISCCP and MODIS simulators, In nature MODIS observes less mid-level doudines!> than ISCCP, consistent with the different methods used to determine cloud top pressure; aspects of this difference are reproduced by the simulators running in a climate modeL But stark differences between MODIS and ISCCP observations of total cloudiness and the distribution of cloud optical thickness can be traced to different approaches to marginal pixels, which MODIS excludes and ISCCP treats as homogeneous. These pixels, which likely contain broken clouds, cover about 15 k of the planet and contain almost all of the optically thinnest clouds observed by either instrument. Instrument simulators can not reproduce these differences because the host model does not consider unresolved spatial scales and so can not produce broken pixels. Nonetheless, MODIS and ISCCP observation are consistent for all but the optically-thinnest clouds, and models can be robustly evaluated using instrument simulators by excluding ambiguous observations.

A model predicting the evolution of ice particle size spectra and radiative properties of cirrus clouds. Part 2: Dependence of absorption and extinction on ice crystal morphology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mitchell, David L.; Arnott, W. Patrick

1994-01-01

This study builds upon the microphysical modeling described in Part 1 by deriving formulations for the extinction and absorption coefficients in terms of the size distribution parameters predicted from the micro-physical model. The optical depth and single scatter albedo of a cirrus cloud can then be determined, which, along with the asymmetry parameter, are the input parameters needed by cloud radiation models. Through the use of anomalous diffraction theory, analytical expressions were developed describing the absorption and extinction coefficients and the single scatter albedo as functions of size distribution parameters, ice crystal shapes (or habits), wavelength, and refractive index. The extinction coefficient was formulated in terms of the projected area of the size distribution, while the absorption coefficient was formulated in terms of both the projected area and mass of the size distribution. These properties were formulated as explicit functions of ice crystal geometry and were not based on an 'effective radius.' Based on simulations of the second cirrus case study described in Part 1, absorption coefficients predicted in the near infrared for hexagonal columns and rosettes were up to 47% and 71% lower, respectively, than absorption coefficients predicted by using equivalent area spheres. This resulted in single scatter albedos in the near-infrared that were considerably greater than those predicted by the equivalent area sphere method. Reflectances in this region should therefore be underestimated using the equivalent area sphere approach. Cloud optical depth was found to depend on ice crystal habit. When the simulated cirrus cloud contained only bullet rosettes, the optical depth was 142% greater than when the cloud contained only hexagonal columns. This increase produced a doubling in cloud albedo. In the near-infrared (IR), the single scatter albedo also exhibited a significant dependence on ice crystal habit. More research is needed on the geometrical properties of ice crystals before the influence of ice crystal shape on cirrus radiative properties can be adequately understood. This study provides a way of coupling the radiative properties of absorption, extinction, and single scatter albedo to the microphysical properties of cirrus clouds. The dependence of extinction and absorption on ice crystal shape was not just due to geometrical differences between crystal types, but was also due to the effect these differences had on the evolution of ice particle size spectra. The ice particle growth model in Part 1 and the radiative properties treated here are based on analytical formulations, and thus represent a computationally efficient means of modeling the microphysical and radiative properties of cirrus clouds.

Satellite Data Analysis of Impact of Anthropogenic Air Pollution on Ice Clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gu, Y.; Liou, K. N.; Zhao, B.; Jiang, J. H.; Su, H.

2017-12-01

Despite numerous studies about the impact of aerosols on ice clouds, the role of anthropogenic aerosols in ice processes, especially over pollution regions, remains unclear and controversial, and has not been considered in a regional model. The objective of this study is to improve our understanding of the ice process associated with anthropogenic aerosols, and provide a comprehensive assessment of the contribution of anthropogenic aerosols to ice nucleation, ice cloud properties, and the consequent regional radiative forcing. As the first attempt, we evaluate the effects of different aerosol types (mineral dust, air pollution, polluted dust, and smoke) on ice cloud micro- and macro-physical properties using satellite data. We identify cases with collocated CloudSat, CALIPSO, and Aqua observations of vertically resolved aerosol and cloud properties, and process these observations into the same spatial resolution. The CALIPSO's aerosol classification algorithm determines aerosol layers as one of six defined aerosol types by taking into account the lidar depolarization ratio, integrated attenuated backscattering, surface type, and layer elevation. We categorize the cases identified above according to aerosol types, collect relevant aerosol and ice cloud variables, and determine the correlation between column/layer AOD and ice cloud properties for each aerosol type. Specifically, we investigate the correlation between aerosol loading (indicated by the column AOD and layer AOD) and ice cloud microphysical properties (ice water content, ice crystal number concentration, and ice crystal effective radius) and macro-physical properties (ice water path, ice cloud fraction, cloud top temperature, and cloud thickness). By comparing the responses of ice cloud properties to aerosol loadings for different aerosol types, we infer the role of different aerosol types in ice nucleation and the evolution of ice clouds. Our preliminary study shows that changes in the ice crystal effective radius with respect to AOD over Eastern Asia for the aerosol types of polluted continental and mineral dust look similar, implying that both air pollution and mineral dust could affect the microphysical properties of ice clouds.

First correlated measurements of the shape and light scattering properties of cloud particles using the new Particle Habit Imaging and Polar Scattering (PHIPS) probe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdelmonem, A.; Schnaiter, M.; Amsler, P.; Hesse, E.; Meyer, J.; Leisner, T.

2011-10-01

Studying the radiative impact of cirrus clouds requires knowledge of the relationship between their microphysics and the single scattering properties of cloud particles. Usually, this relationship is obtained by modeling the optical scattering properties from in situ measurements of ice crystal size distributions. The measured size distribution and the assumed particle shape might be erroneous in case of non-spherical ice particles. We present here a novel optical sensor (the Particle Habit Imaging and Polar Scattering probe, PHIPS) designed to measure simultaneously the 3-D morphology and the corresponding optical and microphysical parameters of individual cloud particles. Clouds containing particles ranging from a few micrometers to about 800 μm diameter in size can be characterized systematically with an optical resolution power of 2 μm and polar scattering resolution of 1° for forward scattering directions (from 1° to 10°) and 8° for side and backscattering directions (from 18° to 170°). The maximum acquisition rates for scattering phase functions and images are 262 KHz and 10 Hz, respectively. Some preliminary results collected in two ice cloud campaigns conducted in the AIDA cloud simulation chamber are presented. PHIPS showed reliability in operation and produced size distributions and images comparable to those given by other certified cloud particles instruments. A 3-D model of a hexagonal ice plate is constructed and the corresponding scattering phase function is compared to that modeled using the Ray Tracing with Diffraction on Facets (RTDF) program. PHIPS is a highly promising novel airborne optical sensor for studying the radiative impact of cirrus clouds and correlating the particle habit-scattering properties which will serve as a reference for other single, or multi-independent, measurement instruments.

Final Report fir DE-SC0005507 (A1618): The Development of an Improved Cloud Microphysical Product for Model and Remote Sensing Evaluation using RACORO Observations

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

McFarquhar, Greg M.

2012-09-21

We proposed to analyze data collected during the Routine Aerial Facilities (AAF) Clouds with Low Optical Water Depths (CLOWD) Optical Radiative Observations (RACORO) in order to develop an integrated product of cloud microphysical properties (number concentration of drops in different size bins, total liquid drop concentration integrated over all bin sizes, liquid water content LWC, extinction of liquid clouds, effective radius of water drops, and radar reflectivity factor) that could be used to evaluate large-eddy simulations (LES), general circulation models (GCMs) and ground-based remote sensing retrievals, and to develop cloud parameterizations with the end goal of improving the modeling ofmore » cloud processes and properties and their impact on atmospheric radiation. We have completed the development of this microphysical database. We investigated the differences in the size distributions measured by the Cloud and Aerosol Spectrometer (CAS) and the Forward Scattering Probe (FSSP), between the one dimensional cloud imaging probe (1DC) and the two-dimensional cloud imaging probe (2DC), and between the bulk LWCs measured by the Gerber probe against those derived from the size resolved probes.« less

Cloud Condensation Nuclei Activity of Aerosols during GoAmazon 2014/15 Field Campaign Report

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

Wang, J.; Martin, S. T.; Kleinman, L.

2016-03-01

Aerosol indirect effects, which represent the impact of aerosols on climate through influencing the properties of clouds, remain one of the main uncertainties in climate predictions (Stocker et al. 2013). Reducing this large uncertainty requires both improved understanding and representation of aerosol properties and processes in climate models, including the cloud activation properties of aerosols. The Atmospheric System Research (ASR) science program plan of January 2010 states that: “A key requirement for simulating aerosol-cloud interactions is the ability to calculate cloud condensation nuclei and ice nuclei (CCN and IN, respectively) concentrations as a function of supersaturation from the chemical andmore » microphysical properties of the aerosol.” The Observations and Modeling of the Green Ocean Amazon (GoAmazon 2014/15) study seeks to understand how aerosol and cloud life cycles are influenced by pollutant outflow from a tropical megacity (Manaus)—in particular, the differences in cloud-aerosol-precipitation interactions between polluted and pristine conditions. One key question of GoAmazon2014/5 is: “What is the influence of the Manaus pollution plume on the cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) activities of the aerosol particles and the secondary organic material in the particles?” To address this question, we measured size-resolved CCN spectra, a critical measurement for GoAmazon2014/5.« less

Effects of ice crystal surface roughness and air bubble inclusions on cirrus cloud radiative properties from remote sensing perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Guanglin; Panetta, R. Lee; Yang, Ping; Kattawar, George W.; Zhai, Peng-Wang

2017-07-01

We study the combined effects of surface roughness and inhomogeneity on the optical scattering properties of ice crystals and explore the consequent implications to remote sensing of cirrus cloud properties. Specifically, surface roughness and inhomogeneity are added to the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) collection 6 (MC6) cirrus cloud particle habit model. Light scattering properties of the new habit model are simulated using a modified version of the Improved Geometric Optics Method (IGOM). Both inhomogeneity and surface roughness affect the single scattering properties significantly. In visible bands, inhomogeneity and surface roughness both tend to smooth the phase function and eliminate halos and the backscattering peak. The asymmetry parameter varies with the degree of surface roughness following a U shape - decreases and then increases - with a minimum at around 0.15, whereas it decreases monotonically with the air bubble volume fraction. Air bubble inclusions significantly increase phase matrix element -P12 for scattering angles between 20°-120°, whereas surface roughness has a much weaker effect, increasing -P12 slightly from 60°-120°. Radiative transfer simulations and cirrus cloud property retrievals are conducted by including both the factors. In terms of surface roughness and air bubble volume fraction, retrievals of cirrus cloud optical thickness or the asymmetry parameter using solar bands show similar patterns of variation. Polarimetric simulations using the MC6 cirrus cloud particle habit model are shown to be more consistent with observations when both surface roughness and inhomogeneity are simultaneously considered.

External Influences on Modeled and Observed Cloud Trends

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marvel, Kate; Zelinka, Mark; Klein, Stephen A.; Bonfils, Celine; Caldwell, Peter; Doutriaux, Charles; Santer, Benjamin D.; Taylor, Karl E.

2015-01-01

Understanding the cloud response to external forcing is a major challenge for climate science. This crucial goal is complicated by intermodel differences in simulating present and future cloud cover and by observational uncertainty. This is the first formal detection and attribution study of cloud changes over the satellite era. Presented herein are CMIP5 (Coupled Model Intercomparison Project - Phase 5) model-derived fingerprints of externally forced changes to three cloud properties: the latitudes at which the zonally averaged total cloud fraction (CLT) is maximized or minimized, the zonal average CLT at these latitudes, and the height of high clouds at these latitudes. By considering simultaneous changes in all three properties, the authors define a coherent multivariate fingerprint of cloud response to external forcing and use models from phase 5 of CMIP (CMIP5) to calculate the average time to detect these changes. It is found that given perfect satellite cloud observations beginning in 1983, the models indicate that a detectable multivariate signal should have already emerged. A search is then made for signals of external forcing in two observational datasets: ISCCP (International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project) and PATMOS-x (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) Pathfinder Atmospheres - Extended). The datasets are both found to show a poleward migration of the zonal CLT pattern that is incompatible with forced CMIP5 models. Nevertheless, a detectable multivariate signal is predicted by models over the PATMOS-x time period and is indeed present in the dataset. Despite persistent observational uncertainties, these results present a strong case for continued efforts to improve these existing satellite observations, in addition to planning for new missions.

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 brightness temperatures to ice. The next step is a satellite mission designed to acquire global Earth radiance measurements in the submillimeter-wave region, thus bridging the measurement gap between microwave sounders and shorter-wavelength infrared and visible sensors. This presentation provides scientific justification and an approach to measuring ice water path and particle size from a satellite platform that spans a range encompassing both the hydrologically active and radiatively active components of cloud systems.

Evaluation of Cloud Physical Properties of ECMWF Analysis and Re-Analysis (ERA-40 and ERA Interim) against CERES Tropical Deep Convective Cloud Object Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Xu, Kuan-Man

2008-01-01

This study presents an approach that converts the vertical profiles of grid-averaged cloud properties from large-scale models to probability density functions (pdfs) of subgrid-cell cloud physical properties measured at satellite footprints. Cloud physical and radiative properties, rather than just cloud and precipitation occurrences, of assimilated cloud systems by the European Center for Medium-range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) operational analysis (EOA) and ECMWF Re-Analyses (ERA-40 and ERA Interim) are validated against those obtained from Earth Observing System satellite cloud object data for January-August 1998 and March 2000 periods. These properties include ice water path (IWP), cloud-top height and temperature, cloud optical depth and solar and infrared radiative fluxes. Each cloud object, a contiguous region with similar cloud physical properties, is temporally and spatially matched with EOA and ERA-40 data. Results indicate that most pdfs of EOA and ERA-40 cloud physical and radiative properties agree with those of satellite observations of the tropical deep convective cloud-object type for the January-August 1998 period. There are, however, significant discrepancies in selected ranges of the cloud property pdfs such as the upper range of EOA cloud top height. A major discrepancy is that the dependence of the pdfs on the cloud object size for both EOA and ERA-40 is not as strong as in the observations. Modifications to the cloud parameterization in ECMWF that occurred in October 1999 eliminate the clouds near the tropopause but shift power of the pdf to lower cloud-top heights and greatly reduce the ranges of IWP and cloud optical depth pdfs. These features persist in ERA-40 due to the use of the same cloud parameterizations. The downgrade of data assimilation technique and the lack of snow water content information in ERA-40, not the coarser horizontal grid resolution, are also responsible for the disagreements with observed pdfs of cloud physical properties although the detection rates of cloud object occurrence are improved for small size categories. A possible improvement to the convective parameterization is to introduce a stronger dependence of updraft penetration heights with grid-cell dynamics. These conclusions will be rechecked using the ERA Interim data, due to recent changes in the ECMWF convective parameterization (Bechtold et al. 2004, 2008). Results from the ERA Interim will be presented at the meeting.

Cirrus clouds. I - A cirrus cloud model. II - Numerical experiments on the formation and maintenance of cirrus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Starr, D. OC.; Cox, S. K.

1985-01-01

A simplified cirrus cloud model is presented which may be used to investigate the role of various physical processes in the life cycle of a cirrus cloud. The model is a two-dimensional, time-dependent, Eulerian numerical model where the focus is on cloud-scale processes. Parametrizations are developed to account for phase changes of water, radiative processes, and the effects of microphysical structure on the vertical flux of ice water. The results of a simulation of a thin cirrostratus cloud are given. The results of numerical experiments performed with the model are described in order to demonstrate the important role of cloud-scale processes in determining the cloud properties maintained in response to larger scale forcing. The effects of microphysical composition and radiative processes are considered, as well as their interaction with thermodynamic and dynamic processes within the cloud. It is shown that cirrus clouds operate in an entirely different manner than liquid phase stratiform clouds.

Evaluation of RRTMG and Fu-Liou RTM Performance against LBLRTM-DISORT Simulations and CERES Data in terms of Ice Clouds Radiative Effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gu, B.; Yang, P.; Kuo, C. P.; Mlawer, E. J.

2017-12-01

Evaluation of RRTMG and Fu-Liou RTM Performance against LBLRTM-DISORT Simulations and CERES Data in terms of Ice Clouds Radiative Effects Boyan Gu1, Ping Yang1, Chia-Pang Kuo1, Eli J. Mlawer2 Department of Atmospheric Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA Atmospheric and Environmental Research (AER), Lexington, MA 02421, USA Ice clouds play an important role in climate system, especially in the Earth's radiation balance and hydrological cycle. However, the representation of ice cloud radiative effects (CRE) remains significant uncertainty, because scattering properties of ice clouds are not well considered in general circulation models (GCM). We analyze the strengths and weakness of the Rapid Radiative Transfer Model for GCM Applications (RRTMG) and Fu-Liou Radiative Transfer Model (RTM) against rigorous LBLRTM-DISORT (a combination of Line-By-Line Radiative Transfer Model and Discrete Ordinate Radiative Transfer Model) calculations and CERES (Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System) flux observations. In total, 6 US standard atmospheric profiles and 42 atmospheric profiles from Atmospheric and Environmental Research (AER) Company are used to evaluate the RRTMG and Fu-Liou RTM by LBLRTM-DISORT calculations from 0 to 3250 cm-1. Ice cloud radiative effect simulations with RRTMG and Fu-Liou RTM are initialized using the ice cloud properties from MODIS collection-6 products. Simulations of single layer ice cloud CRE by RRTMG and LBLRTM-DISORT show that RRTMG, neglecting scattering, overestimates the TOA flux by about 0-15 W/m2 depending on the cloud particle size and optical depth, and the most significant overestimation occurs when the particle effective radius is small (around 10 μm) and the cloud optical depth is intermediate (about 1-10). The overestimation reduces significantly when the similarity rule is applied to RRTMG. We combine ice cloud properties from MODIS Collection-6 and atmospheric profiles from the Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications-2 (MERRA2) reanalysis to simulate ice cloud CRE, which is compared with CERES observations.

Detection of supercooled liquid water-topped mixed-phase clouds >from shortwave-infrared satellite observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

NOH, Y. J.; Miller, S. D.; Heidinger, A. K.

2015-12-01

Many studies have demonstrated the utility of multispectral information from satellite passive radiometers for detecting and retrieving the properties of cloud globally, which conventionally utilizes shortwave- and thermal-infrared bands. However, the satellite-derived cloud information comes mainly from cloud top or represents a vertically integrated property. This can produce a large bias in determining cloud phase characteristics, in particular for mixed-phase clouds which are often observed to have supercooled liquid water at cloud top but a predominantly ice phase residing below. The current satellite retrieval algorithms may report these clouds simply as supercooled liquid without any further information regarding the presence of a sub-cloud-top ice phase. More accurate characterization of these clouds is very important for climate models and aviation applications. In this study, we present a physical basis and preliminary results for the algorithm development of supercooled liquid-topped mixed-phase cloud detection using satellite radiometer observations. The detection algorithm is based on differential absorption properties between liquid and ice particles in the shortwave-infrared bands. Solar reflectance data in narrow bands at 1.6 μm and 2.25 μm are used to optically probe below clouds for distinction between supercooled liquid-topped clouds with and without an underlying mixed phase component. Varying solar/sensor geometry and cloud optical properties are also considered. The spectral band combination utilized for the algorithm is currently available on Suomi NPP Visible/Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), Himawari-8 Advanced Himawari Imager (AHI), and the future GOES-R Advance Baseline Imager (ABI). When tested on simulated cloud fields from WRF model and synthetic ABI data, favorable results were shown with reasonable threat scores (0.6-0.8) and false alarm rates (0.1-0.2). An ARM/NSA case study applied to VIIRS data also indicated promising potential of the algorithm.

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.

Mid-Level Mixed-Phase Cloud Properties Derived From Polarization Lidar Measurements and Model Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sassen, K.; Canonica, L.; James, C.; Khvorostyanov, V.

2005-12-01

Water-dominated altocumulus clouds are distributed world-wide in the middle troposphere, and so are generally supercooled clouds with variable amounts of ice production via the heterogeneous droplet freezing process, which depends on temperature and the availability of ice nuclei. Although they tend to be relatively optically thin (i.e., for water clouds) and may often act similarly to cirrus clouds, altocumulus are globally widespread and probably play a significant role in maintaining the radiation balance of the Earth/atmosphere system. We will review recent cloud microphysical/ radiative model findings describing their impact on radiation transfer, and how increasing ice content (leading to cloud glaciation) affects their radiative impact. These simulations are based on the results of a polarization lidar climatology of the macrophysical properties of midlatitude altocumulus clouds, which variably produced ice virga. A new more advanced polarization lidar algorithm for characterizing mixed-phase cloud properties is currently being developed. Relative ice content is shown to have a large effect on atmospheric heating rates. We will also present lidar data examples, from Florida to Alaska, that indicate how desert dust and forest fire smoke aerosols can affect supercooled cloud phase. Since such aerosols may be becoming increasingly prevalent due to various human activities or climate change itself, it is important to assess the potential effects of increasing ice nuclei to climate change.

IceCube SWIRP

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wu, Dongliang L.

2017-01-01

Clouds, ice clouds in particular, are a major source of uncertainty in climate models. Submm-wave sensors fill the sensitivity gap between MW and IR.Cloud microphysical properties (particle size and shape) account for large (200 and 40) measurement uncertainty.

Investigating mixed phase clouds using a synergy of ground based remote sensing measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gierens, Rosa; Kneifel, Stefan; Löhnert, Ulrich

2017-04-01

Low level mixed phase clouds occur frequently in the Arctic, and can persist from hours to several days. However, the processes that lead to the commonality and persistence of these clouds are not well understood. The aim of our work is to get a more detailed understanding of the dynamics of and the processes in Arctic mixed phase clouds using a combination of instruments operating at the AWIPEV station in Svalbard. In addition, an aircraft campaign collecting in situ measurements inside mixed phase clouds above the station is planned for May-June 2017. The in situ data will be used for developing and validating retrievals for microphysical properties from Doppler cloud radar measurements. Once observational data for cloud properties is obtained, it can be used for evaluating model performance, for studies combining modeling and observational approaches, and eventually lead to developing model parameterizations of mixed phase microphysics. To describe the low-level mixed phase clouds, and the atmospheric conditions in which they occur, we present a case study of a persistent mixed phase cloud observed above the AWIPEV station. In the frame of the Arctic Amplification: Climate Relevant Atmospheric and Surface Processes and Feedback Mechanisms ((AC)3) -project, a millimeter wavelength cloud radar was installed at the site in June 2016. The high vertical (4 m in the lowest layer) and temporal (2.5 sec) resolution allows for a detailed description of the structure of the cloud. In addition to radar reflectivity and mean vertical velocity, we also utilize the higher moments of the Doppler spectra, such as skewness and kurtosis. To supplement the radar measurements, a ceilometer is used to detect liquid layers inside the cloud. Liquid water path and integrated water vapor are estimated using a microwave radiometer, which together with soundings can also provide temperature and humidity profiles in the lower troposphere. Moreover, a three-dimensional wind field is be obtained from a Doppler wind lidar. Furthermore, the Cloudnet scheme (www.cloud-net.org), that combines radar, lidar and microwave radiometer observations with a forecast model to provide a best estimate of cloud properties, is used for identifying mixed phase clouds. The continuous measurements carried out at AWIPEV make it possible to characterize the macro- and micro- physical properties of mixed-phase clouds on a long-term, statistical basis. The Arctic observations are compared to a 5-year observational data set from Jülich Observatory for Cloud Evolution (JOYCE) in Western Germany. The occurrence of different types of clouds (with focus on mixed-phase and super-cooled clouds), the distribution of ice and liquid within the clouds, the turbulent environment as well as the temperatures where the different phases are occurring are investigated.

Narrowing the Gap in Quantification of Aerosol-Cloud Radiative Effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feingold, G.; McComiskey, A. C.; Yamaguchi, T.; Kazil, J.; Johnson, J. S.; Carslaw, K. S.

2016-12-01

Despite large advances in our understanding of aerosol and cloud processes over the past years, uncertainty in the aerosol-cloud radiative effect/forcing is still of major concern. In this talk we will advocate a methodology for quantifying the aerosol-cloud radiative effect that considers the primacy of fundamental cloud properties such as cloud amount and albedo alongside the need for process level understanding of aerosol-cloud interactions. We will present a framework for quantifying the aerosol-cloud radiative effect, regime-by-regime, through process-based modelling and observations at the large eddy scale. We will argue that understanding the co-variability between meteorological and aerosol drivers of the radiative properties of the cloud system may be as important an endeavour as attempting to untangle these drivers.

Immersion freezing by natural dust based on a soccer ball model with the Community Atmospheric Model version 5: climate effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yong; Liu, Xiaohong

2014-12-01

We introduce a simplified version of the soccer ball model (SBM) developed by Niedermeier et al (2014 Geophys. Res. Lett. 41 736-741) into the Community Atmospheric Model version 5 (CAM5). It is the first time that SBM is used in an atmospheric model to parameterize the heterogeneous ice nucleation. The SBM, which was simplified for its suitable application in atmospheric models, uses the classical nucleation theory to describe the immersion/condensation freezing by dust in the mixed-phase cloud regime. Uncertain parameters (mean contact angle, standard deviation of contact angle probability distribution, and number of surface sites) in the SBM are constrained by fitting them to recent natural dust (Saharan dust) datasets. With the SBM in CAM5, we investigate the sensitivity of modeled cloud properties to the SBM parameters, and find significant seasonal and regional differences in the sensitivity among the three SBM parameters. Changes of mean contact angle and the number of surface sites lead to changes of cloud properties in Arctic in spring, which could be attributed to the transport of dust ice nuclei to this region. In winter, significant changes of cloud properties induced by these two parameters mainly occur in northern hemispheric mid-latitudes (e.g., East Asia). In comparison, no obvious changes of cloud properties caused by changes of standard deviation can be found in all the seasons. These results are valuable for understanding the heterogeneous ice nucleation behavior, and useful for guiding the future model developments.

Sedimentation Efficiency of Condensation Clouds in Substellar Atmospheres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Peter; Marley, Mark S.; Ackerman, Andrew S.

2018-03-01

Condensation clouds in substellar atmospheres have been widely inferred from spectra and photometric variability. Up until now, their horizontally averaged vertical distribution and mean particle size have been largely characterized using models, one of which is the eddy diffusion–sedimentation model from Ackerman and Marley that relies on a sedimentation efficiency parameter, f sed, to determine the vertical extent of clouds in the atmosphere. However, the physical processes controlling the vertical structure of clouds in substellar atmospheres are not well understood. In this work, we derive trends in f sed across a large range of eddy diffusivities (K zz ), gravities, material properties, and cloud formation pathways by fitting cloud distributions calculated by a more detailed cloud microphysics model. We find that f sed is dependent on K zz , but not gravity, when K zz is held constant. f sed is most sensitive to the nucleation rate of cloud particles, as determined by material properties like surface energy and molecular weight. High surface energy materials form fewer, larger cloud particles, leading to large f sed (>1), and vice versa for materials with low surface energy. For cloud formation via heterogeneous nucleation, f sed is sensitive to the condensation nuclei flux and radius, connecting cloud formation in substellar atmospheres to the objects’ formation environments and other atmospheric aerosols. These insights could lead to improved cloud models that help us better understand substellar atmospheres. For example, we demonstrate that f sed could increase with increasing cloud base depth in an atmosphere, shedding light on the nature of the brown dwarf L/T transition.

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).

On signatures of clouds in exoplanetary transit spectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pinhas, Arazi; Madhusudhan, Nikku

2017-11-01

Transmission spectra of exoplanetary atmospheres have been used to infer the presence of clouds/hazes. Such inferences are typically based on spectral slopes in the optical deviant from gaseous Rayleigh scattering or low-amplitude spectral features in the infrared. We investigate three observable metrics that could allow constraints on cloud properties from transmission spectra, namely the optical slope, the uniformity of this slope and condensate features in the infrared. We derive these metrics using model transmission spectra considering Mie extinction from a wide range of condensate species, particle sizes and scaleheights. First, we investigate possible degeneracies among the cloud properties for an observed slope. We find, for example, that spectra with very steep optical slopes suggest sulphide clouds (e.g. MnS, ZnS, Na2S) in the atmospheres. Secondly, (non)uniformities in optical slopes provide additional constraints on cloud properties, e.g. MnS, ZnS, TiO2 and Fe2O3 have significantly non-uniform slopes. Thirdly, infrared spectra provide an additional powerful probe into cloud properties, with SiO2, Fe2O3, Mg2SiO4 and MgSiO3 bearing strong infrared features observable with James Webb Space Telescope. We investigate observed spectra of eight hot Jupiters and discuss their implications. In particular, no single or composite condensate species considered here conforms to the steep and non-uniform optical slope observed for HD 189733b. Our work highlights the importance of the three above metrics to investigate cloud properties in exoplanetary atmospheres using high-precision transmission spectra and detailed cloud models. We make our Mie scattering data for condensates publicly available to the community.

Cloud vertical distribution from combined surface and space radar-lidar observations at two Arctic atmospheric observatories

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

Liu, Yinghui; Shupe, Matthew D.; Wang, Zhien

Detailed and accurate vertical distributions of cloud properties (such as cloud fraction, cloud phase, and cloud water content) and their changes are essential to accurately calculate the surface radiative flux and to depict the mean climate state. Surface and space-based active sensors including radar and lidar are ideal to provide this information because of their superior capability to detect clouds and retrieve cloud microphysical properties. In this study, we compare the annual cycles of cloud property vertical distributions from space-based active sensors and surface-based active sensors at two Arctic atmospheric observatories, Barrow and Eureka. Based on the comparisons, we identifymore » the sensors' respective strengths and limitations, and develop a blended cloud property vertical distribution by combining both sets of observations. Results show that surface-based observations offer a more complete cloud property vertical distribution from the surface up to 11 km above mean sea level (a.m.s.l.) with limitations in the middle and high altitudes; the annual mean total cloud fraction from space-based observations shows 25-40 % fewer clouds below 0.5 km than from surface-based observations, and space-based observations also show much fewer ice clouds and mixed-phase clouds, and slightly more liquid clouds, from the surface to 1 km. In general, space-based observations show comparable cloud fractions between 1 and 2 km a.m.s.l., and larger cloud fractions above 2 km a.m.s.l. than from surface-based observations. A blended product combines the strengths of both products to provide a more reliable annual cycle of cloud property vertical distributions from the surface to 11 km a.m.s.l. This information can be valuable for deriving an accurate surface radiative budget in the Arctic and for cloud parameterization evaluation in weather and climate models. Cloud annual cycles show similar evolutions in total cloud fraction and ice cloud fraction, and lower liquid-containing cloud fraction at Eureka than at Barrow; the differences can be attributed to the generally colder and drier conditions at Eureka relative to Barrow.« less

Cloud vertical distribution from combined surface and space radar-lidar observations at two Arctic atmospheric observatories

DOE PAGES

Liu, Yinghui; Shupe, Matthew D.; Wang, Zhien; ...

2017-05-16

Detailed and accurate vertical distributions of cloud properties (such as cloud fraction, cloud phase, and cloud water content) and their changes are essential to accurately calculate the surface radiative flux and to depict the mean climate state. Surface and space-based active sensors including radar and lidar are ideal to provide this information because of their superior capability to detect clouds and retrieve cloud microphysical properties. In this study, we compare the annual cycles of cloud property vertical distributions from space-based active sensors and surface-based active sensors at two Arctic atmospheric observatories, Barrow and Eureka. Based on the comparisons, we identifymore » the sensors' respective strengths and limitations, and develop a blended cloud property vertical distribution by combining both sets of observations. Results show that surface-based observations offer a more complete cloud property vertical distribution from the surface up to 11 km above mean sea level (a.m.s.l.) with limitations in the middle and high altitudes; the annual mean total cloud fraction from space-based observations shows 25-40 % fewer clouds below 0.5 km than from surface-based observations, and space-based observations also show much fewer ice clouds and mixed-phase clouds, and slightly more liquid clouds, from the surface to 1 km. In general, space-based observations show comparable cloud fractions between 1 and 2 km a.m.s.l., and larger cloud fractions above 2 km a.m.s.l. than from surface-based observations. A blended product combines the strengths of both products to provide a more reliable annual cycle of cloud property vertical distributions from the surface to 11 km a.m.s.l. This information can be valuable for deriving an accurate surface radiative budget in the Arctic and for cloud parameterization evaluation in weather and climate models. Cloud annual cycles show similar evolutions in total cloud fraction and ice cloud fraction, and lower liquid-containing cloud fraction at Eureka than at Barrow; the differences can be attributed to the generally colder and drier conditions at Eureka relative to Barrow.« less

Shallow cumuli ensemble statistics for development of a stochastic parameterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakradzija, Mirjana; Seifert, Axel; Heus, Thijs

2014-05-01

According to a conventional deterministic approach to the parameterization of moist convection in numerical atmospheric models, a given large scale forcing produces an unique response from the unresolved convective processes. This representation leaves out the small-scale variability of convection, as it is known from the empirical studies of deep and shallow convective cloud ensembles, there is a whole distribution of sub-grid states corresponding to the given large scale forcing. Moreover, this distribution gets broader with the increasing model resolution. This behavior is also consistent with our theoretical understanding of a coarse-grained nonlinear system. We propose an approach to represent the variability of the unresolved shallow-convective states, including the dependence of the sub-grid states distribution spread and shape on the model horizontal resolution. Starting from the Gibbs canonical ensemble theory, Craig and Cohen (2006) developed a theory for the fluctuations in a deep convective ensemble. The micro-states of a deep convective cloud ensemble are characterized by the cloud-base mass flux, which, according to the theory, is exponentially distributed (Boltzmann distribution). Following their work, we study the shallow cumulus ensemble statistics and the distribution of the cloud-base mass flux. We employ a Large-Eddy Simulation model (LES) and a cloud tracking algorithm, followed by a conditional sampling of clouds at the cloud base level, to retrieve the information about the individual cloud life cycles and the cloud ensemble as a whole. In the case of shallow cumulus cloud ensemble, the distribution of micro-states is a generalized exponential distribution. Based on the empirical and theoretical findings, a stochastic model has been developed to simulate the shallow convective cloud ensemble and to test the convective ensemble theory. Stochastic model simulates a compound random process, with the number of convective elements drawn from a Poisson distribution, and cloud properties sub-sampled from a generalized ensemble distribution. We study the role of the different cloud subtypes in a shallow convective ensemble and how the diverse cloud properties and cloud lifetimes affect the system macro-state. To what extent does the cloud-base mass flux distribution deviate from the simple Boltzmann distribution and how does it affect the results from the stochastic model? Is the memory, provided by the finite lifetime of individual clouds, of importance for the ensemble statistics? We also test for the minimal information given as an input to the stochastic model, able to reproduce the ensemble mean statistics and the variability in a convective ensemble. An important property of the resulting distribution of the sub-grid convective states is its scale-adaptivity - the smaller the grid-size, the broader the compound distribution of the sub-grid states.

Satellite and Surface Data Synergy for Developing a 3D Cloud Structure and Properties Characterization Over the ARM SGP. Stage 1: Cloud Amounts, Optical Depths, and Cloud Heights Reconciliation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Genkova, I.; Long, C. N.; Heck, P. W.; Minnis, P.

2003-01-01

One of the primary Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program objectives is to obtain measurements applicable to the development of models for better understanding of radiative processes in the atmosphere. We address this goal by building a three-dimensional (3D) characterization of the cloud structure and properties over the ARM Southern Great Plains (SGP). We take the approach of juxtaposing the cloud properties as retrieved from independent satellite and ground-based retrievals, and looking at the statistics of the cloud field properties. Once these retrievals are well understood, they will be used to populate the 3D characterization database. As a first step we determine the relationship between surface fractional sky cover and satellite viewing angle dependent cloud fraction (CF). We elaborate on the agreement intercomparing optical depth (OD) datasets from satellite and ground using available retrieval algorithms with relation to the CF, cloud height, multi-layer cloud presence, and solar zenith angle (SZA). For the SGP Central Facility, where output from the active remote sensing cloud layer (ARSCL) valueadded product (VAP) is available, we study the uncertainty of satellite estimated cloud heights and evaluate the impact of this uncertainty for radiative studies.

One-Dimensional Cloud Microphysical Models for Central Europe and Their Optical Properties.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-10-01

reverse ft N# neeM id fdlf by block number) One-dimensional microphysical models for six different cloud types are proposed. These models were...and table 2 was extracted from Koenig and Schutz"’ to show the gross features of these clouds. 2A. Kh. Khrgian, Editor, 1963, Cloud Physics, Israel...Acid, HC, Petroleum Oil , and Sulfuric Acid Military Smokes," ASL-TR-0052, April 1980. 124. Hinds, B. D., and J. B. Gillespie, "Optical

An efficient framework for modeling clouds from Landsat8 images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Chunqiang; Guo, Jing

2015-03-01

Cloud plays an important role in creating realistic outdoor scenes for video game and flight simulation applications. Classic methods have been proposed for cumulus cloud modeling. However, these methods are not flexible for modeling large cloud scenes with hundreds of clouds in that the user must repeatedly model each cloud and adjust its various properties. This paper presents a meteorologically based method to reconstruct cumulus clouds from high resolution Landsat8 satellite images. From these input satellite images, the clouds are first segmented from the background. Then, the cloud top surface is estimated from the temperature of the infrared image. After that, under a mild assumption of flat base for cumulus cloud, the base height of each cloud is computed by averaging the top height for pixels on the cloud edge. Then, the extinction is generated from the visible image. Finally, we enrich the initial shapes of clouds using a fractal method and represent the recovered clouds as a particle system. The experimental results demonstrate our method can yield realistic cloud scenes resembling those in the satellite images.

Determination of bulk properties of tropical cloud clusters from large scale heat and moisture budgets, appendix B

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yanai, M.; Esbensen, S.; Chu, J.

1972-01-01

The bulk properties of tropical cloud clusters, as the vertical mass flux, the excess temperature, and moisture and the liquid water content of the clouds, are determined from a combination of the observed large-scale heat and moisture budgets over an area covering the cloud cluster, and a model of a cumulus ensemble which exchanges mass, heat, vapor and liquid water with the environment through entrainment and detrainment. The method also provides an understanding of how the environmental air is heated and moistened by the cumulus convection. An estimate of the average cloud cluster properties and the heat and moisture balance of the environment, obtained from 1956 Marshall Islands data, is presented.

Type-Dependent Responses of Ice Cloud Properties to Aerosols From Satellite Retrievals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Bin; Gu, Yu; Liou, Kuo-Nan; Wang, Yuan; Liu, Xiaohong; Huang, Lei; Jiang, Jonathan H.; Su, Hui

2018-04-01

Aerosol-cloud interactions represent one of the largest uncertainties in external forcings on our climate system. Compared with liquid clouds, the observational evidence for the aerosol impact on ice clouds is much more limited and shows conflicting results, partly because the distinct features of different ice cloud and aerosol types were seldom considered. Using 9-year satellite retrievals, we find that, for convection-generated (anvil) ice clouds, cloud optical thickness, cloud thickness, and cloud fraction increase with small-to-moderate aerosol loadings (<0.3 aerosol optical depth) and decrease with further aerosol increase. For in situ formed ice clouds, however, these cloud properties increase monotonically and more sharply with aerosol loadings. An increase in loading of smoke aerosols generally reduces cloud optical thickness of convection-generated ice clouds, while the reverse is true for dust and anthropogenic pollution aerosols. These relationships between different cloud/aerosol types provide valuable constraints on the modeling assessment of aerosol-ice cloud radiative forcing.

Direct comparisons of ice cloud macro- and microphysical properties simulated by the Community Atmosphere Model version 5 with HIPPO aircraft observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Chenglai; Liu, Xiaohong; Diao, Minghui; Zhang, Kai; Gettelman, Andrew; Lu, Zheng; Penner, Joyce E.; Lin, Zhaohui

2017-04-01

In this study we evaluate cloud properties simulated by the Community Atmosphere Model version 5 (CAM5) using in situ measurements from the HIAPER Pole-to-Pole Observations (HIPPO) campaign for the period of 2009 to 2011. The modeled wind and temperature are nudged towards reanalysis. Model results collocated with HIPPO flight tracks are directly compared with the observations, and model sensitivities to the representations of ice nucleation and growth are also examined. Generally, CAM5 is able to capture specific cloud systems in terms of vertical configuration and horizontal extension. In total, the model reproduces 79.8 % of observed cloud occurrences inside model grid boxes and even higher (94.3 %) for ice clouds (T ≤ -40 °C). The missing cloud occurrences in the model are primarily ascribed to the fact that the model cannot account for the high spatial variability of observed relative humidity (RH). Furthermore, model RH biases are mostly attributed to the discrepancies in water vapor, rather than temperature. At the micro-scale of ice clouds, the model captures the observed increase of ice crystal mean sizes with temperature, albeit with smaller sizes than the observations. The model underestimates the observed ice number concentration (Ni) and ice water content (IWC) for ice crystals larger than 75 µm in diameter. Modeled IWC and Ni are more sensitive to the threshold diameter for autoconversion of cloud ice to snow (Dcs), while simulated ice crystal mean size is more sensitive to ice nucleation parameterizations than to Dcs. Our results highlight the need for further improvements to the sub-grid RH variability and ice nucleation and growth in the model.

Ice particle morphology and microphysical properties of cirrus clouds inferred from combined CALIOP-IIR measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saito, Masanori; Iwabuchi, Hironobu; Yang, Ping; Tang, Guanglin; King, Michael D.; Sekiguchi, Miho

2017-04-01

Ice particle morphology and microphysical properties of cirrus clouds are essential for assessing radiative forcing associated with these clouds. We develop an optimal estimation-based algorithm to infer cirrus cloud optical thickness (COT), cloud effective radius (CER), plate fraction including quasi-horizontally oriented plates (HOPs), and the degree of surface roughness from the Cloud Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) and the Infrared Imaging Radiometer (IIR) on the Cloud Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) platform. A simple but realistic ice particle model is used, and the relevant bulk optical properties are computed using state-of-the-art light-scattering computational capabilities. Rigorous estimation of uncertainties related to surface properties, atmospheric gases, and cloud heterogeneity is performed. The results based on the present method show that COTs are quite consistent with other satellite products and CERs essentially agree with the other counterparts. A 1 month global analysis for April 2007, in which CALIPSO off-nadir angle is 0.3°, shows that the HOP has significant temperature-dependence and is critical to the lidar ratio when cloud temperature is warmer than -40°C. The lidar ratio is calculated from the bulk optical properties based on the inferred parameters, showing robust temperature dependence. The median lidar ratio of cirrus clouds is 27-31 sr over the globe.

Thermodynamic and cloud parameter retrieval using infrared spectral data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zhou, Daniel K.; Smith, William L., Sr.; Liu, Xu; Larar, Allen M.; Huang, Hung-Lung A.; Li, Jun; McGill, Matthew J.; Mango, Stephen A.

2005-01-01

High-resolution infrared radiance spectra obtained from near nadir observations provide atmospheric, surface, and cloud property information. A fast radiative transfer model, including cloud effects, is used for atmospheric profile and cloud parameter retrieval. The retrieval algorithm is presented along with its application to recent field experiment data from the NPOESS Airborne Sounding Testbed - Interferometer (NAST-I). The retrieval accuracy dependence on cloud properties is discussed. It is shown that relatively accurate temperature and moisture retrievals can be achieved below optically thin clouds. For optically thick clouds, accurate temperature and moisture profiles down to cloud top level are obtained. For both optically thin and thick cloud situations, the cloud top height can be retrieved with an accuracy of approximately 1.0 km. Preliminary NAST-I retrieval results from the recent Atlantic-THORPEX Regional Campaign (ATReC) are presented and compared with coincident observations obtained from dropsondes and the nadir-pointing Cloud Physics Lidar (CPL).

4-D cloud properties from passive satellite data and applications to resolve the flight icing threat to aircraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, William L., Jr.

The threat for aircraft icing in clouds is a significant hazard that routinely impacts aviation operations. Accurate diagnoses and forecasts of aircraft icing conditions requires identifying the location and vertical distribution of clouds with super-cooled liquid water (SLW) droplets, as well as the characteristics of the droplet size distribution. Traditional forecasting methods rely on guidance from numerical models and conventional observations, neither of which currently resolve cloud properties adequately on the optimal scales needed for aviation. Satellite imagers provide measurements over large areas with high spatial resolution that can be interpreted to identify the locations and characteristics of clouds, including features associated with adverse weather and storms. This thesis develops new techniques for interpreting cloud products derived from satellite data to infer the flight icing threat to aircraft in a wide range of cloud conditions. For unobscured low clouds, the icing threat is determined using empirical relationships developed from correlations between satellite imager retrievals of liquid water path and droplet size with icing conditions reported by pilots (PIREPS). For deep ice over water cloud systems, ice and liquid water content profiles are derived by using the imager cloud properties to constrain climatological information on cloud vertical structure and water phase obtained apriori from radar and lidar observations, and from cloud model analyses. Retrievals of the SLW content embedded within overlapping clouds are mapped to the icing threat using guidance from an airfoil modeling study. Compared to PIREPS, the satellite icing detection and intensity accuracies are found to be about 90% and 70%, respectively. Mean differences between the imager IWC retrievals with those from CloudSat and Calipso are less than 30%. This level of closure in the cloud water budget can only be achieved by correcting for errors in the imager retrievals due to the simplifying but poor assumption that deep optically thick clouds are single-phase and vertically homogeneous. When applied to geostationary satellite data, the profiling method provides a real-time characterization of clouds in 4-D. This research should improve the utility of satellite imager data for quantitatively diagnosing and predicting clouds and their effects in weather and climate applications.

Understanding the Effect of Aerosol Properties on Cloud Droplet Formation during TCAP Field Campaign Report

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

Cziczo, Daniel

2016-05-01

The formation of clouds is an essential element in understanding the Earth’s radiative budget. Liquid water clouds form when the relative humidity exceeds saturation and condensedphase water nucleates on atmospheric particulate matter. The effect of aerosol properties such as size, morphology, and composition on cloud droplet formation has been studied theoretically as well as in the laboratory and field. Almost without exception these studies have been limited to parallel measurements of aerosol properties and cloud formation or collection of material after the cloud has formed, at which point nucleation information has been lost. Studies of this sort are adequate whenmore » a large fraction of the aerosol activates, but correlations and resulting model parameterizations are much more uncertain at lower supersaturations and activated fractions.« less

Diagnosing causes of cloud parameterization deficiencies using ARM measurements over SGP site

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

Wu, W.; Liu, Y.; Betts, A. K.

2010-03-15

Decade-long continuous surface-based measurements at Great Southern Plains (SGP) collected by the US Department of Energy’s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility are first used to evaluate the three major reanalyses (i.e., ERA-Interim, NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis I and NCEP/DOE Reanalysis II) to identify model biases in simulating surface shortwave cloud forcing and total cloud fraction. The results show large systematic lower biases in the modeled surface shortwave cloud forcing and cloud fraction from all the three reanalysis datasets. Then we focus on diagnosing the causes of these model biases using the Active Remote Sensing of Clouds (ARSCL) products (e.g., verticalmore » distribution of cloud fraction, cloud-base and cloud-top heights, and cloud optical depth) and meteorological measurements (temperature, humidity and stability). Efforts are made to couple cloud properties with boundary processes in the diagnosis.« less

Fast radiative transfer models for retrieval of cloud properties in the back-scattering region: application to DSCOVR-EPIC sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Molina Garcia, Victor; Sasi, Sruthy; Efremenko, Dmitry; Doicu, Adrian; Loyola, Diego

2017-04-01

In this work, the requirements for the retrieval of cloud properties in the back-scattering region are described, and their application to the measurements taken by the Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) on board the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) is shown. Various radiative transfer models and their linearizations are implemented, and their advantages and issues are analyzed. As radiative transfer calculations in the back-scattering region are computationally time-consuming, several acceleration techniques are also studied. The radiative transfer models analyzed include the exact Discrete Ordinate method with Matrix Exponential (DOME), the Matrix Operator method with Matrix Exponential (MOME), and the approximate asymptotic and equivalent Lambertian cloud models. To reduce the computational cost of the line-by-line (LBL) calculations, the k-distribution method, the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and a combination of the k-distribution method plus PCA are used. The linearized radiative transfer models for retrieval of cloud properties include the Linearized Discrete Ordinate method with Matrix Exponential (LDOME), the Linearized Matrix Operator method with Matrix Exponential (LMOME) and the Forward-Adjoint Discrete Ordinate method with Matrix Exponential (FADOME). These models were applied to the EPIC oxygen-A band absorption channel at 764 nm. It is shown that the approximate asymptotic and equivalent Lambertian cloud models give inaccurate results, so an offline processor for the retrieval of cloud properties in the back-scattering region requires the use of exact models such as DOME and MOME, which behave similarly. The combination of the k-distribution method plus PCA presents similar accuracy to the LBL calculations, but it is up to 360 times faster, and the relative errors for the computed radiances are less than 1.5% compared to the results when the exact phase function is used. Finally, the linearized models studied show similar behavior, with relative errors less than 1% for the radiance derivatives, but FADOME is 2 times faster than LDOME and 2.5 times faster than LMOME.

The effect of finite geometry on the three-dimensional transfer of solar irradiance in clouds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davies, R.

1978-01-01

Results are presented for a Monte Carlo model applied to a wide range of cloud widths and heights, and for an analytical model restricted in its application to cuboidally shaped clouds whose length, breadth, and depth may be varied independently; the clouds must be internally homogeneous with respect to their intrinsic radiative properties. Comparative results from the Monte Carlo method and the derived analytical model are presented for a wide range of cloud sizes, with special emphasis on the effects of varying the single scatter albedo, the solar zenith angle, and the scattering phase angle.

CesrTA Retarding Field Analyzer Modeling Results

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

Calvey, J.R.; Celata, C.M.; Crittenden, J.A.

2010-05-23

Retarding field analyzers (RFAs) provide an effective measure of the local electron cloud density and energy distribution. Proper interpretation of RFA data can yield information about the behavior of the cloud, as well as the surface properties of the instrumented vacuum chamber. However, due to the complex interaction of the cloud with the RFA itself, understanding these measurements can be nontrivial. This paper examines different methods for interpreting RFA data via cloud simulation programs. Techniques include postprocessing the output of a simulation code to predict the RFA response; and incorporating an RFA model into the cloud modeling program itself.

Observational evidence for the aerosol impact on ice cloud properties regulated by cloud/aerosol types

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, B.; Gu, Y.; Liou, K. N.; Jiang, J. H.; Li, Q.; Liu, X.; Huang, L.; Wang, Y.; Su, H.

2016-12-01

The interactions between aerosols and ice clouds (consisting only of ice) represent one of the largest uncertainties in global radiative forcing from pre-industrial time to the present. The observational evidence for the aerosol impact on ice cloud properties has been quite limited and showed conflicting results, partly because previous observational studies did not consider the distinct features of different ice cloud and aerosol types. Using 9-year satellite observations, we find that, for ice clouds generated from deep convection, cloud thickness, cloud optical thickness (COT), and ice cloud fraction increase and decrease with small-to-moderate and high aerosol loadings, respectively. For in-situ formed ice clouds, however, the preceding cloud properties increase monotonically and more sharply with aerosol loadings. The case is more complicated for ice crystal effective radius (Rei). For both convection-generated and in-situ ice clouds, the responses of Rei to aerosol loadings are modulated by water vapor amount in conjunction with several other meteorological parameters, but the sensitivities of Rei to aerosols under the same water vapor amount differ remarkably between the two ice cloud types. As a result, overall Rei slightly increases with aerosol loading for convection-generated ice clouds, but decreases for in-situ ice clouds. When aerosols are decomposed into different types, an increase in the loading of smoke aerosols generally leads to a decrease in COT of convection-generated ice clouds, while the reverse is true for dust and anthropogenic pollution. In contrast, an increase in the loading of any aerosol type can significantly enhance COT of in-situ ice clouds. The modulation of the aerosol impacts by cloud/aerosol types is demonstrated and reproduced by simulations using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. Adequate and accurate representations of the impact of different cloud/aerosol types in climate models are crucial for reducing the substantial uncertainty in assessment of the aerosol-ice cloud radiative forcing.

Observational evidence for the aerosol impact on ice cloud properties regulated by cloud/aerosol types

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, B.; Gu, Y.; Liou, K. N.; Jiang, J. H.; Li, Q.; Liu, X.; Huang, L.; Wang, Y.; Su, H.

2017-12-01

The interactions between aerosols and ice clouds (consisting only of ice) represent one of the largest uncertainties in global radiative forcing from pre-industrial time to the present. The observational evidence for the aerosol impact on ice cloud properties has been quite limited and showed conflicting results, partly because previous observational studies did not consider the distinct features of different ice cloud and aerosol types. Using 9-year satellite observations, we find that, for ice clouds generated from deep convection, cloud thickness, cloud optical thickness (COT), and ice cloud fraction increase and decrease with small-to-moderate and high aerosol loadings, respectively. For in-situ formed ice clouds, however, the preceding cloud properties increase monotonically and more sharply with aerosol loadings. The case is more complicated for ice crystal effective radius (Rei). For both convection-generated and in-situ ice clouds, the responses of Rei to aerosol loadings are modulated by water vapor amount in conjunction with several other meteorological parameters, but the sensitivities of Rei to aerosols under the same water vapor amount differ remarkably between the two ice cloud types. As a result, overall Rei slightly increases with aerosol loading for convection-generated ice clouds, but decreases for in-situ ice clouds. When aerosols are decomposed into different types, an increase in the loading of smoke aerosols generally leads to a decrease in COT of convection-generated ice clouds, while the reverse is true for dust and anthropogenic pollution. In contrast, an increase in the loading of any aerosol type can significantly enhance COT of in-situ ice clouds. The modulation of the aerosol impacts by cloud/aerosol types is demonstrated and reproduced by simulations using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. Adequate and accurate representations of the impact of different cloud/aerosol types in climate models are crucial for reducing the substantial uncertainty in assessment of the aerosol-ice cloud radiative forcing.

Quantified Objectives for Assessing the Contribution of Low Clouds to Climate Sensitivity and Variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Del Genio, A. D.; Platnick, S. E.; Bennartz, R.; Klein, S. A.; Marchand, R.; Oreopoulos, L.; Pincus, R.; Wood, R.

2016-12-01

Low clouds are central to leading-order questions in climate and subseasonal weather predictability, and are key to the NRC panel report's goals "to understand the signals of the Earth system under a changing climate" and "for improved models and model projections." To achieve both goals requires a mix of continuity observations to document the components of the changing climate and improvements in retrievals of low cloud and boundary layer dynamical/thermodynamic properties to ensure process-oriented observations that constrain the parameterized physics of the models. We discuss four climate/weather objectives that depend sensitively on understanding the behavior of low clouds: 1. Reduce uncertainty in GCM-inferred climate sensitivity by 50% by constraining subtropical low cloud feedbacks. 2. Eliminate the GCM Southern Ocean shortwave flux bias and its effect on cloud feedback and the position of the midlatitude storm track. 3. Eliminate the double Intertropical Convergence Zone bias in GCMs and its potential effects on tropical precipitation over land and the simulation and prediction of El Niño. 4. Increase the subseasonal predictability of tropical warm pool precipitation from 20 to 30 days. We envision advances in three categories of observations that would be highly beneficial for reaching these goals: 1. More accurate observations will facilitate more thorough evaluation of clouds in GCMs. 2. Better observations of the links between cloud properties and the environmental state will be used as the foundation for parameterization improvements. 3. Sufficiently long and higher quality records of cloud properties and environmental state will constrain low cloud feedback purely observationally. To accomplish this, the greatest need is to replace A-Train instruments, which are nearing end-of-life, with enhanced versions. The requirements are sufficient horizontal and vertical resolution to capture boundary layer cloud and thermodynamic spatial structure; more accurate determination of cloud condensate profiles and optical properties; near-coincident observations to permit multi-instrument retrievals and association with dynamic and thermodynamic structure; global coverage; and, for long-term monitoring, measurement and orbit stability and sufficient mission duration.

The ENSO Effects on Tropical Clouds and Top-of-Atmosphere Cloud Radiative Effects in CMIP5 Models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Su, Wenying; Wang, Hailan

2015-01-01

The El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) effects on tropical clouds and top-of-atmosphere (TOA) cloud radiative effects (CREs) in Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase5 (CMIP5) models are evaluated using satellite-based observations and International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project satellite simulator output. Climatologically, most CMIP5 models produce considerably less total cloud amount with higher cloud top and notably larger reflectivity than observations in tropical Indo-Pacific (60 degrees East - 200 degrees East; 10 degrees South - 10 degrees North). During ENSO, most CMIP5 models considerably underestimate TOA CRE and cloud changes over western tropical Pacific. Over central tropical Pacific, while the multi-model mean resembles observations in TOA CRE and cloud amount anomalies, it notably overestimates cloud top pressure (CTP) decreases; there are also substantial inter-model variations. The relative effects of changes in cloud properties, temperature and humidity on TOA CRE anomalies during ENSO in the CMIP5 models are assessed using cloud radiative kernels. The CMIP5 models agree with observations in that their TOA shortwave CRE anomalies are primarily contributed by total cloud amount changes, and their TOA longwave CRE anomalies are mostly contributed by changes in both total cloud amount and CTP. The model biases in TOA CRE anomalies particularly the strong underestimations over western tropical Pacific are, however, mainly explained by model biases in CTP and cloud optical thickness (tau) changes. Despite the distinct model cloud biases particularly in tau regime, the TOA CRE anomalies from cloud amount changes are comparable between the CMIP5 models and observations, because of the strong compensations between model underestimation of TOA CRE anomalies from thin clouds and overestimation from medium and thick clouds.

Scaling of drizzle virga depth with cloud thickness for marine stratocumulus clouds

DOE PAGES

Yang, Fan; Luke, Edward P.; Kollias, Pavlos; ...

2018-04-20

Drizzle plays a crucial role in cloud lifetime and radiation properties of marine stratocumulus clouds. Understanding where drizzle exists in the sub-cloud layer, which depends on drizzle virga depth, can help us better understand where below-cloud scavenging and evaporative cooling and moisturizing occur. In this study, we examine the statistical properties of drizzle frequency and virga depth of marine stratocumulus based on unique ground-based remote sensing data. Results show that marine stratocumulus clouds are drizzling nearly all the time. In addition, we derive a simple scaling analysis between drizzle virga thickness and cloud thickness. Our analytical expression agrees with themore » observational data reasonable well, which suggests that our formula provides a simple parameterization for drizzle virga of stratocumulus clouds suitable for use in other models.« less

Scaling of drizzle virga depth with cloud thickness for marine stratocumulus clouds

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

Yang, Fan; Luke, Edward P.; Kollias, Pavlos

Drizzle plays a crucial role in cloud lifetime and radiation properties of marine stratocumulus clouds. Understanding where drizzle exists in the sub-cloud layer, which depends on drizzle virga depth, can help us better understand where below-cloud scavenging and evaporative cooling and moisturizing occur. In this study, we examine the statistical properties of drizzle frequency and virga depth of marine stratocumulus based on unique ground-based remote sensing data. Results show that marine stratocumulus clouds are drizzling nearly all the time. In addition, we derive a simple scaling analysis between drizzle virga thickness and cloud thickness. Our analytical expression agrees with themore » observational data reasonable well, which suggests that our formula provides a simple parameterization for drizzle virga of stratocumulus clouds suitable for use in other models.« less

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.

Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document. Volume 3; Cloud Analyses and Determination of Improved Top of Atmosphere Fluxes (Subsystem 4)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1995-01-01

The theoretical bases for the Release 1 algorithms that will be used to process satellite data for investigation of the Clouds and Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) are described. The architecture for software implementation of the methodologies is outlined. Volume 3 details the advanced CERES methods for performing scene identification and inverting each CERES scanner radiance to a top-of-the-atmosphere (TOA) flux. CERES determines cloud fraction, height, phase, effective particle size, layering, and thickness from high-resolution, multispectral imager data. CERES derives cloud properties for each pixel of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) visible and infrared scanner and the Earth Observing System (EOS) moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer. Cloud properties for each imager pixel are convolved with the CERES footprint point spread function to produce average cloud properties for each CERES scanner radiance. The mean cloud properties are used to determine an angular distribution model (ADM) to convert each CERES radiance to a TOA flux. The TOA fluxes are used in simple parameterization to derive surface radiative fluxes. This state-of-the-art cloud-radiation product will be used to substantially improve our understanding of the complex relationship between clouds and the radiation budget of the Earth-atmosphere system.

Magic - Marine Arm Gpci Investigation of Clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lewis, E. R.; Wiscombe, W. J.; Albrecht, B. A.; Bland, G.; Flagg, C. N.; Klein, S. A.; Kollias, P.; Mace, G. G.; Reynolds, M.; Schwartz, S. E.; Siebesma, P.; Teixeira, J.; Wood, R.; Zhang, M.

2012-12-01

MAGIC, the Marine ARM (Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program) GPCI Investigation of Clouds, will deploy the Second ARM Mobile Facility (AMF2) aboard the Horizon Lines cargo container ship M/V Spirit traversing the route between Los Angeles, CA and Honolulu, HI from October, 2012 through September, 2013 (except from a few months in the middle of this time period when the ship will be in dry dock). During this time AMF2 will observe and characterize the properties of clouds and precipitation, aerosols, and atmospheric radiation; standard meteorological and oceanographic variables; and atmospheric structure. There will also be Intensive Observational Periods (IOPs), one in January, 2013 and one in July, 2013 during which more detailed measurements of the atmospheric structure will be made. Clouds remain a major source of uncertainty in climate projections. In this context, subtropical marine boundary layer (MBL) clouds play a key role in cloud-climate feedbacks that are not well understood yet play a large role in biases both in seasonal coupled model forecasts and annual mean climate forecasts. In particular, current climate models do not accurately represent the transition from the stratocumulus (Sc) regime, with its high albedo and large impact on the global radiative balance of Earth, to shallow trade-wind cumulus (Cu), which play a fundamental role in global surface evaporation and also albedo. Climate models do not yet adequately parameterize the small-scale physical processes associated with turbulence, convection, and radiation in these clouds. Part of this inability results from lack of accurate data on these clouds and the conditions responsible for their properties, including aerosol properties, radiation, and atmospheric and oceanographic conditions. The primary objectives of MAGIC are to improve the representation of the Sc-to-Cu transition in climate models by characterizing the essential properties of this transition, and to produce the observed statistics of these Sc-to-Cu characteristics for the deployment period along the transect. This first marine deployment of AMF2 will yield an unparalleled and extremely rich data set that will greatly enhance the ability to understand and parameterize clouds and precipitation, aerosols, and radiation and the interactions among them; the processes that determine their properties; and factors that control these processes. Deployment of AMF2 on a ship that routinely traverses this route will provide a long-term data set over a vast cloud region which is of intense interest to climate modelers. Specifically, the proposed transect lies closely along the cross section used for the GPCI, and the data collected will provide constraint, validation, and support for this modeling effort, and for associated modeling efforts such as the CGILS and EUCLIPSE.

Use of Field Observations for Understanding Controls of Polar Low Cloud Microphysical Properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McFarquhar, G. M.

2016-12-01

Although arctic clouds have a net warming effect on the Arctic surface, their radiative effect is sensitive to cloud microphysical properties, namely the sizes, phases and shapes of cloud particles. Such cloud properties are influenced by the numbers, compositions and sizes of aerosols, meteorological conditions, and surface characteristics. Uncertainty in representing cloud-aerosol interactions in varying environmental conditions and associated feedbacks is a major cause in our lack of understanding of why the Arctic is warming faster than the rest of the Earth. Here, the understanding of cloud-aerosol interactions gained from past arctic field experiments is reviewed. Such studies have characterized the structure of single-layer mixed phase clouds that are ubiquitous in the Arctic and investigated different aerosol indirect effect mechanisms acting in these clouds. But, it is still unknown what controls the amount of supercooled water in arctic clouds (especially in complex frequently occurring multi-layer clouds), how probability distributions of cloud properties and radiative heating and their subsequent impact on temperature profiles and underlying snow and sea ice cover vary with aerosol loading and composition in different surface and meteorological conditions, how the composition and concentration of arctic aerosols and cloud microphysical properties vary annually and interannually, and how cloud-aerosol-radiative interactions can be better represented in models with varying temporal and spatial scales. These needs can be addressed in two ways. First, there is a need for comprehensive and routine aircraft, UAV and tethered balloon measurements in the presence of ground, air or space-based remote sensors over a variety of surface and meteorological conditions. Second, planned observational campaigns (the Measurements of Aerosols Radiation and Clouds over the Southern Oceans MARCUS and the Southern Oceans Cloud Radiation Transport Experimental Study SOCRATES) should provide cloud, aerosol, radiative and precipitation observations over the pristine and continually cloudy Southern Oceans that are remote from natural and continental anthropogenic aerosol sources should provide a process-oriented understanding of cloud-aerosol interactions in liquid and ice clouds.

Observational and Modeling Studies of Clouds and the Hydrological Cycle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Somerville, Richard C. J.

1997-01-01

Our approach involved validating parameterizations directly against measurements from field programs, and using this validation to tune existing parameterizations and to guide the development of new ones. We have used a single-column model (SCM) to make the link between observations and parameterizations of clouds, including explicit cloud microphysics (e.g., prognostic cloud liquid water used to determine cloud radiative properties). Surface and satellite radiation measurements were used to provide an initial evaluation of the performance of the different parameterizations. The results of this evaluation will then used to develop improved cloud and cloud-radiation schemes, which were tested in GCM experiments.

Applying super-droplets as a compact representation of warm-rain microphysics for aerosol-cloud-aerosol interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arabas, S.; Jaruga, A.; Pawlowska, H.; Grabowski, W. W.

2012-12-01

Clouds may influence aerosol characteristics of their environment. The relevant processes include wet deposition (rainout or washout) and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) recycling through evaporation of cloud droplets and drizzle drops. Recycled CCN physicochemical properties may be altered if the evaporated droplets go through collisional growth or irreversible chemical reactions (e.g. SO2 oxidation). The key challenge of representing these processes in a numerical cloud model stems from the need to track properties of activated CCN throughout the cloud lifecycle. Lack of such "memory" characterises the so-called bulk, multi-moment as well as bin representations of cloud microphysics. In this study we apply the particle-based scheme of Shima et al. 2009. Each modelled particle (aka super-droplet) is a numerical proxy for a multiplicity of real-world CCN, cloud, drizzle or rain particles of the same size, nucleus type,and position. Tracking cloud nucleus properties is an inherent feature of the particle-based frameworks, making them suitable for studying aerosol-cloud-aerosol interactions. The super-droplet scheme is furthermore characterized by linear scalability in the number of computational particles, and no numerical diffusion in the condensational and in the Monte-Carlo type collisional growth schemes. The presentation will focus on processing of aerosol by a drizzling stratocumulus deck. The simulations are carried out using a 2D kinematic framework and a VOCALS experiment inspired set-up (see http://www.rap.ucar.edu/~gthompsn/workshop2012/case1/).

Improving Mixed-phase Cloud Parameterization in Climate Model with the ACRF Measurements

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

Wang, Zhien

Mixed-phase cloud microphysical and dynamical processes are still poorly understood, and their representation in GCMs is a major source of uncertainties in overall cloud feedback in GCMs. Thus improving mixed-phase cloud parameterizations in climate models is critical to reducing the climate forecast uncertainties. This study aims at providing improved knowledge of mixed-phase cloud properties from the long-term ACRF observations and improving mixed-phase clouds simulations in the NCAR Community Atmosphere Model version 5 (CAM5). The key accomplishments are: 1) An improved retrieval algorithm was developed to provide liquid droplet concentration for drizzling or mixed-phase stratiform clouds. 2) A new ice concentrationmore » retrieval algorithm for stratiform mixed-phase clouds was developed. 3) A strong seasonal aerosol impact on ice generation in Arctic mixed-phase clouds was identified, which is mainly attributed to the high dust occurrence during the spring season. 4) A suite of multi-senor algorithms was applied to long-term ARM observations at the Barrow site to provide a complete dataset (LWC and effective radius profile for liquid phase, and IWC, Dge profiles and ice concentration for ice phase) to characterize Arctic stratiform mixed-phase clouds. This multi-year stratiform mixed-phase cloud dataset provides necessary information to study related processes, evaluate model stratiform mixed-phase cloud simulations, and improve model stratiform mixed-phase cloud parameterization. 5). A new in situ data analysis method was developed to quantify liquid mass partition in convective mixed-phase clouds. For the first time, we reliably compared liquid mass partitions in stratiform and convective mixed-phase clouds. Due to the different dynamics in stratiform and convective mixed-phase clouds, the temperature dependencies of liquid mass partitions are significantly different due to much higher ice concentrations in convective mixed phase clouds. 6) Systematic evaluations of mixed-phase cloud simulations by CAM5 were performed. Measurement results indicate that ice concentrations control stratiform mixed-phase cloud properties. The improvement of ice concentration parameterization in the CAM5 was done in close collaboration with Dr. Xiaohong Liu, PNNL (now at University of Wyoming).« less

Prognostic parameterization of cloud ice with a single category in the aerosol-climate model ECHAM(v6.3.0)-HAM(v2.3)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dietlicher, Remo; Neubauer, David; Lohmann, Ulrike

2018-04-01

A new scheme for stratiform cloud microphysics has been implemented in the ECHAM6-HAM2 general circulation model. It features a widely used description of cloud water with two categories for cloud droplets and raindrops. The unique aspect of the new scheme is the break with the traditional approach to describe cloud ice analogously. Here we parameterize cloud ice by a single category that predicts bulk particle properties (P3). This method has already been applied in a regional model and most recently also in the Community Atmosphere Model 5 (CAM5). A single cloud ice category does not rely on heuristic conversion rates from one category to another. Therefore, it is conceptually easier and closer to first principles. This work shows that a single category is a viable approach to describe cloud ice in climate models. Prognostic representation of sedimentation is achieved by a nested approach for sub-stepping the cloud microphysics scheme. This yields good results in terms of accuracy and performance as compared to simulations with high temporal resolution. Furthermore, the new scheme allows for a competition between various cloud processes and is thus able to unbiasedly represent the ice formation pathway from nucleation to growth by vapor deposition and collisions to sedimentation. Specific aspects of the P3 method are evaluated. We could not produce a purely stratiform cloud where rime growth dominates growth by vapor deposition and conclude that the lack of appropriate conditions renders the prognostic parameters associated with the rime properties unnecessary. Limitations inherent in a single category are examined.

Radiative consequences of low-temperature infrared refractive indices for supercooled water clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rowe, P. M.; Neshyba, S.; Walden, V. P.

2013-07-01

Simulations of cloud radiative properties for climate modeling and remote sensing rely on accurate knowledge of the complex refractive index (CRI) of water. Although conventional algorithms employ a temperature independent assumption (TIA), recent infrared measurements of supercooled water have demonstrated that the CRI becomes increasingly ice-like at lower temperatures. Here, we assess biases that result from ignoring this temperature dependence. We show that TIA-based cloud retrievals introduce spurious ice into pure, supercooled clouds, or underestimate cloud thickness and droplet size. TIA-based downwelling radiative fluxes are lower than those for the temperature-dependent CRI by as much as 1.7 W m-2 (in cold regions), while top-of-atmosphere fluxes are higher by as much as 3.4 W m-2 (in warm regions). Proper accounting of the temperature dependence of the CRI, therefore, leads to significantly greater local greenhouse warming due to supercooled clouds than previously predicted. The current experimental uncertainty in the CRI at low temperatures must be reduced to properly account for supercooled clouds in both climate models and cloud property retrievals.

Radiative consequences of low-temperature infrared refractive indices for supercooled water clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rowe, P. M.; Neshyba, S.; Walden, V. P.

2013-12-01

Simulations of cloud radiative properties for climate modeling and remote sensing rely on accurate knowledge of the complex refractive index (CRI) of water. Although conventional algorithms employ a temperature-independent assumption (TIA), recent infrared measurements of supercooled water have demonstrated that the CRI becomes increasingly ice-like at lower temperatures. Here, we assess biases that result from ignoring this temperature dependence. We show that TIA-based cloud retrievals introduce spurious ice into pure, supercooled clouds, or underestimate cloud optical thickness and droplet size. TIA-based downwelling radiative fluxes are lower than those for the temperature-dependent CRI by as much as 1.7 W m-2 (in cold regions), while top-of-atmosphere fluxes are higher by as much as 3.4 W m-2 (in warm regions). Proper accounting of the temperature dependence of the CRI, therefore, leads to significantly greater local greenhouse warming due to supercooled clouds than previously predicted. The current experimental uncertainty in the CRI at low temperatures must be reduced to account for supercooled clouds properly in both climate models and cloud-property retrievals.

Atmospheric, Cloud, and Surface Parameters Retrieved from Satellite Ultra-spectral Infrared Sounder Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zhou, Daniel K.; Liu, Xu; Larar, Allen M.; Smith, William L.; Yang, Ping; Schluessel, Peter; Strow, Larrabee

2007-01-01

An advanced retrieval algorithm with a fast radiative transfer model, including cloud effects, is used for atmospheric profile and cloud parameter retrieval. This physical inversion scheme has been developed, dealing with cloudy as well as cloud-free radiance observed with ultraspectral infrared sounders, to simultaneously retrieve surface, atmospheric thermodynamic, and cloud microphysical parameters. A fast radiative transfer model, which applies to the clouded atmosphere, is used for atmospheric profile and cloud parameter retrieval. A one-dimensional (1-d) variational multivariable inversion solution is used to improve an iterative background state defined by an eigenvector-regression-retrieval. The solution is iterated in order to account for non-linearity in the 1-d variational solution. This retrieval algorithm is applied to the MetOp satellite Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) launched on October 19, 2006. IASI possesses an ultra-spectral resolution of 0.25 cm(exp -1) and a spectral coverage from 645 to 2760 cm(exp -1). Preliminary retrievals of atmospheric soundings, surface properties, and cloud optical/microphysical properties with the IASI measurements are obtained and presented.

Simultaneous Retrieval of Aerosol and Cloud Properties During the MILAGRO Field Campaign

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Knobelspiesse, K.; Cairns, B.; Redemann, J.; Bergstrom, R. W.; Stohl, A.

2011-01-01

Estimation of Direct Climate Forcing (DCF) due to aerosols in cloudy areas has historically been a difficult task, mainly because of a lack of appropriate measurements. Recently, passive remote sensing instruments have been developed that have the potential to retrieve both cloud and aerosol properties using polarimetric, multiple view angle, and multi spectral observations, and therefore determine DCF from aerosols above clouds. One such instrument is the Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP), an airborne prototype of a sensor on the NASA Glory satellite, which unfortunately failed to reach orbit during its launch in March of 2011. In the spring of 2006, the RSP was deployed on an aircraft based in Veracruz, Mexico, as part of the Megacity Initiative: Local and Global Research Observations (MILAGRO) field campaign. On 13 March, the RSP over flew an aerosol layer lofted above a low altitude marine stratocumulus cloud close to shore in the Gulf of Mexico. We investigate the feasibility of retrieving aerosol properties over clouds using these data. Our approach is to first determine cloud droplet size distribution using the angular location of the cloud bow and other features in the polarized reflectance. The selected cloud was then used in a multiple scattering radiative transfer model optimization to determine the aerosol optical properties and fine tune the cloud size distribution. In this scene, we were able to retrieve aerosol optical depth, the fine mode aerosol size distribution parameters and the cloud droplet size distribution parameters to a degree of accuracy required for climate modeling. This required assumptions about the aerosol vertical distribution and the optical properties of the coarse aerosol size mode. A sensitivity study was also performed to place this study in the context of future systematic scanning polarimeter observations, which found that the aerosol complex refractive index can also be observed accurately if the aerosol optical depth is larger than roughly 0.8 at a wavelength of (0.555 m).

Diurnal, Seasonal, and Interannual Variations of Cloud Properties Derived for CERES From Imager Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Minnis, Patrick; Young, David F.; Sun-Mack, Sunny; Trepte, Qing Z.; Chen, Yan; Brown, Richard R.; Gibson, Sharon; Heck, Patrick W.

2004-01-01

Simultaneous measurement of the radiation and cloud fields on a global basis is a key component in the effort to understand and model the interaction between clouds and radiation at the top of the atmosphere, at the surface, and within the atmosphere. The NASA Clouds and Earth s Radiant Energy System (CERES) Project, begun in 1998, is meeting this need. Broadband shortwave (SW) and longwave radiance measurements taken by the CERES scanners at resolutions between 10 and 20 km on the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), Terra, and Aqua satellites are matched to simultaneous retrievals of cloud height, phase, particle size, water path, and optical depth OD from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS) and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on Terra and Aqua. Besides aiding the interpretation of the broadband radiances, the CERES cloud properties are valuable for understanding cloud variations at a variety of scales. In this paper, the resulting CERES cloud data taken to date are averaged at several temporal scales to examine the temporal and spatial variability of the cloud properties on a global scale at a 1 resolution.

Initial studies of middle and upper tropospheric stratiform clouds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cox, S. K.

1982-01-01

The spatial and temporal occurrence of cloud layers, the development of a physical-numerical model to simulate the life cycles of tropospheric cloud layers, and the design of an observational program to study the properties of these layers are described.

Ice Cloud Properties And Their Radiative Effects: Global Observations And Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, Yulan

Ice clouds are crucial to the Earth's radiation balance. They cool the Earth-atmosphere system by reflecting solar radiation back to space and warm it by blocking outgoing thermal radiation. However, there is a lack of an observation-based climatology of ice cloud properties and their radiative effects. Two active sensors, the CloudSat radar and the CALIPSO lidar, for the first time provide vertically resolved ice cloud data on a global scale. Using synergistic signals of these two sensors, it is possible to obtain both optically thin and thick ice clouds as the radar excels in probing thick clouds while the lidar is better to detect the thin ones. First, based on the CloudSat radar and CALIPSO lidar measurements, we have derived a climatology of ice cloud properties. Ice clouds cover around 50% of the Earth surface, and their global-mean optical depth, ice water path, and effective radius are approximately 2 (unitless), 109 g m. {-2} and 48 \\mum, respectively. Ice cloud occurrence frequency not only depends on regions and seasons, but also on the types of ice clouds as defined by optical depth (tau) values. Optically thin ice clouds (tau < 3) are most frequently observed in the tropics around 15 km and in the midlatitudes below 5 km, while the thicker clouds (tau > 3) occur frequently in the tropical convective areas and along the midlatitude storm tracks. Using ice retrievals derived from combined radar-lidar measurements, we conducted radiative transfer modeling to study ice cloud radiative effects. The combined effects of ice clouds warm the earth-atmosphere system by approximately 5 W m-2, contributed by a longwave warming effect of about 21.8 W m-2 and a shortwave cooling effect of approximately -16.7 W m-2. Seasonal variations of ice cloud radiative effects are evident in the midlatitudes where the net effect changes from warming during winter to cooling during summer, and the net warming effect occurs year-round in the tropics (˜ 10 W m-2). Ice cloud optical depth is shown to be an important factor in determining the sign and magnitude of the net radiative effect. On a global average, ice clouds with tau ≤ 4.6 display a warming effect with the largest contributions from those with tau ˜ 1.0. Optically thin and high ice clouds cause strong heating in the tropical upper troposphere, while outside the tropics, mixed-phase clouds cause strong cooling at lower altitudes (> 5 km). In addition, ice clouds occurring with liquid clouds in the same profile account for about 30%$of all observations. These liquid clouds reduce longwave heating rates in ice cloud layers by 0-1 K/day depending on the values of ice cloud optical depth and regions. This research for the first time provides a clear picture on the global distribution of ice clouds with a wide range of optical depth. Through radiative transfer modeling, we have gained better knowledge on ice cloud radiative effects and their dependence on ice cloud properties. These results not only improve our understanding of the interaction between clouds and climate, but also provide observational basis to evaluate climate models.

Irreducible 3D Radiative Transfer Effects in Multi-angle/Multi-spectral Radio-Polarimetric Signals (Not Noise!) from a Mixture of Clouds and Aerosol in a Single Large-Footprint Pixel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davis, A. B.; Qu, Z.; Emde, C.; Xu, F.; Marshak, A.

2013-12-01

Although the Glory satellite mission failed at launch, the atmospheric observation strategy implemented in its Aerosol Polarization Sensor (APS) is alive and well since it is at least possible that another one will be built and launched. This strategy is based on APS's along-track scanning spectro-polarimetric measurement system that captures the three main Stokes vector elements (I,Q,U) at a large number (>200) viewing directions for 9 wavelengths emanating from a single pixel that is ~7 km in diameter at nadir and stretches into a ~7 x 20 km^2 ellipse at the most oblique views to be considered (~70 degrees). Two cloud cameras (CCs) were also onboard Glory to provide spatial context. If the relatively large APS footprint is cloud-free or fully-cloudy, then a 1D vector radiative transfer (RT) model is adequate for predicting the APS signals and, upon iteration over its input parameters, aerosol and cloud property retrievals are expected to be of high quality. And this level of accuracy is indeed required to make a real breakthrough in climate modeling where the radiative properties of aerosols and clouds remain one of the main sources of uncertainty. However, the CCs will often show that the APS's field-of-view is a spatially complex cloud scene, but where we are mostly interested in the ambient aerosols. Moreover, it is precisely these aerosols in contact with clouds that will influence their microphysical and optical properties, leading to the manifold indirect aerosol effects on the climate system that need to be far better understood in order to improve their representation in climate models. Therefore, the research presented here addresses the challenge of characterizing simultaneously aerosols and clouds in a single APS observation. Access to polarization can, at least in principle, be used to separate clouds and aerosols using the cloud-bow directions that will often be sampled by APS. In practice, however, we need to assess the extent of 3D polarized RT unfolding inside the APS pixel that cannot be estimated using a linear mixture of 1D vector RT (vRT) computations assuming either aerosol or cloud is present. Differences between the 1D vRT-based prediction and simulated APS data derived from a high-fidelity 3D vRT model is what we call "irreducible" 3D RT effects. To this end, we have used the vMYSTIC Monte Carlo 3D vRT model. Based on computations for a typical scene with a 3D cumulus cloud field embedded in a horizontally uniform aerosol, we find that the irreducible 3D vRT effects are in the APS's signal--not its noise--especially if the aerosol burden is significant. The cloud-bow region, which is key to any practical cloud-aerosol unmixing algorithm, is particularly vulnerable. Moreover, the adopted 1D vRT-based forward model is assumed to be very well informed about the actual aerosol/cloud properties, meaning that the predicted irreducible 3D vRT effects are a best-case scenario. In reality, the problem will be far more severe. We will nonetheless describe a promising path toward a mitigation scheme. We will also assess the impact of the 3D vRT damage on the joint aerosol-cloud property retrieval.

Assessment of Global Cloud Datasets from Satellites: Project and Database Initiated by the GEWEX Radiation Panel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stubenrauch, C. J.; Rossow, W. B.; Kinne, S.; Ackerman, S.; Cesana, G.; Chepfer, H.; Getzewich, B.; Di Girolamo, L.; Guignard, A.; Heidinger, A.;

GEWEX cloud assessment: A review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stubenrauch, Claudia; Rossow, William B.; Kinne, Stefan; Ackerman, Steve; Cesana, Gregory; Chepfer, Hélène; Di Girolamo, Larry; Getzewich, Brian; Guignard, Anthony; Heidinger, Andy; Maddux, Brent; Menzel, Paul; Minnis, Patrick; Pearl, Cindy; Platnick, Steven; Poulsen, Caroline; Riedi, Jérôme; Sayer, Andrew; Sun-Mack, Sunny; Walther, Andi; Winker, Dave; Zeng, Shen; Zhao, Guangyu

2013-05-01

Clouds cover about 70% of the Earth's surface and play a dominant role in the energy and water cycle of our planet. Only satellite observations provide a continuous survey of the state of the atmosphere over the entire globe and across the wide range of spatial and temporal scales that comprise weather and climate variability. Satellite cloud data records now exceed more than 25 years; however, climatologies compiled from different satellite datasets can exhibit systematic biases. Questions therefore arise as to the accuracy and limitations of the various sensors. The Global Energy and Water cycle Experiment (GEWEX) Cloud Assessment, initiated in 2005 by the GEWEX Radiation Panel, provides the first coordinated intercomparison of publicly available, global cloud products (gridded, monthly statistics) retrieved from measurements of multi-spectral imagers (some with multi-angle view and polarization capabilities), IR sounders and lidar. Cloud properties under study include cloud amount, cloud height (in terms of pressure, temperature or altitude), cloud radiative properties (optical depth or emissivity), cloud thermodynamic phase and bulk microphysical properties (effective particle size and water path). Differences in average cloud properties, especially in the amount of high-level clouds, are mostly explained by the inherent instrument measurement capability for detecting and/or identifying optically thin cirrus, especially when overlying low-level clouds. The study of long-term variations with these datasets requires consideration of many factors. The monthly, gridded database presented here facilitates further assessments, climate studies, and the evaluation of climate models.

Factors Controlling the Properties of Multi-Phase Arctic Stratocumulus Clouds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fridlind, Ann; Ackerman, Andrew; Menon, Surabi

2005-01-01

The 2004 Multi-Phase Arctic Cloud Experiment (M-PACE) IOP at the ARM NSA site focused on measuring the properties of autumn transition-season arctic stratus and the environmental conditions controlling them, including concentrations of heterogeneous ice nuclei. Our work aims to use a large-eddy simulation (LES) code with embedded size-resolved aerosol and cloud microphysics to identify factors controlling multi-phase arctic stratus. Our preliminary simulations of autumn transition-season clouds observed during the 1994 Beaufort and Arctic Seas Experiment (BASE) indicated that low concentrations of ice nuclei, which were not measured, may have significantly lowered liquid water content and thereby stabilized cloud evolution. However, cloud drop concentrations appeared to be virtually immune to changes in liquid water content, indicating an active Bergeron process with little effect of collection on drop number concentration. We will compare these results with preliminary simulations from October 8-13 during MPACE. The sensitivity of cloud properties to uncertainty in other factors, such as large-scale forcings and aerosol profiles, will also be investigated. Based on the LES simulations with M-PACE data, preliminary results from the NASA GlSS single-column model (SCM) will be used to examine the sensitivity of predicted cloud properties to changing cloud drop number concentrations for multi-phase arctic clouds. Present parametrizations assumed fixed cloud droplet number concentrations and these will be modified using M-PACE data.

Implementation of aerosol-cloud interactions in the regional atmosphere-aerosol model COSMO-MUSCAT(5.0) and evaluation using satellite data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dipu, Sudhakar; Quaas, Johannes; Wolke, Ralf; Stoll, Jens; Mühlbauer, Andreas; Sourdeval, Odran; Salzmann, Marc; Heinold, Bernd; Tegen, Ina

2017-06-01

The regional atmospheric model Consortium for Small-scale Modeling (COSMO) coupled to the Multi-Scale Chemistry Aerosol Transport model (MUSCAT) is extended in this work to represent aerosol-cloud interactions. Previously, only one-way interactions (scavenging of aerosol and in-cloud chemistry) and aerosol-radiation interactions were included in this model. The new version allows for a microphysical aerosol effect on clouds. For this, we use the optional two-moment cloud microphysical scheme in COSMO and the online-computed aerosol information for cloud condensation nuclei concentrations (Cccn), replacing the constant Cccn profile. In the radiation scheme, we have implemented a droplet-size-dependent cloud optical depth, allowing now for aerosol-cloud-radiation interactions. To evaluate the models with satellite data, the Cloud Feedback Model Intercomparison Project Observation Simulator Package (COSP) has been implemented. A case study has been carried out to understand the effects of the modifications, where the modified modeling system is applied over the European domain with a horizontal resolution of 0.25° × 0.25°. To reduce the complexity in aerosol-cloud interactions, only warm-phase clouds are considered. We found that the online-coupled aerosol introduces significant changes for some cloud microphysical properties. The cloud effective radius shows an increase of 9.5 %, and the cloud droplet number concentration is reduced by 21.5 %.

A Ground-Based Doppler Radar and Micropulse Lidar Forward Simulator for GCM Evaluation of Arctic Mixed-Phase Clouds: Moving Forward Towards an Apples-to-apples Comparison of Hydrometeor Phase

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lamer, K.; Fridlind, A. M.; Ackerman, A. S.; Kollias, P.; Clothiaux, E. E.

2017-12-01

An important aspect of evaluating Artic cloud representation in a general circulation model (GCM) consists of using observational benchmarks which are as equivalent as possible to model output in order to avoid methodological bias and focus on correctly diagnosing model dynamical and microphysical misrepresentations. However, current cloud observing systems are known to suffer from biases such as limited sensitivity, and stronger response to large or small hydrometeors. Fortunately, while these observational biases cannot be corrected, they are often well understood and can be reproduced in forward simulations. Here a ground-based millimeter wavelength Doppler radar and micropulse lidar forward simulator able to interface with output from the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) ModelE GCM is presented. ModelE stratiform hydrometeor fraction, mixing ratio, mass-weighted fall speed and effective radius are forward simulated to vertically-resolved profiles of radar reflectivity, Doppler velocity and spectrum width as well as lidar backscatter and depolarization ratio. These forward simulated fields are then compared to Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) North Slope of Alaska (NSA) ground-based observations to assess cloud vertical structure (CVS). Model evalution of Arctic mixed-phase cloud would also benefit from hydrometeor phase evaluation. While phase retrieval from synergetic observations often generates large uncertainties, the same retrieval algorithm can be applied to observed and forward-simulated radar-lidar fields, thereby producing retrieved hydrometeor properties with potentially the same uncertainties. Comparing hydrometeor properties retrieved in exactly the same way aims to produce the best apples-to-apples comparisons between GCM ouputs and observations. The use of a comprenhensive ground-based forward simulator coupled with a hydrometeor classification retrieval algorithm provides a new perspective for GCM evaluation of Arctic mixed-phase clouds from the ground where low-level supercooled liquid layer are more easily observed and where additional environmental properties such as cloud condensation nuclei are quantified. This should help assist in choosing between several possible diagnostic ice nucleation schemes for ModelE stratiform cloud.

First correlated measurements of the shape and scattering properties of cloud particles using the new Particle Habit Imaging and Polar Scattering (PHIPS) probe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdelmonem, A.; Schnaiter, M.; Amsler, P.; Hesse, E.; Meyer, J.; Leisner, T.

2011-05-01

Studying the radiative impact of cirrus clouds requires the knowledge of the link between their microphysics and the single scattering properties of the cloud particles. Usually, this link is created by modeling the optical scattering properties from in situ measurements of ice crystal size distributions. The measured size distribution and the assumed particle shape might be erroneous in case of non-spherical ice particles. We present here a novel optical sensor (the Particle Habit Imaging and Polar Scattering probe, PHIPS) designed to measure the 3-D morphology and the corresponding optical and microphysical parameters of individual cloud particles, simultaneously. Clouds containing particles ranging in size from a few micrometers to about 800 μm diameter can be systematically characterized with an optical resolution power of 2 μm and polar scattering resolution of 1° for forward scattering directions (from 1° to 10°) and 8° for side and backscattering directions (from 18° to 170°). The maximum acquisition rates for scattering phase functions and images are 262 KHz and 10 Hz, respectively. Some preliminary results collected in two ice cloud campaigns which were conducted in the AIDA cloud simulation chamber are presented. PHIPS showed reliability in operation and produced comparable size distributions and images to those given by other certified cloud particles instruments. A 3-D model of a hexagonal ice plate is constructed and the corresponding scattering phase function is compared to that modeled using the Ray Tracing with Diffraction on Facets (RTDF) program. PHIPS is candidate to be a novel air borne optical sensor for studying the radiative impact of cirrus clouds and correlating the particle habit-scattering properties which will serve as a reference for other single, or multi-independent, measurements instruments.

Black carbon mixing state impacts on cloud microphysical properties: effects of aerosol plume and environmental conditions

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

Ching, Ping Pui; Riemer, Nicole; West, Matthew

2016-05-27

Black carbon (BC) is usually mixed with other aerosol species within individual aerosol particles. This mixture, along with the particles' size and morphology, determines the particles' optical and cloud condensation nuclei properties, and hence black carbon's climate impacts. In this study the particle-resolved aerosol model PartMC-MOSAIC was used to quantify the importance of black carbon mixing state for predicting cloud microphysical quantities. Based on a set of about 100 cloud parcel simulations a process level analysis framework was developed to attribute the response in cloud microphysical properties to changes in the underlying aerosol population ("plume effect") and the cloud parcelmore » cooling rate ("parcel effect"). It shows that the response of cloud droplet number concentration to changes in BC emissions depends on the BC mixing state. When the aerosol population contains mainly aged BC particles an increase in BC emission results in increasing cloud droplet number concentrations ("additive effect"). In contrast, when the aerosol population contains mainly fresh BC particles they act as sinks for condensable gaseous species, resulting in a decrease in cloud droplet number concentration as BC emissions are increased ("competition effect"). Additionally, we quantified the error in cloud microphysical quantities when neglecting the information on BC mixing state, which is often done in aerosol models. The errors ranged from -12% to +45% for the cloud droplet number fraction, from 0% to +1022% for the nucleation-scavenged black carbon (BC) mass fraction, from -12% to +4% for the effective radius, and from -30% to +60% for the relative dispersion.« less

Satellite Estimates of Surface Short-wave Fluxes: Issues of Implementation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, H.; Pinker, Rachel; Minnis, Patrick

2006-01-01

Surface solar radiation reaching the Earth's surface is the primary forcing function of the land surface energy and water cycle. Therefore, there is a need for information on this parameter, preferably, at global scale. Satellite based estimates are now available at accuracies that meet the demands of many scientific objectives. Selection of an approach to estimate such fluxes requires consideration of trade-offs between the use of multi-spectral observations of cloud optical properties that are more difficult to implement at large scales, and methods that are simplified but easier to implement. In this study, an evaluation of such trade-offs will be performed. The University of Maryland Surface Radiation Model (UMD/SRB) has been used to reprocess five years of GOES-8 satellite observations over the United States to ensure updated calibration and improved cloud detection over snow. The UMD/SRB model was subsequently modified to allow input of information on aerosol and cloud optical depth with information from independent satellite sources. Specifically, the cloud properties from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Satellite Data Analysis Program (Minnis et al., 1995) are used to drive the modified version of the model to estimate surface short-wave fluxes over the Southern Great Plain ARM sites for a twelve month period. The auxiliary data needed as model inputs such as aerosol optical depth, spectral surface albedo, water vapor and total column ozone amount were kept the same for both versions of the model. The estimated shortwave fluxes are evaluated against ground observations at the ARM Central Facility and four satellite ARM sites. During summer, the estimated fluxes based on cloud properties derived from the multi-spectral approach were in better agreement with ground measurements than those derived from the UMD/SRB model. However, in winter, the fluxes derived with the UMD/SRB model were in better agreement with ground observations than those estimated from cloud properties provided by the ARM Satellite Data Analysis Program. During the transition periods, the results were comparable.

The great Indian haze revisited: aerosol distribution effects on microphysical and optical properties of warm clouds over peninsular India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghanti, R.; Ghosh, S.

2010-03-01

The Indian subcontinent is undergoing a phase of rapid urbanisation. Inevitable fallout of this process is a concomitant increase in air pollution much of which can be attributed to the infamous great Indian haze phenomena. One observes that the aerosol size distributions vary considerably along the Bay of Bengal (BOB), Arabian Sea (AS) and the Indian Ocean (IO), although, the dynamical attributes are very similar, particularly over the BOB and the AS during this season. Unlike major European studies (e.g. Aerosol Characterization Experiment-2, Ghosh et al., 2005), there are no cloud microphysical modelling studies to complement these observational results for the Indian sub-continent. Ours is the first modelling study over this important region where a time-tested model (O'Dowd et al., 1999a; Ghosh et al., 2007; Rap et al., 2009) is used to obtain cloud microphysical and optical properties from observed aerosol size distributions. Un-activated aerosol particles and very small cloud droplets have to be treated specially to account for non-ideal effects-our model does this effectively yielding realistic estimate of cloud droplet number concentrations (Nc). Empirical relationships linking aerosol concentration to (Nc) yield a disproportionately higher Nc suggesting that such empirical formulations should be used with caution. Our modelling study reveals that the cloud's microphysical and optical properties are very similar along the AS and the BOB despite them having disparate dry aerosol spectral distributions. This is non-intuitive, as one would expect changes in microphysical development with widely different aerosol distributions. There is some increase in cloud droplet numbers with increased haze concentrations but much less than a simple proportion would indicate.

“Using Statistical Comparisons between SPartICus Cirrus Microphysical Measurements, Detailed Cloud Models, and GCM Cloud Parameterizations to Understand Physical Processes Controlling Cirrus Properties and to Improve the Cloud Parameterizations”

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

Woods, Sarah

2015-12-01

The dual objectives of this project were improving our basic understanding of processes that control cirrus microphysical properties and improvement of the representation of these processes in the parameterizations. A major effort in the proposed research was to integrate, calibrate, and better understand the uncertainties in all of these measurements.

Understanding the Microphysical Properties of Developing Cloud Clusters during TCS-08

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-09-30

resolution (1.67-km) sensitivity simulations have been performed using Typhoon Mawar (2005) from the western North Pacific to demonstrate considerable...cloud-resolving) scheme is used in the model. Initial calculations of some basic cloud properties from infrared imagery for Typhoon Mawar indicate that...Figure 4: Intensity traces of simulated Typhoon Mawar (2005) showing sea-level pressure on the left axis and maximum wind speed on the right axis

The MODIS cloud optical and microphysical products: Collection 6 updates and examples from Terra and Aqua.

PubMed

Platnick, Steven; Meyer, Kerry G; King, Michael D; Wind, Galina; Amarasinghe, Nandana; Marchant, Benjamin; Arnold, G Thomas; Zhang, Zhibo; Hubanks, Paul A; Holz, Robert E; Yang, Ping; Ridgway, William L; Riedi, Jérôme

2017-01-01

The MODIS Level-2 cloud product (Earth Science Data Set names MOD06 and MYD06 for Terra and Aqua MODIS, respectively) provides pixel-level retrievals of cloud-top properties (day and night pressure, temperature, and height) and cloud optical properties (optical thickness, effective particle radius, and water path for both liquid water and ice cloud thermodynamic phases-daytime only). Collection 6 (C6) reprocessing of the product was completed in May 2014 and March 2015 for MODIS Aqua and Terra, respectively. Here we provide an overview of major C6 optical property algorithm changes relative to the previous Collection 5 (C5) product. Notable C6 optical and microphysical algorithm changes include: (i) new ice cloud optical property models and a more extensive cloud radiative transfer code lookup table (LUT) approach, (ii) improvement in the skill of the shortwave-derived cloud thermodynamic phase, (iii) separate cloud effective radius retrieval datasets for each spectral combination used in previous collections, (iv) separate retrievals for partly cloudy pixels and those associated with cloud edges, (v) failure metrics that provide diagnostic information for pixels having observations that fall outside the LUT solution space, and (vi) enhanced pixel-level retrieval uncertainty calculations. The C6 algorithm changes collectively can result in significant changes relative to C5, though the magnitude depends on the dataset and the pixel's retrieval location in the cloud parameter space. Example Level-2 granule and Level-3 gridded dataset differences between the two collections are shown. While the emphasis is on the suite of cloud optical property datasets, other MODIS cloud datasets are discussed when relevant.

The MODIS cloud optical and microphysical products: Collection 6 updates and examples from Terra and Aqua

PubMed Central

Platnick, Steven; Meyer, Kerry G.; King, Michael D.; Wind, Galina; Amarasinghe, Nandana; Marchant, Benjamin; Arnold, G. Thomas; Zhang, Zhibo; Hubanks, Paul A.; Holz, Robert E.; Yang, Ping; Ridgway, William L.; Riedi, Jérôme

2018-01-01

The MODIS Level-2 cloud product (Earth Science Data Set names MOD06 and MYD06 for Terra and Aqua MODIS, respectively) provides pixel-level retrievals of cloud-top properties (day and night pressure, temperature, and height) and cloud optical properties (optical thickness, effective particle radius, and water path for both liquid water and ice cloud thermodynamic phases–daytime only). Collection 6 (C6) reprocessing of the product was completed in May 2014 and March 2015 for MODIS Aqua and Terra, respectively. Here we provide an overview of major C6 optical property algorithm changes relative to the previous Collection 5 (C5) product. Notable C6 optical and microphysical algorithm changes include: (i) new ice cloud optical property models and a more extensive cloud radiative transfer code lookup table (LUT) approach, (ii) improvement in the skill of the shortwave-derived cloud thermodynamic phase, (iii) separate cloud effective radius retrieval datasets for each spectral combination used in previous collections, (iv) separate retrievals for partly cloudy pixels and those associated with cloud edges, (v) failure metrics that provide diagnostic information for pixels having observations that fall outside the LUT solution space, and (vi) enhanced pixel-level retrieval uncertainty calculations. The C6 algorithm changes collectively can result in significant changes relative to C5, though the magnitude depends on the dataset and the pixel’s retrieval location in the cloud parameter space. Example Level-2 granule and Level-3 gridded dataset differences between the two collections are shown. While the emphasis is on the suite of cloud optical property datasets, other MODIS cloud datasets are discussed when relevant. PMID:29657349

Characterizing the Retrieval of Cloud Optical Thickness and Droplet Effective Radius to Overlying Aerosols Using a General Inverse Theory Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coddington, O.; Pilewskie, P.; Schmidt, S.

2013-12-01

The upwelling shortwave irradiance measured by the airborne Solar Spectral Flux Radiometer (SSFR) flying above a cloud and aerosol layer is influenced by the properties of the cloud and aerosol particles below, just as would the radiance measured from satellite. Unlike satellite measurements, those from aircraft provide the unique capability to fly a lower-level leg above the cloud, yet below the aerosol layer, to characterize the extinction of the aerosol layer and account for its impact on the measured cloud albedo. Previous work [Coddington et al., 2010] capitalized on this opportunity to test the effects of aerosol particles (or more appropriately, the effects of neglecting aerosols in forward modeling calculations) on cloud retrievals using data obtained during the Intercontinental Chemical Transport Experiment/Intercontinental Transport and Chemical Transformation of anthropogenic pollution (INTEX-A/ITCT) study. This work showed aerosols can cause a systematic bias in the cloud retrieval and that such a bias would need to be distinguished from a true aerosol indirect effect (i.e. the brightening of a cloud due to aerosol effects on cloud microphysics) as theorized by Haywood et al., [2004]. The effects of aerosols on clouds are typically neglected in forward modeling calculations because their pervasiveness, variable microphysical properties, loading, and lifetimes makes forward modeling calculations under all possible combinations completely impractical. Using a general inverse theory technique, which propagates separate contributions from measurement and forward modeling errors into probability distributions of retrieved cloud optical thickness and droplet effective radius, we have demonstrated how the aerosol presence can be introduced as a spectral systematic error in the distributions of the forward modeling solutions. The resultant uncertainty and bias in cloud properties induced by the aerosols is identified by the shape and peak of the posteriori retrieval distributions. In this work, we apply this general inverse theory approach to extend our analysis of the spectrally-dependent impacts of overlying aerosols on cloud properties over a broad range in cloud optical thickness and droplet effective radius. We investigate the relative impacts of this error source and compare and contrast results to biases and uncertainties in cloud properties induced by varying surface conditions (ocean, land, snow). We perform the analysis for two different measurement accuracies (3% and 0.3%) that are typical of current passive imagers, such as the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [Platnick et al., 2003], and that are expected for future passive imagers, such as the HyperSpectral Imager for Climate Science (HySICS) [Kopp et al., 2010]. Coddington, O., P. Pilewskie, et al., 2010, J. Geophys. Res., 115, doi: 10.1029/2009JD012829. Haywood, J. M., S. R. Osborne, and S. J. Abel, 2004, Q. J. R. Meteorol. Soc., 130, 779-800. Kopp, G., et al., 2010, Hyperspectral Imagery Radiometry Improvements for Visible and Near-Infrared Climate Studies, paper presented at 2010 Earth Science Technology Forum, Arlington, VA, USA. Platnick, S., et al., 2003, IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sens., 41(2), 459- 473.

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).

Reconciling biases and uncertainties of AIRS and MODIS ice cloud properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kahn, B. H.; Gettelman, A.

2015-12-01

We will discuss comparisons of collocated Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) ice cloud optical thickness (COT), effective radius (CER), and cloud thermodynamic phase retrievals. The ice cloud comparisons are stratified by retrieval uncertainty estimates, horizontal inhomogeneity at the pixel-scale, vertical cloud structure, and other key parameters. Although an estimated 27% globally of all AIRS pixels contain ice cloud, only 7% of them are spatially uniform ice according to MODIS. We find that the correlations of COT and CER between the two instruments are strong functions of horizontal cloud heterogeneity and vertical cloud structure. The best correlations are found in single-layer, horizontally homogeneous clouds over the low-latitude tropical oceans with biases and scatter that increase with scene complexity. While the COT comparisons are unbiased in homogeneous ice clouds, a bias of 5-10 microns remains in CER within the most homogeneous scenes identified. This behavior is entirely consistent with known sensitivity differences in the visible and infrared bands. We will use AIRS and MODIS ice cloud properties to evaluate ice hydrometeor output from climate model output, such as the CAM5, with comparisons sorted into different dynamical regimes. The results of the regime-dependent comparisons will be described and implications for model evaluation and future satellite observational needs will be discussed.

Microphysical modeling of cirrus. 2: Sensitivity studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jensen, Eric J.; Toon, Owen B.; Westphal, Douglas L.; Kinne, Stefan; Heymsfield, Andrew J.

1994-01-01

The one-dimensional cirrus model described in part 1 of this issue has been used to study the sensitivity of simulated cirrus microphysical and radiative properties to poorly known model parameters, poorly understood physical processes, and environmental conditions. Model parameters and physical processes investigated include nucleation rate, mode of nucleation (e.g., homogeneous freezing of aerosols and liquid droplets or heterogeneous deposition), ice crystal shape, and coagulation. These studies suggest that the leading sources of uncertainty in the model are the phase change (liquid-solid) energy barrier and the ice-water surface energy which dominate the homogeneous freezing nucleation rate and the coagulation sticking efficiency at low temperatures which controls the production of large ice crystals (radii greater than 100 mcirons). Environmental conditions considered in sensitivity tests were CN size distribution, vertical wind speed, and cloud height. We found that (unlike stratus clouds) variations in the total number of condensation nuclei (NC) have little effect on cirrus microphysical and radiative properties, since nucleation occurs only on the largest CN at the tail of the size distribution. The total number of ice crystals which nucleate has little or no relationship to the number of CN present and depends primarily on the temperature and the cooling rate. Stronger updrafts (more rapid cooling) generate higher ice number densities, ice water content, cloud optical depth, and net radiative forcing. Increasing the height of the clouds in the model leads to an increase in ice number density, a decrease in effective radius, and a decrease in ice water content. The most prominent effect of increasing cloud height was a rapid increase in the net cloud radiative forcing which can be attributed to the change in cloud temperature as well as change in cloud ice size distributions. It has long been recognized that changes in cloud height or cloud area have the greatest potential for causing feedbacks on climate change. Our results suggest that variations in vertical velocity or cloud microphysical changes associatd with cloud height changes may also be important.

Modeling the Diffuse Cloud-Top Optical Emissions from Ground and Cloud Flashes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Solakiewicz, Richard; Koshak, William

2008-01-01

A number of studies have indicated that the diffuse cloud-top optical emissions from intra-cloud (IC) lightning are brighter than that from normal negative cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning, and hence would be easier to detect from a space-based sensor. The primary reason provided to substantiate this claim has been that the IC is at a higher altitude within the cloud and therefore is less obscured by the cloud multiple scattering medium. CGs at lower altitudes embedded deep within the cloud are more obscured, so CG detection is thought to be more difficult. However, other authors claim that because the CG source current (and hence luminosity) is typically substantially larger than IC currents, the greater CG source luminosity is large enough to overcome the effects of multiple scattering. These investigators suggest that the diffuse cloud top emissions from CGs are brighter than from ICs, and hence are easier to detect from space. Still other investigators claim that the detection efficiency of CGs and ICs is about the same because modern detector sensitivity is good enough to "see" either flash type no matter which produces a brighter cloud top emission. To better assess which of these opinions should be accepted, we introduce an extension of a Boltzmann lightning radiative transfer model previously developed. It considers characteristics of the cloud (geometry, dimensions, scattering properties) and specific lightning channel properties (length, geometry, location, current, optical wave front propagation speed/direction). As such, it represents the most detailed modeling effort to date. At least in the few cases studied thus far, it was found that IC flashes appear brighter at cloud top than the lower altitude negative ground flashes, but additional model runs are to be examined before finalizing our general conclusions.

Clouds at Barbados are representative of clouds across the trade wind regions in observations and climate models.

PubMed

Medeiros, Brian; Nuijens, Louise

2016-05-31

Trade wind regions cover most of the tropical oceans, and the prevailing cloud type is shallow cumulus. These small clouds are parameterized by climate models, and changes in their radiative effects strongly and directly contribute to the spread in estimates of climate sensitivity. This study investigates the structure and variability of these clouds in observations and climate models. The study builds upon recent detailed model evaluations using observations from the island of Barbados. Using a dynamical regimes framework, satellite and reanalysis products are used to compare the Barbados region and the broader tropics. It is shown that clouds in the Barbados region are similar to those across the trade wind regions, implying that observational findings from the Barbados Cloud Observatory are relevant to clouds across the tropics. The same methods are applied to climate models to evaluate the simulated clouds. The models generally capture the cloud radiative effect, but underestimate cloud cover and show an array of cloud vertical structures. Some models show strong biases in the environment of the Barbados region in summer, weakening the connection between the regional biases and those across the tropics. Even bearing that limitation in mind, it is shown that covariations of cloud and environmental properties in the models are inconsistent with observations. The models tend to misrepresent sensitivity to moisture variations and inversion characteristics. These model errors are likely connected to cloud feedback in climate projections, and highlight the importance of the representation of shallow cumulus convection.

Clouds at Barbados are representative of clouds across the trade wind regions in observations and climate models

PubMed Central

Nuijens, Louise

2016-01-01

Trade wind regions cover most of the tropical oceans, and the prevailing cloud type is shallow cumulus. These small clouds are parameterized by climate models, and changes in their radiative effects strongly and directly contribute to the spread in estimates of climate sensitivity. This study investigates the structure and variability of these clouds in observations and climate models. The study builds upon recent detailed model evaluations using observations from the island of Barbados. Using a dynamical regimes framework, satellite and reanalysis products are used to compare the Barbados region and the broader tropics. It is shown that clouds in the Barbados region are similar to those across the trade wind regions, implying that observational findings from the Barbados Cloud Observatory are relevant to clouds across the tropics. The same methods are applied to climate models to evaluate the simulated clouds. The models generally capture the cloud radiative effect, but underestimate cloud cover and show an array of cloud vertical structures. Some models show strong biases in the environment of the Barbados region in summer, weakening the connection between the regional biases and those across the tropics. Even bearing that limitation in mind, it is shown that covariations of cloud and environmental properties in the models are inconsistent with observations. The models tend to misrepresent sensitivity to moisture variations and inversion characteristics. These model errors are likely connected to cloud feedback in climate projections, and highlight the importance of the representation of shallow cumulus convection. PMID:27185925

Application of the NASA A-Train to Evaluate Clouds Simulated by the Weather Research and Forecast Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Molthan, Andrew L.; Jedlovec, Gary J.; Lapenta, William M.

2008-01-01

The CloudSat Mission, part of the NASA A-Train, is providing the first global survey of cloud profiles and cloud physical properties, observing seasonal and geographical variations that are pertinent to evaluating the way clouds are parameterized in weather and climate forecast models. CloudSat measures the vertical structure of clouds and precipitation from space through the Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR), a 94 GHz nadir-looking radar measuring the power backscattered by clouds as a function of distance from the radar. One of the goals of the CloudSat mission is to evaluate the representation of clouds in forecast models, thereby contributing to improved predictions of weather, climate and the cloud-climate feedback problem. This paper highlights potential limitations in cloud microphysical schemes currently employed in the Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) modeling system. The horizontal and vertical structure of explicitly simulated cloud fields produced by the WRF model at 4-km resolution are being evaluated using CloudSat observations in concert with products derived from MODIS and AIRS. A radiative transfer model is used to produce simulated profiles of radar reflectivity given WRF input profiles of hydrometeor mixing ratios and ambient atmospheric conditions. The preliminary results presented in the paper will compare simulated and observed reflectivity fields corresponding to horizontal and vertical cloud structures associated with midlatitude cyclone events.

Aerosol effects on cloud water amounts were successfully simulated by a global cloud-system resolving model.

PubMed

Sato, Yousuke; Goto, Daisuke; Michibata, Takuro; Suzuki, Kentaroh; Takemura, Toshihiko; Tomita, Hirofumi; Nakajima, Teruyuki

2018-03-07

Aerosols affect climate by modifying cloud properties through their role as cloud condensation nuclei or ice nuclei, called aerosol-cloud interactions. In most global climate models (GCMs), the aerosol-cloud interactions are represented by empirical parameterisations, in which the mass of cloud liquid water (LWP) is assumed to increase monotonically with increasing aerosol loading. Recent satellite observations, however, have yielded contradictory results: LWP can decrease with increasing aerosol loading. This difference implies that GCMs overestimate the aerosol effect, but the reasons for the difference are not obvious. Here, we reproduce satellite-observed LWP responses using a global simulation with explicit representations of cloud microphysics, instead of the parameterisations. Our analyses reveal that the decrease in LWP originates from the response of evaporation and condensation processes to aerosol perturbations, which are not represented in GCMs. The explicit representation of cloud microphysics in global scale modelling reduces the uncertainty of climate prediction.

Statistical Analyses of Satellite Cloud Object Data from CERES. Part II; Tropical Convective Cloud Objects During 1998 El Nino and Validation of the Fixed Anvil Temperature Hypothesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Xu, Kuan-Man; Wong, Takmeng; Wielicki, Bruce a.; Parker, Lindsay; Lin, Bing; Eitzen, Zachary A.; Branson, Mark

2006-01-01

Characteristics of tropical deep convective cloud objects observed over the tropical Pacific during January-August 1998 are examined using the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission/ Clouds and the Earth s Radiant Energy System single scanner footprint (SSF) data. These characteristics include the frequencies of occurrence and statistical distributions of cloud physical properties. Their variations with cloud-object size, sea surface temperature (SST), and satellite precessing cycle are analyzed in detail. A cloud object is defined as a contiguous patch of the Earth composed of satellite footprints within a single dominant cloud-system type. It is found that statistical distributions of cloud physical properties are significantly different among three size categories of cloud objects with equivalent diameters of 100 - 150 km (small), 150 - 300 km (medium), and > 300 km (large), respectively, except for the distributions of ice particle size. The distributions for the larger-size category of cloud objects are more skewed towards high SSTs, high cloud tops, low cloud-top temperature, large ice water path, high cloud optical depth, low outgoing longwave (LW) radiation, and high albedo than the smaller-size category. As SST varied from one satellite precessing cycle to another, the changes in macrophysical properties of cloud objects over the entire tropical Pacific were small for the large-size category of cloud objects, relative to those of the small- and medium-size categories. This result suggests that the fixed anvil temperature hypothesis of Hartmann and Larson may be valid for the large-size category. Combining with the result that a higher percentage of the large-size category of cloud objects occurs during higher SST subperiods, this implies that macrophysical properties of cloud objects would be less sensitive to further warming of the climate. On the other hand, when cloud objects are classified according to SSTs where large-scale dynamics plays important roles, statistical characteristics of cloud microphysical properties, optical depth and albedo are not sensitive to the SST, but those of cloud macrophysical properties are strongly dependent upon the SST. Frequency distributions of vertical velocity from the European Center for Medium-range Weather Forecasts model that is matched to each cloud object are used to interpret some of the findings in this study.

CAUSES: Attribution of Surface Radiation Biases in NWP and Climate Models near the U.S. Southern Great Plains

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

Van Weverberg, K.; Morcrette, C. J.; Petch, J.

Many numerical weather prediction (NWP) and climate models exhibit too warm lower tropospheres near the mid-latitude continents. This warm bias has been extensively studied before, but evidence about its origin remains inconclusive. Some studies point to deficiencies in the deep convective or low clouds. Other studies found an important contribution from errors in the land surface properties. The warm bias has been shown to coincide with important surface radiation biases that likely play a critical role in the inception or the growth of the warm bias. Documenting these radiation errors is hence an important step towards understanding and alleviating themore » warm bias. This paper presents an attribution study to quantify the net radiation biases in 9 model simulations, performed in the framework of the CAUSES project (Clouds Above the United States and Errors at the Surface). Contributions from deficiencies in the surface properties, clouds, integrated water vapor (IWV) and aerosols are quantified, using an array of radiation measurement stations near the ARM SGP site. Furthermore, an in depth-analysis is shown to attribute the radiation errors to specific cloud regimes. The net surface SW radiation is overestimated (LW underestimated) in all models throughout most of the simulation period. Cloud errors are shown to contribute most to this overestimation in all but one model, which has a dominant albedo issue. Using a cloud regime analysis, it was shown that missing deep cloud events and/or simulating deep clouds with too weak cloud-radiative effects account for most of these cloud-related radiation errors. Some models have compensating errors between excessive occurrence of deep cloud, but largely underestimating their radiative effect, while other models miss deep cloud events altogether. Surprisingly however, even the latter models tend to produce too much and too frequent afternoon surface precipitation. This suggests that rather than issues with the triggering of deep convection, the deep cloud problem in many models could be related to too weak convective cloud detrainment and too large precipitation efficiencies. This does not rule out that previously documented issues with the evaporative fraction contribute to the warm bias as well, since the majority of the models underestimate the surface rain rates overall, as they miss the observed large nocturnal precipitation peak.« less

Covariance Between Arctic Sea Ice and Clouds Within Atmospheric State Regimes at the Satellite Footprint Level

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Taylor, Patrick C.; Kato, Seiji; Xu, Kuan-Man; Cai, Ming

2015-01-01

Understanding the cloud response to sea ice change is necessary for modeling Arctic climate. Previous work has primarily addressed this problem from the interannual variability perspective. This paper provides a refined perspective of sea ice-cloud relationship in the Arctic using a satellite footprint-level quantification of the covariance between sea ice and Arctic low cloud properties from NASA A-Train active remote sensing data. The covariances between Arctic low cloud properties and sea ice concentration are quantified by first partitioning each footprint into four atmospheric regimes defined using thresholds of lower tropospheric stability and mid-tropospheric vertical velocity. Significant regional variability in the cloud properties is found within the atmospheric regimes indicating that the regimes do not completely account for the influence of meteorology. Regional anomalies are used to account for the remaining meteorological influence on clouds. After accounting for meteorological regime and regional influences, a statistically significant but weak covariance between cloud properties and sea ice is found in each season for at least one atmospheric regime. Smaller average cloud fraction and liquid water are found within footprints with more sea ice. The largest-magnitude cloud-sea ice covariance occurs between 500m and 1.2 km when the lower tropospheric stability is between 16 and 24 K. The covariance between low cloud properties and sea ice is found to be largest in fall and is accompanied by significant changes in boundary layer temperature structure where larger average near-surface static stability is found at larger sea ice concentrations.

Covariance between Arctic sea ice and clouds within atmospheric state regimes at the satellite footprint level.

PubMed

Taylor, Patrick C; Kato, Seiji; Xu, Kuan-Man; Cai, Ming

2015-12-27

Understanding the cloud response to sea ice change is necessary for modeling Arctic climate. Previous work has primarily addressed this problem from the interannual variability perspective. This paper provides a refined perspective of sea ice-cloud relationship in the Arctic using a satellite footprint-level quantification of the covariance between sea ice and Arctic low cloud properties from NASA A-Train active remote sensing data. The covariances between Arctic low cloud properties and sea ice concentration are quantified by first partitioning each footprint into four atmospheric regimes defined using thresholds of lower tropospheric stability and midtropospheric vertical velocity. Significant regional variability in the cloud properties is found within the atmospheric regimes indicating that the regimes do not completely account for the influence of meteorology. Regional anomalies are used to account for the remaining meteorological influence on clouds. After accounting for meteorological regime and regional influences, a statistically significant but weak covariance between cloud properties and sea ice is found in each season for at least one atmospheric regime. Smaller average cloud fraction and liquid water are found within footprints with more sea ice. The largest-magnitude cloud-sea ice covariance occurs between 500 m and 1.2 km when the lower tropospheric stability is between 16 and 24 K. The covariance between low cloud properties and sea ice is found to be largest in fall and is accompanied by significant changes in boundary layer temperature structure where larger average near-surface static stability is found at larger sea ice concentrations.

Radiative Susceptibility of Cloudy Atmospheres to Droplet Number Perturbations: 2. Global analysis from MODIS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oreopoulos, Lazaros; Platnick, Steven

2008-01-01

Global distributions of albedo susceptibility for areas covered by liquid clouds are presented for 4 months in 2005. The susceptibility estimates are based on expanded definitions presented in a companion paper and include relative cloud droplet number concentration (CDNC) changes, perturbations in cloud droplet asymmetry parameter and single-scattering albedo, atmospheric/surface effects, and incorporation of the full solar spectrum. The cloud properties (optical thickness and effective radius) used as input in the susceptibility calculations come from MODIS Terra and Aqua Collection 5 gridded data. Geographical distributions of susceptibility corresponding to absolute ( absolute cloud susceptibility ) and relative ( relative cloud susceptibility ) CDNC changes are markedly different indicating that the detailed nature of the cloud microphysical perturbation is important for determining the radiative forcing associated with the first indirect aerosol effect. However, both types of susceptibility exhibit common characteristics such as significant reductions when perturbations in single-scattering properties are omitted, significant increases when atmospheric absorption and surface albedo effects are ignored, and the tendency to decrease with latitude, to be higher over ocean than over land, and to be statistically similar between the morning and afternoon MODIS overpasses. The satellite-based susceptibility analysis helps elucidate the role of present-day cloud and land surface properties in indirect aerosol forcing responses. Our realistic yet moderate CDNC perturbations yield forcings on the order of 1-2 W/sq m for cloud optical property distributions and land surface spectral albedos observed by MODIS. Since susceptibilities can potentially be computed from model fields, these results have practical application in assessing the reasonableness of model-generated estimates of the aerosol indirect radiative forcing.

Life Cycle of Tropical Convection and Anvil in Observations and Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McFarlane, S. A.; Hagos, S. M.; Comstock, J. M.

2011-12-01

Tropical convective clouds are important elements of the hydrological cycle and produce extensive cirrus anvils that strongly affect the tropical radiative energy balance. To improve simulations of the global water and energy cycles and accurately predict both precipitation and cloud radiative feedbacks, models need to realistically simulate the lifecycle of tropical convection, including the formation and radiative properties of ice anvil clouds. By combining remote sensing datasets from precipitation and cloud radars at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Darwin site with geostationary satellite data, we can develop observational understanding of the lifetime of convective systems and the links between the properties of convective systems and their associated anvil clouds. The relationships between convection and anvil in model simulations can then be compared to those seen in the observations to identify areas for improvement in the model simulations. We identify and track tropical convective systems in the Tropical Western Pacific using geostationary satellite observations. We present statistics of the tropical convective systems including size, age, and intensity and classify the lifecycle stage of each system as developing, mature, or dissipating. For systems that cross over the ARM Darwin site, information on convective intensity and anvil properties are obtained from the C-Pol precipitation radar and MMCR cloud radar, respectively, and are examined as a function of the system lifecycle. Initial results from applying the convective identification and tracking algorithm to a tropical simulation from the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model run show that the model produces reasonable overall statistics of convective systems, but details of the life cycle (such as diurnal cycle, system tracks) differ from the observations. Further work will focus on the role of atmospheric temperature and moisture profiles in the model's convective life cycle.

Evaluating rainfall errors in global climate models through cloud regimes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Jackson; Oreopoulos, Lazaros; Jakob, Christian; Jin, Daeho

2017-07-01

Global climate models suffer from a persistent shortcoming in their simulation of rainfall by producing too much drizzle and too little intense rain. This erroneous distribution of rainfall is a result of deficiencies in the representation of underlying processes of rainfall formation. In the real world, clouds are precursors to rainfall and the distribution of clouds is intimately linked to the rainfall over the area. This study examines the model representation of tropical rainfall using the cloud regime concept. In observations, these cloud regimes are derived from cluster analysis of joint-histograms of cloud properties retrieved from passive satellite measurements. With the implementation of satellite simulators, comparable cloud regimes can be defined in models. This enables us to contrast the rainfall distributions of cloud regimes in 11 CMIP5 models to observations and decompose the rainfall errors by cloud regimes. Many models underestimate the rainfall from the organized convective cloud regime, which in observation provides half of the total rain in the tropics. Furthermore, these rainfall errors are relatively independent of the model's accuracy in representing this cloud regime. Error decomposition reveals that the biases are compensated in some models by a more frequent occurrence of the cloud regime and most models exhibit substantial cancellation of rainfall errors from different regimes and regions. Therefore, underlying relatively accurate total rainfall in models are significant cancellation of rainfall errors from different cloud types and regions. The fact that a good representation of clouds does not lead to appreciable improvement in rainfall suggests a certain disconnect in the cloud-precipitation processes of global climate models.

17 years of aerosol and clouds from the ATSR Series of Instruments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poulsen, C. A.

2015-12-01

Aerosols play a significant role in Earth's climate by scattering and absorbing incoming sunlight and affecting the formation and radiative properties of clouds. The extent to which aerosols affect cloud remains one of the largest sources of uncertainty amongst all influences on climate change. Now, a new comprehensive datasets has been developed under the ESA Climate Change Initiative (CCI) programme to quantify how changes in aerosol levels affect these clouds. The unique dataset is constructed from the Optimal Retrieval of Aerosol and Cloud (ORAC) algorithm used in (A)ATSR (Along Track Scanning Radiometer) retrievals of aerosols generated in the Aerosol CCI and the CC4CL ( Community Code for CLimate) for cloud retrieval in the Cloud CCI. The ATSR instrument is a dual viewing instrument with on board visible and infra red calibration systems making it an ideal instrument to study trends of Aerosol and Clouds and their interactions. The data set begins in 1995 and ends in 2012. A new instrument in the series SLSTR(Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer) will be launch in 2015. The Aerosol and Clouds are retreived using similar algorithms to maximise the consistency of the results These state-of-the-art retrievals have been merged together to quantify the susceptibility of cloud properties to changes in aerosol concentration. Aerosol-cloud susceptibilities are calculated from several thousand samples in each 1x1 degree globally gridded region. Two-D histograms of the aerosol and cloud properties are also included to facilitate seamless comparisons between other satellite and modelling data sets. The analysis of these two long term records will be discussed individually and the initial comparisons between these new joint products and models will be presented.

Assessment of different models for computing the probability of a clear line of sight

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bojin, Sorin; Paulescu, Marius; Badescu, Viorel

2017-12-01

This paper is focused on modeling the morphological properties of the cloud fields in terms of the probability of a clear line of sight (PCLOS). PCLOS is defined as the probability that a line of sight between observer and a given point of the celestial vault goes freely without intersecting a cloud. A variety of PCLOS models assuming the cloud shape hemisphere, semi-ellipsoid and ellipsoid are tested. The effective parameters (cloud aspect ratio and absolute cloud fraction) are extracted from high-resolution series of sunshine number measurements. The performance of the PCLOS models is evaluated from the perspective of their ability in retrieving the point cloudiness. The advantages and disadvantages of the tested models are discussed, aiming to a simplified parameterization of PCLOS models.

simplified aerosol representations in global modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kinne, Stefan; Peters, Karsten; Stevens, Bjorn; Rast, Sebastian; Schutgens, Nick; Stier, Philip

2015-04-01

The detailed treatment of aerosol in global modeling is complex and time-consuming. Thus simplified approaches are investigated, which prescribe 4D (space and time) distributions of aerosol optical properties and of aerosol microphysical properties. Aerosol optical properties are required to assess aerosol direct radiative effects and aerosol microphysical properties (in terms of their ability as aerosol nuclei to modify cloud droplet concentrations) are needed to address the indirect aerosol impact on cloud properties. Following the simplifying concept of the monthly gridded (1x1 lat/lon) aerosol climatology (MAC), new approaches are presented and evaluated against more detailed methods, including comparisons to detailed simulations with complex aerosol component modules.

Scanning Backscatter Lidar Observations for Characterizing 4-D Cloud and Aerosol Fields to Improve Radiative Transfer Parameterizations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schwemmer, Geary K.; Miller, David O.

2005-01-01

Clouds have a powerful influence on atmospheric radiative transfer and hence are crucial to understanding and interpreting the exchange of radiation between the Earth's surface, the atmosphere, and space. Because clouds are highly variable in space, time and physical makeup, it is important to be able to observe them in three dimensions (3-D) with sufficient resolution that the data can be used to generate and validate parameterizations of cloud fields at the resolution scale of global climate models (GCMs). Simulation of photon transport in three dimensionally inhomogeneous cloud fields show that spatial inhomogeneities tend to decrease cloud reflection and absorption and increase direct and diffuse transmission, Therefore it is an important task to characterize cloud spatial structures in three dimensions on the scale of GCM grid elements. In order to validate cloud parameterizations that represent the ensemble, or mean and variance of cloud properties within a GCM grid element, measurements of the parameters must be obtained on a much finer scale so that the statistics on those measurements are truly representative. High spatial sampling resolution is required, on the order of 1 km or less. Since the radiation fields respond almost instantaneously to changes in the cloud field, and clouds changes occur on scales of seconds and less when viewed on scales of approximately 100m, the temporal resolution of cloud properties should be measured and characterized on second time scales. GCM time steps are typically on the order of an hour, but in order to obtain sufficient statistical representations of cloud properties in the parameterizations that are used as model inputs, averaged values of cloud properties should be calculated on time scales on the order of 10-100 s. The Holographic Airborne Rotating Lidar Instrument Experiment (HARLIE) provides exceptional temporal (100 ms) and spatial (30 m) resolution measurements of aerosol and cloud backscatter in three dimensions. HARLIE was used in a ground-based configuration in several recent field campaigns. Principal data products include aerosol backscatter profiles, boundary layer heights, entrainment zone thickness, cloud fraction as a function of altitude and horizontal wind vector profiles based on correlating the motions of clouds and aerosol structures across portions of the scan. Comparisons will be made between various cloud detecting instruments to develop a baseline performance metric.

A Method to Analyze How Various Parts of Clouds Influence Each Other's Brightness

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Varnai, Tamas; Marshak, Alexander; Lau, William (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

This paper proposes a method for obtaining new information on 3D radiative effects that arise from horizontal radiative interactions in heterogeneous clouds. Unlike current radiative transfer models, it can not only calculate how 3D effects change radiative quantities at any given point, but can also determine which areas contribute to these 3D effects, to what degree, and through what mechanisms. After describing the proposed method, the paper illustrates its new capabilities both for detailed case studies and for the statistical processing of large datasets. Because the proposed method makes it possible, for the first time, to link a particular change in cloud properties to the resulting 3D effect, in future studies it can be used to develop new radiative transfer parameterizations that would consider 3D effects in practical applications currently limited to 1D theory-such as remote sensing of cloud properties and dynamical cloud modeling.

Cloud, Aerosol, and Complex Terrain Interactions (CACTI) Preliminary Science Plan

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

Varble, Adam; Nesbitt, Steve; Salio, Paola

General circulation models and downscaled regional models exhibit persistent biases in deep convective initiation location and timing, cloud top height, stratiform area and precipitation fraction, and anvil coverage. Despite important impacts on the distribution of atmospheric heating, moistening, and momentum, nearly all climate models fail to represent convective organization, while system evolution is not represented at all. Improving representation of convective systems in models requires characterization of their predictability as a function of environmental conditions, and this characterization depends on observing many cases of convective initiation, non-initiation, organization, and non-organization. The Cloud, Aerosol, and Complex Terrain Interactions (CACTI) experiment inmore » the Sierras de Córdoba mountain range of north-central Argentina is designed to improve understanding of cloud life cycle and organization in relation to environmental conditions so that cumulus, microphysics, and aerosol parameterizations in multi-scale models can be improved. The Sierras de Córdoba range has a high frequency of orographic boundary-layer clouds, many reaching congestus depths, many initiating into deep convection, and some organizing into mesoscale systems uniquely observable from a single fixed site. Some systems even grow upscale to become among the deepest, largest, and longest-lived in the world. These systems likely contribute to an observed regional trend of increasing extreme rainfall, and poor prediction of them likely contributes to a warm, dry bias in climate models downstream of the Sierras de Córdoba range in a key agricultural region. Many environmental factors influence the convective lifecycle in this region including orographic, low-level jet, and frontal circulations, surface fluxes, synoptic vertical motions influenced by the Andes, cloud detrainment, and aerosol properties. Local and long-range transport of smoke resulting from biomass burning as well as blowing dust are common in the austral spring, while changes in land surface properties as the wet season progresses impact surface fluxes and boundary layer evolution on daily and seasonal time scales that feed back to cloud and rainfall generation. This range of environmental conditions and cloud properties coupled with a high frequency of events makes this an ideal location for improving our understanding of cloud-environment interactions. The following primary science questions will be addressed through coordinated first ARM Mobile Facility (AMF1), mobile C-band Scanning ARM Precipitation Radar (C-SAPR2), guest instrumentation, and potential ARM Aerial Facility (AAF) Gulfstream-1 (G-1) observations: 1. How are the properties and lifecycles of orographically generated cumulus humulis, mediocris, and congestus clouds affected by environmental kinematics, thermodynamics, aerosols, and surface properties? How do these cloud types alter these environmental conditions? 2. How do environmental kinematics, thermodynamics, and aerosols impact deep convective initiation, upscale growth, and mesoscale organization? How are soil moisture, surface fluxes, and aerosol properties altered by deep convective precipitation events and seasonal accumulation of precipitation? This multi-faceted experiment involves a long term 8.5-month Extended Observing Period (EOP, 15 August, 2018-30 April, 2019) as well as a 6-week Intensive Observation Period (IOP, 1 November-15 December) that will coincide with the international multi-agency RELAMPAGO field campaign.« less

Top-down and Bottom-up aerosol-cloud-closure: towards understanding sources of unvertainty in deriving cloud radiative flux

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanchez, K.; Roberts, G.; Calmer, R.; Nicoll, K.; Hashimshoni, E.; Rosenfeld, D.; Ovadnevaite, J.; Preissler, J.; Ceburnis, D.; O'Dowd, C. D. D.; Russell, L. M.

2017-12-01

Top-down and bottom-up aerosol-cloud shortwave radiative flux closures were conducted at the Mace Head atmospheric research station in Galway, Ireland in August 2015. Instrument platforms include ground-based, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), and satellite measurements of aerosols, clouds and meteorological variables. The ground-based and airborne measurements of aerosol size distributions and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentration were used to initiate a 1D microphysical aerosol-cloud parcel model (ACPM). UAVs were equipped for a specific science mission, with an optical particle counter for aerosol distribution profiles, a cloud sensor to measure cloud extinction, or a 5-hole probe for 3D wind vectors. These are the first UAV measurements at Mace Head. ACPM simulations are compared to in-situ cloud extinction measurements from UAVs to quantify closure in terms of cloud shortwave radiative flux. Two out of seven cases exhibit sub-adiabatic vertical temperature profiles within the cloud, which suggests that entrainment processes affect cloud microphysical properties and lead to an overestimate of simulated cloud shortwave radiative flux. Including an entrainment parameterization and explicitly calculating the entrainment fraction in the ACPM simulations both improved cloud-top radiative closure. Entrainment reduced the difference between simulated and observation-derived cloud-top shortwave radiative flux (δRF) by between 25 W m-2 and 60 W m-2. After accounting for entrainment, satellite-derived cloud droplet number concentrations (CDNC) were within 30% of simulated CDNC. In cases with a well-mixed boundary layer, δRF is no greater than 20 W m-2 after accounting for cloud-top entrainment, and up to 50 W m-2 when entrainment is not taken into account. In cases with a decoupled boundary layer, cloud microphysical properties are inconsistent with ground-based aerosol measurements, as expected, and δRF is as high as 88 W m-2, even high (> 30 W m-2) after accounting for cloud-top entrainment. This work demonstrates the need to take in-situ measurements of aerosol properties for cases where the boundary layer is decoupled as well as consider cloud-top entrainment to accurately model stratocumulus cloud radiative flux.

Top-down and Bottom-up aerosol-cloud-closure: towards understanding sources of unvertainty in deriving cloud radiative flux

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanchez, K.; Roberts, G.; Calmer, R.; Nicoll, K.; Hashimshoni, E.; Rosenfeld, D.; Ovadnevaite, J.; Preissler, J.; Ceburnis, D.; O'Dowd, C. D. D.; Russell, L. M.

2016-12-01

Top-down and bottom-up aerosol-cloud shortwave radiative flux closures were conducted at the Mace Head atmospheric research station in Galway, Ireland in August 2015. Instrument platforms include ground-based, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), and satellite measurements of aerosols, clouds and meteorological variables. The ground-based and airborne measurements of aerosol size distributions and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentration were used to initiate a 1D microphysical aerosol-cloud parcel model (ACPM). UAVs were equipped for a specific science mission, with an optical particle counter for aerosol distribution profiles, a cloud sensor to measure cloud extinction, or a 5-hole probe for 3D wind vectors. These are the first UAV measurements at Mace Head. ACPM simulations are compared to in-situ cloud extinction measurements from UAVs to quantify closure in terms of cloud shortwave radiative flux. Two out of seven cases exhibit sub-adiabatic vertical temperature profiles within the cloud, which suggests that entrainment processes affect cloud microphysical properties and lead to an overestimate of simulated cloud shortwave radiative flux. Including an entrainment parameterization and explicitly calculating the entrainment fraction in the ACPM simulations both improved cloud-top radiative closure. Entrainment reduced the difference between simulated and observation-derived cloud-top shortwave radiative flux (δRF) by between 25 W m-2 and 60 W m-2. After accounting for entrainment, satellite-derived cloud droplet number concentrations (CDNC) were within 30% of simulated CDNC. In cases with a well-mixed boundary layer, δRF is no greater than 20 W m-2 after accounting for cloud-top entrainment, and up to 50 W m-2 when entrainment is not taken into account. In cases with a decoupled boundary layer, cloud microphysical properties are inconsistent with ground-based aerosol measurements, as expected, and δRF is as high as 88 W m-2, even high (> 30 W m-2) after accounting for cloud-top entrainment. This work demonstrates the need to take in-situ measurements of aerosol properties for cases where the boundary layer is decoupled as well as consider cloud-top entrainment to accurately model stratocumulus cloud radiative flux.

Testing ice microphysics parameterizations in the NCAR Community Atmospheric Model Version 3 using Tropical Warm Pool-International Cloud Experiment data

DOE PAGES

Wang, Weiguo; Liu, Xiaohong; Xie, Shaocheng; ...

2009-07-23

Here, cloud properties have been simulated with a new double-moment microphysics scheme under the framework of the single-column version of NCAR Community Atmospheric Model version 3 (CAM3). For comparison, the same simulation was made with the standard single-moment microphysics scheme of CAM3. Results from both simulations compared favorably with observations during the Tropical Warm Pool–International Cloud Experiment by the U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program in terms of the temporal variation and vertical distribution of cloud fraction and cloud condensate. Major differences between the two simulations are in the magnitude and distribution of ice water content within themore » mixed-phase cloud during the monsoon period, though the total frozen water (snow plus ice) contents are similar. The ice mass content in the mixed-phase cloud from the new scheme is larger than that from the standard scheme, and ice water content extends 2 km further downward, which is in better agreement with observations. The dependence of the frozen water mass fraction on temperature from the new scheme is also in better agreement with available observations. Outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) at the top of the atmosphere (TOA) from the simulation with the new scheme is, in general, larger than that with the standard scheme, while the surface downward longwave radiation is similar. Sensitivity tests suggest that different treatments of the ice crystal effective radius contribute significantly to the difference in the calculations of TOA OLR, in addition to cloud water path. Numerical experiments show that cloud properties in the new scheme can respond reasonably to changes in the concentration of aerosols and emphasize the importance of correctly simulating aerosol effects in climate models for aerosol-cloud interactions. Further evaluation, especially for ice cloud properties based on in-situ data, is needed.« less

Quantifying the Climate-Scale Accuracy of Satellite Cloud Retrievals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roberts, Y.; Wielicki, B. A.; Sun-Mack, S.; Minnis, P.; Liang, L.; Di Girolamo, L.

2014-12-01

Instrument calibration and cloud retrieval algorithms have been developed to minimize retrieval errors on small scales. However, measurement uncertainties and assumptions within retrieval algorithms at the pixel level may alias into decadal-scale trends of cloud properties. We first, therefore, quantify how instrument calibration changes could alias into cloud property trends. For a perfect observing system the climate trend accuracy is limited only by the natural variability of the climate variable. Alternatively, for an actual observing system, the climate trend accuracy is additionally limited by the measurement uncertainty. Drifts in calibration over time may therefore be disguised as a true climate trend. We impose absolute calibration changes to MODIS spectral reflectance used as input to the CERES Cloud Property Retrieval System (CPRS) and run the modified MODIS reflectance through the CPRS to determine the sensitivity of cloud properties to calibration changes. We then use these changes to determine the impact of instrument calibration changes on trend uncertainty in reflected solar cloud properties. Secondly, we quantify how much cloud retrieval algorithm assumptions alias into cloud optical retrieval trends by starting with the largest of these biases: the plane-parallel assumption in cloud optical thickness (τC) retrievals. First, we collect liquid water cloud fields obtained from Multi-angle Imaging Spectroradiometer (MISR) measurements to construct realistic probability distribution functions (PDFs) of 3D cloud anisotropy (a measure of the degree to which clouds depart from plane-parallel) for different ISCCP cloud types. Next, we will conduct a theoretical study with dynamically simulated cloud fields and a 3D radiative transfer model to determine the relationship between 3D cloud anisotropy and 3D τC bias for each cloud type. Combining these results provides distributions of 3D τC bias by cloud type. Finally, we will estimate the change in frequency of occurrence of cloud types between two decades and will have the information needed to calculate the total change in 3D optical thickness bias between two decades. If we uncover aliases in this study, the results will motivate the development and rigorous testing of climate specific cloud retrieval algorithms.

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.

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

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.

High Vertically Resolved Atmospheric and Surface/Cloud Parameters Retrieved with Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zhou, Daniel K.; Liu, Xu; Larar, Allen M.; Smith, WIlliam L.; Taylor, Jonathan P.; Schluessel, Peter; Strow, L. Larrabee; Mango, Stephen A.

2008-01-01

The Joint Airborne IASI Validation Experiment (JAIVEx) was conducted during April 2007 mainly for validation of the IASI on the MetOp satellite. IASI possesses an ultra-spectral resolution of 0.25/cm and a spectral coverage from 645 to 2760/cm. Ultra-spectral resolution infrared spectral radiance obtained from near nadir observations provide atmospheric, surface, and cloud property information. An advanced retrieval algorithm with a fast radiative transfer model, including cloud effects, is used for atmospheric profile and cloud parameter retrieval. This physical inversion scheme has been developed, dealing with cloudy as well as cloud-free radiance observed with ultraspectral infrared sounders, to simultaneously retrieve surface, atmospheric thermodynamic, and cloud microphysical parameters. A fast radiative transfer model, which applies to the cloud-free and/or clouded atmosphere, is used for atmospheric profile and cloud parameter retrieval. A one-dimensional (1-d) variational multi-variable inversion solution is used to improve an iterative background state defined by an eigenvector-regression-retrieval. The solution is iterated in order to account for non-linearity in the 1-d variational solution. It is shown that relatively accurate temperature and moisture retrievals are achieved below optically thin clouds. For optically thick clouds, accurate temperature and moisture profiles down to cloud top level are obtained. For both optically thin and thick cloud situations, the cloud top height can be retrieved with relatively high accuracy (i.e., error < 1 km). Preliminary retrievals of atmospheric soundings, surface properties, and cloud optical/microphysical properties with the IASI observations are obtained and presented. These retrievals will be further inter-compared with those obtained from airborne FTS system, such as the NPOESS Airborne Sounder Testbed - Interferometer (NAST-I), dedicated dropsondes, radiosondes, and ground based Raman Lidar. The capabilities of satellite ultra-spectral sounder such as the IASI are investigated indicating a high vertical structure of atmosphere is retrieved.

Cloud-property retrieval using merged HIRS and AVHRR data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baum, Bryan A.; Wielicki, Bruce A.; Minnis, Patrick; Parker, Lindsay

1992-01-01

A technique is developed that uses a multispectral, multiresolution method to improve the overall retrieval of mid- to high-level cloud properties by combining HIRS sounding channel data with higher spatial resolution AVHRR radiometric data collocated with the HIRS footprint. Cirrus cloud radiative and physical properties are determined using satellite data, surface-based measurements provided by rawinsondes and lidar, and aircraft-based lidar data collected during the First International Satellite Cloud Climatology Program Regional Experiment in Wisconsin during the months of October and November 1986. HIRS cloud-height retrievals are compared to ground-based lidar and aircraft lidar when possible. Retrieved cloud heights are found to have close agreement with lidar for thin cloud, but are higher than lidar for optically thick cloud. The results of the reflectance-emittance relationships derived are compared to theoretical scattering model results for both water-droplet spheres and randomly oriented hexagonal ice crystals. It is found that the assumption of 10-micron water droplets is inadequate to describe the reflectance-emittance relationship for the ice clouds seen here. Use of this assumption would lead to lower cloud heights using the ISCCP approach. The theoretical results show that use of hexagonal ice crystal phase functions could lead to much improved results for cloud retrieval algorithms using a bispectral approach.

Influence of cirrus clouds on weather and climate processes A global perspective

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liou, K.-N.

1986-01-01

Current understanding and knowledge of the composition and structure of cirrus clouds are reviewed and documented in this paper. In addition, the radiative properties of cirrus clouds as they relate to weather and climate processes are described in detail. To place the relevance and importance of cirrus composition, structure and radiative properties into a global perspective, pertinent results derived from simulation experiments utilizing models with varying degrees of complexity are presented; these have been carried out for the investigation of the influence of cirrus clouds on the thermodynamics and dynamics of the atmosphere. In light of these reviews, suggestions are outlined for cirrus-radiation research activities aimed toward the development and improvement of weather and climate models for a physical understanding of cause and effect relationships and for prediction purposes.

Near-Surface Meteorology During the Arctic Summer Cloud Ocean Study (ASCOS): Evaluation of Reanalyses and Global Climate Models.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

De Boer, G.; Shupe, M.D.; Caldwell, P.M.; Bauer, Susanne E.; Persson, O.; Boyle, J.S.; Kelley, M.; Klein, S.A.; Tjernstrom, M.

2014-01-01

Atmospheric measurements from the Arctic Summer Cloud Ocean Study (ASCOS) are used to evaluate the performance of three atmospheric reanalyses (European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF)- Interim reanalysis, National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP)-National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) reanalysis, and NCEP-DOE (Department of Energy) reanalysis) and two global climate models (CAM5 (Community Atmosphere Model 5) and NASA GISS (Goddard Institute for Space Studies) ModelE2) in simulation of the high Arctic environment. Quantities analyzed include near surface meteorological variables such as temperature, pressure, humidity and winds, surface-based estimates of cloud and precipitation properties, the surface energy budget, and lower atmospheric temperature structure. In general, the models perform well in simulating large-scale dynamical quantities such as pressure and winds. Near-surface temperature and lower atmospheric stability, along with surface energy budget terms, are not as well represented due largely to errors in simulation of cloud occurrence, phase and altitude. Additionally, a development version of CAM5, which features improved handling of cloud macro physics, has demonstrated to improve simulation of cloud properties and liquid water amount. The ASCOS period additionally provides an excellent example of the benefits gained by evaluating individual budget terms, rather than simply evaluating the net end product, with large compensating errors between individual surface energy budget terms that result in the best net energy budget.

Determination of cloud parameters from infrared sounder data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yeh, H.-Y. M.

1984-01-01

The World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) plan is concerned with the need to develop a uniform global cloud climatology as part of a broad research program on climate processes. The International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) has been approved as the first project of the WCRP. The ISCCP has the basic objective to collect and analyze satellite radiance data to infer the global distribution of cloud radiative properties in order to improve the modeling of cloud effects on climate. Research is conducted to explore an algorithm for retrieving cloud properties by utilizing the available infrared sounder data from polar-orbiting satellites. A numerical method is developed for computing cloud top heights, amount, and emissivity on the basis of a parameterized infrared radiative transfer equation for cloudy atmospheres. Theoretical studies were carried out by considering a synthetic atmosphere.

Evaluating Global Aerosol Models and Aerosol and Water Vapor Properties Near Clouds

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

Richard A. Ferrare; David D. Turner

Project goals: (1) Use the routine surface and airborne measurements at the ARM SGP site, and the routine surface measurements at the NSA site, to continue our evaluations of model aerosol simulations; (2) Determine the degree to which the Raman lidar measurements of water vapor and aerosol scattering and extinction can be used to remotely characterize the aerosol humidification factor; (3) Use the high temporal resolution CARL data to examine how aerosol properties vary near clouds; and (4) Use the high temporal resolution CARL and Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer (AERI) data to quantify entrainment in optically thin continental cumulus clouds.

Covariance between Arctic sea ice and clouds within atmospheric state regimes at the satellite footprint level

PubMed Central

Kato, Seiji; Xu, Kuan‐Man; Cai, Ming

2015-01-01

Abstract Understanding the cloud response to sea ice change is necessary for modeling Arctic climate. Previous work has primarily addressed this problem from the interannual variability perspective. This paper provides a refined perspective of sea ice‐cloud relationship in the Arctic using a satellite footprint‐level quantification of the covariance between sea ice and Arctic low cloud properties from NASA A‐Train active remote sensing data. The covariances between Arctic low cloud properties and sea ice concentration are quantified by first partitioning each footprint into four atmospheric regimes defined using thresholds of lower tropospheric stability and midtropospheric vertical velocity. Significant regional variability in the cloud properties is found within the atmospheric regimes indicating that the regimes do not completely account for the influence of meteorology. Regional anomalies are used to account for the remaining meteorological influence on clouds. After accounting for meteorological regime and regional influences, a statistically significant but weak covariance between cloud properties and sea ice is found in each season for at least one atmospheric regime. Smaller average cloud fraction and liquid water are found within footprints with more sea ice. The largest‐magnitude cloud‐sea ice covariance occurs between 500 m and 1.2 km when the lower tropospheric stability is between 16 and 24 K. The covariance between low cloud properties and sea ice is found to be largest in fall and is accompanied by significant changes in boundary layer temperature structure where larger average near‐surface static stability is found at larger sea ice concentrations. PMID:27818851

Study on ice cloud optical thickness retrieval with MODIS IR spectral bands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Hong; Li, Jun

2005-01-01

The operational Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) products for cloud properties such as cloud-top pressure (CTP), effective cloud amount (ECA), cloud particle size (CPS), cloud optical thickness (COT), and cloud phase (CP) have been available for users globally. An approach to retrieve COT is investigated using MODIS infrared (IR) window spectral bands (8.5 mm, 11mm, and 12 mm). The COT retrieval from MODIS IR bands has the potential to provide microphysical properties with high spatial resolution during night. The results are compared with those from operational MODIS products derived from the visible (VIS) and near-infrared (NIR) bands during day. Sensitivity of COT to MODIS spectral brightness temperature (BT) and BT difference (BTD) values is studied. A look-up table is created from the cloudy radiative transfer model accounting for the cloud absorption and scattering for the cloud microphysical property retrieval. The potential applications and limitations are also discussed. This algorithm can be applied to the future imager systems such as Visible/Infrared Imager/Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) and Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) on the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)-R.

The Effect of Environmental Conditions on Tropical Deep Convective Systems Observed from the TRMM Satellite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lin, Bing; Wielicki, Bruce A.; Minnis, Patrick; Chambers, Lin H.; Xu, Kuan-Man; Hu, Yongxiang; Fan, Tai-Fang

2005-01-01

This study uses measurements of radiation and cloud properties taken between January and August 1998 by three Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) instruments, the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) scanner, the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI), and the Visible and InfraRed Scanner (VIRS), to evaluate the variations of tropical deep convective systems (DCS) with sea surface temperature (SST) and precipitation. This study finds that DCS precipitation efficiency increases with SST at a rate of approx. 2%/K. Despite increasing rainfall efficiency, the cloud areal coverage rises with SST at a rate of about 7%/K in the warm tropical seas. There, the boundary layer moisture supply for deep convection and the moisture transported to the upper troposphere for cirrus-anvil cloud formation increase by approx. 6.3%/K and approx. 4.0%/K, respectively. The changes in cloud formation efficiency, along with the increased transport of moisture available for cloud formation, likely contribute to the large rate of increasing DCS areal coverage. Although no direct observations are available, the increase of cloud formation efficiency with rising SST is deduced indirectly from measurements of changes in the ratio of DCS ice water path and boundary layer water vapor amount with SST. Besides the cloud areal coverage, DCS cluster effective sizes also increase with precipitation. Furthermore, other cloud properties, such as cloud total water and ice water paths, increase with SST. These changes in DCS properties will produce a negative radiative feedback for the earth's climate system due to strong reflection of shortwave radiation by the DCS. These results significantly differ from some previous hypothesized dehydration scenarios for warmer climates, and have great potential in testing current cloud-system resolving models and convective parameterizations of general circulation models.

Chemistry in dynamically evolving clouds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tarafdar, S. P.; Prasad, S. S.; Huntress, W. T., Jr.; Villere, K. R.; Black, D. C.

1985-01-01

A unified model of chemical and dynamical evolution of isolated, initially diffuse and quiescent interstellar clouds is presented. The model uses a semiempirically derived dependence of the observed cloud temperatures on the visual extinction and density. Even low-mass, low-density, diffuse clouds can collapse in this model, because the inward pressure gradient force assists gravitational contraction. In contrast, previous isothermal collapse models required the low-mass diffuse clouds to be unrealistically cold before gravitational contraction could start. Theoretically predicted dependences of the column densities of various atoms and molecules, such as C and CO, on visual extinction in diffuse clouds are in accord with observations. Similarly, the predicted dependences of the fractional abundances of various chemical species (e.g., CO, H2CO, HCN, HCO(+)) on the total hydrogen density in the core of the dense clouds also agree with observations reported to date in the literature. Compared with previous models of interstellar chemistry, the present model has the potential to explain the wide spectrum of chemical and physical properties of both diffuse and dense clouds with a common formalism employing only a few simple initial conditions.

Evaluating Clouds in Long-Term Cloud-Resolving Model Simulations with Observational Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zeng, Xiping; Tao, Wei-Kuo; Zhang, Minghua; Peters-Lidard, Christa; Lang, Stephen; Simpson, Joanne; Kumar, Sujay; Xie, Shaocheng; Eastman, Joseph L.; Shie, Chung-Lin;

Assessment of NASA GISS CMIP5 and Post-CMIP5 Simulated Clouds and TOA Radiation Budgets Using Satellite Observations. Part 2; TOA Radiation Budget and CREs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stanfield, Ryan E.; Dong, Xiquan; Xi, Baike; Del Genio, Anthony D.; Minnis, Patrick; Doelling, David; Loeb, Norman

2014-01-01

In Part I of this study, the NASA GISS Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) and post-CMIP5 (herein called C5 and P5, respectively) simulated cloud properties were assessed utilizing multiple satellite observations, with a particular focus on the southern midlatitudes (SMLs). This study applies the knowledge gained from Part I of this series to evaluate the modeled TOA radiation budgets and cloud radiative effects (CREs) globally using CERES EBAF (CE) satellite observations and the impact of regional cloud properties and water vapor on the TOA radiation budgets. Comparisons revealed that the P5- and C5-simulated global means of clear-sky and all-sky outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) match well with CE observations, while biases are observed regionally. Negative biases are found in both P5- and C5-simulated clear-sky OLR. P5-simulated all-sky albedo slightly increased over the SMLs due to the increase in low-level cloud fraction from the new planetary boundary layer (PBL) scheme. Shortwave, longwave, and net CRE are quantitatively analyzed as well. Regions of strong large-scale atmospheric upwelling/downwelling motion are also defined to compare regional differences across multiple cloud and radiative variables. In general, the P5 and C5 simulations agree with the observations better over the downwelling regime than over the upwelling regime. Comparing the results herein with the cloud property comparisons presented in Part I, the modeled TOA radiation budgets and CREs agree well with the CE observations. These results, combined with results in Part I, have quantitatively estimated how much improvement is found in the P5-simulated cloud and radiative properties, particularly over the SMLs and tropics, due to the implementation of the new PBL and convection schemes.

New Satellite Estimates of Mixed-Phase Cloud Properties: A Synergistic Approach for Application to Global Satellite Imager Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, W. L., Jr.; Spangenberg, D.; Fleeger, C.; Sun-Mack, S.; Chen, Y.; Minnis, P.

2016-12-01

Determining accurate cloud properties horizontally and vertically over a full range of time and space scales is currently next to impossible using data from either active or passive remote sensors or from modeling systems. Passive satellite imagers provide horizontal and temporal resolution of clouds, but little direct information on vertical structure. Active sensors provide vertical resolution but limited spatial and temporal coverage. Cloud models embedded in NWP can produce realistic clouds but often not at the right time or location. Thus, empirical techniques that integrate information from multiple observing and modeling systems are needed to more accurately characterize clouds and their impacts. Such a strategy is employed here in a new cloud water content profiling technique developed for application to satellite imager cloud retrievals based on VIS, IR and NIR radiances. Parameterizations are developed to relate imager retrievals of cloud top phase, optical depth, effective radius and temperature to ice and liquid water content profiles. The vertical structure information contained in the parameterizations is characterized climatologically from cloud model analyses, aircraft observations, ground-based remote sensing data, and from CloudSat and CALIPSO. Thus, realistic cloud-type dependent vertical structure information (including guidance on cloud phase partitioning) circumvents poor assumptions regarding vertical homogeneity that plague current passive satellite retrievals. This paper addresses mixed phase cloud conditions for clouds with glaciated tops including those associated with convection and mid-latitude storm systems. Novel outcomes of our approach include (1) simultaneous retrievals of ice and liquid water content and path, which are validated with active sensor, microwave and in-situ data, and yield improved global cloud climatologies, and (2) new estimates of super-cooled LWC, which are demonstrated in aviation safety applications and validated with icing PIREPS. The initial validation is encouraging for single-layer cloud conditions. More work is needed to test and refine the method for global application in a wider range of cloud conditions. A brief overview of our current method, applications, verification, and plans for future work will be presented.

Comparative evaluation of polarimetric and bi-spectral cloud microphysics retrievals: Retrieval closure experiments and comparisons based on idealized and LES case studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, D. J.; Zhang, Z.; Ackerman, A. S.; Platnick, S. E.; Cornet, C.

2016-12-01

A remote sensing cloud retrieval simulator, created by coupling an LES cloud model with vector radiative transfer (RT) models is the ideal framework for assessing cloud remote sensing techniques. This simulator serves as a tool for understanding bi-spectral and polarimetric retrievals by comparing them directly to LES cloud properties (retrieval closure comparison) and for comparing the retrieval techniques to one another. Our simulator utilizes the DHARMA LES [Ackerman et al., 2004] with cloud properties based on marine boundary layer (MBL) clouds observed during the DYCOMS-II and ATEX field campaigns. The cloud reflectances are produced by the vectorized RT models based on polarized doubling adding and monte carlo techniques (PDA, MCPOL). Retrievals are performed utilizing techniques as similar as possible to those implemented on their corresponding well known instruments; polarimetric retrievals are based on techniques implemented for polarimeters (POLDER, AirMSPI, and RSP) and bi-spectral retrievals are performed using the Nakajima-King LUT method utilized on a number of spectral instruments (MODIS and VIIRS). Retrieval comparisons focus on cloud droplet effective radius (re), effective variance (ve), and cloud optical thickness (τ). This work explores the sensitivities of these two retrieval techniques to various observation limitations, such as spatial resolution/cloud inhomogeneity, impact of 3D radiative effects, and angular resolution requirements. With future remote sensing missions like NASA's Aerosols/Clouds/Ecosystems (ACE) planning to feature advanced polarimetric instruments it is important to understand how these retrieval techniques compare to one another. The cloud retrieval simulator we've developed allows us to probe these important questions in a realistically relevant test bed.

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 of clouds, thus requiring only one term of the radiative transfer equation (ice scattering) to relate brightness temperatures to ice. Scientific justification and the SIRICE approach to measuring ice water path and particle size that span a range encompassing both the hydrologically active and radiatively active components of cloud systems will be presented.

Development of Two-Moment Cloud Microphysics for Liquid and Ice Within the NASA Goddard Earth Observing System Model (GEOS-5)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barahona, Donifan; Molod, Andrea M.; Bacmeister, Julio; Nenes, Athanasios; Gettelman, Andrew; Morrison, Hugh; Phillips, Vaughan,; Eichmann, Andrew F.

2013-01-01

This work presents the development of a two-moment cloud microphysics scheme within the version 5 of the NASA Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS-5). The scheme includes the implementation of a comprehensive stratiform microphysics module, a new cloud coverage scheme that allows ice supersaturation and a new microphysics module embedded within the moist convection parameterization of GEOS-5. Comprehensive physically-based descriptions of ice nucleation, including homogeneous and heterogeneous freezing, and liquid droplet activation are implemented to describe the formation of cloud particles in stratiform clouds and convective cumulus. The effect of preexisting ice crystals on the formation of cirrus clouds is also accounted for. A new parameterization of the subgrid scale vertical velocity distribution accounting for turbulence and gravity wave motion is developed. The implementation of the new microphysics significantly improves the representation of liquid water and ice in GEOS-5. Evaluation of the model shows agreement of the simulated droplet and ice crystal effective and volumetric radius with satellite retrievals and in situ observations. The simulated global distribution of supersaturation is also in agreement with observations. It was found that when using the new microphysics the fraction of condensate that remains as liquid follows a sigmoidal increase with temperature which differs from the linear increase assumed in most models and is in better agreement with available observations. The performance of the new microphysics in reproducing the observed total cloud fraction, longwave and shortwave cloud forcing, and total precipitation is similar to the operational version of GEOS-5 and in agreement with satellite retrievals. However the new microphysics tends to underestimate the coverage of persistent low level stratocumulus. Sensitivity studies showed that the simulated cloud properties are robust to moderate variation in cloud microphysical parameters. However significant sensitivity in ice cloud properties was found to variation in the dispersion of the ice crystal size distribution and the critical size for ice autoconversion. The implementation of the new microphysics leads to a more realistic representation of cloud processes in GEOS-5 and allows the linkage of cloud properties to aerosol emissions.

Cloud Microphysical Properties in Mesoscale Convective Systems: An Intercomparison of Three Tropical Locations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fontaine, Emmanuel; Leroy, Delphine; Schwarzenboeck, Alfons; Coutris, Pierre; Delanoë, Julien; Protat, Alain; Dezitter, Fabien; Grandin, Alice; Strapp, John W.; Lilie, Lyle E.

2017-04-01

Mesoscale Convective Systems are complex cloud systems which are primarily the result of specific synoptic conditions associated with mesoscale instabilities leading to the development of cumulonimbus type clouds (Houze, 2004). These systems can last several hours and can affect human societies in various ways. In general, weather and climate models use simplistic schemes to describe ice hydrometeors' properties. However, MCS are complex cloud systems where the dynamic, radiative and precipitation processes depend on spatiotemporal location in the MCS (Houze, 2004). As a consequence, hydrometeor growth processes in MCS vary in space and time, thereby impacting shape and concentration of ice crystals and finally CWC. As a consequence, differences in the representation of ice properties in models (Li et al., 2007, 2005) lead to significant disagreements in the quantification of ice cloud effects on climate evolution (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report). An accurate estimation of the spatiotemporal CWC distribution is therefore a key parameter for evaluating and improving numerical weather prediction (Stephens et al., 2002). The main purpose of this study is to show ice microphysical properties of MCS observed in three different locations in the tropical atmosphere: West-African continent, Indian Ocean, and Northern Australia. An intercomparison study is performed in order to quantify how similar or different are the ice hydrometeors' properties in these three regions related to radar reflectivity factors and temperatures observed in respective MCS.

Minimalist model of ice microphysics in mixed-phase stratiform clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Fan; Ovchinnikov, Mikhail; Shaw, Raymond A.

2013-07-01

The question of whether persistent ice crystal precipitation from supercooled layer clouds can be explained by time-dependent, stochastic ice nucleation is explored using an approximate, analytical model and a large-eddy simulation (LES) cloud model. The updraft velocity in the cloud defines an accumulation zone, where small ice particles cannot fall out until they are large enough, which will increase the residence time of ice particles in the cloud. Ice particles reach a quasi-steady state between growth by vapor deposition and fall speed at cloud base. The analytical model predicts that ice water content (wi) has a 2.5 power-law relationship with ice number concentration (ni). wi and ni from a LES cloud model with stochastic ice nucleation confirm the 2.5 power-law relationship, and initial indications of the scaling law are observed in data from the Indirect and Semi-Direct Aerosol Campaign. The prefactor of the power law is proportional to the ice nucleation rate and therefore provides a quantitative link to observations of ice microphysical properties.

Minimalist Model of Ice Microphysics in Mixed-phase Stratiform Clouds

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

Yang, F.; Ovchinnikov, Mikhail; Shaw, Raymond A.

The question of whether persistent ice crystal precipitation from super cooled layer clouds can be explained by time-dependent, stochastic ice nucleation is explored using an approximate, analytical model, and a large-eddy simulation (LES) cloud model. The updraft velocity in the cloud defines an accumulation zone, where small ice particles cannot fall out until they are large enough, which will increase the residence time of ice particles in the cloud. Ice particles reach a quasi-steady state between growth by vapor deposition and fall speed at cloud base. The analytical model predicts that ice water content (wi) has a 2.5 power lawmore » relationship with ice number concentration ni. wi and ni from a LES cloud model with stochastic ice nucleation also confirm the 2.5 power law relationship. The prefactor of the power law is proportional to the ice nucleation rate, and therefore provides a quantitative link to observations of ice microphysical properties.« less

Near-Real Time Satellite-Retrieved Cloud and Surface Properties for Weather and Aviation Safety Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Minnis, Patrick; Smith, William L., Jr.; Bedka, Kristopher M.; Nguyen, Louis; Palikonda, Rabindra; Hong, Gang; Trepte, Qing Z.; Chee, Thad; Scarino, Benjamin; Spangenberg, Douglas A.;

Near-Real Time Satellite-Retrieved Cloud and Surface Properties for Weather and Aviation Safety Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Minnis, P.; Smith, W., Jr.; Bedka, K. M.; Nguyen, L.; Palikonda, R.; Hong, G.; Trepte, Q.; Chee, T.; Scarino, B. R.; Spangenberg, D.; Sun-Mack, S.; Fleeger, C.; Ayers, J. K.; Chang, F. L.; Heck, P. W.

2014-12-01

Cloud properties determined from satellite imager radiances provide a valuable source of information for nowcasting and weather forecasting. In recent years, it has been shown that assimilation of cloud top temperature, optical depth, and total water path can increase the accuracies of weather analyses and forecasts. Aircraft icing conditions can be accurately diagnosed in near-real time (NRT) retrievals of cloud effective particle size, phase, and water path, providing valuable data for pilots. NRT retrievals of surface skin temperature can also be assimilated in numerical weather prediction models to provide more accurate representations of solar heating and longwave cooling at the surface, where convective initiation. These and other applications are being exploited more frequently as the value of NRT cloud data become recognized. At NASA Langley, cloud properties and surface skin temperature are being retrieved in near-real time globally from both geostationary (GEO) and low-earth orbiting (LEO) satellite imagers for weather model assimilation and nowcasting for hazards such as aircraft icing. Cloud data from GEO satellites over North America are disseminated through NCEP, while those data and global LEO and GEO retrievals are disseminated from a Langley website. This paper presents an overview of the various available datasets, provides examples of their application, and discusses the use of the various datasets downstream. Future challenges and areas of improvement are also presented.

Reflectivities of uniform and broken marine stratiform clouds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Coakley, James A., Jr.

1990-01-01

Plane-parallel radiative transfer models are often used to estimate the effects of clouds on the earth's energy budget and to retrieve cloud properties from satellite observations. An attempt is made to assess the performance of such models by using AVHRR data collected during the FIRE MARINE Stratus IFO to determine the reflectivities and, in particular, the anisotropy of the reflected radiances for the clouds observed during the field experiment. The intent is to determine the anisotropy for conditions that are overcast and to compare this anisotropy with that produced by the same cloud when broken. The observations are used to quantify aspects of the differences between reflection by plane-parallel clouds and non-planar clouds expected on the basis of theoretical studies.

RACORO continental boundary layer cloud investigations. 2. Large-eddy simulations of cumulus clouds and evaluation with in-situ and ground-based observations

DOE PAGES

Endo, Satoshi; Fridlind, Ann M.; Lin, Wuyin; ...

2015-06-19

A 60-hour case study of continental boundary layer cumulus clouds is examined using two large-eddy simulation (LES) models. The case is based on observations obtained during the RACORO Campaign (Routine Atmospheric Radiation Measurement [ARM] Aerial Facility [AAF] Clouds with Low Optical Water Depths [CLOWD] Optical Radiative Observations) at the ARM Climate Research Facility's Southern Great Plains site. The LES models are driven by continuous large-scale and surface forcings, and are constrained by multi-modal and temporally varying aerosol number size distribution profiles derived from aircraft observations. We compare simulated cloud macrophysical and microphysical properties with ground-based remote sensing and aircraft observations.more » The LES simulations capture the observed transitions of the evolving cumulus-topped boundary layers during the three daytime periods, and generally reproduce variations of droplet number concentration with liquid water content (LWC), corresponding to the gradient between the cloud centers and cloud edges at given heights. The observed LWC values fall within the range of simulated values; the observed droplet number concentrations are commonly higher than simulated, but differences remain on par with potential estimation errors in the aircraft measurements. Sensitivity studies examine the influences of bin microphysics versus bulk microphysics, aerosol advection, supersaturation treatment, and aerosol hygroscopicity. Simulated macrophysical cloud properties are found to be insensitive in this non-precipitating case, but microphysical properties are especially sensitive to bulk microphysics supersaturation treatment and aerosol hygroscopicity.« less

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

Sena, Elisa T.; McComiskey, Allison; Feingold, Graham

Empirical estimates of the microphysical response of cloud droplet size distribution to aerosol perturbations are commonly used to constrain aerosol–cloud interactions in climate models. Instead of empirical microphysical estimates, here macroscopic variables are analyzed to address the influence of aerosol particles and meteorological descriptors on instantaneous cloud albedo and the radiative effect of shallow liquid water clouds. Long-term ground-based measurements from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program over the Southern Great Plains are used. A broad statistical analysis was performed on 14 years of coincident measurements of low clouds, aerosol, and meteorological properties. Here two cases representing conflicting results regardingmore » the relationship between the aerosol and the cloud radiative effect were selected and studied in greater detail. Microphysical estimates are shown to be very uncertain and to depend strongly on the methodology, retrieval technique and averaging scale. For this continental site, the results indicate that the influence of the aerosol on the shallow cloud radiative effect and albedo is weak and that macroscopic cloud properties and dynamics play a much larger role in determining the instantaneous cloud radiative effect compared to microphysical effects. On a daily basis, aerosol shows no correlation with cloud radiative properties (correlation = -0.01 ± 0.03), whereas the liquid water path shows a clear signal (correlation = 0.56 ± 0.02).« less

Multi-Spectral Cloud Retrievals from Moderate Image Spectrometer (MODIS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Platnick, Steven

2004-01-01

MODIS observations from the NASA EOS Terra spacecraft (1030 local time equatorial sun-synchronous crossing) launched in December 1999 have provided a unique set of Earth observation data. With the launch of the NASA EOS Aqua spacecraft (1330 local time crossing! in May 2002: two MODIS daytime (sunlit) and nighttime observations are now available in a 24-hour period allowing some measure of diurnal variability. A comprehensive set of remote sensing algorithms for cloud masking and the retrieval of cloud physical and optical properties has been developed by members of the MODIS atmosphere science team. The archived products from these algorithms have applications in climate modeling, climate change studies, numerical weather prediction, as well as fundamental atmospheric research. In addition to an extensive cloud mask, products include cloud-top properties (temperature, pressure, effective emissivity), cloud thermodynamic phase, cloud optical and microphysical parameters (optical thickness, effective particle radius, water path), as well as derived statistics. An overview of the instrument and cloud algorithms will be presented along with various examples, including an initial analysis of several operational global gridded (Level-3) cloud products from the two platforms. Statistics of cloud optical and microphysical properties as a function of latitude for land and Ocean regions will be shown. Current algorithm research efforts will also be discussed.

Constraining Methane Abundance and Cloud Properties from the Reflected Light Spectra of Directly Imaged Exoplanets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lupu, R.; Marley, M. S.; Lewis, N. K.

2015-12-01

We have assembled an atmospheric retrieval package for the reflected light spectra of gas- and ice- giants in order to inform the design and estimate the scientific return of future space-based coronagraph instruments. Such instruments will have a working bandpass of ~0.4-1 μm and a resolving power R~70, and will enable the characterization of tens of exoplanets in the Solar neighborhood. The targets will be chosen form known RV giants, with estimated effective temperatures of ~100-600 K and masses between 0.3 and 20 MJupiter. In this regime, both methane and clouds will have the largest effects on the observed spectra. Our retrieval code is the first to include cloud properties in the core set of parameters, along with methane abundance and surface gravity. We consider three possible cloud structure scenarios, with 0, 1 or 2 cloud layers, respectively. The best-fit parameters for a given model are determined using a Monte Carlo Markov Chain ensemble sampler, and the most favored cloud structure is chosen by calculating the Bayes factors between different models. We present the performance of our retrieval technique applied to a set of representative model spectra, covering a SNR range form 5 to 20 and including possible noise correlations over a 25 or 100 nanometer scale. Further, we apply the technique to more realistic cases, namely simulated observations of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and the gas-giant HD99492c. In each case, we determine the confidence levels associated with the methane and cloud detections, as a function of SNR and noise properties.

Investigation of tropical cirrus cloud properties using ground based lidar measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dhaman, Reji K.; Satyanarayana, Malladi; Krishnakumar, V.; Mahadevan Pillai, V. P.; Jayeshlal, G. S.; Raghunath, K.; Venkat Ratnam, M.

2016-05-01

Cirrus clouds play a significant role in the Earths radiation budget. Therefore, knowledge of geometrical and optical properties of cirrus cloud is essential for the climate modeling. In this paper, the cirrus clouds microphysical and optical properties are made by using a ground based lidar measurements over an inland tropical station Gadanki (13.5°N, 79.2°E), Andhra Pradesh, India. The variation of cirrus microphysical and optical properties with mid cloud temperature is also studied. The cirrus clouds mean height is generally observed in the range of 9-17km with a peak occurrence at 13- 14km. The cirrus mid cloud temperature ranges from -81°C to -46°C. The cirrus geometrical thickness ranges from 0.9- 4.5km. During the cirrus occurrence days sub-visual, thin and dense cirrus were at 37.5%, 50% and 12.5% respectively. The monthly cirrus optical depth ranges from 0.01-0.47, but most (<80%) of the cirrus have values less than 0.1. Optical depth shows a strong dependence with cirrus geometrical thickness and mid-cloud height. The monthly mean cirrus extinction ranges from 2.8E-06 to 8E-05 and depolarization ratio and lidar ratio varies from 0.13 to 0.77 and 2 to 52 sr respectively. A positive correlation exists for both optical depth and extinction with the mid-cloud temperature. The lidar ratio shows a scattered behavior with mid-cloud temperature.

Fractal properties and denoising of lidar signals from cirrus clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van den Heuvel, J. C.; Driesenaar, M. L.; Lerou, R. J. L.

2000-02-01

Airborne lidar signals of cirrus clouds are analyzed to determine the cloud structure. Climate modeling and numerical weather prediction benefit from accurate modeling of cirrus clouds. Airborne lidar measurements of the European Lidar in Space Technology Experiment (ELITE) campaign were analyzed by combining shots to obtain the backscatter at constant altitude. The signal at high altitude was analyzed for horizontal structure of cirrus clouds. The power spectrum and the structure function show straight lines on a double logarithmic plot. This behavior is characteristic for a Brownian fractal. Wavelet analysis using the Haar wavelet confirms the fractal aspects. It is shown that the horizontal structure of cirrus can be described by a fractal with a dimension of 1.8 over length scales that vary 4 orders of magnitude. We use the fractal properties in a new denoising method. Denoising is required for future lidar measurements from space that have a low signal to noise ratio. Our wavelet denoising is based on the Haar wavelet and uses the statistical fractal properties of cirrus clouds in a method based on the maximum a posteriori (MAP) probability. This denoising based on wavelets is tested on airborne lidar signals from ELITE using added Gaussian noise. Superior results with respect to averaging are obtained.

Spatial characteristics of the tropical cloud systems: comparison between model simulation and satellite observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Guang J.; Zurovac-Jevtic, Dance; Boer, Erwin R.

1999-10-01

A Lagrangian cloud classification algorithm is applied to the cloud fields in the tropical Pacific simulated by a high-resolution regional atmospheric model. The purpose of this work is to assess the model's ability to reproduce the observed spatial characteristics of the tropical cloud systems. The cloud systems are broadly grouped into three categories: deep clouds, mid-level clouds and low clouds. The deep clouds are further divided into mesoscale convective systems and nonmesoscale convective systems. It is shown that the model is able to simulate the total cloud cover for each category reasonably well. However, when the cloud cover is broken down into contributions from cloud systems of different sizes, it is shown that the simulated cloud size distribution is biased toward large cloud systems, with contribution from relatively small cloud systems significantly under-represented in the model for both deep and mid-level clouds. The number distribution and area contribution to the cloud cover from mesoscale convective systems are very well simulated compared to the satellite observations, so are low clouds as well. The dependence of the cloud physical properties on cloud scale is examined. It is found that cloud liquid water path, rainfall, and ocean surface sensible and latent heat fluxes have a clear dependence on cloud types and scale. This is of particular interest to studies of the cloud effects on surface energy budget and hydrological cycle. The diurnal variation of the cloud population and area is also examined. The model exhibits a varying degree of success in simulating the diurnal variation of the cloud number and area. The observed early morning maximum cloud cover in deep convective cloud systems is qualitatively simulated. However, the afternoon secondary maximum is missing in the model simulation. The diurnal variation of the tropospheric temperature is well reproduced by the model while simulation of the diurnal variation of the moisture field is poor. The implication of this comparison between model simulation and observations on cloud parameterization is discussed.

Uncertainty Estimate of Surface Irradiances Computed with MODIS-, CALIPSO-, and CloudSat-Derived Cloud and Aerosol Properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kato, Seiji; Loeb, Norman G.; Rutan, David A.; Rose, Fred G.; Sun-Mack, Sunny; Miller, Walter F.; Chen, Yan

2012-07-01

Differences of modeled surface upward and downward longwave and shortwave irradiances are calculated using modeled irradiance computed with active sensor-derived and passive sensor-derived cloud and aerosol properties. The irradiance differences are calculated for various temporal and spatial scales, monthly gridded, monthly zonal, monthly global, and annual global. Using the irradiance differences, the uncertainty of surface irradiances is estimated. The uncertainty (1σ) of the annual global surface downward longwave and shortwave is, respectively, 7 W m-2 (out of 345 W m-2) and 4 W m-2 (out of 192 W m-2), after known bias errors are removed. Similarly, the uncertainty of the annual global surface upward longwave and shortwave is, respectively, 3 W m-2 (out of 398 W m-2) and 3 W m-2 (out of 23 W m-2). The uncertainty is for modeled irradiances computed using cloud properties derived from imagers on a sun-synchronous orbit that covers the globe every day (e.g., moderate-resolution imaging spectrometer) or modeled irradiances computed for nadir view only active sensors on a sun-synchronous orbit such as Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation and CloudSat. If we assume that longwave and shortwave uncertainties are independent of each other, but up- and downward components are correlated with each other, the uncertainty in global annual mean net surface irradiance is 12 W m-2. One-sigma uncertainty bounds of the satellite-based net surface irradiance are 106 W m-2 and 130 W m-2.

Cloud Impacts on Pavement Temperature in Energy Balance Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walker, C. L.

2013-12-01

Forecast systems provide decision support for end-users ranging from the solar energy industry to municipalities concerned with road safety. Pavement temperature is an important variable when considering vehicle response to various weather conditions. A complex, yet direct relationship exists between tire and pavement temperatures. Literature has shown that as tire temperature increases, friction decreases which affects vehicle performance. Many forecast systems suffer from inaccurate radiation forecasts resulting in part from the inability to model different types of clouds and their influence on radiation. This research focused on forecast improvement by determining how cloud type impacts the amount of shortwave radiation reaching the surface and subsequent pavement temperatures. The study region was the Great Plains where surface solar radiation data were obtained from the High Plains Regional Climate Center's Automated Weather Data Network stations. Road pavement temperature data were obtained from the Meteorological Assimilation Data Ingest System. Cloud properties and radiative transfer quantities were obtained from the Clouds and Earth's Radiant Energy System mission via Aqua and Terra Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer satellite products. An additional cloud data set was incorporated from the Naval Research Laboratory Cloud Classification algorithm. Statistical analyses using a modified nearest neighbor approach were first performed relating shortwave radiation variability with road pavement temperature fluctuations. Then statistical associations were determined between the shortwave radiation and cloud property data sets. Preliminary results suggest that substantial pavement forecasting improvement is possible with the inclusion of cloud-specific information. Future model sensitivity testing seeks to quantify the magnitude of forecast improvement.

Ice Cloud Formation and Dehydration in the Tropical Tropopause Layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jensen, Eric; Pfister, Leonhard; Gore, Warren J. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Stratospheric water vapor is important not only for its greenhouse forcing, but also because it plays a significant role in stratospheric chemistry. several recent studies have focused on the potential for dehydration due to ice cloud formation in air rising slowly through the tropical tropopause layer. Holton and Gettelman showed that temperature variations associated with horizontal transport of air in the tropopause layer can drive ice cloud formation and dehydration, and Gettelman et al. recently examined the cloud formation and dehydration along kinematic trajectories using simple assumptions about the cloud properties. In this study, we use a Lagrangian, one-dimensional cloud model to further investigate cloud formation and dehydration as air is transported horizontally and vertically through the tropical tropopause layer. Time-height curtains of temperature are extracted from meteorological analyses. The model tracks the growth and sedimentation of individual cloud particles. The regional distribution of clouds simulated in the model is comparable to the subvisible cirrus distribution indicated by SAGE II. The simulated cloud properties depend strongly on the assumed ice supersaturation threshold for ice nucleation. with effective nuclei present (low supersaturation threshold), ice number densities are high (0.1--10 cm(circumflex)-3), and ice crystals do not grow large enough to fall very far, resulting in limited dehydration. With higher supersaturation thresholds, ice number densities are much lower (less than 0.01 cm(circumflex)-3), and ice crystals grow large enough to fall substantially; however, supersaturated air often crosses the tropopause without cloud formation. The clouds typically do not dehydrate the air along trajectories down to the temperature minimum saturation mixing ratio. Rather the water vapor mixing ratio crossing the tropopause along trajectories is typically 10-50% larger than the saturation mixing ratio.

The Apparent Bluing of Aerosols Near Clouds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marshak, Alexander

2008-01-01

Numerous studies based on satellite observations have reported that aerosol optical depths increase with increasing cloud cover. Part of the increase comes from the humidification and consequent growth of aerosol particles in the moist cloud environment, but part comes from 3D cloud-radiative transfer effects on the retrieved aerosol properties. Often, discerning whether the observed increases in aerosol optical depths are artifacts or real proves difficult. I describe a simple model that quantifies the enhanced illumination of cloud-free columns in the vicinity of clouds that are used in the aerosol retrievals. This model is based on the assumption that the enhancement in the cloud-free column radiance comes from enhanced Rayleigh scattering that results from the presence of the nearby clouds. This assumption leads to a larger increase of AOT for shorter wavelengths, or to a "bluing" of aerosols near clouds. Examples from the MODIS observations that illustrate the apparent bluing of aerosols near clouds will be discussed.

Strong control of Southern Ocean cloud reflectivity by ice-nucleating particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vergara-Temprado, Jesús; Miltenberger, Annette K.; Furtado, Kalli; Grosvenor, Daniel P.; Shipway, Ben J.; Hill, Adrian A.; Wilkinson, Jonathan M.; Field, Paul R.; Murray, Benjamin J.; Carslaw, Ken S.

2018-03-01

Large biases in climate model simulations of cloud radiative properties over the Southern Ocean cause large errors in modeled sea surface temperatures, atmospheric circulation, and climate sensitivity. Here, we combine cloud-resolving model simulations with estimates of the concentration of ice-nucleating particles in this region to show that our simulated Southern Ocean clouds reflect far more radiation than predicted by global models, in agreement with satellite observations. Specifically, we show that the clouds that are most sensitive to the concentration of ice-nucleating particles are low-level mixed-phase clouds in the cold sectors of extratropical cyclones, which have previously been identified as a main contributor to the Southern Ocean radiation bias. The very low ice-nucleating particle concentrations that prevail over the Southern Ocean strongly suppress cloud droplet freezing, reduce precipitation, and enhance cloud reflectivity. The results help explain why a strong radiation bias occurs mainly in this remote region away from major sources of ice-nucleating particles. The results present a substantial challenge to climate models to be able to simulate realistic ice-nucleating particle concentrations and their effects under specific meteorological conditions.

Strong control of Southern Ocean cloud reflectivity by ice-nucleating particles

PubMed Central

Miltenberger, Annette K.; Furtado, Kalli; Grosvenor, Daniel P.; Shipway, Ben J.; Hill, Adrian A.; Wilkinson, Jonathan M.; Field, Paul R.

2018-01-01

Large biases in climate model simulations of cloud radiative properties over the Southern Ocean cause large errors in modeled sea surface temperatures, atmospheric circulation, and climate sensitivity. Here, we combine cloud-resolving model simulations with estimates of the concentration of ice-nucleating particles in this region to show that our simulated Southern Ocean clouds reflect far more radiation than predicted by global models, in agreement with satellite observations. Specifically, we show that the clouds that are most sensitive to the concentration of ice-nucleating particles are low-level mixed-phase clouds in the cold sectors of extratropical cyclones, which have previously been identified as a main contributor to the Southern Ocean radiation bias. The very low ice-nucleating particle concentrations that prevail over the Southern Ocean strongly suppress cloud droplet freezing, reduce precipitation, and enhance cloud reflectivity. The results help explain why a strong radiation bias occurs mainly in this remote region away from major sources of ice-nucleating particles. The results present a substantial challenge to climate models to be able to simulate realistic ice-nucleating particle concentrations and their effects under specific meteorological conditions. PMID:29490918

The MODIS Cloud Optical and Microphysical Products: Collection 6 Up-dates and Examples From Terra and Aqua

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Platnick, Steven; Meyer, Kerry G.; King, Michael D.; Wind, Galina; Amarasinghe, Nandana; Marchant, Benjamin G.; Arnold, G. Thomas; Zhang, Zhibo; Hubanks, Paul A.; Holz, Robert E.;

Evaluating cloud retrieval algorithms with the ARM BBHRP framework

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

Mlawer,E.; Dunn,M.; Mlawer, E.

2008-03-10

Climate and weather prediction models require accurate calculations of vertical profiles of radiative heating. Although heating rate calculations cannot be directly validated due to the lack of corresponding observations, surface and top-of-atmosphere measurements can indirectly establish the quality of computed heating rates through validation of the calculated irradiances at the atmospheric boundaries. The ARM Broadband Heating Rate Profile (BBHRP) project, a collaboration of all the working groups in the program, was designed with these heating rate validations as a key objective. Given the large dependence of radiative heating rates on cloud properties, a critical component of BBHRP radiative closure analysesmore » has been the evaluation of cloud microphysical retrieval algorithms. This evaluation is an important step in establishing the necessary confidence in the continuous profiles of computed radiative heating rates produced by BBHRP at the ARM Climate Research Facility (ACRF) sites that are needed for modeling studies. This poster details the continued effort to evaluate cloud property retrieval algorithms within the BBHRP framework, a key focus of the project this year. A requirement for the computation of accurate heating rate profiles is a robust cloud microphysical product that captures the occurrence, height, and phase of clouds above each ACRF site. Various approaches to retrieve the microphysical properties of liquid, ice, and mixed-phase clouds have been processed in BBHRP for the ACRF Southern Great Plains (SGP) and the North Slope of Alaska (NSA) sites. These retrieval methods span a range of assumptions concerning the parameterization of cloud location, particle density, size, shape, and involve different measurement sources. We will present the radiative closure results from several different retrieval approaches for the SGP site, including those from Microbase, the current 'reference' retrieval approach in BBHRP. At the NSA, mixed-phase clouds and cloud with a low optical depth are prevalent; the radiative closure studies using Microbase demonstrated significant residuals. As an alternative to Microbase at NSA, the Shupe-Turner cloud property retrieval algorithm, aimed at improving the partitioning of cloud phase and incorporating more constrained, conditional microphysics retrievals, also has been evaluated using the BBHRP data set.« less

Modeling Optical and Radiative Properties of Clouds Constrained with CARDEX Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mishra, S. K.; Praveen, P. S.; Ramanathan, V.

2013-12-01

Carbonaceous aerosols (CA) have important effects on climate by directly absorbing solar radiation and indirectly changing cloud properties. These particles tend to be a complex mixture of graphitic carbon and organic compounds. The graphitic component, called as elemental carbon (EC), is characterized by significant absorption of solar radiation. Recent studies showed that organic carbon (OC) aerosols absorb strongly near UV region, and this faction is known as Brown Carbon (BrC). The indirect effect of CA can occur in two ways, first by changing the thermal structure of the atmosphere which further affects dynamical processes governing cloud life cycle; secondly, by acting as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) that can change cloud radiative properties. In this work, cloud optical properties have been numerically estimated by accounting for CAEDEX (Cloud Aerosol Radiative Forcing Dynamics Experiment) observed cloud parameters and the physico-chemical and optical properties of aerosols. The aerosol inclusions in the cloud drop have been considered as core shell structure with core as EC and shell comprising of ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate, sea salt and organic carbon (organic acids, OA and brown carbon, BrC). The EC/OC ratio of the inclusion particles have been constrained based on observations. Moderate and heavy pollution events have been decided based on the aerosol number and BC concentration. Cloud drop's co-albedo at 550nm was found nearly identical for pure EC sphere inclusions and core-shell inclusions with all non-absorbing organics in the shell. However, co-albedo was found to increase for the drop having all BrC in the shell. The co-albedo of a cloud drop was found to be the maximum for all aerosol present as interstitial compare to 50% and 0% inclusions existing as interstitial aerosols. The co-albedo was found to be ~ 9.87e-4 for the drop with 100% inclusions existing as interstitial aerosols externally mixed with micron size mineral dust with 2% hematite content. The cloud spectral optical properties and the radiative properties for the aforesaid cases during CARDEX observations will be discussed in detail.

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.

Understanding Differences Between Co-Incident CloudSat, Aqua/MODIS and NOAA18 MHS Ice water Path Retrievals Over the Tropical Oceans

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pittman, Jasna; Robertson, Franklin; Blankenship, Clay

2008-01-01

Accurate measurement of the physical and radiative properties of clouds and their representation in climate models continues to be a challe nge. Model parameterizations are still subject to a large number of t unable parameters; furthermore, accurate and representative in situ o bservations are very sparse, and satellite observations historically have significant quantitative uncertainties, particularly with respect to particle size distribution (PSD) and cloud phase. Ice Water Path (IWP), or amount of ice present in a cloud column, is an important cl oud property to accurately quantify, because it is an integral measur e of the microphysical properties of clouds and the cloud feedback pr ocesses in the climate system. This paper investigates near co-incident retrievals of IWP over tropical oceans using three diverse measurem ent systems: radar from CloudSat, Vis/IR from Aqua/MODIS, and microwa ve from NOAA-18IMHS. CloudSat 94 GHz radar measurements provide high resolution vertical and along-orbit structure of cloud reflectivity a nd enable IWP (and IWC) retrievals. Overlapping MODIS measurements of cloud optical thickness and phase allow estimates of IWP when cloud tops are identified as being ice. Periodically, NOAA18 becomes co-inci dent in space I time to enable comparison of A-Train measurements to IWP inferred from the 157 and 89 GHz channel radiances. This latter m easurement is effective only for thick convective anvil systems. We s tratify these co-incident data (less than 4 minutes separation) into cirrus only, cirrus overlying liquid water clouds, and precipitating d eep convective clouds. Substantial biases in IWP and ice effective ra dius are found. Systematic differences in these retrievals are consid ered in light of the uncertainties in a priori assumptions ofPSDs, sp ectral sensitivity and algorithm strategies, which have a direct impact on the IWP product.

Retrieval of cloud properties from POLDER-3 data using the neural network approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Di Noia, A.; Hasekamp, O. P.

2017-12-01

Satellite multi-angle spectroplarimetry is a useful technique for observing the microphysical properties of clouds and aerosols. Most of the algorithms for the retrieval of cloud and aerosol properties from satellite measurements require multiple calls to radiative transfer models, which make the retrieval computationally expensive. A traditional alternative to these schemes is represented by lookup-tables (LUTs), where the retrieval is performed by choosing, within a predefined database of combinations of clouds or aerosol properties, the combination that best fits the measurements. LUT retrievals are quicker than full-physics, iterative retrievals, but their accuracy is limited by the number of entries stored in the LUT. Another retrieval method capable of producing very quick retrievals without a big sacrifice in accuracy is the neural network method. Neural network methods are routinely applied to several types of satellite measurements, but their application to multi-angle spectropolarimetric data is still in its early stage, because of the difficulty of accounting for the angular variability of the measurements in the training process. We have recently developed a neural network scheme for the retrieval of cloud properties from POLDER-3 data. The neural network retrieval is trained using synthetic measurements performed for realistic combinations of cloud properties and measurement angles, and is able to process an entire orbit in about 20 seconds. Comparisons of the retrieved cloud properties with Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) gridded products during one year show encouraging retrieval performance for cloud optical thickness and effective radius. A discussion of the setup of the neural network and of the validation results will be the main topic of our presentation.

PHIPS-HALO: the airborne Particle Habit Imaging and Polar Scattering probe - Part 1: Design and operation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdelmonem, Ahmed; Järvinen, Emma; Duft, Denis; Hirst, Edwin; Vogt, Steffen; Leisner, Thomas; Schnaiter, Martin

2016-07-01

The number and shape of ice crystals present in mixed-phase and ice clouds influence the radiation properties, precipitation occurrence and lifetime of these clouds. Since clouds play a major role in the climate system, influencing the energy budget by scattering sunlight and absorbing heat radiation from the earth, it is necessary to investigate the optical and microphysical properties of cloud particles particularly in situ. The relationship between the microphysics and the single scattering properties of cloud particles is usually obtained by modelling the optical scattering properties from in situ measurements of ice crystal size distributions. The measured size distribution and the assumed particle shape might be erroneous in case of non-spherical ice particles. There is a demand to obtain both information correspondently and simultaneously for individual cloud particles in their natural environment. For evaluating the average scattering phase function as a function of ice particle habit and crystal complexity, in situ measurements are required. To this end we have developed a novel airborne optical sensor (PHIPS-HALO) to measure the optical properties and the corresponding microphysical parameters of individual cloud particles simultaneously. PHIPS-HALO has been tested in the AIDA cloud simulation chamber and deployed in mountain stations as well as research aircraft (HALO and Polar 6). It is a successive version of the laboratory prototype instrument PHIPS-AIDA. In this paper we present the detailed design of PHIPS-HALO, including the detection mechanism, optical design, mechanical construction and aerodynamic characterization.

DEVELOPMENT OF IMPROVED TECHNIQUES FOR SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING OF CLOUDS AND RADIATION USING ARM DATA, FINAL REPORT

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

Minnis, Patrick

2013-06-28

During the period, March 1997 – February 2006, the Principal Investigator and his research team co-authored 47 peer-reviewed papers and presented, at least, 138 papers at conferences, meetings, and workshops that were supported either in whole or in part by this agreement. We developed a state-of-the-art satellite cloud processing system that generates cloud properties over the Atmospheric Radiation (ARM) surface sites and surrounding domains in near-real time and outputs the results on the world wide web in image and digital formats. When the products are quality controlled, they are sent to the ARM archive for further dissemination. These products andmore » raw satellite images can be accessed at http://cloudsgate2.larc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/site/showdoc?docid=4&cmd=field-experiment-homepage&exp=ARM and are used by many in the ARM science community. The algorithms used in this system to generate cloud properties were validated and improved by the research conducted under this agreement. The team supported, at least, 11 ARM-related or supported field experiments by providing near-real time satellite imagery, cloud products, model results, and interactive analyses for mission planning, execution, and post-experiment scientific analyses. Comparisons of cloud properties derived from satellite, aircraft, and surface measurements were used to evaluate uncertainties in the cloud properties. Multiple-angle satellite retrievals were used to determine the influence of cloud structural and microphysical properties on the exiting radiation field.« less

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.

The ARM Cloud Radar Simulator for Global Climate Models: A New Tool for Bridging Field Data and Climate Models

DOE PAGES

Zhang, Yuying; Xie, Shaocheng; Klein, Stephen A.; ...

2017-08-11

Clouds play an important role in Earth’s radiation budget and hydrological cycle. However, current global climate models (GCMs) have difficulties in accurately simulating clouds and precipitation. To improve the representation of clouds in climate models, it is crucial to identify where simulated clouds differ from real world observations of them. This can be difficult, since significant differences exist between how a climate model represents clouds and what instruments observe, both in terms of spatial scale and the properties of the hydrometeors which are either modeled or observed. To address these issues and minimize impacts of instrument limitations, the concept ofmore » instrument “simulators”, which convert model variables into pseudo-instrument observations, has evolved with the goal to facilitate and to improve the comparison of modeled clouds with observations. Many simulators have been (and continue to be) developed for a variety of instruments and purposes. Finally, a community satellite simulator package, the Cloud Feedback Model Intercomparison Project (CFMIP) Observation Simulator Package (COSP; Bodas-Salcedo et al. 2011), contains several independent satellite simulators and is being widely used in the global climate modeling community to exploit satellite observations for model cloud evaluation (e.g., Kay et al. 2012; Klein et al. 2013; Suzuki et al. 2013; Zhang et al. 2010).« less

The ARM Cloud Radar Simulator for Global Climate Models: A New Tool for Bridging Field Data and Climate Models

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

Zhang, Yuying; Xie, Shaocheng; Klein, Stephen A.

Clouds play an important role in Earth’s radiation budget and hydrological cycle. However, current global climate models (GCMs) have difficulties in accurately simulating clouds and precipitation. To improve the representation of clouds in climate models, it is crucial to identify where simulated clouds differ from real world observations of them. This can be difficult, since significant differences exist between how a climate model represents clouds and what instruments observe, both in terms of spatial scale and the properties of the hydrometeors which are either modeled or observed. To address these issues and minimize impacts of instrument limitations, the concept ofmore » instrument “simulators”, which convert model variables into pseudo-instrument observations, has evolved with the goal to facilitate and to improve the comparison of modeled clouds with observations. Many simulators have been (and continue to be) developed for a variety of instruments and purposes. Finally, a community satellite simulator package, the Cloud Feedback Model Intercomparison Project (CFMIP) Observation Simulator Package (COSP; Bodas-Salcedo et al. 2011), contains several independent satellite simulators and is being widely used in the global climate modeling community to exploit satellite observations for model cloud evaluation (e.g., Kay et al. 2012; Klein et al. 2013; Suzuki et al. 2013; Zhang et al. 2010).« less

Cloud-radiation interactions and their parameterization in climate models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

This report contains papers from the International Workshop on Cloud-Radiation Interactions and Their Parameterization in Climate Models met on 18-20 October 1993 in Camp Springs, Maryland, USA. It was organized by the Joint Working Group on Clouds and Radiation of the International Association of Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences. Recommendations were grouped into three broad areas: (1) general circulation models (GCMs), (2) satellite studies, and (3) process studies. Each of the panels developed recommendations on the themes of the workshop. Explicitly or implicitly, each panel independently recommended observations of basic cloud microphysical properties (water content, phase, size) on the scales resolved by GCMs. Such observations are necessary to validate cloud parameterizations in GCMs, to use satellite data to infer radiative forcing in the atmosphere and at the earth's surface, and to refine the process models which are used to develop advanced cloud parameterizations.

Verification of NWP Cloud Properties using A-Train Satellite Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kucera, P. A.; Weeks, C.; Wolff, C.; Bullock, R.; Brown, B.

2011-12-01

Recently, the NCAR Model Evaluation Tools (MET) has been enhanced to incorporate satellite observations for the verification of Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) cloud products. We have developed tools that match fields spatially (both in the vertical and horizontal dimensions) to compare NWP products with satellite observations. These matched fields provide diagnostic evaluation of cloud macro attributes such as vertical distribution of clouds, cloud top height, and the spatial and seasonal distribution of cloud fields. For this research study, we have focused on using CloudSat, CALIPSO, and MODIS observations to evaluate cloud fields for a variety of NWP fields and derived products. We have selected cases ranging from large, mid-latitude synoptic systems to well-organized tropical cyclones. For each case, we matched the observed cloud field with gridded model and/or derived product fields. CloudSat and CALIPSO observations and model fields were matched and compared in the vertical along the orbit track. MODIS data and model fields were matched and compared in the horizontal. We then use MET to compute the verification statistics to quantify the performance of the models in representing the cloud fields. In this presentation we will give a summary of our comparison and show verification results for both synoptic and tropical cyclone cases.

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.

Using Information From Prior Satellite Scans to Improve Cloud Detection Near the Day-Night Terminator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yost, Christopher R.; Minnis, Patrick; Trepte, Qing Z.; Palikonda, Rabindra; Ayers, Jeffrey K.; Spangenberg, Doulas A.

2012-01-01

With geostationary satellite data it is possible to have a continuous record of diurnal cycles of cloud properties for a large portion of the globe. Daytime cloud property retrieval algorithms are typically superior to nighttime algorithms because daytime methods utilize measurements of reflected solar radiation. However, reflected solar radiation is difficult to accurately model for high solar zenith angles where the amount of incident radiation is small. Clear and cloudy scenes can exhibit very small differences in reflected radiation and threshold-based cloud detection methods have more difficulty setting the proper thresholds for accurate cloud detection. Because top-of-atmosphere radiances are typically more accurately modeled outside the terminator region, information from previous scans can help guide cloud detection near the terminator. This paper presents an algorithm that uses cloud fraction and clear and cloudy infrared brightness temperatures from previous satellite scan times to improve the performance of a threshold-based cloud mask near the terminator. Comparisons of daytime, nighttime, and terminator cloud fraction derived from Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) radiance measurements show that the algorithm greatly reduces the number of false cloud detections and smoothes the transition from the daytime to the nighttime clod detection algorithm. Comparisons with the Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) data show that using this algorithm decreases the number of false detections by approximately 20 percentage points.

Fractal Analyses of High-Resolution Cloud Droplet Measurements.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malinowski, Szymon P.; Leclerc, Monique Y.; Baumgardner, Darrel G.

1994-02-01

Fractal analyses of individual cloud droplet distributions using aircraft measurements along one-dimensional horizontal cross sections through clouds are performed. Box counting and cluster analyses are used to determine spatial scales of inhomogeneity of cloud droplet spacing. These analyses reveal that droplet spatial distributions do not exhibit a fractal behavior. A high variability in local droplet concentration in cloud volumes undergoing mixing was found. In these regions, thin filaments of cloudy air with droplet concentration close to those observed in cloud cores were found. Results suggest that these filaments may be anisotropic. Additional box counting analyses performed for various classes of cloud droplet diameters indicate that large and small droplets are similarly distributed, except for the larger characteristic spacing of large droplets.A cloud-clear air interface defined by a certain threshold of total droplet count (TDC) was investigated. There are indications that this interface is a convoluted surface of a fractal nature, at least in actively developing cumuliform clouds. In contrast, TDC in the cloud interior does not have fractal or multifractal properties. Finally a random Cantor set (RCS) was introduced as a model of a fractal process with an ill-defined internal scale. A uniform measure associated with the RCS after several generations was introduced to simulate the TDC records. Comparison of the model with real TDC records indicates similar properties of both types of data series.

Comparing models for IMF variation across cosmological time in Milky Way-like galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guszejnov, Dávid; Hopkins, Philip F.; Ma, Xiangcheng

2017-12-01

One of the key observations regarding the stellar initial mass function (IMF) is its near-universality in the Milky Way (MW), which provides a powerful way to constrain different star formation models that predict the IMF. However, those models are almost universally 'cloud-scale' or smaller - they take as input or simulate single molecular clouds (GMCs), clumps or cores, and predict the resulting IMF as a function of the cloud properties. Without a model for the progenitor properties of all clouds that formed the stars at different locations in the MW (including ancient stellar populations formed in high redshift, likely gas-rich dwarf progenitor galaxies that looked little like the Galaxy today), the predictions cannot be fully explored nor safely applied to 'live' cosmological calculations of the IMF in different galaxies at different cosmological times. We therefore combine a suite of high-resolution cosmological simulations (from the Feedback In Realistic Environments project), which form MW-like galaxies with reasonable star formation properties and explicitly resolve massive GMCs, with various proposed cloud-scale IMF models. We apply the models independently to every star particle formed in the simulations to synthesize the predicted IMF in the present-day galaxy. We explore models where the IMF depends on Jeans mass, sonic or 'turbulent Bonnor-Ebert' mass, fragmentation with a polytropic equation of state, or where it is self-regulated by protostellar feedback. We show that all of these models, except the feedback-regulated ones, predict far more variation (∼0.6-1 dex 1σ scatter in the IMF turnover mass) in the simulations than is observed in the MW.

A long-term study of aerosol–cloud interactions and their radiative effect at the Southern Great Plains using ground-based measurements

DOE PAGES

Sena, Elisa T.; McComiskey, Allison; Feingold, Graham

2016-09-13

Empirical estimates of the microphysical response of cloud droplet size distribution to aerosol perturbations are commonly used to constrain aerosol–cloud interactions in climate models. Instead of empirical microphysical estimates, here macroscopic variables are analyzed to address the influence of aerosol particles and meteorological descriptors on instantaneous cloud albedo and the radiative effect of shallow liquid water clouds. Long-term ground-based measurements from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program over the Southern Great Plains are used. A broad statistical analysis was performed on 14 years of coincident measurements of low clouds, aerosol, and meteorological properties. Here two cases representing conflicting results regardingmore » the relationship between the aerosol and the cloud radiative effect were selected and studied in greater detail. Microphysical estimates are shown to be very uncertain and to depend strongly on the methodology, retrieval technique and averaging scale. For this continental site, the results indicate that the influence of the aerosol on the shallow cloud radiative effect and albedo is weak and that macroscopic cloud properties and dynamics play a much larger role in determining the instantaneous cloud radiative effect compared to microphysical effects. On a daily basis, aerosol shows no correlation with cloud radiative properties (correlation = -0.01 ± 0.03), whereas the liquid water path shows a clear signal (correlation = 0.56 ± 0.02).« less

Sensitivity of Photolysis Frequencies and Key Tropospheric Oxidants in a Global Model to Cloud Vertical Distributions and Optical Properties

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liu, Hongyu; Crawford, James H.; Considine, David B.; Platnick, Steven; Norris, Peter M.; Duncan, Bryan N.; Pierce, Robert B.; Chen, Gao; Yantosca, Robert M.

2009-01-01

Clouds affect tropospheric photochemistry through modification of solar radiation that determines photolysis frequencies. As a follow-up study to our recent assessment of the radiative effects of clouds on tropospheric chemistry, this paper presents an analysis of the sensitivity of such effects to cloud vertical distributions and optical properties (cloud optical depths (CODs) and cloud single scattering albedo), in a global 3-D chemical transport model (GEOS-Chem). GEOS-Chem was driven with a series of meteorological archives (GEOS1- STRAT, GEOS-3 and GEOS-4) generated by the NASA Goddard Earth Observing System data assimilation system. Clouds in GEOS1-STRAT and GEOS-3 have more similar vertical distributions (with substantially smaller CODs in GEOS1-STRAT) while those in GEOS-4 are optically much thinner in the tropical upper troposphere. We find that the radiative impact of clouds on global photolysis frequencies and hydroxyl radical (OH) is more sensitive to the vertical distribution of clouds than to the magnitude of column CODs. With random vertical overlap for clouds, the model calculated changes in global mean OH (J(O1D), J(NO2)) due to the radiative effects of clouds in June are about 0.0% (0.4%, 0.9%), 0.8% (1.7%, 3.1%), and 7.3% (4.1%, 6.0%), for GEOS1-STRAT, GEOS-3 and GEOS-4, respectively; the geographic distributions of these quantities show much larger changes, with maximum decrease in OH concentrations of approx.15-35% near the midlatitude surface. The much larger global impact of clouds in GEOS-4 reflects the fact that more solar radiation is able to penetrate through the optically thin upper-tropospheric clouds, increasing backscattering from low-level clouds. Model simulations with each of the three cloud distributions all show that the change in the global burden of ozone due to clouds is less than 5%. Model perturbation experiments with GEOS-3, where the magnitude of 3-D CODs are progressively varied from -100% to 100%, predict only modest changes (<5%) in global mean OH concentrations. J(O1D), J(NO2) and OH3 concentrations show the strongest sensitivity for small CODs and become insensitive at large CODs due to saturation effects. Caution should be exercised not to use in photochemical models a value for cloud single scattering albedo lower than about 0.999 in order to be consistent with the current knowledge of cloud absorption at the ultraviolet wavelengths.

an aerosol climatology optical properties and its associated direct radiative forcing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kinne, Stefan

2010-05-01

Aerosol particles are quite complex in nature. Aerosol impacts on the distribution of radiative energy and on cloud microphysics have been debated climate impact issues. Here, a new aerosol-climatology is presented, combining the consistency and completeness of global modelling with quality data by ground-monitoring. It provides global monthly maps for spectral aerosol optical properties and for concentrations of CCN and IN. Based on the optical properties the aerosol direct forcing is determined. And with environmental data for clouds and estimates on the anthropogenic fraction from emission experiments with global modelling even the climate relevant aerosol direct forcing at the top of the atmosphere (ToA) is determined. This value is rather small near -0.2W/m2 with limited uncertainty estimated at (+/-0.3) due to uncertainties in aerosol absorption and underlying surface conditions or clouds.

Outcome of the third cloud retrieval evaluation workshop

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roebeling, Rob; Baum, Bryan; Bennartz, Ralf; Hamann, Ulrich; Heidinger, Andy; Thoss, Anke; Walther, Andi

2013-05-01

Accurate measurements of global distributions of cloud parameters and their diurnal, seasonal, and interannual variations are needed to improve understanding of the role of clouds in the weather and climate system, and to monitor their time-space variations. Cloud properties retrieved from satellite observations, such as cloud vertical placement, cloud water path and cloud particle size, play an important role for such studies. In order to give climate and weather researchers more confidence in the quality of these retrievals their validity needs to be determined and their error characteristics must be quantified. The purpose of the Cloud Retrieval Evaluation Workshop (CREW), held from 15-18 Nov. 2011 in Madison, Wisconsin, USA, is to enhance knowledge on state-of-art cloud properties retrievals from passive imaging satellites, and pave the path towards optimizing these retrievals for climate monitoring as well as for the analysis of cloud parameterizations in climate and weather models. CREW also seeks to observe and understand methods used to prepare daily and monthly cloud parameter climatologies. An important workshop component is discussion on results of the algorithm and sensor comparisons and validation studies. Hereto a common database with about 12 different cloud properties retrievals from passive imagers (MSG, MODIS, AVHRR, POLDER and/or AIRS), complemented with cloud measurements that serve as a reference (CLOUDSAT, CALIPSO, AMSU, MISR), was prepared for a number of "golden days". The passive imager cloud property retrievals were inter-compared and validated against Cloudsat, Calipso and AMSU observations. In our presentation we summarize the outcome of the inter-comparison and validation work done in the framework of CREW, and elaborate on reasons for observed differences. More in depth discussions were held on retrieval principles and validation, and utilization of cloud parameters for climate research. This was done in parallel breakout sessions on cloud vertical placement, cloud physical properties, and cloud climatologies. We present the recommendations of these sessions, propose a way forward to establish international partnerships on cloud research, and summarize actions defined to tailor CREW activities to missions of international programs, such as the Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) and Sustained, Co-Ordinated Processing of Environmental Satellite Data for Climate Monitoring (SCOPE-CM). Finally, attention is given to increase the traceability and uniformity of different longterm and homogeneous records of cloud parameters.

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.

Improving Climate Projections by Understanding How Cloud Phase affects Radiation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cesana, Gregory; Storelvmo, Trude

2017-01-01

Whether a cloud is predominantly water or ice strongly influences interactions between clouds and radiation coming down from the Sun or up from the Earth. Being able to simulate cloud phase transitions accurately in climate models based on observational data sets is critical in order to improve confidence in climate projections, because this uncertainty contributes greatly to the overall uncertainty associated with cloud-climate feedbacks. Ultimately, it translates into uncertainties in Earth's sensitivity to higher CO2 levels. While a lot of effort has recently been made toward constraining cloud phase in climate models, more remains to be done to document the radiative properties of clouds according to their phase. Here we discuss the added value of a new satellite data set that advances the field by providing estimates of the cloud radiative effect as a function of cloud phase and the implications for climate projections.

Assessing regional scale predictions of aerosols, marine stratocumulus, and their interactions during VOCALS-REx using WRF-Chem

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

Yang, Qing; Gustafson, William I.; Fast, Jerome D.

2011-12-02

In the recent chemistry version (v3.3) of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF-Chem) model, we have coupled the Morrison double-moment microphysics scheme with interactive aerosols so that full two-way aerosol-cloud interactions are included in simulations. We have used this new WRF-Chem functionality in a study focused on assessing predictions of aerosols, marine stratocumulus clouds, and their interactions over the Southeast Pacific using measurements from the VAMOS Ocean-Cloud-Atmosphere-Land Study Regional Experiment (VOCALS-REx) and satellite retrievals. This study also serves as a detailed analysis of our WRF-Chem simulations contributed to the VOCALS model Assessment (VOCA) project. The WRF-Chem 31-day (October 15-November 16,more » 2008) simulation with aerosol-cloud interactions (AERO hereafter) is also compared to a simulation (MET hereafter) with fixed cloud droplet number concentrations assumed by the default in Morrison microphysics scheme with no interactive aerosols. The well-predicted aerosol properties such as number, mass composition, and optical depth lead to significant improvements in many features of the predicted stratocumulus clouds: cloud optical properties and microphysical properties such as cloud top effective radius, cloud water path, and cloud optical thickness, and cloud macrostructure such as cloud depth and cloud base height. These improvements in addition to the aerosol direct and semi-direct effects, in turn, feed back to the prediction of boundary-layer characteristics and energy budgets. Particularly, inclusion of interactive aerosols in AERO strengths temperature and humidity gradients within capping inversion layer and lowers the MBL depth by 150 m from that of the MET simulation. Mean top-of-the-atmosphere outgoing shortwave fluxes, surface latent heat, and surface downwelling longwave fluxes are in better agreement with observations in AERO, compared to the MET simulation. Nevertheless, biases in some of the simulated meteorological quantities (e.g., MBL temperature and humidity over the remote ocean) and aerosol quantities (e.g., overestimations of supermicron sea salt mass) might affect simulated stratocumulus and energy fluxes over the SEP, and require further investigations. Although not perfect, the overall performance of the regional model in simulating mesoscale aerosol-cloud interactions is encouraging and suggests that the inclusion of spatially varying aerosol characteristics is important when simulating marine stratocumulus over the southeastern Pacific.« less

A Quantitative Investigation of Entrainment and Detrainment in Numerically Simulated Convective Clouds. Pt. 1; Model Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cohen, Charles

1998-01-01

A method is developed which uses numerical tracers to make accurate diagnoses of entraimnent and detrainment rates and of the properties of the entrained and detrained air in numerically simulated clouds. The numerical advection scheme is modified to make it nondispersive, as required by the use of the tracers. Tests of the new method are made, and an appropriate definition of clouds is selected. Distributions of mixing fractions in the model consistently show maximums at the end points, for nearly undilute environmental air or nearly undilute cloud air, with a uniform distribution between. The cumulonimbus clouds simulated here entrain air that had been substantially changed by the clouds, and detrained air that is not necessarily representative of the cloud air at the same level.

Magnetic clouds, helicity conservation, and intrinsic scale flux ropes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kumar, A.; Rust, D. M.

1995-01-01

An intrinsic-scale flux-rope model for interplanetary magnetic clouds, incorporating conservation of magnetic helicity, flux and mass is found to adequately explain clouds' average thermodynamic and magnetic properties. In spite their continuous expansion as they balloon into interplanetary space, magnetic clouds maintain high temperatures. This is shown to be due to magnetic energy dissipation. The temperature of an expanding cloud is shown to pass through a maximum above its starting temperature if the initial plasma beta in the cloud is less than 2/3. Excess magnetic pressure inside the cloud is not an important driver of the expansion as it is almost balanced by the tension in the helical field lines. It is conservation of magnetic helicity and flux that requires that clouds expand radially as they move away from the Sun. Comparison with published data shows good agreement between measured cloud properties and theory. Parameters determined from theoretical fits to the data, when extended back to the Sun, are consistent with the origin of interplanetary magnetic clouds in solar filament eruptions. A possible extension of the heating mechanism discussed here to heating of the solar corona is discussed.

Comparisons of Cloud Properties over the Southern Ocean between In situ Observations and WRF Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

D'Alessandro, J.; Diao, M.; Wu, C.; Liu, X.

2017-12-01

Numerical weather models often struggle at representing clouds since small scale cloud processes must be parameterized. For example, models often utilize simple parameterizations for transitioning from liquid to ice, usually set as a function of temperature. However, supercooled liquid water (SLW) often persists at temperatures much lower than threshold values used in microphysics parameterizations. Previous observational studies of clouds over the Southern Ocean have found high frequencies of SLW (e.g., Morrison et al., 2011). Many of these studies have relied on satellite retrievals, which provide relatively low resolution observations and are often associated with large uncertainties due to assumptions of microphysical properties (e.g., particle size distributions). Recently, the NSF/NCAR O2/N2 Ratio and CO2 Airborne Southern Ocean Study (ORCAS) campaign took observations via the NSF/NCAR HIAPER research aircraft during January and February of 2016, providing in situ observations over the Southern Ocean (50°W to 92°W). We compare simulated results from the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model with in situ observations from ORCAS. Differences between observations and simulations are evaluated via statistical analyses. Initial results from ORCAS reveal a high frequency of SLW at temperatures as low as -15°C, and the existence of SLW around -30°C. Recent studies have found that boundary layer clouds are underestimated by WRF in regions unaffected by cyclonic activity (Huang et al., 2014), suggesting a lack of low-level moisture due to local processes. To explore this, relative humidity distributions are examined and controlled by cloud microphysical characteristics (e.g., total water content) and relevant ambient properties (e.g., vertical velocity). A relatively low frequency of simulated SLW may in part explain the discrepancies in WRF, as cloud-top SLW results in stronger radiative cooling and turbulent motions conducive for long-lived cloud regimes. Results presented in this study will help improve our understanding of Southern Ocean clouds and the observed discrepancies seen in WRF simulations.

A Climatology of Midlatitude Continental Clouds from the ARM SGP Site. Part I; Low-Level Cloud Macrophysical, Microphysical, and Radiative Properties

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dong, Xiquan; Minnis, Patrick; Xi, Baike

2005-01-01

A record of single-layer and overcast low cloud (stratus) properties has been generated using approximately 4000 hours of data collected from January 1997 to December 2002 at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Southern Great Plains Central Facility (SCF). The cloud properties include liquid-phase and liquid-dominant, mixed-phase, low cloud macrophysical, microphysical, and radiative properties including cloud-base and -top heights and temperatures, and cloud physical thickness derived from a ground-based radar and lidar pair, and rawinsonde sounding; cloud liquid water path (LWP) and content (LWC), and cloud-droplet effective radius (r(sub e)) and number concentration (N) derived from the macrophysical properties and radiometer data; and cloud optical depth (tau), effective solar transmission (gamma), and cloud/top-of-atmosphere albedos (R(sub cldy)/R(sub TOA)) derived from Eppley precision spectral pyranometer measurements. The cloud properties were analyzed in terms of their seasonal, monthly, and hourly variations. In general, more stratus clouds occur during winter and spring than in summer. Cloud-layer altitudes and physical thicknesses were higher and greater in summer than in winter with averaged physical thicknesses of 0.85 km and 0.73 km for day and night, respectively. The seasonal variations of LWP, LWC, N. tau, R(sub cldy), and R(sub TOA) basically follow the same pattern with maxima and minima during winter and summer, respectively. There is no significant variation in mean r(sub e), however, despite a summertime peak in aerosol loading, Although a considerable degree of variability exists, the 6-yr average values of LWP, LWC, r(sub e), N, tau, gamma, R(sub cldy) and R(sub TOA) are 150 gm(exp -2) (138), 0.245 gm(exp -3) (0.268), 8.7 micrometers (8.5), 213 cm(exp -3) (238), 26.8 (24.8), 0.331, 0.672, 0.563 for daytime (nighttime). A new conceptual model of midlatitude continental low clouds at the ARM SGP site has been developed from this study. The low stratus cloud amount monotonically increases from midnight to early morning (0930 LT), and remains large until around local noon, then declines until 1930 LT when it levels off for the remainder of the night. In the morning, the stratus cloud layer is low, warm, and thick with less LWC, while in the afternoon it is high, cold, and thin with more LWC. Future parts of this series will consider other cloud types and cloud radiative forcing at the ARM SCF.

Comparative exoplanetology with consistent retrieval methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barstow, Joanna Katy; Aigrain, Suzanne; Irwin, Patrick Gerard Joseph; Sing, David

2016-10-01

The number of hot Jupiters with broad wavelength spectroscopic data has finally become large enough to make comparative planetology a reasonable proposition. New results presented by Sing et al. (2016) showcase ten hot Jupiters with spectra from the Hubble Space Telescope and photometry from Spitzer, providing insights into the presence of clouds and hazes.Spectral retrieval methods allow interpretation of exoplanet spectra using simple models, with minimal prior assumptions. This is particularly useful for exotic exoplanets, for which we may not yet fully understand the physical processes responsible for their atmospheric characteristics. Consistent spectral retrieval of a range of exoplanets can allow robust comparisons of their derived atmospheric properties.I will present a retrieval analysis using the NEMESIS code (Irwin et al. 2008) of the ten hot Jupiter spectra presented by Sing et al. (2016). The only distinctive aspects of the model for each planet are the mass and radius, and the temperature range explored. All other a priori model parameters are common to all ten objects. We test a range of cloud and haze scenarios, which include: Rayleigh-dominated and grey clouds; different cloud top pressures; and both vertically extended and vertically confined clouds.All ten planets, with the exception of WASP-39b, can be well represented by models with at least some haze or cloud. Our analysis of cloud properties has uncovered trends in cloud top pressure, vertical extent and particle size with planet equilibrium temperature. Taken together, we suggest that these trends indicate condensation and sedimentation of at least two different cloud species across planets of different temperatures, with condensates forming higher up in hotter atmospheres and moving progressively further down in cooler planets.Sing, D. et al. (2016), Nature, 529, 59Irwin, P. G. J. et al. (2008), JQSRT, 109, 1136

The Characteristics of Ice Cloud Properties in China Derived from DARDAR data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, T.; Zheng, Y.

2017-12-01

Ice clouds play an important role in modulating the Earth radiation budget and global hydrological cycle.Thus,study the properties of ice clouds has the vital significance on the interaction between the atmospheric models,cloud,radiation and climate .The world has explore the combination of two or several kinds of sensor data to solve the complementary strengths and error reduction to improve accuracy of ice cloud at the present , but for China ,has be lack of research on combination sensor data to analysis properties of ice cloud.To reach a wider range of ice cloud, a combination of the CloudSat radar and the CALIPSO lidar is used to derive ice cloud properties. These products include the radar/lidar product (DARDAR) developed at the University of Reading.The China probability distribution of ice cloud occurrence frequency, ice water path, ice water content and ice cloud effective radius were presented based on DARDAR data from 2012 to 2016,the distribution and vertical sturctures was discussed.The results indicate that the ice cloud occurrence frequency distribution takes on ascend trend in the last 4 years and has obvious seasonal variation, the high concentration area in the northeastern part of the Tibetan Plateau,ice cloud occurrence frequency is relatively high in northwest area.the increased of ice cloud occurrence frequency play an integral role of the climate warming in these four years; the general trend for the ice water path is southeast area bigger than northwest area, in winter the IWP is the smallest, biggest in summer; the IWC is the biggest in summer, and the vertical height distribution higher than other seasons; ice cloud effective radius and ice water content had similar trend..There were slight declines in ice cloud effective radius with increase height of China,in the summer ice effective radius is generally larger.The ice cloud impact Earth radiation via their albedo an greenhouse effects, that is, cooling the Earth by reflecting solar incident radiation and at the same time.Thus,thorough research of the characteristics of ice cloud properties can explain the complicated relationship between ice cloud and global warming,and this kind of data analysis can comprehend the climate effect of mainland China .

The ARM Cloud Radar Simulator for Global Climate Models: Bridging Field Data and Climate Models

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

Zhang, Yuying; Xie, Shaocheng; Klein, Stephen A.

Clouds play an important role in Earth’s radiation budget and hydrological cycle. However, current global climate models (GCMs) have had difficulties in accurately simulating clouds and precipitation. To improve the representation of clouds in climate models, it is crucial to identify where simulated clouds differ from real world observations of them. This can be difficult, since significant differences exist between how a climate model represents clouds and what instruments observe, both in terms of spatial scale and the properties of the hydrometeors which are either modeled or observed. To address these issues and minimize impacts of instrument limitations, the conceptmore » of instrument “simulators”, which convert model variables into pseudo-instrument observations, has evolved with the goal to improve and to facilitate the comparison of modeled clouds with observations. Many simulators have (and continue to be developed) for a variety of instruments and purposes. A community satellite simulator package, the Cloud Feedback Model Intercomparison Project (CFMIP) Observation Simulator Package (COSP; Bodas-Salcedo et al. 2011), contains several independent satellite simulators and is being widely used in the global climate modeling community to exploit satellite observations for model cloud evaluation (e.g., Klein et al. 2013; Zhang et al. 2010). This article introduces a ground-based cloud radar simulator developed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program for comparing climate model clouds with ARM observations from its vertically pointing 35-GHz radars. As compared to CloudSat radar observations, ARM radar measurements occur with higher temporal resolution and finer vertical resolution. This enables users to investigate more fully the detailed vertical structures within clouds, resolve thin clouds, and quantify the diurnal variability of clouds. Particularly, ARM radars are sensitive to low-level clouds, which are difficult for the CloudSat radar to detect due to surface contamination (Mace et al. 2007; Marchand et al. 2008). Therefore, the ARM ground-based cloud observations can provide important observations of clouds that complement measurements from space.« less

Sensitivity of CAM5-simulated Arctic clouds and radiation to ice nucleation parameterization

DOE PAGES

Xie, Shaocheng; Liu, Xiaohong; Zhao, Chuanfeng; ...

2013-08-06

Sensitivity of Arctic clouds and radiation in the Community Atmospheric Model, version 5, to the ice nucleation process is examined by testing a new physically based ice nucleation scheme that links the variation of ice nuclei (IN) number concentration to aerosol properties. The default scheme parameterizes the IN concentration simply as a function of ice supersaturation. The new scheme leads to a significant reduction in simulated IN concentration at all latitudes while changes in cloud amounts and properties are mainly seen at high- and midlatitude storm tracks. In the Arctic, there is a considerable increase in midlevel clouds and amore » decrease in low-level clouds, which result from the complex interaction among the cloud macrophysics, microphysics, and large-scale environment. The smaller IN concentrations result in an increase in liquid water path and a decrease in ice water path caused by the slowdown of the Bergeron–Findeisen process in mixed-phase clouds. Overall, there is an increase in the optical depth of Arctic clouds, which leads to a stronger cloud radiative forcing (net cooling) at the top of the atmosphere. The comparison with satellite data shows that the new scheme slightly improves low-level cloud simulations over most of the Arctic but produces too many midlevel clouds. Considerable improvements are seen in the simulated low-level clouds and their properties when compared with Arctic ground-based measurements. As a result, issues with the observations and the model–observation comparison in the Arctic region are discussed.« less

Importance of including ammonium sulfate ((NH4)2SO4) aerosols for ice cloud parameterization in GCMs

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

Bhattacharjee, P. S.; Sud, Yogesh C.; Liu, Xiaohong

2010-02-22

A common deficiency of many cloud-physics parameterizations including the NASA’s microphysics of clouds with aerosol- cloud interactions (hereafter called McRAS-AC) is that they simulate less (larger) than the observed ice cloud particle number (size). A single column model (SCM) of McRAS-AC and Global Circulation Model (GCM) physics together with an adiabatic parcel model (APM) for ice-cloud nucleation (IN) of aerosols were used to systematically examine the influence of ammonium sulfate ((NH4)2SO4) aerosols, not included in the present formulations of McRAS-AC. Specifically, the influence of (NH4)2SO4 aerosols on the optical properties of both liquid and ice clouds were analyzed. First anmore » (NH4)2SO4 parameterization was included in the APM to assess its effect vis-à-vis that of the other aerosols. Subsequently, several evaluation tests were conducted over the ARM-SGP and thirteen other locations (sorted into pristine and polluted conditions) distributed over marine and continental sites with the SCM. The statistics of the simulated cloud climatology were evaluated against the available ground and satellite data. The results showed that inclusion of (NH4)2SO4 in the SCM made a remarkable improvement in the simulated effective radius of ice clouds. However, the corresponding ice-cloud optical thickness increased more than is observed. This can be caused by lack of cloud advection and evaporation. We argue that this deficiency can be mitigated by adjusting the other tunable parameters of McRAS-AC such as precipitation efficiency. Inclusion of ice cloud particle splintering introduced through well- established empirical equations is found to further improve the results. Preliminary tests show that these changes make a substantial improvement in simulating the cloud optical properties in the GCM, particularly by simulating a far more realistic cloud distribution over the ITCZ.« less

Properties of dust and clouds in the Mars atmosphere: Analysis of Viking IRTM emission phase function sequences

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clancy, R. T.; Lee, S. W.

1991-01-01

An analysis of emission-phase-function (EPF) observations from the Viking Orbiter Infrared Thermal Mapper (IRTM) yields a wide variety of results regarding dust and cloud scattering in the Mars atmosphere and atmospheric-corrected albedos for the surface of Mars. A multiple scattering radiative transfer model incorporating a bidirectional phase function for the surface and atmospheric scattering by dust and clouds is used to derive surface albedos and dust and ice optical properties and optical depths for these various conditions on Mars.

A laboratory investigation of the variability of cloud reflected radiance fields

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mckee, T. B.; Cox, S. K.

1986-01-01

A method to determine the radiative properties of complex cloud fields was developed. A Cloud field optical simulator (CFOS) was constructed to simulate the interaction of cloud fields with visible radiation. The CFOS was verified by comparing experimental results from it with calculations performed with a Monte Carlo radiative transfer model. A software library was developed to process, reduce, and display CFOS data. The CFSOS was utilized to study the reflected radiane patterns from simulated cloud fields.

Program listing for the REEDM (Rocket Exhaust Effluent Diffusion Model) computer program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bjorklund, J. R.; Dumbauld, R. K.; Cheney, C. S.; Geary, H. V.

1982-01-01

The program listing for the REEDM Computer Program is provided. A mathematical description of the atmospheric dispersion models, cloud-rise models, and other formulas used in the REEDM model; vehicle and source parameters, other pertinent physical properties of the rocket exhaust cloud and meteorological layering techniques; user's instructions for the REEDM computer program; and worked example problems are contained in NASA CR-3646.

Lidar characterizations of atmospheric aerosols and clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferrare, R. A.; Hostetler, C. A.; Hair, J. W.; Burton, S. P.

2017-12-01

Knowledge of the vertical profile, composition, concentration, and size distribution of aerosols is required to quantify the impacts of aerosols on human health, global and regional climate, clouds and precipitation. In particular, radiative forcing due to anthropogenic aerosols is the most uncertain part of anthropogenic radiative forcing, with aerosol-cloud interactions (ACI) as the largest source of uncertainty in current estimates of global radiative forcing. Improving aerosol transport model predictions of the vertical profile of aerosol optical and microphysical characteristics is crucial for improving assessments of aerosol radiative forcing. Understanding how aerosols and clouds interact is essential for investigating the aerosol indirect effect and ACI. Through its ability to provide vertical profiles of aerosol and cloud distributions as well as important information regarding the optical and physical properties of aerosols and clouds, lidar is a crucial tool for addressing these science questions. This presentation describes how surface, airborne, and satellite lidar measurements have been used to address these questions, and in particular how High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) measurements provide profiles of aerosol properties (backscatter, extinction, depolarization, concentration, size) important for characterizing radiative forcing. By providing a direct measurement of aerosol extinction, HSRL provides more accurate aerosol measurement profiles and more accurate constraints for models than standard retrievals from elastic backscatter lidar, which loses accuracy and precision at lower altitudes due to attenuation from overlying layers. Information regarding particle size and abundance from advanced lidar retrievals provides better proxies for cloud-condensation-nuclei (CCN), which are required for assessing aerosol-cloud interactions. When combined with data from other sensors, advanced lidar measurements can provide information on aerosol and cloud properties for addressing both direct and indirect radiative forcing.

Influence of Ice Particle Surface Roughening on the Global Cloud Radiative Effect

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yi, Bingqi; Yang, Ping; Baum, Bryan A.; LEcuyer, Tristan; Oreopoulos, Lazaros; Mlawer, Eli J.; Heymsfield, Andrew J.; Liou, Kuo-Nan

2013-01-01

Ice clouds influence the climate system by changing the radiation budget and large-scale circulation. Therefore, climate models need to have an accurate representation of ice clouds and their radiative effects. In this paper, new broadband parameterizations for ice cloud bulk scattering properties are developed for severely roughened ice particles. The parameterizations are based on a general habit mixture that includes nine habits (droxtals, hollow/solid columns, plates, solid/hollow bullet rosettes, aggregate of solid columns, and small/large aggregates of plates). The scattering properties for these individual habits incorporate recent advances in light-scattering computations. The influence of ice particle surface roughness on the ice cloud radiative effect is determined through simulations with the Fu-Liou and the GCM version of the Rapid Radiative Transfer Model (RRTMG) codes and the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Atmosphere Model (CAM, version 5.1). The differences in shortwave (SW) and longwave (LW) radiative effect at both the top of the atmosphere and the surface are determined for smooth and severely roughened ice particles. While the influence of particle roughening on the single-scattering properties is negligible in the LW, the results indicate that ice crystal roughness can change the SW forcing locally by more than 10 W m(exp -2) over a range of effective diameters. The global-averaged SW cloud radiative effect due to ice particle surface roughness is estimated to be roughly 1-2 W m(exp -2). The CAM results indicate that ice particle roughening can result in a large regional SW radiative effect and a small but nonnegligible increase in the global LW cloud radiative effect.

A synthetic data set of high-spectral-resolution infrared spectra for the Arctic atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cox, Christopher J.; Rowe, Penny M.; Neshyba, Steven P.; Walden, Von P.

2016-05-01

Cloud microphysical and macrophysical properties are critical for understanding the role of clouds in climate. These properties are commonly retrieved from ground-based and satellite-based infrared remote sensing instruments. However, retrieval uncertainties are difficult to quantify without a standard for comparison. This is particularly true over the polar regions, where surface-based data for a cloud climatology are sparse, yet clouds represent a major source of uncertainty in weather and climate models. We describe a synthetic high-spectral-resolution infrared data set that is designed to facilitate validation and development of cloud retrieval algorithms for surface- and satellite-based remote sensing instruments. Since the data set is calculated using pre-defined cloudy atmospheres, the properties of the cloud and atmospheric state are known a priori. The atmospheric state used for the simulations is drawn from radiosonde measurements made at the North Slope of Alaska (NSA) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) site at Barrow, Alaska (71.325° N, 156.615° W), a location that is generally representative of the western Arctic. The cloud properties for each simulation are selected from statistical distributions derived from past field measurements. Upwelling (at 60 km) and downwelling (at the surface) infrared spectra are simulated for 260 cloudy cases from 50 to 3000 cm-1 (3.3 to 200 µm) at monochromatic (line-by-line) resolution at a spacing of ˜ 0.01 cm-1 using the Line-by-line Radiative Transfer Model (LBLRTM) and the discrete-ordinate-method radiative transfer code (DISORT). These spectra are freely available for interested researchers from the NSF Arctic Data Center data repository (doi:10.5065/D61J97TT).

CAUSES: Attribution of Surface Radiation Biases in NWP and Climate Models near the U.S. Southern Great Plains

DOE PAGES

Van Weverberg, K.; Morcrette, C. J.; Petch, J.; ...

2018-02-28

Many Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) and climate models exhibit too warm lower tropospheres near the midlatitude continents. The warm bias has been shown to coincide with important surface radiation biases that likely play a critical role in the inception or the growth of the warm bias. This paper presents an attribution study on the net radiation biases in nine model simulations, performed in the framework of the CAUSES project (Clouds Above the United States and Errors at the Surface). Contributions from deficiencies in the surface properties, clouds, water vapor, and aerosols are quantified, using an array of radiation measurement stationsmore » near the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Southern Great Plains site. Furthermore, an in-depth analysis is shown to attribute the radiation errors to specific cloud regimes. The net surface shortwave radiation is overestimated in all models throughout most of the simulation period. Cloud errors are shown to contribute most to this overestimation, although nonnegligible contributions from the surface albedo exist in most models. Missing deep cloud events and/or simulating deep clouds with too weak cloud radiative effects dominate in the cloud-related radiation errors. Some models have compensating errors between excessive occurrence of deep cloud but largely underestimating their radiative effect, while other models miss deep cloud events altogether. Surprisingly, even the latter models tend to produce too much and too frequent afternoon surface precipitation. This suggests that rather than issues with the triggering of deep convection, cloud radiative deficiencies are related to too weak convective cloud detrainment and too large precipitation efficiencies.« less

CAUSES: Attribution of Surface Radiation Biases in NWP and Climate Models near the U.S. Southern Great Plains

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

Van Weverberg, K.; Morcrette, C. J.; Petch, J.

Many Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) and climate models exhibit too warm lower tropospheres near the midlatitude continents. The warm bias has been shown to coincide with important surface radiation biases that likely play a critical role in the inception or the growth of the warm bias. This paper presents an attribution study on the net radiation biases in nine model simulations, performed in the framework of the CAUSES project (Clouds Above the United States and Errors at the Surface). Contributions from deficiencies in the surface properties, clouds, water vapor, and aerosols are quantified, using an array of radiation measurement stationsmore » near the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Southern Great Plains site. Furthermore, an in-depth analysis is shown to attribute the radiation errors to specific cloud regimes. The net surface shortwave radiation is overestimated in all models throughout most of the simulation period. Cloud errors are shown to contribute most to this overestimation, although nonnegligible contributions from the surface albedo exist in most models. Missing deep cloud events and/or simulating deep clouds with too weak cloud radiative effects dominate in the cloud-related radiation errors. Some models have compensating errors between excessive occurrence of deep cloud but largely underestimating their radiative effect, while other models miss deep cloud events altogether. Surprisingly, even the latter models tend to produce too much and too frequent afternoon surface precipitation. This suggests that rather than issues with the triggering of deep convection, cloud radiative deficiencies are related to too weak convective cloud detrainment and too large precipitation efficiencies.« less

CAUSES: Attribution of Surface Radiation Biases in NWP and Climate Models near the U.S. Southern Great Plains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van Weverberg, K.; Morcrette, C. J.; Petch, J.; Klein, S. A.; Ma, H.-Y.; Zhang, C.; Xie, S.; Tang, Q.; Gustafson, W. I.; Qian, Y.; Berg, L. K.; Liu, Y.; Huang, M.; Ahlgrimm, M.; Forbes, R.; Bazile, E.; Roehrig, R.; Cole, J.; Merryfield, W.; Lee, W.-S.; Cheruy, F.; Mellul, L.; Wang, Y.-C.; Johnson, K.; Thieman, M. M.

2018-04-01

Many Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) and climate models exhibit too warm lower tropospheres near the midlatitude continents. The warm bias has been shown to coincide with important surface radiation biases that likely play a critical role in the inception or the growth of the warm bias. This paper presents an attribution study on the net radiation biases in nine model simulations, performed in the framework of the CAUSES project (Clouds Above the United States and Errors at the Surface). Contributions from deficiencies in the surface properties, clouds, water vapor, and aerosols are quantified, using an array of radiation measurement stations near the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Southern Great Plains site. Furthermore, an in-depth analysis is shown to attribute the radiation errors to specific cloud regimes. The net surface shortwave radiation is overestimated in all models throughout most of the simulation period. Cloud errors are shown to contribute most to this overestimation, although nonnegligible contributions from the surface albedo exist in most models. Missing deep cloud events and/or simulating deep clouds with too weak cloud radiative effects dominate in the cloud-related radiation errors. Some models have compensating errors between excessive occurrence of deep cloud but largely underestimating their radiative effect, while other models miss deep cloud events altogether. Surprisingly, even the latter models tend to produce too much and too frequent afternoon surface precipitation. This suggests that rather than issues with the triggering of deep convection, cloud radiative deficiencies are related to too weak convective cloud detrainment and too large precipitation efficiencies.

Characteristics of mid-level clouds over West Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bourgeois, Elsa; Bouniol, Dominique; Couvreux, Fleur; Guichard, Françoise; Marsham, John; Garcia-Carreras, Luis; Birch, Cathryn; Parker, Doug

2017-04-01

Clouds have a major impact on the distribution of water and energy fluxes within the atmosphere. They also represent one of the main sources of uncertainties in global climate models as a result of the difficulty to parametrize cloud processes. However, in West Africa, the cloud type, occurrence and radiative effects have not been extensively documented. This region is characterized by a strong seasonality with precipitation occurring in the Sahel from June to September (monsoon season). This period also coincides with the annual maximum of the cloud cover. Taking advantage of the one-year ARM Mobile Facility (AMF) deployment in 2006 in Niamey (Niger), Bouniol et al (2012) documented the distinct cloud types and showed the frequent occurrence of mid-level clouds (around 6 km height) and their substantial impact on the surface short-wave and long-wave radiative fluxes. Furthermore, in a process-oriented evaluation of climate models, Roehrig et al (2013) showed that these mid-level clouds are poorly represented in numerical models. The aim of this work is to document the macro- and microphysical properties of mid-level clouds and the environment in which such clouds occur across West Africa. To document those clouds, we extensively make use of observations from lidar and cloud radar either deployed at ground-based sites (Niamey and Bordj Badji Mokhtar (Sahara)) or on-board the A-Train constellation (CloudSat/CALIPSO). These datasets reveal the temporal and spatial occurrence of those clouds. They are found throughout the year with a predominance around the monsoon season and are preferentially observed in the Southern and Western part of West Africa which could be linked to the dynamics of the Saharan heat low. Those clouds are usually quite thin (most of them are less than 1000m deep). A clustering method applied to this data allows us to identify three different types of clouds : one with low bases, one with high bases and another with large thicknesses. The first two clouds families are associated with potential temperature inversions at the top of the clouds. Complementary observations such as radiosondes and radiation measurements allow us to determine the thermodynamical stratification in which they occur as well as their radiative properties.

Sensitivity of Cirrus Bidirectional Reflectance at MODIS Bands to Vertical Inhomogeneity of Ice Crystal Habits and Size Distribution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yang, P.; Gao, B.-C.; Baum, B. A.; Wiscombe, W.; Hu, Y.; Nasiri, S. L.; Soulen, P. F.; Heymsfield, A. J.; McFarquhar, G. M.; Miloshevich, L. M.

2000-01-01

A common assumption in satellite imager-based cirrus retrieval algorithms is that the radiative properties of a cirrus cloud may be represented by those associated with a specific ice crystal shape (or habit) and a single particle size distribution. However, observations of cirrus clouds have shown that the shapes and sizes of ice crystals may vary substantially with height within the clouds. In this study we investigate the sensitivity of the top-of-atmosphere bidirectional reflectances at two MODIS bands centered at 0.65 micron and 2.11 micron to the cirrus models assumed to be either a single homogeneous layer or three distinct but contiguous, layers. First, we define the single- and three-layer cirrus cloud models with respect to ice crystal habit and size distribution on the basis of in situ replicator data acquired during the First ISCCP Regional Experiment (FIRE-II), held in Kansas during the fall of 1991. Subsequently, fundamental light scattering and radiative transfer theory is employed to determine the single scattering and the bulk radiative properties of the cirrus cloud. Regarding the radiative transfer computations, we present a discrete form of the adding/doubling principle by introducing a direct transmission function, which is computationally straightforward and efficient an improvement over previous methods. For the 0.65 micron band, at which absorption by ice is negligible, there is little difference between the bidirectional reflectances calculated for the one- and three-layer cirrus models, suggesting that the vertical inhomogeneity effect is relatively unimportant. At the 2.11 micron band, the bidirectional reflectances computed for both optically thin (tau = 1) and thick (tau = 10) cirrus clouds show significant differences between the results for the one- and three-layer models. The reflectances computed for the three-layer cirrus model are substantially larger than those computed for the single-layer cirrus. Finally, we find that cloud reflectance is very sensitive to the optical properties of the small crystals that predominate in the top layer of the three-layer cirrus model. It is critical to define the most realistic geometric shape for the small "quasi-spherical" ice crystals in the top layer for obtaining reliable single-scattering parameters and bulk radiative properties of cirrus.

The Community Cloud retrieval for CLimate (CC4CL) - Part 2: The optimal estimation approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McGarragh, Gregory R.; Poulsen, Caroline A.; Thomas, Gareth E.; Povey, Adam C.; Sus, Oliver; Stapelberg, Stefan; Schlundt, Cornelia; Proud, Simon; Christensen, Matthew W.; Stengel, Martin; Hollmann, Rainer; Grainger, Roy G.

2018-06-01

The Community Cloud retrieval for Climate (CC4CL) is a cloud property retrieval system for satellite-based multispectral imagers and is an important component of the Cloud Climate Change Initiative (Cloud_cci) project. In this paper we discuss the optimal estimation retrieval of cloud optical thickness, effective radius and cloud top pressure based on the Optimal Retrieval of Aerosol and Cloud (ORAC) algorithm. Key to this method is the forward model, which includes the clear-sky model, the liquid water and ice cloud models, the surface model including a bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF), and the "fast" radiative transfer solution (which includes a multiple scattering treatment). All of these components and their assumptions and limitations will be discussed in detail. The forward model provides the accuracy appropriate for our retrieval method. The errors are comparable to the instrument noise for cloud optical thicknesses greater than 10. At optical thicknesses less than 10 modeling errors become more significant. The retrieval method is then presented describing optimal estimation in general, the nonlinear inversion method employed, measurement and a priori inputs, the propagation of input uncertainties and the calculation of subsidiary quantities that are derived from the retrieval results. An evaluation of the retrieval was performed using measurements simulated with noise levels appropriate for the MODIS instrument. Results show errors less than 10 % for cloud optical thicknesses greater than 10. Results for clouds of optical thicknesses less than 10 have errors up to 20 %.

Examining the Impact of Overlying Aerosols on the Retrieval of Cloud Optical Properties from Passive Remote Sensing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Coddington, O. M.; Pilewskie, P.; Redemann, J.; Platnick, S.; Russell, P. B.; Schmidt, K. S.; Gore, W. J.; Livingston, J.; Wind, G.; Vukicevic, T.

2010-01-01

Haywood et al. (2004) show that an aerosol layer above a cloud can cause a bias in the retrieved cloud optical thickness and effective radius. Monitoring for this potential bias is difficult because space ]based passive remote sensing cannot unambiguously detect or characterize aerosol above cloud. We show that cloud retrievals from aircraft measurements above cloud and below an overlying aerosol layer are a means to test this bias. The data were collected during the Intercontinental Chemical Transport Experiment (INTEX-A) study based out of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, United States, above extensive, marine stratus cloud banks affected by industrial outflow. Solar Spectral Flux Radiometer (SSFR) irradiance measurements taken along a lower level flight leg above cloud and below aerosol were unaffected by the overlying aerosol. Along upper level flight legs, the irradiance reflected from cloud top was transmitted through an aerosol layer. We compare SSFR cloud retrievals from below ]aerosol legs to satellite retrievals from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) in order to detect an aerosol ]induced bias. In regions of small variation in cloud properties, we find that SSFR and MODIS-retrieved cloud optical thickness compares within the uncertainty range for each instrument while SSFR effective radius tend to be smaller than MODIS values (by 1-2 microns) and at the low end of MODIS uncertainty estimates. In regions of large variation in cloud properties, differences in SSFR and MODIS ]retrieved cloud optical thickness and effective radius can reach values of 10 and 10 microns, respectively. We include aerosols in forward modeling to test the sensitivity of SSFR cloud retrievals to overlying aerosol layers. We find an overlying absorbing aerosol layer biases SSFR cloud retrievals to smaller effective radii and optical thickness while nonabsorbing aerosols had no impact.

A regional analysis of cloudy mean spherical albedo over the marine stratocumulus region and the tropical Atlantic Ocean. M.S. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ginger, Kathryn M.

1993-01-01

Since clouds are the largest variable in Earth's radiation budget, it is critical to determine both the spatial and temporal characteristics of their radiative properties. The relationships between cloud properties and cloud fraction are studied in order to supplement grid scale parameterizations. The satellite data used is from three hourly ISCCP (International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project) and monthly ERBE (Earth Radiation Budget Experiment) data on a 2.5 deg x 2.5 deg latitude-longitude grid. Mean cloud spherical albedo, the mean optical depth distribution, and cloud fraction are examined and compared off the coast of California and the mid-tropical Atlantic for July 1987 and 1988. Individual grid boxes and spatial averages over several grid boxes are correlated to Coakley's theory of reflection for uniform and broken layered cloud and to Kedem, et al.'s findings that rainfall volume and fractional area of rain in convective systems is linear. Kedem's hypothesis can be expressed in terms of cloud properties. That is, the total volume of liquid in a box is a linear function of cloud fraction. Results for the marine stratocumulus regime indicate that albedo is often invariant for cloud fractions of 20% to 80%. Coakley's satellite model of small and large clouds with cores (1 km) and edges (100 m) is consistent with this observation. The cores maintain high liquid water concentrations and large droplets while the edges contain low liquid water concentrations and small droplets. Large clouds are just a collection of cores. The mean optical depth (TAU) distributions support the above observation with TAU values of 3.55 to 9.38 favored across all cloud fractions. From these results, a method based upon Kedem, et al's theory is proposed to separate the cloud fraction and liquid water path (LWP) calculations in a general circulation model (GCM). In terms of spatial averaging, a linear relationship between albedo and cloud fraction is observed. For tropical locations outside the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), results of cloud fraction and albedo spatial averaging followed that of the stratus boxes containing few overcast scenes. Both the ideas of Coakley and Kedem, et al. apply. Within the ITCZ, the grid boxes tended to have the same statistical properties as stratus boxes containing many overcast scenes. Because different dynamical forcing mechanisms are present, it is difficult to devise a method for determining subgrid scale variations. Neither of the theories proposed by Kedem, et al. or Coakley works well for the boxes with numerous overcast scenes.

A Regional Analysis of Cloudy Mean Spherical Albedo over the Marine Stratocumulus Region and the Tropical Atlantic Ocean

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ginger, Kathryn M.

1993-01-01

Since clouds are the largest variable in Earth's radiation budget, it is critical to determine both the spatial and temporal characteristics of their radiative properties. This study examines the relationships between cloud properties and cloud fraction in order to supplement grid scale parameterizations. The satellite data used in this study is from three hourly ISCCP (International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project) and monthly ERBE (Earth Radiation Budget Experiment) data on a 2.50 x 2.50 latitude-longitude grid. Mean cloud spherical albedo, the mean optical depth distribution and cloud fraction are examined and compared off the coast of California and the mid-tropical Atlantic for July 1987 and 1988. Individual grid boxes and spatial averages over several grid boxes are correlated to Coakleys (1991) theory of reflection for uniform and broken layered cloud and to Kedem, et al.(1990) findings that rainfall volume and fractional area of rain in convective systems is linear. Kedem's hypothesis can be expressed in terms of cloud properties. That is, the total volume of liquid in a box is a linear function of cloud fraction. Results for the marine stratocumulus regime indicate that albedo is often invariant for cloud fractions of 20% to 80%. Coakley's satellite model of small and large clouds with cores (1 km) and edges (100 in) is consistent with this observation. The cores maintain high liquid water concentrations and large droplets while the edges contain low liquid water concentrations and small droplets. Large clouds are just a collection of cores. The mean optical depth (TAU) distributions support the above observation with TAU values of 3.55 to 9.38 favored across all cloud fractions. From these results, a method based upon Kedem, et al. theory is proposed to separate the cloud fraction and liquid water path (LWP) calculations in a general circulation model (GCM). In terms of spatial averaging, a linear relationship between albedo and cloud fraction is observed. For tropical locations outside the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), results of cloud fraction and albedo spatial averaging followed that of the stratus boxes containing few overcast scenes. Both the ideas of Coakley and Kedem, et al. apply. Within the ITCZ, the grid boxes tended to have the same statistical properties as stratus boxes containing many overcast scenes. Because different dynamical forcing mechanisms are present, it is difficult to devise a method for determining subgrid scale variations. Neither of the theories proposed by Kedem, et al. or Coakley works well for the boxes with numerous overcast scenes.

Bianchi type-VIh string cloud cosmological models with bulk viscosity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tripathy, Sunil K.; Behera, Dipanjali

2010-11-01

String cloud cosmological models are studied using spatially homogeneous and anisotropic Bianchi type VIh metric in the frame work of general relativity. The field equations are solved for massive string cloud in presence of bulk viscosity. A general linear equation of state of the cosmic string tension density with the proper energy density of the universe is considered. The physical and kinematical properties of the models have been discussed in detail and the limits of the anisotropic parameter responsible for different phases of the universe are explored.

The Impact of Horizontal and Temporal Resolution on Convection and Precipitation with High-Resolution GEOS-5

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Putman, William P.

2012-01-01

Using a high-resolution non-hydrostatic version of GEOS-5 with the cubed-sphere finite-volume dynamical core, the impact of spatial and temporal resolution on cloud properties will be evaluated. There are indications from examining convective cluster development in high resolution GEOS-5 forecasts that the temporal resolution within the model may playas significant a role as horizontal resolution. Comparing modeled convective cloud clusters versus satellite observations of brightness temperature, we have found that improved. temporal resolution in GEOS-S accounts for a significant portion of the improvements in the statistical distribution of convective cloud clusters. Using satellite simulators in GEOS-S we will compare the cloud optical properties of GEOS-S at various spatial and temporal resolutions with those observed from MODIS. The potential impact of these results on tropical cyclone formation and intensity will be examined as well.

Study of Venus' cloud layers by polarimetry using SPICAV/VEx

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rossi, Loïc; Marcq, Emmanuel; Montmessin, Franck; Bertaux, Jean-Loup; Korablev, Oleg; Fedorova, Anna

2013-04-01

The study of Venus's cloud layers is important in order to understand the structure, radiative balance and dynamics of the Venusian atmosphere. The main cloud layers between 50 and 70km are thought to consist in ~ 1μm radius droplets of a H2SO4-H2O solution. Nevertheless, the composition and the size distribution of the droplets are difficult to constrain more precisely. The polarization measurements have given great results in the determination of the constituents of the haze. In the early 1980s, Kawabata et al.(1980) used the polarization data from the OCPP instrument on the spacecraft Pioneer Venus to constrain the properties of the haze. They obtained a refractive index of 1.45 ± 0.04 at ? = 550nm and an effective radius of 0.23 ± 0.04μm, with a normalized size distribution variance of 0.18 ± 0.1. Our work aims to reproduce the method used by Kawabata et al. by writing a Lorentz-Mie scattering model and apply it to the so far unexploited polarization data of the SPICAV-IR instrument on-board ESA's Venus Express in order to better constrain haze and cloud particles at the top of Venus's clouds, as well as their spatial and temporal variability. We introduce here the model we developed, based on the BH-MIE scattering model. Taking into account the same size distribution of droplets as Kawabata et al., we obtained the polarization degree after a single Mie scattering by a haze at all phase angles given the effective radius and variance of the distribution and the refractive index of the droplets. Our model seems consistent as it reproduces the polarization degree modeled by Kawabata et al. We also present the first application of our model to the SPICAV-IR data under the single scattering assumption. Hence we can confirm the mean constraints on the size and refractive index of the haze and cloud droplets. In the near future, we then aim to extend our study of the polarization data by integrating our model into a radiative transfer model which will take into account the multiple scattering. Having more recent observations in wavelengths ranging from 650 to 1625nm, will put better constraints on the properties of both cloud and haze particles, with a primary focus on the cloud droplets characterization. Bibliography: BOHREN, C. F. AND HUMAN, D.R., in Absorption and Scattering of light by small particles, Wiley, 1983 KAWABATA, K. et al., Cloud and haze properties from Pioneer Venus Polarimetry, JGR, 1980

Microphysics, Radiation and Surface Processes in the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tao, Wei-Kuo; Simpson, J.; Baker, D.; Braun, S.; Chou, M.-D.; Ferrier, B.; Johnson, D.; Khain, A.; Lang, S.; Lynn, B.

2001-01-01

The response of cloud systems to their environment is an important link in a chain of processes responsible for monsoons, frontal depression, El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) episodes and other climate variations (e.g., 30-60 day intra-seasonal oscillations). Numerical models of cloud properties provide essential insights into the interactions of clouds with each other, with their surroundings, and with land and ocean surfaces. Significant advances are currently being made in the modeling of rainfall and rain-related cloud processes, ranging in scales from the very small up to the simulation of an extensive population of raining cumulus clouds in a tropical- or midlatitude-storm environment. The Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) model is a multi-dimensional nonhydrostatic dynamic/microphysical cloud resolving model. It has been used to simulate many different mesoscale convective systems that occurred in various geographic locations. In this paper, recent GCE model improvements (microphysics, radiation and surface processes) will be described as well as their impact on the development of precipitation events from various geographic locations. The performance of these new physical processes will be examined by comparing the model results with observations. In addition, the explicit interactive processes between cloud, radiation and surface processes will be discussed.

Toward Measuring Galactic Dense Molecular Gas Properties and 3D Distribution with Hi-GAL

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zetterlund, Erika; Glenn, Jason; Maloney, Phil

2016-01-01

The Herschel Space Observatory's submillimeter dust continuum survey Hi-GAL provides a powerful new dataset for characterizing the structure of the dense interstellar medium of the Milky Way. Hi-GAL observed a 2° wide strip covering the entire 360° of the Galactic plane in broad bands centered at 70, 160, 250, 350, and 500 μm, with angular resolution ranging from 10 to 40 arcseconds. We are adapting a molecular cloud clump-finding algorithm and a distance probability density function distance-determination method developed for the Bolocam Galactic Plane Survey (BGPS) to the Hi-GAL data. Using these methods we expect to generate a database of 105 cloud clumps, derive distance information for roughly half the clumps, and derive precise distances for approximately 20% of them. With five-color photometry and distances, we will measure the cloud clump properties, such as luminosities, physical sizes, and masses, and construct a three-dimensional map of the Milky Way's dense molecular gas distribution.The cloud clump properties and the dense gas distribution will provide critical ground truths for comparison to theoretical models of molecular cloud structure formation and galaxy evolution models that seek to emulate spiral galaxies. For example, such models cannot resolve star formation and use prescriptive recipes, such as converting a fixed fraction of interstellar gas to stars at a specified interstellar medium density threshold. The models should be compared to observed dense molecular gas properties and galactic distributions.As a pilot survey to refine the clump-finding and distance measurement algorithms developed for BGPS, we have identified molecular cloud clumps in six 2° × 2° patches of the Galactic plane, including one in the inner Galaxy along the line of sight through the Molecular Ring and the termination of the Galactic bar and one toward the outer Galaxy. Distances have been derived for the inner Galaxy clumps and compared to Bolocam Galactic Plane Survey results. We present the pilot survey clump catalog, distances, clump properties, and a comparison to BGPS.

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

Strong control of Southern Ocean cloud reflectivity by ice-nucleating particles.

PubMed

Vergara-Temprado, Jesús; Miltenberger, Annette K; Furtado, Kalli; Grosvenor, Daniel P; Shipway, Ben J; Hill, Adrian A; Wilkinson, Jonathan M; Field, Paul R; Murray, Benjamin J; Carslaw, Ken S

2018-03-13

Large biases in climate model simulations of cloud radiative properties over the Southern Ocean cause large errors in modeled sea surface temperatures, atmospheric circulation, and climate sensitivity. Here, we combine cloud-resolving model simulations with estimates of the concentration of ice-nucleating particles in this region to show that our simulated Southern Ocean clouds reflect far more radiation than predicted by global models, in agreement with satellite observations. Specifically, we show that the clouds that are most sensitive to the concentration of ice-nucleating particles are low-level mixed-phase clouds in the cold sectors of extratropical cyclones, which have previously been identified as a main contributor to the Southern Ocean radiation bias. The very low ice-nucleating particle concentrations that prevail over the Southern Ocean strongly suppress cloud droplet freezing, reduce precipitation, and enhance cloud reflectivity. The results help explain why a strong radiation bias occurs mainly in this remote region away from major sources of ice-nucleating particles. The results present a substantial challenge to climate models to be able to simulate realistic ice-nucleating particle concentrations and their effects under specific meteorological conditions. Copyright © 2018 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.

Satellite-based Assessment of Global Warm Cloud Properties Associated with Aerosols, Atmospheric Stability, and Diurnal Cycle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Matsui, Toshihisa; Masunaga, Hirohiko; Kreidenweis, Sonia M.; Pielke, Roger A., Sr.; Tao, Wei-Kuo; Chin, Mian; Kaufman, Yoram J.

2006-01-01

This study examines variability in marine low cloud properties derived from semi-global observations by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite, as linked to the aerosol index (AI) and lower-tropospheric stability (LTS). AI is derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (Terra MODIS) sensor and the Goddard Chemistry Aerosol Radiation and Transportation (GOCART) model, and is used to represent column-integrated aerosol concentrations. LTS is derived from the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis, and represents the background thermodynamic environment in which the clouds form. Global statistics reveal that cloud droplet size tends to be smallest in polluted (high-AI) and strong inversion (high-LTS) environments. Statistical quantification shows that cloud droplet size is better correlated with AI than it is with LTS. Simultaneously, the cloud liquid water path (CLWP) tends to decrease as AI increases. This correlation does not support the hypothesis or assumption that constant or increased CLWP is associated with high aerosol concentrations. Global variability in corrected cloud albedo (CCA), the product of cloud optical depth and cloud fraction, is very well explained by LTS, while both AI and LTS are needed to explain local variability in CCA. Most of the local correlations between AI and cloud properties are similar to the results from the global statistics, while weak anomalous aerosol-cloud correlations appear locally in the regions where simultaneous high (low) AI and low (high) LTS compensate each other. Daytime diurnal cycles explain additional variability in cloud properties. CCA has the largest diurnal cycle in high-LTS regions. Cloud droplet size and CLWP have weak diurnal cycles that differ between clean and polluted environments. The combined results suggest that investigations of marine low cloud radiative forcing and its relationship to hypothesized aerosol indirect effects must consider the combined effects of aerosols, thermodynamics, and the diurnal cycle.

Comparison of Ice Cloud Particle Sizes Retrieved from Satellite Data Derived from In Situ Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Han, Qingyuan; Rossow, William B.; Chou, Joyce; Welch, Ronald M.

1997-01-01

Cloud microphysical parameterizations have attracted a great deal of attention in recent years due to their effect on cloud radiative properties and cloud-related hydrological processes in large-scale models. The parameterization of cirrus particle size has been demonstrated as an indispensable component in the climate feedback analysis. Therefore, global-scale, long-term observations of cirrus particle sizes are required both as a basis of and as a validation of parameterizations for climate models. While there is a global scale, long-term survey of water cloud droplet sizes (Han et al.), there is no comparable study for cirrus ice crystals. This study is an effort to supply such a data set.

On the Variability of Wilson Currents by Storm Type and Phase

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Deierling, Wiebke; Kalb, Christina; Mach, Douglas; Liu, Chuntao; Peterson, Michael; Blakeslee, Richard

2014-01-01

Storm total conduction currents from electrified clouds are thought to play a major role in maintaining the potential difference between the earth's surface and the upper atmosphere within the Global Electric Circuit (GEC). However, it is not entirely known how the contributions of these currents vary by cloud type and phase of the clouds life cycle. Estimates of storm total conduction currents were obtained from data collected over two decades during multiple field campaigns involving the NASA ER-2 aircraft. In this study the variability of these currents by cloud type and lifecycle is investigated. We also compared radar derived microphysical storm properties with total storm currents to investigate whether these storm properties can be used to describe the current variability of different electrified clouds. The ultimate goal is to help improve modeling of the GEC via quantification and improved parameterization of the conduction current contribution of different cloud types.

Assessment of NASA GISS CMIP5 ModelE simulated clouds and TOA radiation budgets using satellite observations over the southern mid-latitudes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stanfield, Ryan Evan

Past, current, and future climates have been simulated by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) ModelE Global Circulation Model (GCM) and summarized by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report (IPCC, AR4). New simulations from the updated CMIP5 version of the NASA GISS ModelE GCM were recently released to the public community during the summer of 2011 and will be included in the upcoming IPCC AR5 ensemble of simulations. Due to the recent nature of these simulations, they have not yet been extensively validated against observations. To assess the NASA GISS-E2-R GCM, model simulated clouds and cloud properties are compared to observational cloud properties derived from the Clouds and Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) project using MODerate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data for the period of March 2000 through December 2005. Over the 6-year period, the global average modeled cloud fractions are within 1% of observations. However, further study however shows large regional biases between the GCM simulations and CERES-MODIS observations. The southern mid-latitudes (SML) were chosen as a focus region due to model errors across multiple GCMs within the recent phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5). Over the SML, the GISS GCM undersimulates total cloud fraction over 20%, but oversimulates total water path by 2 g m-2. Simulated vertical cloud distributions over the SML when compared to both CERES-MODIS and CloudSat/CALIPSO observations show a drastic undersimulation of low level clouds by the GISS GCM, but higher fractions of thicker clouds. To assess the impact of GISS simulated clouds on the TOA radiation budgets, the modeled TOA radiation budgets are compared to CERES EBAF observations. Because modeled low-level cloud fraction is much lower than observed over the SML, modeled reflected shortwave (SW) flux at the TOA is 13 W m -2 lower and outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) is 3 W m-2 higher than observations. Finally, cloud radiative effects (CRE) are calculated and compared with observations to fully assess the impact of clouds on the TOA radiation budgets. The difference in clear-sky reflected SW flux between model and observation is only +4 W m-2 while the SW CRE difference is up to 17 W m-2, indicating that most of the bias in SW CRE results from the all-sky bias between the model and observation. A sizeable negative bias of 10 W m-2 in simulated clear-sky OLR has been found due to a dry bias in calculating observed clear-sky OLR and lack of upper-level water vapor at the 100-mb level in the model. The dry bias impacts CRE LW, with the model undersimulating by 13 W m-2. The CRE NET difference is only 5 W m-2 due to the cancellation of SW and LW CRE biases.

Impact of natural and anthropogenic aerosols on stratocumulus and precipitation in the Southeast Pacific: a regional modelling study using WRF-Chem

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

Yang, Q.; Gustafson, W. I.; Fast, J. D.

2012-09-28

Cloud-system resolving simulations with the chemistry version of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF-Chem) model are used to quantify the relative impacts of regional anthropogenic and oceanic emissions on changes in aerosol properties, cloud macro- and microphysics, and cloud radiative forcing over the Southeast Pacific (SEP) during the VAMOS Ocean-Cloud-Atmosphere-Land Study Regional Experiment (VOCALS-REx) (15 October–16 November 2008). Two distinct regions are identified. The near-coast polluted region is characterized by low surface precipitation rates, the strong suppression of non-sea-salt particle activation due to sea-salt particles, a predominant albedo effect in aerosol indirect effects, and limited impact of aerosols associated withmore » anthropogenic emissions on clouds. Opposite sensitivities to natural marine and anthropogenic aerosol perturbations are seen in cloud properties (e.g., cloud optical depth and cloud-top and cloud-base heights), precipitation, and the top-of-atmosphere and surface shortwave fluxes over this region. The relatively clean remote region is characterized by large contributions of aerosols from non-regional sources (lateral boundaries) and much stronger drizzle at the surface. Under a scenario of five-fold increase in regional anthropogenic emissions, this relatively clean region shows large cloud responses, for example, a 13% increase in cloud-top height and a 9% increase in albedo in response to a moderate increase (25% of the reference case) in cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentration. The reduction of precipitation due to this increase in anthropogenic aerosols more than doubles the aerosol lifetime in the clean marine boundary layer. Therefore, the aerosol impacts on precipitation are amplified by the positive feedback of precipitation on aerosol, which ultimately alters the cloud micro- and macro-physical properties, leading to strong aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions. The high sensitivity is also related to an increase in cloud-top entrainment rate (by 16% at night) due to the increased anthropogenic aerosols. The simulated aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions due to the increased anthropogenic aerosols have a stronger diurnal cycle over the clean region compared to the near-coast region with stronger interactions at night. During the day, solar heating results in more frequent decoupling of the cloud and sub-cloud layers, thinner clouds, reduced precipitation, and reduced sensitivity to the increase in anthropogenic emissions. This study shows the importance of natural aerosols in accurately quantifying anthropogenic forcing within a regional modeling framework. Finally, the results of this study also imply that the energy balance perturbations from increased anthropogenic emissions are larger in the more susceptible clean environment than in already polluted environment and are larger than possible from the first indirect effect alone.« less

Multi-scale Modeling of Arctic Clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hillman, B. R.; Roesler, E. L.; Dexheimer, D.

2017-12-01

The presence and properties of clouds are critically important to the radiative budget in the Arctic, but clouds are notoriously difficult to represent in global climate models (GCMs). The challenge stems partly from a disconnect in the scales at which these models are formulated and the scale of the physical processes important to the formation of clouds (e.g., convection and turbulence). Because of this, these processes are parameterized in large-scale models. Over the past decades, new approaches have been explored in which a cloud system resolving model (CSRM), or in the extreme a large eddy simulation (LES), is embedded into each gridcell of a traditional GCM to replace the cloud and convective parameterizations to explicitly simulate more of these important processes. This approach is attractive in that it allows for more explicit simulation of small-scale processes while also allowing for interaction between the small and large-scale processes. The goal of this study is to quantify the performance of this framework in simulating Arctic clouds relative to a traditional global model, and to explore the limitations of such a framework using coordinated high-resolution (eddy-resolving) simulations. Simulations from the global model are compared with satellite retrievals of cloud fraction partioned by cloud phase from CALIPSO, and limited-area LES simulations are compared with ground-based and tethered-balloon measurements from the ARM Barrow and Oliktok Point measurement facilities.

A Hierarchical Modeling Study of the Interactions Among Turbulence, Cloud Microphysics, and Radiative Transfer in the Evolution of Cirrus Clouds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Curry, Judith; Khvorostyanov, V. I.

2005-01-01

This project used a hierarchy of cloud resolving models to address the following science issues of relevance to CRYSTAL-FACE: What ice crystal nucleation mechanisms are active in the different types of cirrus clouds in the Florida area and how do these different nucleation processes influence the evolution of the cloud system and the upper tropospheric humidity? How does the feedback between supersaturation and nucleation impact the evolution of the cloud? What is the relative importance of the large-scale vertical motion and the turbulent motions in the evolution of the crystal size spectra? How does the size spectra impact the life-cycle of the cloud, stratospheric dehydration, and cloud radiative forcing? What is the nature of the turbulence and waves in the upper troposphere generated by precipitating deep convective cloud systems? How do cirrus microphysical and optical properties vary with the small-scale dynamics? How do turbulence and waves in the upper troposphere influence the cross-tropopause mixing and stratospheric and upper tropospheric humidity? The models used in this study were: 2-D hydrostatic model with explicit microphysics that can account for 30 size bins for both the droplet and crystal size spectra. Notably, a new ice crystal nucleation scheme has been incorporated into the model. Parcel model with explicit microphysics, for developing and evaluating microphysical parameterizations. Single column model for testing bulk microphysics parameterizations

Microphysical and macrophysical characteristics of ice and mixed-phase clouds compared between in-situ observations from the NSF ORCAS campaign and the NCAR Community Atmospheric Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diao, M.; D'Alessandro, J.; Wu, C.; Liu, X.; Jensen, J. B.

2016-12-01

Large spatial coverage of ice and mixed-phase clouds is frequently observed in the higher latitudinal regions, especially over the Arctic and Antarctica. However, because the microphysical properties in the ice and mixed-phase clouds are highly variable in space, major challenges still remain in understanding the characteristics of ice and mixed-phase clouds on the microscale, as well as representing the sub-grid scale variabilities of relative humidity in the General Circulation Models. In this work, we use the in-situ, airborne observations from the NSF O2/N2 Ratio and CO2 Airborne Southern Ocean (ORCAS) Study (January - February 2016) to analyze the microphysical and macrophysical characteristics of ice and mixed-phase clouds over the Southern Ocean. A total of 18 flights onboard the NSF Gulfstream-V research aircraft are used to quantify the cloud properties and relative humidity distributions at various temperatures, pressures and aerosol background. New QC/QA water vapor data of the Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser based on the laboratory calibration in summer 2016 will be presented. The statistical distributions of cloud microphysical properties and relative humidity with respect to ice (RHi) derived from in-situ observations will be compared with the NCAR Community Atmospheric Model Version 5 (CAM5). The horizontal extent of ice and mixed-phase clouds, and their formation and evolution will be derived based on the method of Diao et al. (2013). The occurrence frequency of ice supersaturation (i.e., RHi > 100%) will be examined in relation to various chemical tracers (i.e., O3 and CO) and total aerosol number concentrations (e.g., aerosols > 0.1 μm and > 0.5 μm) at clear-sky and in-cloud conditions. We will quantify whether these characteristics of ISS are scale-dependent from the microscale to the mesoscale. Overall, our work will evaluate the spatial variabilities of RHi inside/outside of ice and mixed-phase clouds, the frequency and magnitude of ice supersaturation, as well as the correlations between ice water content and liquid water content in the CAM5 simulations.

Evaluation of AIRS cloud properties using MPACE data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Xuebao; Li, Jun; Menzel, W. Paul; Huang, Allen; Baggett, Kevin; Revercomb, Henry

2005-12-01

Retrieval of cloud properties from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) aboard the NASA Aqua satellite has been investigated. The cloud products from the collocated MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data are used to characterize the AIRS sub-pixel cloud information such as cloud phase, cloud coverage, and cloud layer information. A Minimum Residual (MR) approach is used to retrieve cloud microphysical properties once the cloud top pressure (CTP) and effective cloud amount (ECA) are determined from AIRS CO2 absorption channels between 720 and 790 cm-1. The cloud microphysical properties can be retrieved by minimizing the differences between the observations and the calculations using AIRS longwave window channels between 790 and 1130 cm-1. AIRS is used to derive cloud properties during the Mixed Phase Arctic Cloud Experiment (MPACE) field campaign. Comparison with measurements obtained from lidar data is made for a test day, showing that AIRS cloud property retrievals agree with in situ lidar observations. Due to the large solar zenith angle, the MODIS operational retrieval approach is not able to provide cloud microphysics north of Barrow, Alaska; however, AIRS provides cloud microphysical properties with its high spectral resolution IR measurements.

Simulations of arctic mixed-phase clouds in forecasts with CAM3 and AM2 for M-PACE

DOE PAGES

Xie, Shaocheng; Boyle, James; Klein, Stephen A.; ...

2008-02-27

[1] Simulations of mixed-phase clouds in forecasts with the NCAR Atmosphere Model version 3 (CAM3) and the GFDL Atmospheric Model version 2 (AM2) for the Mixed-Phase Arctic Cloud Experiment (M-PACE) are performed using analysis data from numerical weather prediction centers. CAM3 significantly underestimates the observed boundary layer mixed-phase cloud fraction and cannot realistically simulate the variations of liquid water fraction with temperature and cloud height due to its oversimplified cloud microphysical scheme. In contrast, AM2 reasonably reproduces the observed boundary layer cloud fraction while its clouds contain much less cloud condensate than CAM3 and the observations. The simulation of themore » boundary layer mixed-phase clouds and their microphysical properties is considerably improved in CAM3 when a new physically based cloud microphysical scheme is used (CAM3LIU). The new scheme also leads to an improved simulation of the surface and top of the atmosphere longwave radiative fluxes. Sensitivity tests show that these results are not sensitive to the analysis data used for model initialization. Increasing model horizontal resolution helps capture the subgrid-scale features in Arctic frontal clouds but does not help improve the simulation of the single-layer boundary layer clouds. AM2 simulated cloud fraction and LWP are sensitive to the change in cloud ice number concentrations used in the Wegener-Bergeron-Findeisen process while CAM3LIU only shows moderate sensitivity in its cloud fields to this change. Furthermore, this paper shows that the Wegener-Bergeron-Findeisen process is important for these models to correctly simulate the observed features of mixed-phase clouds.« less

Simulations of Arctic mixed-phase clouds in forecasts with CAM3 and AM2 for M-PACE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Shaocheng; Boyle, James; Klein, Stephen A.; Liu, Xiaohong; Ghan, Steven

2008-02-01

Simulations of mixed-phase clouds in forecasts with the NCAR Atmosphere Model version 3 (CAM3) and the GFDL Atmospheric Model version 2 (AM2) for the Mixed-Phase Arctic Cloud Experiment (M-PACE) are performed using analysis data from numerical weather prediction centers. CAM3 significantly underestimates the observed boundary layer mixed-phase cloud fraction and cannot realistically simulate the variations of liquid water fraction with temperature and cloud height due to its oversimplified cloud microphysical scheme. In contrast, AM2 reasonably reproduces the observed boundary layer cloud fraction while its clouds contain much less cloud condensate than CAM3 and the observations. The simulation of the boundary layer mixed-phase clouds and their microphysical properties is considerably improved in CAM3 when a new physically based cloud microphysical scheme is used (CAM3LIU). The new scheme also leads to an improved simulation of the surface and top of the atmosphere longwave radiative fluxes. Sensitivity tests show that these results are not sensitive to the analysis data used for model initialization. Increasing model horizontal resolution helps capture the subgrid-scale features in Arctic frontal clouds but does not help improve the simulation of the single-layer boundary layer clouds. AM2 simulated cloud fraction and LWP are sensitive to the change in cloud ice number concentrations used in the Wegener-Bergeron-Findeisen process while CAM3LIU only shows moderate sensitivity in its cloud fields to this change. This paper shows that the Wegener-Bergeron-Findeisen process is important for these models to correctly simulate the observed features of mixed-phase clouds.

Magnetic flux rope versus the spheromak as models for interplanetary magnetic clouds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Farrugia, C. J.; Osherovich, V. A.; Burlaga, L. F.

1995-01-01

Magnetic clouds form a subset of interplanetary ejecta with well-defined magnetic and thermodynamic properties. Observationally, it is well established that magnetic clouds expand as they propagate antisunward. The aim of this paper is to compare and contrast two models which have been proposed for the global magnetic field line topology of magnetic clouds: a magnetic flux tube geometry, on the one hand, and a spheromak geometry (including possible higher multiples), on the other. Traditionally, the magnetic structure of magnetic clouds has been modeled by force-free configurations. In a first step, we therefore analyze the ability of static force-free models to account for the asymmetries observed in the magnetic field profiles of magnetic clouds. For a cylindrical flux tube the magnetic field remains symmetric about closest approach to the magnetic axis on all spacecraft orbits intersecting it, whereas in a spheromak geometry one can have asymmetries in the magnetic field signatures along some spacecraft trajectories. The duration of typical magnetic cloud encounters at 1 AU (1 to 2 days) is comparable to their travel time from the Sun to 1 AU and thus magnetic clouds should be treated as strongly nonstationary objects. In a second step, therefore, we abandon the static approach and model magnetic clouds as self-similarly evolving MHD configurations. In our theory, the interaction of the expanding magnetic cloud with the ambient plasma is taken into account by a drag force proportional to the density and the velocity of expansion. Solving rigorously the full set of MHD equations, we demonstrate that the asymmetry in the magnetic signature may arise solely as a result of expansion. Using asymptotic solutions of the MHD equations, we least squares fit both theoretical models to interplanetary data. We find that while the central part of the magnetic cloud is adequately described by both models, the 'edges' of the cloud data are modeled better by the magnetic flux tube. Further comparisons of the two models necessarily involve thermodynamic properties, since real magnetic configurations are never exactly force-free and gas pressure plays an essential role. We consider a polytropic gas. Our theoretical analysis shows that the self-similar expansion of a magnetic flux tube requires the polytropic index gamma to be less than unity. For the spheromak, however, self-similar, radially expanding solutions are known only for gamma equal to 4/3. This difference, therefore, yields a good way of distinguishing between the two geometries. It has been shown recently that the polytropic relationship is applicable to magnetic clouds and that the corresponding polytropic index is approximately 0.5. This observational result is consistent with the self-similar model of the magnetic flux rope but is in conflict with the self-similar spheromak model.

Modeling cumulus clouds in a two-phase wind tunnel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bordás, R.; Thévenin, D.

2009-04-01

Experiments in wind-tunnels concerning meteorological flows are not very frequent in the literature. However, they are indispensable for a well-controlled and accurate investigation of turbulence-droplet interactions at the micro-scale. Of course it is impossible to reproduce perfectly the turbulent properties of clouds in a comparatively small wind-tunnel. The enormous length scales that are predominant in nature (integral length scale of typically 100 meters) lead to very high Reynolds numbers, roughly 107 calculated with the cloud dimensions or 104 as Taylor Reynolds number Reλ. Nevertheless, it is not necessary to reproduce exactly the whole turbulence spectrum to investigate the issue of rain formation in cumulus clouds. Only those scales and turbulence properties should be reproduced in the wind tunnel, which are physically important for the droplet population. In this work the key properties of cumulus clouds will be identified and implemented in a two-phase wind tunnel, allowing reproducible and accurate measurements. These properties are in particular the droplet number density, the turbulent kinetic energy and its dissipation rate. It is demonstrated by means of non-intrusive optical measurement techniques that the flow velocity, droplet number density, and key turbulence properties have been matched and are in the right order of magnitude. In this manner wind-tunnel investigations become possible and deliver realistic information concerning the interaction between droplets and turbulence in cumulus clouds.

Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Cloud Properties Observed by MODIS: Preliminary Level-3 Results from the Collection 5 Reprocessing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

King, Michael D.; Platnick, Steven; Hubanks, Paul; Pincus, Robert

2006-01-01

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) was developed by NASA and launched onboard the Terra spacecraft on December 18, 1999 and Aqua spacecraft on May 4, 2002. It achieved its final orbit and began Earth observations on February 24, 2000 for Terra and June 24, 2002 for Aqua. A comprehensive set of operational algorithms for the retrieval of cloud physical and optical properties (optical thickness, effective particle radius, water path, thermodynamic phase) have recently been updated and are being used in the new "Collection 5" processing stream being produced by the MODIS Adaptive Processing System (MODAPS) at NASA GSFC. All Terra and Aqua data are undergoing Collection 5 reprocessing with an expected completion date by the end of 2006. The archived products from these algorithms include 1 km pixel-level (Level-2) and global gridded Level-3 products. The cloud products have applications in climate change studies, climate modeling, numerical weather prediction, as well as fundamental atmospheric research. In this talk, we will summarize the available Level-3 cloud properties and their associated statistical data sets, and show preliminary Terra and Aqua results from the available Collection 5 reprocessing effort. Anticipated results include the latitudinal distribution of cloud optical and radiative properties for both liquid water and ice clouds, as well as joint histograms of cloud optical thickness and effective radius for selected geographical locations around the world.

FIRE Science Results 1988

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcdougal, David S. (Editor); Wagner, H. Scott (Editor)

1990-01-01

FIRE (First ISCCP Regional Experiment) is a U.S. cloud-radiation program that seeks to address the issues of a basic understanding and parameterizations of cirrus and marine stratocumulus cloud systems and ISCCP data products. The papers describe research analysis of data collected at the 1986 Cirrus Intensive Field Observations (IFO), the 1987 Marine Stratocumulus IFO, and the Extended Time Observations. The papers are grouped into sessions on satellite studies, lidar/radiative properties/microphysical studies, radiative properties, thermodynamic and dynamic properties, case studies, and large scale environment and modeling studies.

Cloud evaluation using satellite simulators and cloud changes for global nonhydrostatic simulations with NICAM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Satoh, M.; Noda, A. T.; Kodama, C.; Yamada, Y.; Hashino, T.

2012-12-01

Global cloud distributions and properties simulated by the global nonhydrostatic model, NICAM (Nonhydrostatic Icosahedral Atmospheric Model), are evaluated and their future changes are discussed. First, we evaluated the simulated cloud properties produced by a case study of the 3.5km mesh experiment of NICAM using the satellite simulator package (the Joint-simulator) with cloud microphysics oriented approach (Hashino et al. 2012). Then, we analyzed future cloud changes using various sets of simulations under the present and the future global warming conditions. The results show that the zonal averaged ice water path (IWP) generally decreases or marginally unchanged in the tropics, while IWP in the extra-tropics increases. The upper cloud fraction increases both in the tropics and in the extra-tropics in general. We further analyzed contributions of cloud systems such as cloud clusters, tropical cyclones (TCs), and storm-tracks to these changes. Probability distribution of the larger cloud clusters decreases, while that of the smaller ones increases, consistent with the decrease in the number of tropical cyclones in the future climate. Average liquid water path (LWP) and IWP associated with each tropical cyclone are diagnosed, and it is found that both the associated LWP and IWP increase under the warmer condition. Even though, since the number of the intensive cloud systems decrease, the average IWP decreases. It should be remarked that the change in TC tracks largely contribute to the change in the horizontal distribution of clouds. The NICAM simulations also show that the storm-tracks shift poleward, and the storms become less frequent and stronger in the extra-tropics, similar to the results of other general circulation models. Both LWP and IWP associated with the storms also increase in the warmer climate in the NICAM simulations. This results in increase in the upper clouds under the warmer climate condition, as described by Miura et al. (2005). References: Hashino, T., Satoh, M., Hagihara, Y., Kubota, T., Matsui, T., Nasuno, T., and Okamoto, H. (2012), Evaluating Global Cloud Distribution and Microphysics from the NICAM against CloudSat and CALIPSO, J. Geophys. Res., submitted. Miura, H., Tomita,H., Nasuno,T., Iga, S., Satoh,M., and Matsuno, T. (2005), A climate sensitivity test using a global cloud resolving model under an aqua planet condition, Geophys. Res. Lett., 32, L19717, doi:10.1029/2005GL023672.

Retrieval of subvisual cirrus cloud optical thickness from limb-scatter measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiensz, J. T.; Degenstein, D. A.; Lloyd, N. D.; Bourassa, A. E.

2013-01-01

We present a technique for estimating the optical thickness of subvisual cirrus clouds detected by OSIRIS (Optical Spectrograph and Infrared Imaging System), a limb-viewing satellite instrument that measures scattered radiances from the UV to the near-IR. The measurement set is composed of a ratio of limb radiance profiles at two wavelengths that indicates the presence of cloud-scattering regions. Cross-sections and phase functions from an in situ database are used to simulate scattering by cloud-particles. With appropriate configurations discussed in this paper, the SASKTRAN successive-orders of scatter radiative transfer model is able to simulate accurately the in-cloud radiances from OSIRIS. Configured in this way, the model is used with a multiplicative algebraic reconstruction technique (MART) to retrieve the cloud extinction profile for an assumed effective cloud particle size. The sensitivity of these retrievals to key auxiliary model parameters is shown, and it is shown that the retrieved extinction profile, for an assumed effective cloud particle size, models well the measured in-cloud radiances from OSIRIS. The greatest sensitivity of the retrieved optical thickness is to the effective cloud particle size. Since OSIRIS has an 11-yr record of subvisual cirrus cloud detections, the work described in this manuscript provides a very useful method for providing a long-term global record of the properties of these clouds.

Outcome of the Third Cloud Retrieval Evaluation Workshop

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roebeling, R.; Baum, B.; Bennartz, R.; Hamann, U.; Heidinger, A.; Thoss, A.; Walther, A.

2012-04-01

Accurate measurements of global distributions of cloud parameters and their diurnal, seasonal, and inter-annual variations are needed to improve the understanding of the role of clouds in the weather and climate system, and to monitor their time-space variations. Cloud properties retrieved from satellite observations, such as cloud vertical placement, cloud water path and cloud particle size, play an important role such studies. In order to give climate and weather researchers more confidence in the quality of these retrievals their validity needs to be determined and their error characteristics need to be quantified. The purpose of the Cloud Retrieval Evaluation Workshop (CREW), which was held from 15-18 November 2011 in Madison, Wisconsin, USA, is to enhance our knowledge on state-of-art cloud properties retrievals from passive imaging satellites, and pave the path towards optimising these retrievals for climate monitoring as well as for the analysis of cloud parameterizations in climate and weather models. CREW also seeks to observe and understand methods that are used to prepare daily and monthly cloud parameter climatologies. An important component of the workshop is the discussion on the results of the algorithm and sensor comparisons and validation studies. Hereto a common database with about 12 different cloud properties retrievals from passive imagers (MSG, MODIS, AVHRR, POLDER and/or AIRS), complemented with cloud measurements that serve as a reference (CLOUDSAT, CALIPSO, AMSU, MISR), was prepared for a number of "golden days". The passive imager cloud property retrievals were inter-compared and validated against Cloudsat, Calipso and AMSU observations. In our presentation we will summarize the outcome of the inter-comparison and validation work done in the framework of CREW, and elaborate on the reasons for the observed differences. More in depth discussions were held on retrieval principles and validation, and the utilization of cloud parameters for climate research. This was done in parallel breakout sessions on cloud vertical placement; cloud physical properties, and cloud climatologies. We will present the recommendations of these sessions, propose a way forward to establish international partnerships on cloud research, and summarize the actions defined to tailor the CREW activities to missions of international programs, such as the Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) and Sustained, Co-Ordinated Processing of Environmental Satellite Data for Climate Monitoring (SCOPE-CM). Finally, attention will be given to increase the traceability and uniformity of different long-term and homogeneous records of cloud parameters.

A network approach to the geometric structure of shallow cloud fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glassmeier, F.; Feingold, G.

2017-12-01

The representation of shallow clouds and their radiative impact is one of the largest challenges for global climate models. While the bulk properties of cloud fields, including effects of organization, are a very active area of research, the potential of the geometric arrangement of cloud fields for the development of new parameterizations has hardly been explored. Self-organized patterns are particularly evident in the cellular structure of Stratocumulus (Sc) clouds so readily visible in satellite imagery. Inspired by similar patterns in biology and physics, we approach pattern formation in Sc fields from the perspective of natural cellular networks. Our network analysis is based on large-eddy simulations of open- and closed-cell Sc cases. We find the network structure to be neither random nor characteristic to natural convection. It is independent of macroscopic cloud fields properties like the Sc regime (open vs closed) and its typical length scale (boundary layer height). The latter is a consequence of entropy maximization (Lewis's Law with parameter 0.16). The cellular pattern is on average hexagonal, where non-6 sided cells occur according to a neighbor-number distribution variance of about 2. Reflecting the continuously renewing dynamics of Sc fields, large (many-sided) cells tend to neighbor small (few-sided) cells (Aboav-Weaire Law with parameter 0.9). These macroscopic network properties emerge independent of the Sc regime because the different processes governing the evolution of closed as compared to open cells correspond to topologically equivalent network dynamics. By developing a heuristic model, we show that open and closed cell dynamics can both be mimicked by versions of cell division and cell disappearance and are biased towards the expansion of smaller cells. This model offers for the first time a fundamental and universal explanation for the geometric pattern of Sc clouds. It may contribute to the development of advanced Sc parameterizations. As an outlook, we discuss how a similar network approach can be applied to describe and quantify the geometric structure of shallow cumulus cloud fields.

Evaluating The Indirect Effect of Cirrus Clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dobbie, S.; Jonas, P. R.

What effect would an increase in nucleating aerosols have on the radiative and cloud properties? What error would be incurred by evaluating the indirect effect by taking an evolved cloud and fixing the integrated water content and vary the number of ice crystals? These questions will be addressed in this work. We will use the UK LES cloud resolving model to perform a sensitivity study for cirrus clouds to the indirect effect, and will evaluate approximate methods in the process. In this work, we will initialize the base (no increase of aerosol) cirrus clouds so that the double moment scheme is constrained to agree with observations through the ef- fective radius. Effective radius is calculated using the local concentration and the ice water content. We then perform a sensitivity experiment to investigate the dependence of the average IWC, effective size, and radiative properties (including heating rates) to variations in the nucleation rate. Conclusions will be draw as to the possible ef- fect of changes in aerosol amounts on cirrus. We will determine how sensitive the cloud and radiative properties are to various aerosol increases. We will also discuss the applicability of the Meyer et al. (1992) nucleation formulae for our simulations. It is important to stress that in this work we only change the nucleation rate for the newly forming cloud. By doing this, we are not fixing the total water content and redistributing the water amongst increased ice crystals. We increase the number of aerosols available to be nucleated and allow the model to evolve the size distributions. In this way, there is competition for the water vapour, the ice particles are evolved dynamically with different fall speeds, the conversion rates to other hydrometers (such as aggregates) are affected, and the heating rates are different due to the different size distributions that evolve. We will look at how the water content, the distribution of water, and the radiative properties are affected by the indirect effect.

Investigation of ice particle habits to be used for ice cloud remote sensing for the GCOM-C satellite mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Letu, Husi; Ishimoto, Hiroshi; Riedi, Jerome; Nakajima, Takashi Y.; -Labonnote, Laurent C.; Baran, Anthony J.; Nagao, Takashi M.; Sekiguchi, Miho

2016-09-01

In this study, various ice particle habits are investigated in conjunction with inferring the optical properties of ice clouds for use in the Global Change Observation Mission-Climate (GCOM-C) satellite programme. We develop a database of the single-scattering properties of five ice habit models: plates, columns, droxtals, bullet rosettes, and Voronoi. The database is based on the specification of the Second Generation Global Imager (SGLI) sensor on board the GCOM-C satellite, which is scheduled to be launched in 2017 by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. A combination of the finite-difference time-domain method, the geometric optics integral equation technique, and the geometric optics method is applied to compute the single-scattering properties of the selected ice particle habits at 36 wavelengths, from the visible to the infrared spectral regions. This covers the SGLI channels for the size parameter, which is defined as a single-particle radius of an equivalent volume sphere, ranging between 6 and 9000 µm. The database includes the extinction efficiency, absorption efficiency, average geometrical cross section, single-scattering albedo, asymmetry factor, size parameter of a volume-equivalent sphere, maximum distance from the centre of mass, particle volume, and six nonzero elements of the scattering phase matrix. The characteristics of calculated extinction efficiency, single-scattering albedo, and asymmetry factor of the five ice particle habits are compared. Furthermore, size-integrated bulk scattering properties for the five ice particle habit models are calculated from the single-scattering database and microphysical data. Using the five ice particle habit models, the optical thickness and spherical albedo of ice clouds are retrieved from the Polarization and Directionality of the Earth's Reflectances-3 (POLDER-3) measurements, recorded on board the Polarization and Anisotropy of Reflectances for Atmospheric Sciences coupled with Observations from a Lidar (PARASOL) satellite. The optimal ice particle habit for retrieving the SGLI ice cloud properties is investigated by adopting the spherical albedo difference (SAD) method. It is found that the SAD is distributed stably due to the scattering angle increases for bullet rosettes with an effective diameter (Deff) of 10 µm and Voronoi particles with Deff values of 10, 60, and 100 µm. It is confirmed that the SAD of small bullet-rosette particles and all sizes of Voronoi particles has a low angular dependence, indicating that a combination of the bullet-rosette and Voronoi models is sufficient for retrieval of the ice cloud's spherical albedo and optical thickness as effective habit models for the SGLI sensor. Finally, SAD analysis based on the Voronoi habit model with moderate particle size (Deff = 60 µm) is compared with the conventional general habit mixture model, inhomogeneous hexagonal monocrystal model, five-plate aggregate model, and ensemble ice particle model. The Voronoi habit model is found to have an effect similar to that found in some conventional models for the retrieval of ice cloud properties from space-borne radiometric observations.

A Goddard Multi-Scale Modeling System with Unified Physics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tao, W.K.; Anderson, D.; Atlas, R.; Chern, J.; Houser, P.; Hou, A.; Lang, S.; Lau, W.; Peters-Lidard, C.; Kakar, R.;

Insights from modeling and observational evaluation of a precipitating continental cumulus event observed during the MC3E field campaign

DOE PAGES

Mechem, David B.; Giangrande, Scott E.; Wittman, Carly S.; ...

2015-03-13

A case of shallow cumulus and precipitating cumulus congestus sampled at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program Southern Great Plains (SGP) supersite is analyzed using a multi-sensor observational approach and numerical simulation. Observations from a new radar suite surrounding the facility are used to characterize the evolving statistical behavior of the precipitating cloud system. This is accomplished using distributions of different measures of cloud geometry and precipitation properties. Large-eddy simulation (LES) with size-resolved (bin) microphysics is employed to determine the forcings most important in producing the salient aspects of the cloud system captured in the radar observations. Our emphasis ismore » on assessing the importance of time-varying vs. steady-state large-scale forcing on the model's ability to reproduce the evolutionary behavior of the cloud system. Additional consideration is given to how the characteristic spatial scale and homogeneity of the forcing imposed on the simulation influences the evolution of cloud system properties. Results indicate that several new scanning radar estimates such as distributions of cloud top are useful to differentiate the value of time-varying (or at least temporally well-matched) forcing on LES solution fidelity.« less

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 effective variance and cloud optical thickness are compared to coincident Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP) data.

The MSG-SEVIRI-based cloud property data record CLAAS-2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benas, Nikos; Finkensieper, Stephan; Stengel, Martin; van Zadelhoff, Gerd-Jan; Hanschmann, Timo; Hollmann, Rainer; Fokke Meirink, Jan

2017-07-01

Clouds play a central role in the Earth's atmosphere, and satellite observations are crucial for monitoring clouds and understanding their impact on the energy budget and water cycle. Within the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) Satellite Application Facility on Climate Monitoring (CM SAF), a new cloud property data record was derived from geostationary Meteosat Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) measurements for the time frame 2004-2015. The resulting CLAAS-2 (CLoud property dAtAset using SEVIRI, Edition 2) data record is publicly available via the CM SAF website (https://doi.org/10.5676/EUM_SAF_CM/CLAAS/V002). In this paper we present an extensive evaluation of the CLAAS-2 cloud products, which include cloud fractional coverage, thermodynamic phase, cloud top properties, liquid/ice cloud water path and corresponding optical thickness and particle effective radius. Data validation and comparisons were performed on both level 2 (native SEVIRI grid and repeat cycle) and level 3 (daily and monthly averages and histograms) with reference datasets derived from lidar, microwave and passive imager measurements. The evaluation results show very good overall agreement with matching spatial distributions and temporal variability and small biases attributed mainly to differences in sensor characteristics, retrieval approaches, spatial and temporal samplings and viewing geometries. No major discrepancies were found. Underpinned by the good evaluation results, CLAAS-2 demonstrates that it is fit for the envisaged applications, such as process studies of the diurnal cycle of clouds and the evaluation of regional climate models. The data record is planned to be extended and updated in the future.

Three-moment representation of rain in a cloud microphysics model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paukert, M.; Fan, J.; Rasch, P. J.; Morrison, H.; Milbrandt, J.; Khain, A.; Shpund, J.

2017-12-01

Two-moment microphysics schemes have been commonly used for cloud simulation in models across different scales - from large-eddy simulations to global climate models. These schemes have yielded valuable insights into cloud and precipitation processes, however the size distributions are limited to two degrees of freedom, and thus the shape parameter is typically fixed or diagnosed. We have developed a three-moment approach for the rain category in order to provide an additional degree of freedom to the size distribution and thereby improve the cloud microphysics representations for more accurate weather and climate simulations. The approach is applied to the Predicted Particle Properties (P3) scheme. In addition to the rain number and mass mixing ratios predicted in the two-moment P3, we now include prognostic equations for the sixth moment of the size distribution (radar reflectivity), thus allowing the shape parameter to evolve freely. We employ the spectral bin microphysics (SBM) model to formulate the three-moment process rates in P3 for drop collisions and breakup. We first test the three-moment scheme with a maritime stratocumulus case from the VOCALS field campaign, and compare the model results with respect to cloud and precipitation properties from the new P3 scheme, original two-moment P3 scheme, SBM, and in-situ aircraft measurements. The improved simulation results by the new P3 scheme will be discussed and physically explained.

Classification of Clouds and Deep Convection from GEOS-5 Using Satellite Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Putman, William; Suarez, Max

2010-01-01

With the increased resolution of global atmospheric models and the push toward global cloud resolving models, the resemblance of model output to satellite observations has become strikingly similar. As we progress with our adaptation of the Goddard Earth Observing System Model, Version 5 (GEOS-5) as a high resolution cloud system resolving model, evaluation of cloud properties and deep convection require in-depth analysis beyond a visual comparison. Outgoing long-wave radiation (OLR) provides a sufficient comparison with infrared (IR) satellite imagery to isolate areas of deep convection. We have adopted a binning technique to generate a series of histograms for OLR which classify the presence and fraction of clear sky versus deep convection in the tropics that can be compared with a similar analyses of IR imagery from composite Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) observations. We will present initial results that have been used to evaluate the amount of deep convective parameterization required within the model as we move toward cloud system resolving resolutions of 10- to 1-km globally.

Analyzing and leveraging self-similarity for variable resolution atmospheric models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Brien, Travis; Collins, William

2015-04-01

Variable resolution modeling techniques are rapidly becoming a popular strategy for achieving high resolution in a global atmospheric models without the computational cost of global high resolution. However, recent studies have demonstrated a variety of resolution-dependent, and seemingly artificial, features. We argue that the scaling properties of the atmosphere are key to understanding how the statistics of an atmospheric model should change with resolution. We provide two such examples. In the first example we show that the scaling properties of the cloud number distribution define how the ratio of resolved to unresolved clouds should increase with resolution. We show that the loss of resolved clouds, in the high resolution region of variable resolution simulations, with the Community Atmosphere Model version 4 (CAM4) is an artifact of the model's treatment of condensed water (this artifact is significantly reduced in CAM5). In the second example we show that the scaling properties of the horizontal velocity field, combined with the incompressibility assumption, necessarily result in an intensification of vertical mass flux as resolution increases. We show that such an increase is present in a wide variety of models, including CAM and the regional climate models of the ENSEMBLES intercomparision. We present theoretical arguments linking this increase to the intensification of precipitation with increasing resolution.

Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Tropospheric Clouds and Aerosols Observed by MODIS Onboard the Terra and Aqua Satellites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

King, Michael D.; Platnick, Steven; Menzel, W. Paul; Ackerman, Steven A.; Remer, Lorraine A.

2006-01-01

Remote sensing of cloud and aerosol optical properties is routinely obtained using the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) onboard the Terra and Aqua satellites. Instruments that are being used to enhance our ability to characterize the global distribution of cloud and aerosol properties include well-calibrated multispectral radiometers that measure in the visible, near-infrared, and thermal infrared. The availability of thermal channels to enhance detection of cloud when estimating aerosol properties is an important improvement. In this paper, we describe the radiative properties of clouds as currently determined from satellites (cloud fraction, optical thickness, cloud top pressure, and cloud particle effective radius) and highlight the global/regional cloud microphysical properties currently available for assessing climate variability and forcing. These include the latitudinal distribution of cloud optical and radiative properties of both liquid water and ice clouds, as well as joint histograms of cloud optical thickness and effective particle radius for selected geographical locations around the world. In addition, we will illustrate the radiative and microphysical properties of aerosol particles (in cloud free regions) that are currently available from space-based observations, and show the latitudinal distribution of aerosol optical properties over both land and ocean surfaces.

Dense Regions in Supersonic Isothermal Turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robertson, Brant; Goldreich, Peter

2018-02-01

The properties of supersonic isothermal turbulence influence a variety of astrophysical phenomena, including the structure and evolution of star-forming clouds. This work presents a simple model for the structure of dense regions in turbulence in which the density distribution behind isothermal shocks originates from rough hydrostatic balance between the pressure gradient behind the shock and its deceleration from ram pressure applied by the background fluid. Using simulations of supersonic isothermal turbulence and idealized waves moving through a background medium, we show that the structural properties of dense, shocked regions broadly agree with our analytical model. Our work provides a new conceptual picture for describing the dense regions, which complements theoretical efforts to understand the bulk statistical properties of turbulence and attempts to model the more complex features of star-forming clouds like magnetic fields, self-gravity, or radiative properties.

The effect of mineral dust and soot aerosols on ice microphysics near the foothills of the Himalayas: A numerical investigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hazra, Anupam; Padmakumari, B.; Maheskumar, R. S.; Chen, Jen-Ping

2016-05-01

This study investigates the influence of different ice nuclei (IN) species and their number concentrations on cloud ice production. The numerical simulation with different species of ice nuclei is investigated using an explicit bulk-water microphysical scheme in a Mesoscale Meteorological Model version 5 (MM5). The species dependent ice nucleation parameterization that is based on the classical nucleation theory has been implemented into the model. The IN species considered include dust and soot with two different concentrations (Low and High). The simulated cloud microphysical properties like droplet number concentration and droplet effective radii as well as macro-properties (equivalent potential temperature and relative humidity) are comparable with aircraft observations. When higher dust IN concentrations are considered, the simulation results showed good agreement with the cloud ice and cloud water mixing ratio from aircraft measurements during Cloud Aerosol Interactions and Precipitation Enhancement Experiment (CAIPEEX) and Modern Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) reanalysis. Relative importance of IN species is shown as compared to the homogeneous freezing nucleation process. The tendency of cloud ice production rates is also analyzed and found that dust IN is more efficient in producing cloud ice when compared to soot IN. The dust IN with high concentration can produce more surface precipitation than soot IN at the same concentration. This study highlights the need to improve the ice nucleation parameterization in numerical models.

Investigation of the radiative forcings of thin cirrus in the tropical atmosphere using remote sensing data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yue, Qing

Cirrus clouds have a unique influence on the climate system through their effects on the radiation budget of the earth and the atmosphere. To better understand the radiative effect of cirrus clouds, the microphysical and radiative properties of these clouds, especially tropical thin cirrus clouds, are studied based on both insitu cirrus measurements and satellite remote sensing observations. We perform a correlation analysis involving ice water content (IWC) and mean effective diameter (De) for applications to radiative transfer calculations and climate models using insitu measurements obtained from numerous field campaigns in the tropics, midlatitude, and Arctic regions. In conjunction with the study of cirrus clouds, we develop a high-resolution spectral infrared radiative transfer model for thin cirrus cloudy atmosphere, which is employed to retrieve De and cirrus optical depth from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) infrared spectra. Numerical simulations show that cirrus cloudy radiances in the 800-1130 cm-1 thermal infrared window are sufficiently sensitive to variations in cirrus optical depth, and ice crystal size and habit. A number of nighttime thin cirrus scenes over the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program's Tropical Western Pacific sites have been selected from AIRS datasets for this study. The radiative transfer model is applied to these selected cases to determine cirrus optical depth, De and habit factors. Solar and infrared radiative forcings and heating rates produced by thin cirrus in the tropical atmosphere have been calculated using the retrieved cirrus optical and microphysical properties along with a modified Fu and Liou broadband radiative transfer scheme to analyze their dependence on cirrus cloud properties. Generally, larger TOA warming and smaller surface warming are associated with higher cirrus clouds. To cross-check the validity of our model, the collocated and coincident surface radiation measurements taken by ARM pyrgeometers have been compared with the calculated surface fluxes. Using the method developed in this study, regional radiation budget analyses can be carried out in the future study to quantitatively understand the role of thin cirrus clouds on solar and thermal infrared radiative forcings at the top of the atmosphere, the tropopause, and the surface.

Investigating cloud absorption effects: Global absorption properties of black carbon, tar balls, and soil dust in clouds and aerosols

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jacobson, Mark Z.

2012-03-01

This study examines modeled properties of black carbon (BC), tar ball (TB), and soil dust (SD) absorption within clouds and aerosols to understand better Cloud Absorption Effects I and II, which are defined as the effects on cloud heating of absorbing inclusions in hydrometeor particles and of absorbing aerosol particles interstitially between hydrometeor particles at their actual relative humidity (RH), respectively. The globally and annually averaged modeled 550 nm aerosol mass absorption coefficient (AMAC) of externally mixed BC was 6.72 (6.3-7.3) m2/g, within the laboratory range (6.3-8.7 m2/g). The global AMAC of internally mixed (IM) BC was 16.2 (13.9-18.2) m2/g, less than the measured maximum at 100% RH (23 m2/g). The resulting AMAC amplification factor due to internal mixing was 2.41 (2-2.9), with highest values in high RH regions. The global 650 nm hydrometeor mass absorption coefficient (HMAC) due to BC inclusions was 17.7 (10.6-19) m2/g, ˜9.3% higher than that of the IM-AMAC. The 650 nm HMACs of TBs and SD were half and 1/190th, respectively, that of BC. Modeled aerosol absorption optical depths were consistent with data. In column tests, BC inclusions in low and mid clouds (CAE I) gave column-integrated BC heating rates ˜200% and 235%, respectively, those of interstitial BC at the actual cloud RH (CAE II), which itself gave heating rates ˜120% and ˜130%, respectively, those of interstitial BC at the clear-sky RH. Globally, cloud optical depth increased then decreased with increasing aerosol optical depth, consistent with boomerang curves from satellite studies. Thus, CAEs, which are largely ignored, heat clouds significantly.

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.

Beyond multi-fractals: surrogate time series and fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Venema, V.; Simmer, C.

2007-12-01

Most natural complex are characterised by variability on a large range of temporal and spatial scales. The two main methodologies to generate such structures are Fourier/FARIMA based algorithms and multifractal methods. The former is restricted to Gaussian data, whereas the latter requires the structure to be self-similar. This work will present so-called surrogate data as an alternative that works with any (empirical) distribution and power spectrum. The best-known surrogate algorithm is the iterative amplitude adjusted Fourier transform (IAAFT) algorithm. We have studied six different geophysical time series (two clouds, runoff of a small and a large river, temperature and rain) and their surrogates. The power spectra and consequently the 2nd order structure functions were replicated accurately. Even the fourth order structure function was more accurately reproduced by the surrogates as would be possible by a fractal method, because the measured structure deviated too strong from fractal scaling. Only in case of the daily rain sums a fractal method could have been more accurate. Just as Fourier and multifractal methods, the current surrogates are not able to model the asymmetric increment distributions observed for runoff, i.e., they cannot reproduce nonlinear dynamical processes that are asymmetric in time. Furthermore, we have found differences for the structure functions on small scales. Surrogate methods are especially valuable for empirical studies, because the time series and fields that are generated are able to mimic measured variables accurately. Our main application is radiative transfer through structured clouds. Like many geophysical fields, clouds can only be sampled sparsely, e.g. with in-situ airborne instruments. However, for radiative transfer calculations we need full 3-dimensional cloud fields. A first study relating the measured properties of the cloud droplets and the radiative properties of the cloud field by generating surrogate cloud fields yielded good results within the measurement error. A further test of the suitability of the surrogate clouds for radiative transfer is evaluated by comparing the radiative properties of model cloud fields of sparse cumulus and stratocumulus with their surrogate fields. The bias and root mean square error in various radiative properties is small and the deviations in the radiances and irradiances are not statistically significant, i.e. these deviations can be attributed to the Monte Carlo noise of the radiative transfer calculations. We compared these results with optical properties of synthetic clouds that have either the correct distribution (but no spatial correlations) or the correct power spectrum (but a Gaussian distribution). These clouds did show statistical significant deviations. For more information see: http://www.meteo.uni-bonn.de/venema/themes/surrogates/

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.

Ice clouds optical properties in the Far Infrared from the ECOWAR-COBRA Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rizzi, Rolando; Tosi, Ennio

ECOWAR-COBRA (Earth COoling by WAter vapouR emission -Campagna di Osservazioni della Banda Rotazionale del vapor d'Acqua) field campaign took place in Italy from 3 to 17 March 2007 with the main goal of studying the scarcely sensed atmospheric emission occurring beyond 17 microns. Instrumentation involved in the campaign included two different Fourier Transforms Spectrometers (FTS) : REFIR-PAD (at Testa Grigia Station, 3500 m a.s.l.) and FTIR-ABB (at Cervinia Station, 1990 m a.s.l.). In this work cloudy sky data have been ana-lyzed. A cloud properties retrieval methodology (RT-RET), based on high spectral resolution measurements in the atmospheric window (800-1000 cm-1), is applied to both FTS sensors. Cloud properties determined from the infrared retrievals are compared with those obtained from Raman lidar taken by the BASIL Lidar system that was operating at Cervinia station. Cloud microphysical and optical properties retrieved by RT-RET are used to perform forward simulations over the entire FTSs measurements spectral interval. Results are compared to FTS data to test the ability of single scattering ice crystals models to reproduce cloudy sky radiances in the Far Infra-Red (FIR) part of the spectrum. New methods to retrieve cloud optical and microphysical properties exploiting high spectral resolution FIR measurements are also investigated.

Impacts of Subgrid Heterogeneous Mixing between Cloud Liquid and Ice on the Wegner-Bergeron-Findeisen Process and Mixed-phase Clouds in NCAR CAM5

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, X.; Zhang, M.; Zhang, D.; Wang, Z.; Wang, Y.

2017-12-01

Mixed-phase clouds are persistently observed over the Arctic and the phase partitioning between cloud liquid and ice hydrometeors in mixed-phase clouds has important impacts on the surface energy budget and Arctic climate. In this study, we test the NCAR Community Atmosphere Model Version 5 (CAM5) with the single-column and weather forecast configurations and evaluate the model performance against observation data from the DOE Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program's M-PACE field campaign in October 2004 and long-term ground-based multi-sensor remote sensing measurements. Like most global climate models, we find that CAM5 also poorly simulates the phase partitioning in mixed-phase clouds by significantly underestimating the cloud liquid water content. Assuming pocket structures in the distribution of cloud liquid and ice in mixed-phase clouds as suggested by in situ observations provides a plausible solution to improve the model performance by reducing the Wegner-Bergeron-Findeisen (WBF) process rate. In this study, the modification of the WBF process in the CAM5 model has been achieved with applying a stochastic perturbation to the time scale of the WBF process relevant to both ice and snow to account for the heterogeneous mixture of cloud liquid and ice. Our results show that this modification of WBF process improves the modeled phase partitioning in the mixed-phase clouds. The seasonal variation of mixed-phase cloud properties is also better reproduced in the model in comparison with the long-term ground-based remote sensing observations. Furthermore, the phase partitioning is insensitive to the reassignment time step of perturbations.

Improving microphysics in a convective parameterization: possibilities and limitations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Labbouz, Laurent; Heikenfeld, Max; Stier, Philip; Morrison, Hugh; Milbrandt, Jason; Protat, Alain; Kipling, Zak

2017-04-01

The convective cloud field model (CCFM) is a convective parameterization implemented in the climate model ECHAM6.1-HAM2.2. It represents a population of clouds within each ECHAM-HAM model column, simulating up to 10 different convective cloud types with individual radius, vertical velocities and microphysical properties. Comparisons between CCFM and radar data at Darwin, Australia, show that in order to reproduce both the convective cloud top height distribution and the vertical velocity profile, the effect of aerodynamic drag on the rising parcel has to be considered, along with a reduced entrainment parameter. A new double-moment microphysics (the Predicted Particle Properties scheme, P3) has been implemented in the latest version of CCFM and is compared to the standard single-moment microphysics and the radar retrievals at Darwin. The microphysical process rates (autoconversion, accretion, deposition, freezing, …) and their response to changes in CDNC are investigated and compared to high resolution CRM WRF simulations over the Amazon region. The results shed light on the possibilities and limitations of microphysics improvements in the framework of CCFM and in convective parameterizations in general.

Top-down and bottom-up aerosol-cloud closure: towards understanding sources of uncertainty in deriving cloud shortwave radiative flux

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanchez, Kevin J.; Roberts, Gregory C.; Calmer, Radiance; Nicoll, Keri; Hashimshoni, Eyal; Rosenfeld, Daniel; Ovadnevaite, Jurgita; Preissler, Jana; Ceburnis, Darius; O'Dowd, Colin; Russell, Lynn M.

2017-08-01

Top-down and bottom-up aerosol-cloud shortwave radiative flux closures were conducted at the Mace Head Atmospheric Research Station in Galway, Ireland, in August 2015. This study is part of the BACCHUS (Impact of Biogenic versus Anthropogenic emissions on Clouds and Climate: towards a Holistic UnderStanding) European collaborative project, with the goal of understanding key processes affecting aerosol-cloud shortwave radiative flux closures to improve future climate predictions and develop sustainable policies for Europe. Instrument platforms include ground-based unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)1 and satellite measurements of aerosols, clouds and meteorological variables. The ground-based and airborne measurements of aerosol size distributions and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentration were used to initiate a 1-D microphysical aerosol-cloud parcel model (ACPM). UAVs were equipped for a specific science mission, with an optical particle counter for aerosol distribution profiles, a cloud sensor to measure cloud extinction or a five-hole probe for 3-D wind vectors. UAV cloud measurements are rare and have only become possible in recent years through the miniaturization of instrumentation. These are the first UAV measurements at Mace Head. ACPM simulations are compared to in situ cloud extinction measurements from UAVs to quantify closure in terms of cloud shortwave radiative flux. Two out of seven cases exhibit sub-adiabatic vertical temperature profiles within the cloud, which suggests that entrainment processes affect cloud microphysical properties and lead to an overestimate of simulated cloud shortwave radiative flux. Including an entrainment parameterization and explicitly calculating the entrainment fraction in the ACPM simulations both improved cloud-top radiative closure. Entrainment reduced the difference between simulated and observation-derived cloud-top shortwave radiative flux (δRF) by between 25 and 60 W m-2. After accounting for entrainment, satellite-derived cloud droplet number concentrations (CDNCs) were within 30 % of simulated CDNC. In cases with a well-mixed boundary layer, δRF is no greater than 20 W m-2 after accounting for cloud-top entrainment and up to 50 W m-2 when entrainment is not taken into account. In cases with a decoupled boundary layer, cloud microphysical properties are inconsistent with ground-based aerosol measurements, as expected, and δRF is as high as 88 W m-2, even high (> 30 W m-2) after accounting for cloud-top entrainment. This work demonstrates the need to take in situ measurements of aerosol properties for cases where the boundary layer is decoupled as well as consider cloud-top entrainment to accurately model stratocumulus cloud radiative flux. 1The regulatory term for UAV is remotely piloted aircraft (RPA).

ARM Research in the Equatorial Western Pacific: A Decade and Counting

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Long, C. N.; McFarlane, S. A.; DelGenio, A.; Minnis, P.; Ackerman, T. S.; Mather, J.; Comstock, J.; Mace, G. G.; Jensen, M.; Jakob, C.

2013-01-01

The tropical western Pacific (TWP) is an important climatic region. Strong solar heating, warm sea surface temperatures, and the annual progression of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) across this region generate abundant convective systems, which through their effects on the heat and water budgets have a profound impact on global climate and precipitation. In order to accurately evaluate tropical cloud systems in models, measurements of tropical clouds, the environment in which they reside, and their impact on the radiation and water budgets are needed. Because of the remote location, ground-based datasets of cloud, atmosphere, and radiation properties from the TWP region have come primarily from short-term field experiments. While providing extremely useful information on physical processes, these short-term datasets are limited in statistical and climatological information. To provide longterm measurements of the surface radiation budget in the tropics and the atmospheric properties that affect it, the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program established a measurement site on Manus Island, Papua New Guinea, in 1996 and on the island republic of Nauru in late 1998. These sites provide unique datasets now available for more than 10 years on Manus and Nauru. This article presents examples of the scientific use of these datasets including characterization of cloud properties, analysis of cloud radiative forcing, model studies of tropical clouds and processes, and validation of satellite algorithms. New instrumentation recently installed at the Manus site will provide expanded opportunities for tropical atmospheric science.

Filtering and Gridding Satellite Observations of Cloud Variables to Compare with Climate Model Output

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pitts, K.; Nasiri, S. L.; Smith, N.

2013-12-01

Global climate models have improved considerably over the years, yet clouds still represent a large factor of uncertainty for these models. Comparisons of model-simulated cloud variables with equivalent satellite cloud products are the best way to start diagnosing the differences between model output and observations. Gridded (level 3) cloud products from many different satellites and instruments are required for a full analysis, but these products are created by different science teams using different algorithms and filtering criteria to create similar, but not directly comparable, cloud products. This study makes use of a recently developed uniform space-time gridding algorithm to create a new set of gridded cloud products from each satellite instrument's level 2 data of interest which are each filtered using the same criteria, allowing for a more direct comparison between satellite products. The filtering is done via several variables such as cloud top pressure/height, thermodynamic phase, optical properties, satellite viewing angle, and sun zenith angle. The filtering criteria are determined based on the variable being analyzed and the science question at hand. Each comparison of different variables may require different filtering strategies as no single approach is appropriate for all problems. Beyond inter-satellite data comparison, these new sets of uniformly gridded satellite products can also be used for comparison with model-simulated cloud variables. Of particular interest to this study are the differences in the vertical distributions of ice and liquid water content between the satellite retrievals and model simulations, especially in the mid-troposphere where there are mixed-phase clouds to consider. This presentation will demonstrate the proof of concept through comparisons of cloud water path from Aqua MODIS retrievals and NASA GISS-E2-[R/H] model simulations archived in the CMIP5 data portal.

Tropical and Subtropical Cloud Transitions in Weather and Climate Prediction Models: The GCSS/WGNE Pacific Cross-Section Intercomparison (GPCI)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Teixeira, J.; Cardoso, S.; Bonazzola, M.; Cole, J.; DeGenio, A.; DeMott, C.; Franklin, C.; Hannay, C.; Jakob, C.; Jiao, Y.;

Towards a bulk approach to local interactions of hydrometeors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baumgartner, Manuel; Spichtinger, Peter

2018-02-01

The growth of small cloud droplets and ice crystals is dominated by the diffusion of water vapor. Usually, Maxwell's approach to growth for isolated particles is used in describing this process. However, recent investigations show that local interactions between particles can change diffusion properties of cloud particles. In this study we develop an approach for including these local interactions into a bulk model approach. For this purpose, a simplified framework of local interaction is proposed and governing equations are derived from this setup. The new model is tested against direct simulations and incorporated into a parcel model framework. Using the parcel model, possible implications of the new model approach for clouds are investigated. The results indicate that for specific scenarios the lifetime of cloud droplets in subsaturated air may be longer (e.g., for an initially water supersaturated air parcel within a downdraft). These effects might have an impact on mixed-phase clouds, for example in terms of riming efficiencies.

Meteorological and Aerosol effects on Marine Cloud Microphysical Properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanchez, K. J.; Russell, L. M.; Modini, R. L.; Frossard, A. A.; Ahlm, L.; Roberts, G.; Hawkins, L. N.; Schroder, J. C.; Wang, Z.; Lee, A.; Abbatt, J.; Lin, J.; Nenes, A.; Wonaschuetz, A.; Sorooshian, A.; Noone, K.; Jonsson, H.; Albrecht, B. A.; Desiree, T. S.; Macdonald, A. M.; Seinfeld, J.; Zhao, R.

2015-12-01

Both meteorology and microphysics affect cloud formation and consequently their droplet distributions and shortwave reflectance. The Eastern Pacific Emitted Aerosol Cloud Experiment (EPEACE) and the Stratocumulus Observations of Los-Angeles Emissions Derived Aerosol-Droplets (SOLEDAD) studies provide detailed measurements in 6 case studies of both cloud thermodynamic properties and initial particle number distribution and composition, as well as the resulting cloud drop distribution and composition. This study uses simulations of a detailed chemical and microphysical aerosol-cloud parcel (ACP) model with explicit kinetic drop activation to reproduce the observed cloud droplet distribution and composition. Four of the cases examined had a sub-adiabatic lapse rate, which was shown to have fewer droplets due to decreased maximum supersaturation, lower LWC and higher cloud base height, consistent with previous findings. These detailed case studies provided measured thermodynamics and microphysics that constrained the simulated droplet size distribution sufficiently to match the droplet number within 6% and the size within 19% for 4 of the 6 cases, demonstrating "closure" or consistency of the measured composition with the measured CCN spectra and the inferred and modeled supersaturation. The contribution of organic components to droplet formation shows small effects on the droplet number and size in the 4 marine cases that had background aerosol conditions with varying amounts of coastal, ship or other non-biogenic sources. In contrast, the organic fraction and hygroscopicity increased the droplet number and size in the cases with generated smoke and cargo ship plumes that were freshly emitted and not yet internally mixed with the background particles. The simulation results show organic hygroscopicity causes small effects on cloud reflectivity (<0.7%) with the exception of the cargo ship plume and smoke plume which increased absolute cloud reflectivity fraction by 0.02 and 0.20 respectively. In addition, the ACP model simulations are compared to those from a numerical parameterization of cloud droplet activation that is suitable for GCMs and show droplet concentrations are comparable between the two methods.

Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Tropospheric Clouds and Aerosols Observed by MODIS Onboard the Terra and Aqua Satellites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

King, Michael D.; Platnick, Steven; Remer, Lorraine A.; Kaufman, Yoram J.

2004-01-01

Remote sensing of cloud and aerosol optical properties is routinely obtained using the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) onboard the Terra and Aqua satellites. Techniques that are being used to enhance our ability to characterize the global distribution of cloud and aerosol properties include well-calibrated multispectral radiometers that rely on visible, near-infrared, and thermal infrared channels. The availability of thermal channels to aid in cloud screening for aerosol properties is an important additional piece of information that has not always been incorporated into sensor designs. In this paper, we describe the radiative properties of clouds as currently determined from satellites (cloud fraction, optical thickness, cloud top pressure, and cloud effective radius), and highlight the global and regional cloud microphysical properties currently available for assessing climate variability and forcing. These include the latitudinal distribution of cloud optical and radiative properties of both liquid water and ice clouds, as well as joint histograms of cloud optical thickness and effective radius for selected geographical locations around the world. In addition, we will illustrate the radiative and microphysical properties of aerosol particles that are currently available from space-based observations, and show selected cases in which aerosol particles are observed to modify the cloud optical properties.

Constraining the instantaneous aerosol influence on cloud albedo

DOE PAGES

Gryspeerdt, Edward; Quaas, Johannes; Ferrachat, Sylvaine; ...

2017-04-26

Much of the uncertainty in estimates of the anthropogenic forcing of climate change comes from uncertainties in the instantaneous effect of aerosols on cloud albedo, known as the Twomey effect or the radiative forcing from aerosol–cloud interactions (RFaci), a component of the total or effective radiative forcing. Because aerosols serving as cloud condensation nuclei can have a strong influence on the cloud droplet number concentration ( N d), previous studies have used the sensitivity of the N d to aerosol properties as a constraint on the strength of the RFaci. However, recent studies have suggested that relationships between aerosol andmore » cloud properties in the present-day climate may not be suitable for determining the sensitivity of the N d to anthropogenic aerosol perturbations. Using an ensemble of global aerosol–climate models, this study demonstrates how joint histograms between N d and aerosol properties can account for many of the issues raised by previous studies. It shows that if the anthropogenic contribution to the aerosol is known, the RFaci can be diagnosed to within 20% of its actual value. Furthermore, the accuracy of different aerosol proxies for diagnosing the RFaci is investigated, confirming that using the aerosol optical depth significantly underestimates the strength of the aerosol–cloud interactions in satellite data.« less

Constraining the instantaneous aerosol influence on cloud albedo

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

Gryspeerdt, Edward; Quaas, Johannes; Ferrachat, Sylvaine

Much of the uncertainty in estimates of the anthropogenic forcing of climate change comes from uncertainties in the instantaneous effect of aerosols on cloud albedo, known as the Twomey effect or the radiative forcing from aerosol–cloud interactions (RFaci), a component of the total or effective radiative forcing. Because aerosols serving as cloud condensation nuclei can have a strong influence on the cloud droplet number concentration ( N d), previous studies have used the sensitivity of the N d to aerosol properties as a constraint on the strength of the RFaci. However, recent studies have suggested that relationships between aerosol andmore » cloud properties in the present-day climate may not be suitable for determining the sensitivity of the N d to anthropogenic aerosol perturbations. Using an ensemble of global aerosol–climate models, this study demonstrates how joint histograms between N d and aerosol properties can account for many of the issues raised by previous studies. It shows that if the anthropogenic contribution to the aerosol is known, the RFaci can be diagnosed to within 20% of its actual value. Furthermore, the accuracy of different aerosol proxies for diagnosing the RFaci is investigated, confirming that using the aerosol optical depth significantly underestimates the strength of the aerosol–cloud interactions in satellite data.« less

Constraining the instantaneous aerosol influence on cloud albedo

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

Gryspeerdt, Edward; Quaas, Johannes; Ferrachat, Sylvaine

2017-04-26

Much of the uncertainty in estimates of the anthropogenic forcing of climate change comes from uncertainties in the instantaneous effect of aerosols on cloud albedo, known as the Twomey effect or the radiative forcing from aerosol–cloud interactions (RFaci), a component of the total or effective radiative forcing. Because aerosols serving as cloud condensation nuclei can have a strong influence on the cloud droplet number concentration (Nd), previous studies have used the sensitivity of the Nd to aerosol properties as a constraint on the strength of the RFaci. However, recent studies have suggested that relationships between aerosol and cloud properties inmore » the present-day climate may not be suitable for determining the sensitivity of the Nd to anthropogenic aerosol perturbations. Using an ensemble of global aerosol–climate models, this study demonstrates how joint histograms between Nd and aerosol properties can account for many of the issues raised by previous studies. It shows that if the anthropogenic contribution to the aerosol is known, the RFaci can be diagnosed to within 20% of its actual value. The accuracy of different aerosol proxies for diagnosing the RFaci is investigated, confirming that using the aerosol optical depth significantly underestimates the strength of the aerosol–cloud interactions in satellite data.« less

Constraining the instantaneous aerosol influence on cloud albedo.

PubMed

Gryspeerdt, Edward; Quaas, Johannes; Ferrachat, Sylvaine; Gettelman, Andrew; Ghan, Steven; Lohmann, Ulrike; Morrison, Hugh; Neubauer, David; Partridge, Daniel G; Stier, Philip; Takemura, Toshihiko; Wang, Hailong; Wang, Minghuai; Zhang, Kai

2017-05-09

Much of the uncertainty in estimates of the anthropogenic forcing of climate change comes from uncertainties in the instantaneous effect of aerosols on cloud albedo, known as the Twomey effect or the radiative forcing from aerosol-cloud interactions (RFaci), a component of the total or effective radiative forcing. Because aerosols serving as cloud condensation nuclei can have a strong influence on the cloud droplet number concentration ( N d ), previous studies have used the sensitivity of the N d to aerosol properties as a constraint on the strength of the RFaci. However, recent studies have suggested that relationships between aerosol and cloud properties in the present-day climate may not be suitable for determining the sensitivity of the N d to anthropogenic aerosol perturbations. Using an ensemble of global aerosol-climate models, this study demonstrates how joint histograms between N d and aerosol properties can account for many of the issues raised by previous studies. It shows that if the anthropogenic contribution to the aerosol is known, the RFaci can be diagnosed to within 20% of its actual value. The accuracy of different aerosol proxies for diagnosing the RFaci is investigated, confirming that using the aerosol optical depth significantly underestimates the strength of the aerosol-cloud interactions in satellite data.

A Coupled fcGCM-GCE Modeling System: A 3D Cloud Resolving Model and a Regional Scale Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tao, Wei-Kuo

2005-01-01

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 ore 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 explicity 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), (3) A discussion on the Goddard WRF version (its developments and applications), and (4) The characteristics of the four-dimensional cloud data sets (or cloud library) stored at Goddard.

Properties of the electron cloud in a high-energy positron and electron storage ring

DOE PAGES

Harkay, K. C.; Rosenberg, R. A.

2003-03-20

Low-energy, background electrons are ubiquitous in high-energy particle accelerators. Under certain conditions, interactions between this electron cloud and the high-energy beam can give rise to numerous effects that can seriously degrade the accelerator performance. These effects range from vacuum degradation to collective beam instabilities and emittance blowup. Although electron-cloud effects were first observed two decades ago in a few proton storage rings, they have in recent years been widely observed and intensely studied in positron and proton rings. Electron-cloud diagnostics developed at the Advanced Photon Source enabled for the first time detailed, direct characterization of the electron-cloud properties in amore » positron and electron storage ring. From in situ measurements of the electron flux and energy distribution at the vacuum chamber wall, electron-cloud production mechanisms and details of the beam-cloud interaction can be inferred. A significant longitudinal variation of the electron cloud is also observed, due primarily to geometrical details of the vacuum chamber. Furthermore, such experimental data can be used to provide realistic limits on key input parameters in modeling efforts, leading ultimately to greater confidence in predicting electron-cloud effects in future accelerators.« less

Natural Aerosols Explain Seasonal and Spatial Patterns of Southern Ocean Cloud Albedo

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

McCoy, Daniel; Burrows, Susannah M.; Wood, R.

2015-07-17

Small particles called aerosols act as nucleation sites for cloud drop formation, affecting clouds and cloud properties – ultimately influencing the cloud dynamics, lifetime, water path and areal extent that determine the reflectivity (albedo) of clouds. The concentration Nd of droplets in clouds that influences planetary albedo is sensitive to the availability of aerosol particles on which the droplets form. Natural aerosol concentrations not only affect cloud properties themselves, but also modulate the sensitivity of clouds to changes in anthropogenic aerosols. Here, it is shown that modeled natural aerosols, principally marine biogenic primary and secondary aerosol sources, explain more thanmore » half of the spatiotemporal variability in satellite-observed Nd. Enhanced Nd over regions of high biological activity is found to be driven primarily by high concentrations of sulfate aerosol at lower Southern Ocean latitudes (35-45°S) and by organic matter in sea spray aerosol at higher latitudes (45-55°S). Biogenic sources are estimated to increase the summertime mean reflected solar radiation in excess of 10 W m-2 over parts of the Southern Ocean, which is comparable to the annual mean increases expected from anthropogenic aerosols over heavily polluted regions of the Northern Hemisphere.« less

Could cirrus clouds have warmed early Mars?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramirez, Ramses M.; Kasting, James F.

2017-01-01

The presence of the ancient valley networks on Mars indicates that the climate at 3.8 Ga was warm enough to allow substantial liquid water to flow on the martian surface for extended periods of time. However, the mechanism for producing this warming continues to be debated. One hypothesis is that Mars could have been kept warm by global cirrus cloud decks in a CO2sbnd H2O atmosphere containing at least 0.25 bar of CO2 (Urata and Toon, 2013). Initial warming from some other process, e.g., impacts, would be required to make this model work. Those results were generated using the CAM 3-D global climate model. Here, we use a single-column radioactive-convective climate model to further investigate the cirrus cloud warming hypothesis. Our calculations indicate that cirrus cloud decks could have produced global mean surface temperatures above freezing, but only if cirrus cloud cover approaches ∼75 - 100% and if other cloud properties (e.g., height, optical depth, particle size) are chosen favorably. However, at more realistic cirrus cloud fractions, or if cloud parameters are not optimal, cirrus clouds do not provide the necessary warming, suggesting that other greenhouse mechanisms are needed.

From large-eddy simulation to multi-UAVs sampling of shallow cumulus clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lamraoui, Fayçal; Roberts, Greg; Burnet, Frédéric

2016-04-01

In-situ sampling of clouds that can provide simultaneous measurements at satisfying spatio-temporal resolutions to capture 3D small scale physical processes continues to present challenges. This project (SKYSCANNER) aims at bringing together cloud sampling strategies using a swarm of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) based on Large-eddy simulation (LES). The multi-UAV-based field campaigns with a personalized sampling strategy for individual clouds and cloud fields will significantly improve the understanding of the unresolved cloud physical processes. An extensive set of LES experiments for case studies from ARM-SGP site have been performed using MesoNH model at high resolutions down to 10 m. The carried out simulations led to establishing a macroscopic model that quantifies the interrelationship between micro- and macrophysical properties of shallow convective clouds. Both the geometry and evolution of individual clouds are critical to multi-UAV cloud sampling and path planning. The preliminary findings of the current project reveal several linear relationships that associate many cloud geometric parameters to cloud related meteorological variables. In addition, the horizontal wind speed indicates a proportional impact on cloud number concentration as well as triggering and prolonging the occurrence of cumulus clouds. In the framework of the joint collaboration that involves a Multidisciplinary Team (including institutes specializing in aviation, robotics and atmospheric science), this model will be a reference point for multi-UAVs sampling strategies and path planning.

Understanding the tropical cloud feedback from an analysis of the circulation and stability regimes simulated from an upgraded multiscale modeling framework

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

Xu, Kuan-Man; Cheng, Anning

As revealed from studies using conventional general circulation models (GCMs), the thermodynamic contribution to the tropical cloud feedback dominates the dynamic contribution, but these models have difficulty in simulating the subsidence regimes in the tropics. In this study, we analyze the tropical cloud feedback from a 2 K sea surface temperature (SST) perturbation experiment performed with a multiscale modeling framework (MMF). The MMF explicitly represents cloud processes using 2-D cloud-resolving models with an advanced higher-order turbulence closure in each atmospheric column of the host GCM. We sort the monthly mean cloud properties and cloud radiative effects according to circulation andmore » stability regimes. Here, we find that the regime-sorted dynamic changes dominate the thermodynamic changes in terms of the absolute magnitude. The dynamic changes in the weak subsidence regimes exhibit strong negative cloud feedback due to increases in shallow cumulus and deep clouds while those in strongly convective and moderate-to-strong subsidence regimes have opposite signs, resulting in a small contribution to cloud feedback. On the other hand, the thermodynamic changes are large due to decreases in stratocumulus clouds in the moderate-to-strong subsidence regimes with small opposite changes in the weak subsidence and strongly convective regimes, resulting in a relatively large contribution to positive cloud feedback. The dynamic and thermodynamic changes contribute equally to positive cloud feedback and are relatively insensitive to stability in the moderate-to-strong subsidence regimes. But they are sensitive to stability changes from the SST increase in convective and weak subsidence regimes. Lastly, these results have implications for interpreting cloud feedback mechanisms.« less

Understanding the tropical cloud feedback from an analysis of the circulation and stability regimes simulated from an upgraded multiscale modeling framework

DOE PAGES

Xu, Kuan-Man; Cheng, Anning

2016-11-15

As revealed from studies using conventional general circulation models (GCMs), the thermodynamic contribution to the tropical cloud feedback dominates the dynamic contribution, but these models have difficulty in simulating the subsidence regimes in the tropics. In this study, we analyze the tropical cloud feedback from a 2 K sea surface temperature (SST) perturbation experiment performed with a multiscale modeling framework (MMF). The MMF explicitly represents cloud processes using 2-D cloud-resolving models with an advanced higher-order turbulence closure in each atmospheric column of the host GCM. We sort the monthly mean cloud properties and cloud radiative effects according to circulation andmore » stability regimes. Here, we find that the regime-sorted dynamic changes dominate the thermodynamic changes in terms of the absolute magnitude. The dynamic changes in the weak subsidence regimes exhibit strong negative cloud feedback due to increases in shallow cumulus and deep clouds while those in strongly convective and moderate-to-strong subsidence regimes have opposite signs, resulting in a small contribution to cloud feedback. On the other hand, the thermodynamic changes are large due to decreases in stratocumulus clouds in the moderate-to-strong subsidence regimes with small opposite changes in the weak subsidence and strongly convective regimes, resulting in a relatively large contribution to positive cloud feedback. The dynamic and thermodynamic changes contribute equally to positive cloud feedback and are relatively insensitive to stability in the moderate-to-strong subsidence regimes. But they are sensitive to stability changes from the SST increase in convective and weak subsidence regimes. Lastly, these results have implications for interpreting cloud feedback mechanisms.« less

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.

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.

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 conditions for assessing aerosol effects on cold season precipitation in California.« less

Current Sounding Capability From Satellite Meteorological Observation With Ultraspectral Infrared Instruments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zhou, Daniel K.; Liu, Xu; Larar, Allen M.

2008-01-01

Ultraspectral resolution infrared spectral radiance obtained from near nadir observations provide atmospheric, surface, and cloud property information. The intent of the measurement of tropospheric thermodynamic state and trace abundances is the initialization of climate models and the monitoring of air quality. The NPOESS Airborne Sounder Testbed-Interferometer (NAST-I), designed to support the development of future satellite temperature and moisture sounders, aboard high altitude aircraft has been collecting data throughout many field campaigns. An advanced retrieval algorithm developed with NAST-I is now applied to satellite data collected with the Atmospheric InfraRed Sounder (AIRS) on the Aqua satellite launched on 4 May 2002 and the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) on the MetOp satellite launched on October 19, 2006. These instruments possess an ultra-spectral resolution, for example, both IASI and NAST-I have 0.25 cm-1 and a spectral coverage from 645 to 2760 cm-1. The retrieval algorithm with a fast radiative transfer model, including cloud effects, is used for atmospheric profile and cloud parameter retrieval. The physical inversion scheme has been developed, dealing with cloudy as well as cloud-free radiance observed with ultraspectral infrared sounders, to simultaneously retrieve surface, atmospheric thermodynamic, and cloud microphysical parameters. A fast radiative transfer model, which applies to the clouded atmosphere, is used for atmospheric profile and cloud parameter retrieval. A one-dimensional (1-d) variational multi-variable inversion solution is used to improve an iterative background state defined by an eigenvector-regression-retrieval. The solution is iterated in order to account for non-linearity in the 1-d variational solution. It is shown that relatively accurate temperature and moisture retrievals can be achieved below optically thin clouds. For optically thick clouds, accurate temperature and moisture profiles down to cloud top level are obtained. For both optically thin and thick cloud situations, the cloud top height can be retrieved with relatively high accuracy (i.e., error less than 1 km). Retrievals of atmospheric soundings, surface properties, and cloud microphysical properties with the AIRS and IASI observations are obtained and presented. These retrievals are further inter-compared with those obtained from airborne FTS system, such as the NPOESS Airborne Sounder Testbed? Interferometer (NAST I), dedicated dropsondes, radiosondes, and ground based Raman Lidar. The capabilities of satellite ultra-spectral sounder such as the AIRS and IASI are investigated. These advanced satellite ultraspectral infrared instruments are now playing an important role in satellite meteorological observation for numerical weather prediction.

Microphysical Model Studies of Venus Clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meade, P. E.; Bullock, M. A.; Grinspoon, D. H.

2004-11-01

We have adapted a standard cloud microphysics model to construct a self-consistent microphysical model of Venus' cloud layer which reproduces and extends previous studies (e.g. James et al. 1997). Our model is based on the Community Aerosol and Radiation Model Atmosphere (CARMA), which is a widely used computer code for terrestrial cloud microphysics, derived from the work of Toon et al. (1988). The standard code has been adapted to treat H2O and H2SO4 as co-condensing vapor species onto aqueous H2SO4 cloud droplets, as well as the nucleation of condensation nuclei to droplets. Vapor condensation and evaporation follows the method of James et al. (1997). Microphysical processes included in this model include nucleation of condensation nuclei, condensation and evaporation of H2O and H2SO4 vapor, and droplet coagulation. Vertical transport occurs though advection, eddy diffusion, sedimentation for both droplets and condensation nuclei. The cloud model is used to explore the sensitivity of Venus' cloud layer to environmental changes. Observations of the Venus' lower cloud from the Pioneer Venus, Venera, and Galileo spacecraft have suggested that the properties of the lower cloud may be time-variable, and at times may be entirely absent (Carlson et al. 1993, Grinspoon et al. 1993, Esposito et al. 1997). Our model explores the dependence of such behavior on environment factors such as variations in water or SO2 abundance. We have also calculated the optical properties of the model atmosphere using both the conventional optical constants for H2SO4 (Palmer and Williams, 1975), and the new data of Tisdale et al. (1998). This work has been supported by NASA's Exobiology Program. References Carlson, R.W., et al., 1993. Planetary and Space Science, 41, 477-486. Esposito, L.W., et al., 1997. In Venus II, eds. S.W. Bougher et al., pp. 415-458, University of Arizona Press, Tucson. Grinspoon, D.H., et al., 1993. Planetary and Space Science, 41 (July 1993), 515-542. James, E. P., et al., 1997. Icarus, 129, 147-171. Palmer, K.F., and D. Williams, 1975. Applied Optics, 14, 208-219. Tisdale, R.T., et al., 1998. Journal of Geophysical Research, 103, 25,353-25,370. Toon , O. B., et al., 1988. J. Atmos. Sci., 45, 2123-2143.

Opportunities for understanding of aerosol cloud interactions in the context of Marine Cloud Brightening Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rasch, Philip J.; Wood, Robert; Ackerman, Thomas P.

2017-04-01

Anthropogenic aerosol impacts on clouds constitute the largest source of uncertainty in radiative forcing of climate, confounding estimates of climate sensitivity to increases in greenhouse gases. Projections of future warming are also thus strongly dependent on estimates of aerosol effects on clouds. I will discuss the opportunities for improving estimates of aerosol effects on clouds from controlled field experiments where aerosol with well understood size, composition, amount, and injection altitude could be introduced to deliberately change cloud properties. This would allow scientific investigation to be performed in a manner much closer to a lab environment, and facilitate the use of models to predict cloud responses ahead of time, testing our understanding of aerosol cloud interactions.

Atmospheric Profiles, Clouds, and the Evolution of Sea Ice Cover in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas Atmospheric Observations and Modeling as Part of the Seasonal Ice Zone Reconnaissance Surveys

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-30

Cover in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas Atmospheric Observations and Modeling as Part of the Seasonal Ice Zone Reconnaissance Surveys Axel...how changes in sea ice and sea surface conditions in the SIZ affect changes in cloud properties and cover . • Determine the role additional atmospheric...REPORT TYPE 3. DATES COVERED 00-00-2013 to 00-00-2013 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Atmospheric Profiles, Clouds, and the Evolution of Sea Ice Cover in the

Relating Cirrus Cloud Properties to Observed Fluxes: A Critical Assessment.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vogelmann, A. M.; Ackerman, T. P.

1995-12-01

The accuracy needed in cirrus cloud scattering and microphysical properties is quantified such that the radiative effect on climate can he determined. Our ability to compute and observe these properties to within needed accuracies is assessed, with the greatest attention given to those properties that most affect the fluxes.Model calculations indicate that computing net longwave fluxes at the surface to within ±5% requires that cloud temperature be known to within as little as ±3 K in cold climates for extinction optical depths greater than two. Such accuracy could be more difficult to obtain than that needed in the values of scattering parameters. For a baseline case (defined in text), computing net shortwave fluxes at the surface to within ±5% requires accuracies in cloud ice water content that, when the optical depth is greater than 1.25, are beyond the accuracies of current measurements. Similarly, surface shortwave flux computations require accuracies in the asymmetry parameter that are beyond our current abilities when the optical depth is greater than four. Unless simplifications are discovered, the scattering properties needed to compute cirrus cloud fluxes cannot be obtained explicitly with existing scattering algorithms because the range of crystal sizes is too great and crystal shapes are too varied to be treated computationally. Thus, bulk cirrus scattering properties might be better obtained by inverting cirrus cloud fluxes and radiances. Finally, typical aircraft broadband flux measurements are not sufficiently accurate to provide a convincing validation of calculations. In light of these findings we recommend a reexamination of the methodology used in field programs such as FIRE and suggest a complementary approach.

Impact of Albedo Contrast Between Cirrus and Boundary-Layer Clouds on Climate Sensitivity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chou, Ming-Dah; Lindzen, R. S.; Hou, A. Y.; Lau, William K. M. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

In assessing the iris effect suggested by Lindzen et al. (2001), Fu et al. (2001) found that the response of high-level clouds to the sea surface temperature had an effect of reducing the climate sensitivity to external radiative forcing, but the effect was not as strong as LCH found. This weaker reduction in climate sensitivity was due to the smaller contrasts in albedos and effective emitting temperatures between cirrus clouds and the neighboring regions. FBH specified the albedos and the outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) in the LCH 3.5-box radiative-convective model by requiring that the model radiation budgets at the top of the atmosphere be consistent with that inferred from the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE). In point of fact, the constraint by radiation budgets alone is not sufficient for deriving the correct contrast in radiation properties between cirrus clouds and the neighboring regions, and the approach of FBH to specifying those properties is, we feel inappropriate for assessing the iris effect.

Studying the influence of temperature and pressure on microphysical properties of mixed-phase clouds using airborne measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andreea, Boscornea; Sabina, Stefan; Sorin-Nicolae, Vajaiac; Mihai, Cimpuieru

2015-04-01

One cloud type for which the formation and evolution process is not well-understood is the mixed-phase type. In general mixed-phase clouds consist of liquid droplets and ice crystals. The temperature interval within both liquid droplets and ice crystals can potentially coexist is limited to 0 °C and - 40 °C. Mixed-phase clouds account for 20% to 30% of the global cloud coverage. The need to understand the microphysical characteristics of mixed-phase clouds to improve numerical forecast modeling and radiative transfer calculation is of major interest in the atmospheric community. In the past, studies of cloud phase composition have been significantly limited by a lack of aircraft instruments capable of discriminating between the ice and liquid phase for a wide range of particle sizes. 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 knowledge of the temperature and pressure variation during the airborne measurements is crucial in order to understand their influence on the cloud dynamics and also their role in the cloud formation processes like accretion and coalescence. Therefore, in this paper is presented a comprehensive study of cloud microphysical properties in mixed-phase clouds in focus of the influence of temperature and pressure variation on both, cloud dynamics and the cloud formation processes, using measurements performed with the ATMOSLAB - Airborne Laboratory for Environmental Atmospheric Research in property of the National Institute for Aerospace Research "Elie Carafoli" (INCAS). 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 µm) and a HAWKEYE cloud probe. The analyzed data in this work is acquired during 2 flight hours on the 23th of October 2014 in mixed clouds formations over Romania ( Craiova, Lat 44°19', Lon 23°48' ). The temperature variation during the cloud sounding was between -14 °C and -2 °C, with a maximum altitude in the cloud of 4863 m and a minimum altitude of 3353 m. In total 6 horizontal lines of 10 minutes each where performed recording ice crystal number concentrations (using the CIP - Cloud Imaging Probe) between 10 to 20 particles/cm3 outside the cloud layer and over 100 particles/cm3 inside the cloud layer and a number concentration of small droplets, aerosol and small ice crystals (using the CAS - Cloud Aerosol Spectrometer) between 150 particles/cm3 outside the cloud layer and 1600 particles/cm3 inside the cloud layer, this values confirms also the presence of IN (ice nuclei) in the atmosphere between the cloud layers. The results in respect with size distribution of cloud's particles and LWC show to be controlled by the temperature and pressure variations.

Impact of Multiple Scattering on Longwave Radiative Transfer Involving Clouds

DOE PAGES

Kuo, Chia-Pang; Yang, Ping; Huang, Xianglei; ...

2017-12-13

General circulation models (GCMs) are extensively used to estimate the influence of clouds on the global energy budget and other aspects of climate. Because radiative transfer computations involved in GCMs are costly, it is typical to consider only absorption but not scattering by clouds in longwave (LW) spectral bands. In this study, the flux and heating rate biases due to neglecting the scattering of LW radiation by clouds are quantified by using advanced cloud optical property models, and satellite data from Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO), CloudSat, Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES), and Moderatemore » Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) merged products (CCCM). From the products, information about the atmosphere and clouds (microphysical and buck optical properties, and top and base heights) is used to simulate fluxes and heating rates. One-year global simulations for 2010 show that the LW scattering decreases top-of-atmosphere (TOA) upward flux and increases surface downward flux by 2.6 and 1.2 W/m 2, respectively, or approximately 10% and 5% of the TOA and surface LW cloud radiative effect, respectively. Regional TOA upward flux biases are as much as 5% of global averaged outgoing longwave radiation (OLR). LW scattering causes approximately 0.018 K/d cooling at the tropopause and about 0.028 K/d heating at the surface. Furthermore, over 40% of the total OLR bias for ice clouds is observed in 350–500 cm -1. Overall, the radiative effects associated with neglecting LW scattering are comparable to the counterpart due to doubling atmospheric CO 2 under clear-sky conditions.« less

CATS Cloud-Aerosol Products and Near Real Time Capabilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nowottnick, E. P.; Yorks, J. E.; McGill, M. J.; Palm, S. P.; Hlavka, D. L.; Selmer, P. A.; Rodier, S. D.; Vaughan, M. A.

2016-12-01

The Cloud-Aerosol Transport System (CATS) is a backscatter lidar that is designed to demonstrate technologies in space for future Earth Science missions. CATS is located on the International Space Station (ISS), where it has been operating semi-continuously since February 2015. CATS provides observations of cloud and aerosol vertical profiles similar to CALIPSO, but with more comprehensive coverage of the tropics and mid-latitudes due to the ISS orbit properties. Additionally, the ISS orbit permits the study of diurnal variability of clouds and aerosols. CATS data has applications for identifying of cloud phase and aerosol types. Analysis of recent Level 2 data yield several biases in cloud and aerosol layer detection and identification, as well as retrievals of optical properties that will be improved for the next version to be released in late 2016. With data latency of less than 6 hours, CATS data is also being used for forecasting of volcanic plume transport, experimental data assimilation into aerosol transport models (GEOS-5, NAAPS), and field campaign flight planning (KORUS-AQ, ORACLES).

User's manual for the REEDM (Rocket Exhaust Effluent Diffusion Model) computer program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bjorklund, J. R.; Dumbauld, R. K.; Cheney, C. S.; Geary, H. V.

1982-01-01

The REEDM computer program predicts concentrations, dosages, and depositions downwind from normal and abnormal launches of rocket vehicles at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The atmospheric dispersion models, cloud-rise models, and other formulas used in the REEDM model are described mathematically Vehicle and source parameters, other pertinent physical properties of the rocket exhaust cloud, and meteorological layering techniques are presented as well as user's instructions for REEDM. Worked example problems are included.

Stratus Cloud Radiative Effects from Cloud Processed Bimodal CCN Distributions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noble, S. R., Jr.; Hudson, J. G.

2016-12-01

Inability to understand cloud processes is a large component of climate uncertainty. Increases in cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentrations are known to increase cloud droplet number concentrations (Nc). This aerosol-cloud interaction (ACI) produces greater Nc at smaller sizes, which brightens clouds. A lesser understood ACI is cloud processing of CCN. This improves CCN that then more easily activate at lower cloud supersaturations (S). Bimodal CCN distributions thus ensue from these evaporated cloud droplets. Hudson et al. (2015) related CCN bimodality to Nc. In stratus clouds, bimodal CCN created greater Nc whereas in cumulus less Nc. Thus, CCN distribution shape influences cloud properties; microphysics and radiative properties. Measured uni- and bimodal CCN distributions were input into an adiabatic droplet growth model using various specified vertical wind speeds (W). Bimodal CCN produced greater Nc (Fig. 1a) and smaller mean diameters (MD; Fig. 1b) at lower W typical of stratus clouds (<70 cm/s). Improved CCN (low critical S) were more easily activated at the lower S of stratus from low W, thus, creating greater Nc. Competition for condensate thus reduced MD and drizzle. At greater W, typical of cumulus clouds (>70 cm/s), bimodal CCN made lower Nc with larger MD thus enhancing drizzle whereas unimodal CCN made greater Nc with smaller MD, thus reducing drizzle. Thus, theoretical predictions of Nc and MD for uni- and bimodal CCN agree with the sense of the observations. Radiative effects were determined using a cloud grown to a 250-meter thickness. Bimodal CCN at low W reduced cloud effective radius (re), made greater cloud optical thickness (COT), and made greater cloud albedo (Fig. 1c). At very low W changes were as much as +9% for albedo, +17% for COT, and -12% for re. Stratus clouds typically have low W and cover large areas. Thus, these changes in cloud radiative properties at low W impact climate. Stratus cloud susceptibility to CCN distribution thus requires further investigation to determine their impact on ACI. Hudson et al. (2015), JGRA, 120, 3436-3452.

The Invigoration of Deep Convective Clouds Over the Atlantic: Aerosol Effect, Meteorology or Retrieval Artifact?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koren, Ilan; Feingold, Graham; Remer, Lorraine A.

2010-01-01

Associations between cloud properties and aerosol loading are frequently observed in products derived from satellite measurements. These observed trends between clouds and aerosol optical depth suggest aerosol modification of cloud dynamics, yet there are uncertainties involved in satellite retrievals that have the potential to lead to incorrect conclusions. Two of the most challenging problems are addressed here: the potential for retrieved aerosol optical depth to be cloud-contaminated, and as a result, artificially correlated with cloud parameters; and the potential for correlations between aerosol and cloud parameters to be erroneously considered to be causal. Here these issues are tackled directly by studying the effects of the aerosol on convective clouds in the tropical Atlantic Ocean using satellite remote sensing, a chemical transport model, and a reanalysis of meteorological fields. Results show that there is a robust positive correlation between cloud fraction or cloud top height and the aerosol optical depth, regardless of whether a stringent filtering of aerosol measurements in the vicinity of clouds is applied, or not. These same positive correlations emerge when replacing the observed aerosol field with that derived from a chemical transport model. Model-reanalysis data is used to address the causality question by providing meteorological context for the satellite observations. A correlation exercise between the full suite of meteorological fields derived from model reanalysis and satellite-derived cloud fields shows that observed cloud top height and cloud fraction correlate best with model pressure updraft velocity and relative humidity. Observed aerosol optical depth does correlate with meteorological parameters but usually different parameters from those that correlate with observed cloud fields. The result is a near-orthogonal influence of aerosol and meteorological fields on cloud top height and cloud fraction. The results strengthen the case that the aerosol does play a role in invigorating convective clouds.

OMMYDCLD: a New A-train Cloud Product that Co-locates OMI and MODIS Cloud and Radiance Parameters onto the OMI Footprint

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fisher, Brad; Joiner, Joanna; Vasilkov, Alexander; Veefkind, Pepijn; Platnick, Steven; Wind, Galina

2014-01-01

Clouds cover approximately 60% of the earth's surface. When obscuring the satellite's field of view (FOV), clouds complicate the retrieval of ozone, trace gases and aerosols from data collected by earth observing satellites. Cloud properties associated with optical thickness, cloud pressure, water phase, drop size distribution (DSD), cloud fraction, vertical and areal extent can also change significantly over short spatio-temporal scales. The radiative transfer models used to retrieve column estimates of atmospheric constituents typically do not account for all these properties and their variations. The OMI science team is preparing to release a new data product, OMMYDCLD, which combines the cloud information from sensors on board two earth observing satellites in the NASA A-Train: Aura/OMI and Aqua/MODIS. OMMYDCLD co-locates high resolution cloud and radiance information from MODIS onto the much larger OMI pixel and combines it with parameters derived from the two other OMI cloud products: OMCLDRR and OMCLDO2. The product includes histograms for MODIS scientific data sets (SDS) provided at 1 km resolution. The statistics of key data fields - such as effective particle radius, cloud optical thickness and cloud water path - are further separated into liquid and ice categories using the optical and IR phase information. OMMYDCLD offers users of OMI data cloud information that will be useful for carrying out OMI calibration work, multi-year studies of cloud vertical structure and in the identification and classification of multi-layer clouds.

Tropical Convective Responses to Microphysical and Radiative Processes: A Sensitivity Study With a 2D Cloud Resolving Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Li, Xiao-Fan; Sui, C.-H.; Lau, K.-M.; Tao, W.-K.

2004-01-01

Prognostic cloud schemes are increasingly used in weather and climate models in order to better treat cloud-radiation processes. Simplifications are often made in such schemes for computational efficiency, like the scheme being used in the National Centers for Environment Prediction models that excludes some microphysical processes and precipitation-radiation interaction. In this study, sensitivity tests with a 2D cloud resolving model are carried out to examine effects of the excluded microphysical processes and precipitation-radiation interaction on tropical thermodynamics and cloud properties. The model is integrated for 10 days with the imposed vertical velocity derived from the Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere Response Experiment. The experiment excluding the depositional growth of snow from cloud ice shows anomalous growth of cloud ice and more than 20% increase of fractional cloud cover, indicating that the lack of the depositional snow growth causes unrealistically large mixing ratio of cloud ice. The experiment excluding the precipitation-radiation interaction displays a significant cooling and drying bias. The analysis of heat and moisture budgets shows that the simulation without the interaction produces more stable upper troposphere and more unstable mid and lower troposphere than does the simulation with the interaction. Thus, the suppressed growth of ice clouds in upper troposphere and stronger radiative cooling in mid and lower troposphere are responsible for the cooling bias, and less evaporation of rain associated with the large-scale subsidence induces the drying in mid and lower troposphere.

Cloud radiative properties and aerosol - cloud interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viviana Vladutescu, Daniela; Gross, Barry; Li, Clement; Han, Zaw

2015-04-01

The presented research discusses different techniques for improvement of cloud properties measurements and analysis. The need for these measurements and analysis arises from the high errors noticed in existing methods that are currently used in retrieving cloud properties and implicitly cloud radiative forcing. The properties investigated are cloud fraction (cf) and cloud optical thickness (COT) measured with a suite of collocated remote sensing instruments. The novel approach makes use of a ground based "poor man's camera" to detect cloud and sky radiation in red, green, and blue with a high spatial resolution of 30 mm at 1km. The surface-based high resolution photography provides a new and interesting view of clouds. As the cloud fraction cannot be uniquely defined or measured, it depends on threshold and resolution. However as resolution decreases, cloud fraction tends to increase if the threshold is below the mean, and vice versa. Additionally cloud fractal dimension also depends on threshold. Therefore these findings raise concerns over the ability to characterize clouds by cloud fraction or fractal dimension. Our analysis indicate that Principal Component analysis may lead to a robust means of quantifying cloud contribution to radiance. The cloud images are analyzed in conjunction with a collocated CIMEL sky radiometer, Microwave Radiometer and LIDAR to determine homogeneity and heterogeneity. Additionally, MFRSR measurements are used to determine the cloud radiative properties as a validation tool to the results obtained from the other instruments and methods. The cloud properties to be further studied are aerosol- cloud interaction, cloud particle radii, and vertical homogeneity.

Formation of a protocluster: A virialized structure from gravoturbulent collapse. II. A two-dimensional analytical model for a rotating and accreting system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Yueh-Ning; Hennebelle, Patrick

2016-06-01

Context. Most stars are born in the gaseous protocluster environment where the gas is reprocessed after the global collapse from the diffuse molecular cloud. The knowledge of this intermediate step gives more accurate constraints on star formation characteristics. Aims: We demonstrate that a virialized globally supported structure, in which star formation happens, is formed out of a collapsing molecular cloud, and we derive a mapping from the parent cloud parameters to the protocluster to predict its properties with a view to confront analytical calculations with observations and simulations. Methods: We decomposed the virial theorem into two dimensions to account for the rotation and the flattened geometry. Equilibrium was found by balancing rotation, turbulence, and self-gravity, while turbulence was maintained through accretion driving and it dissipates in one crossing time. We estimated the angular momentum and the accretion rate of the protocluster from the parent cloud properties. Results: The two-dimensional virial model predicts the size and velocity dispersion given the mass of the protocluster and that of the parent cloud. The gaseous protoclusters lie on a sequence of equilibrium with the trend R ~ M0.5 with limited variations, depending on the evolutionary stage, parent cloud, and parameters that are not well known, such as turbulence driving efficiency by accretion and turbulence anisotropy. The model reproduces observations and simulation results successfully. Conclusions: The properties of protoclusters follow universal relations and they can be derived from that of the parent cloud. The gaseous protocluster is an important primary stage of stellar cluster formation, and should be taken into account when studying star formation. Using simple estimates to infer the peak position of the core mass function (CMF) we find a weak dependence on the cluster mass, suggesting that the physical conditions inside protoclusters may contribute to set a CMF, and by extension an initial mass function (IMF), that appears to be independent of the environment.

The Deep South Clouds & Aerosols project: Improving the modelling of clouds in the Southern Ocean region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morgenstern, Olaf; McDonald, Adrian; Harvey, Mike; Davies, Roger; Katurji, Marwan; Varma, Vidya; Williams, Jonny

2016-04-01

Southern-Hemisphere climate projections are subject to persistent climate model biases affecting the large majority of contemporary climate models, which degrade the reliability of these projections, particularly at the regional scale. Southern-Hemisphere specific problems include the fact that satellite-based observations comparisons with model output indicate that cloud occurrence above the Southern Ocean is substantially underestimated, with consequences for the radiation balance, sea surface temperatures, sea ice, and the position of storm tracks. The Southern-Ocean and Antarctic region is generally characterized by an acute paucity of surface-based and airborne observations, further complicating the situation. In recognition of this and other Southern-Hemisphere specific problems with climate modelling, the New Zealand Government has launched the Deep South National Science Challenge, whose purpose is to develop a new Earth System Model which reduces these very large radiative forcing problems associated with erroneous clouds. The plan is to conduct a campaign of targeted observations in the Southern Ocean region, leveraging off international measurement campaigns in this area, and using these and existing measurements of cloud and aerosol properties to improve the representation of clouds in the nascent New Zealand Earth System Model. Observations and model development will target aerosol physics and chemistry, particularly sulphate, sea salt, and non-sulphate organic aerosol, its interactions with clouds, and cloud microphysics. The hypothesis is that the cloud schemes in most GCMs are trained on Northern-Hemisphere data characterized by substantial anthropogenic or terrestrial aerosol-related influences which are almost completely absent in the Deep South.

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

Lu, Yu; Benson, Andrew; Mao, Yao -Yuan

Many properties of the Milky Way's (MW) dark matter halo, including its mass-assembly history, concentration, and subhalo population, remain poorly constrained. We explore the connection between these properties of the MW and its satellite galaxy population, especially the implication of the presence of the Magellanic Clouds for the properties of the MW halo. Using a suite of high-resolution N-body simulations of MW-mass halos with a fixed finalmore » $${M}_{\\mathrm{vir}}\\sim {10}^{12.1}\\,{M}_{\\odot }$$, we find that the presence of Magellanic Cloud-like satellites strongly correlates with the assembly history, concentration, and subhalo population of the host halo, such that MW-mass systems with Magellanic Clouds have lower concentration, more rapid recent accretion, and more massive subhalos than typical halos of the same mass. Using a flexible semi-analytic galaxy formation model that is tuned to reproduce the stellar mass function of the classical dwarf galaxies of the MW with Markov-Chain Monte-Carlo, we show that adopting host halos with different mass-assembly histories and concentrations can lead to different best-fit models for galaxy-formation physics, especially for the strength of feedback. These biases arise because the presence of the Magellanic Clouds boosts the overall population of high-mass subhalos, thus requiring a different stellar-mass-to-halo-mass ratio to match the data. These biases also lead to significant differences in the mass–metallicity relation, the kinematics of low-mass satellites, the number counts of small satellites associated with the Magellanic Clouds, and the stellar mass of MW itself. Finally, observations of these galaxy properties can thus provide useful constraints on the properties of the MW halo.« less

The connection between the host halo and the satellite galaxies of the Milky Way

DOE PAGES

Lu, Yu; Benson, Andrew; Mao, Yao -Yuan; ...

2016-10-11

Many properties of the Milky Way's (MW) dark matter halo, including its mass-assembly history, concentration, and subhalo population, remain poorly constrained. We explore the connection between these properties of the MW and its satellite galaxy population, especially the implication of the presence of the Magellanic Clouds for the properties of the MW halo. Using a suite of high-resolution N-body simulations of MW-mass halos with a fixed finalmore » $${M}_{\\mathrm{vir}}\\sim {10}^{12.1}\\,{M}_{\\odot }$$, we find that the presence of Magellanic Cloud-like satellites strongly correlates with the assembly history, concentration, and subhalo population of the host halo, such that MW-mass systems with Magellanic Clouds have lower concentration, more rapid recent accretion, and more massive subhalos than typical halos of the same mass. Using a flexible semi-analytic galaxy formation model that is tuned to reproduce the stellar mass function of the classical dwarf galaxies of the MW with Markov-Chain Monte-Carlo, we show that adopting host halos with different mass-assembly histories and concentrations can lead to different best-fit models for galaxy-formation physics, especially for the strength of feedback. These biases arise because the presence of the Magellanic Clouds boosts the overall population of high-mass subhalos, thus requiring a different stellar-mass-to-halo-mass ratio to match the data. These biases also lead to significant differences in the mass–metallicity relation, the kinematics of low-mass satellites, the number counts of small satellites associated with the Magellanic Clouds, and the stellar mass of MW itself. Finally, observations of these galaxy properties can thus provide useful constraints on the properties of the MW halo.« less

Comparisons of Satellite-Deduced Overlapping Cloud Properties and CALIPSO CloudSat Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chang, Fu-Lung; Minnis, Patrick; Lin, Bing; Sun-Mack, Sunny

2010-01-01

Introduction to the overlapped cloud properties derived from polar-orbiting (MODIS) and geostationary (GOES-12, -13, Meteosat-8, -9, etc.) meteorological satellites, which are produced at the NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) cloud research & development team (NASA lead scientist: Dr. Patrick Minnis). Comparison of the LaRC CERES MODIS Edition-3 overlapped cloud properties to the CALIPSO and the CloudSat active sensing data. High clouds and overlapped clouds occur frequently as deduced by CALIPSO (44 & 25%), CloudSat (25 & 4%), and MODIS (37 & 6%). Large fractions of optically-thin cirrus and overlapped clouds are deduced from CALIPSO, but much smaller fractions are from CloudSat and MODIS. For overlapped clouds, the averaged upper-layer CTHs are about 12.8 (CALIPSO), 10.9 (CloudSat) and 10 km (MODIS), and the averaged lower-layer CTHs are about 3.6 (CALIPSO), 3.2 (CloudSat) and 3.9 km (MODIS). Based on comparisons of upper and lower-layer cloud properties as deduced from the MODIS, CALIPSO and CloudSat data, more enhanced passive satellite methods for retrieving thin cirrus and overlapped cloud properties are needed and are under development.

3D Cloud Radiative Effects on Polarized Reflectances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cornet, C.; Matar, C.; C-Labonnote, L.; Szczap, F.; Waquet, F.; Parol, F.; Riedi, J.

2017-12-01

As recognized in the last IPCC report, clouds have a major importance in the climate budget and need to be better characterized. Remote sensing observations are a way to obtain either global observations of cloud from satellites or a very fine description of clouds from airborne measurements. An increasing numbers of radiometers plan to measure polarized reflectances in addition to total reflectances, since this information is very helpful to obtain aerosol or cloud properties. In a near future, for example, the Multi-viewing, Multi-channel, Multi-polarization Imager (3MI) will be part the EPS-SG Eumetsat-ESA mission. It will achieve multi-angular polarimetric measurements from visible to shortwave infrared wavelengths. An airborne prototype, OSIRIS (Observing System Including Polarization in the Solar Infrared Spectrum), is also presently developed at the Laboratoire d'Optique Atmospherique and had already participated to several measurements campaigns. In order to analyze suitably the measured signal, it it necessary to have realistic and accurate models able to simulate polarized reflectances. The 3DCLOUD model (Szczap et al., 2014) was used to generate three-dimensional synthetic cloud and the 3D radiative transfer model, 3DMCPOL (Cornet et al., 2010) to compute realistic polarized reflectances. From these simulations, we investigate the effects of 3D cloud structures and heterogeneity on the polarized angular signature often used to retrieve cloud or aerosol properties. We show that 3D effects are weak for flat clouds but become quite significant for fractional clouds above ocean. The 3D effects are quite different according to the observation scale. For the airborne scale (few tens of meter), solar illumination effects can lead to polarized cloud reflectance values higher than the saturation limit predicted by the homogeneous cloud assumption. In the cloud gaps, corresponding to shadowed areas of the total reflectances, polarized signal can also be enhanced by the molecular signal at the shortest wavelength. At the satellite scale (few kilometers), depending on the wavelength and the molecular contribution, the absolute polarized signal may be increased or decreased in the forward scattering direction and is decreased in the cloudbow directions because of the plan-parallel biases.

Simulations of the observation of clouds and aerosols with the Experimental Lidar in Space Equipment system.

PubMed

Liu, Z; Voelger, P; Sugimoto, N

2000-06-20

We carried out a simulation study for the observation of clouds and aerosols with the Japanese Experimental Lidar in Space Equipment (ELISE), which is a two-wavelength backscatter lidar with three detection channels. The National Space Development Agency of Japan plans to launch the ELISE on the Mission Demonstrate Satellite 2 (MDS-2). In the simulations, the lidar return signals for the ELISE are calculated for an artificial, two-dimensional atmospheric model including different types of clouds and aerosols. The signal detection processes are simulated realistically by inclusion of various sources of noise. The lidar signals that are generated are then used as input for simulations of data analysis with inversion algorithms to investigate retrieval of the optical properties of clouds and aerosols. The results demonstrate that the ELISE can provide global data on the structures and optical properties of clouds and aerosols. We also conducted an analysis of the effects of cloud inhomogeneity on retrievals from averaged lidar profiles. We show that the effects are significant for space lidar observations of optically thick broken clouds.

The Influence of Thermodynamic Phase on the Retrieval of Mixed-Phase Cloud Microphysical and Optical Properties in the Visible and Near Infrared Region

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Joonsuk; Yang, Ping; Dessler, Andrew E.; Baum, Bryan A.; Platnick, Steven

2005-01-01

Cloud microphysical and optical properties are inferred from the bidirectional reflectances simulated for a single-layered cloud consisting of an external mixture of ice particles and liquid droplets. The reflectances are calculated with a rigorous discrete ordinates radiative transfer model and are functions of the cloud effective particle size, the cloud optical thickness, and the values of the ice fraction in the cloud (i.e., the ratio of ice water content to total water content). In the present light scattering and radiative transfer simulations, the ice fraction is assumed to be vertically homogeneous; the habit (shape) percentage as a function of ice particle size is consistent with that used for the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) operational (Collection 4 and earlier) cloud products; and the surface is assumed to be Lambertian with an albedo of 0.03. Furthermore, error analyses pertaining to the inference of the effective particle sizes and optical thicknesses of mixed-phase clouds are performed. Errors are calculated with respect to the assumption of a cloud containing solely liquid or ice phase particles. The analyses suggest that the effective particle size inferred for a mixed-phase cloud can be underestimated (or overestimated) if pure liquid phase (or pure ice phase) is assumed for the cloud, whereas the corresponding cloud optical thickness can be overestimated (or underestimated).

Effects of Wildfire Pollution on the Microphysical and Electrical Properties of Pyrocumulus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duff, R.; Grant, L. D.; van den Heever, S. C.

2014-12-01

Pyrocumulus clouds form over wildfires when hot, smoke-filled air rises, cools and condenses. These clouds have higher cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentrations, which affect their microphysical and electrical properties. It is important to better understand pyrocumulus cloud microphysical characteristics and lightning formation, which have implications for the prediction of wildfire growth as well as the radiative and chemical characteristics of the upper troposphere. A recent observational study documented an electrified pyrocumulus over the May 2012 Hewlett Gulch fire located to the west of Fort Collins, Colorado. This cloud produced approximately 20 intracloud lightning flashes, and its electrical activity differed from surrounding convection that was not directly impacted by the fire and associated smoke. The goal of this research is to investigate aerosol-induced cloud-scale microphysical differences between clean clouds and polluted pyrocumulus to better characterize the mechanisms that cause pyrocumulus electrification. In order to address this goal, idealized cloud-resolving model simulations were performed using the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS). The model environment was initialized with an average of the 12Z 16 May and 00Z 17 May 2012 observed Denver soundings to represent the conditions when the Hewlett Gulch pyrocumulus occurred. Five simulations were performed using surface aerosol concentrations from 100 to 5000 #/mg. The results demonstrate that in moderately polluted pyrocumulus, rain processes are suppressed while graupel production increases. Extremely polluted pyrocumulus, however, experience a complete shut-down of graupel production, which favors the production of large amounts of liquid water and smaller ice species such as ice crystals and snowflakes. The processes responsible for these microphysical changes, as well as inferred pyrocumulus electrification mechanisms, will be compared with those discussed in previous observational studies of this case.

Improving our fundamental understanding of the role of aerosol-cloud interactions in the climate system.

PubMed

Seinfeld, John H; Bretherton, Christopher; Carslaw, Kenneth S; Coe, Hugh; DeMott, Paul J; Dunlea, Edward J; Feingold, Graham; Ghan, Steven; Guenther, Alex B; Kahn, Ralph; Kraucunas, Ian; Kreidenweis, Sonia M; Molina, Mario J; Nenes, Athanasios; Penner, Joyce E; Prather, Kimberly A; Ramanathan, V; Ramaswamy, Venkatachalam; Rasch, Philip J; Ravishankara, A R; Rosenfeld, Daniel; Stephens, Graeme; Wood, Robert

2016-05-24

The effect of an increase in atmospheric aerosol concentrations on the distribution and radiative properties of Earth's clouds is the most uncertain component of the overall global radiative forcing from preindustrial time. General circulation models (GCMs) are the tool for predicting future climate, but the treatment of aerosols, clouds, and aerosol-cloud radiative effects carries large uncertainties that directly affect GCM predictions, such as climate sensitivity. Predictions are hampered by the large range of scales of interaction between various components that need to be captured. Observation systems (remote sensing, in situ) are increasingly being used to constrain predictions, but significant challenges exist, to some extent because of the large range of scales and the fact that the various measuring systems tend to address different scales. Fine-scale models represent clouds, aerosols, and aerosol-cloud interactions with high fidelity but do not include interactions with the larger scale and are therefore limited from a climatic point of view. We suggest strategies for improving estimates of aerosol-cloud relationships in climate models, for new remote sensing and in situ measurements, and for quantifying and reducing model uncertainty.

Improving Our Fundamental Understanding of the Role of Aerosol Cloud Interactions in the Climate System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Seinfeld, John H.; Bretherton, Christopher; Carslaw, Kenneth S.; Coe, Hugh; DeMott, Paul J.; Dunlea, Edward J.; Feingold, Graham; Ghan, Steven; Guenther, Alex B.; Kahn, Ralph;

Improving our fundamental understanding of the role of aerosol-cloud interactions in the climate system

DOE PAGES

Seinfeld, John H.; Bretherton, Christopher; Carslaw, Kenneth S.; ...

2016-05-24

The effect of an increase in atmospheric aerosol concentrations on the distribution and radiative properties of Earth’s clouds is the most uncertain component of the overall global radiative forcing from pre-industrial time. General Circulation Models (GCMs) are the tool for predicting future climate, but the treatment of aerosols, clouds, and aerosol-cloud radiative effects carries large uncertainties that directly affect GCM predictions, such as climate sensitivity. Predictions are hampered by the large range of scales of interaction between various components that need to be captured. Observation systems (remote sensing, in situ) are increasingly being used to constrain predictions but significant challengesmore » exist, to some extent because of the large range of scales and the fact that the various measuring systems tend to address different scales. Fine-scale models represent clouds, aerosols, and aerosol-cloud interactions with high fidelity but do not include interactions with the larger scale and are therefore limited from a climatic point of view. Lastly, we suggest strategies for improving estimates of aerosol-cloud relationships in climate models, for new remote sensing and in situ measurements, and for quantifying and reducing model uncertainty.« less

Improving our fundamental understanding of the role of aerosol−cloud interactions in the climate system

PubMed Central

Seinfeld, John H.; Bretherton, Christopher; Carslaw, Kenneth S.; Coe, Hugh; DeMott, Paul J.; Dunlea, Edward J.; Feingold, Graham; Ghan, Steven; Guenther, Alex B.; Kraucunas, Ian; Molina, Mario J.; Nenes, Athanasios; Penner, Joyce E.; Prather, Kimberly A.; Ramanathan, V.; Ramaswamy, Venkatachalam; Rasch, Philip J.; Ravishankara, A. R.; Rosenfeld, Daniel; Stephens, Graeme; Wood, Robert

2016-01-01

The effect of an increase in atmospheric aerosol concentrations on the distribution and radiative properties of Earth’s clouds is the most uncertain component of the overall global radiative forcing from preindustrial time. General circulation models (GCMs) are the tool for predicting future climate, but the treatment of aerosols, clouds, and aerosol−cloud radiative effects carries large uncertainties that directly affect GCM predictions, such as climate sensitivity. Predictions are hampered by the large range of scales of interaction between various components that need to be captured. Observation systems (remote sensing, in situ) are increasingly being used to constrain predictions, but significant challenges exist, to some extent because of the large range of scales and the fact that the various measuring systems tend to address different scales. Fine-scale models represent clouds, aerosols, and aerosol−cloud interactions with high fidelity but do not include interactions with the larger scale and are therefore limited from a climatic point of view. We suggest strategies for improving estimates of aerosol−cloud relationships in climate models, for new remote sensing and in situ measurements, and for quantifying and reducing model uncertainty. PMID:27222566

Effect of Amazon Smoke on Cloud Microphysics and Albedo-Analysis from Satellite Imagery.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaufman, Yoram J.; Nakajima, Teruyuki

1993-04-01

NOAA Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer images taken over the Brazilian Amazon Basin during the biomass burning season of 1987 are used to study the effect of smoke aerosol particles on the properties of low cumulus and stratocumulus clouds. The reflectance at a wavelength of 0.64 µm and the drop size, derived from the cloud reflectance at 3.75 µm, are studied for tens of thousands of clouds. The opacity of the smoke layer adjacent to each cloud is also monitored simultaneously. Though from satellite data it is impossible to derive all the parameters that influence cloud properties and smoke cloud interaction (e.g., detailed aerosol particles size distribution and chemistry, liquid water content, etc.); satellite data can be used to generate large-scale statistics of the properties of clouds and surrounding aerosol (e.g., smoke optical thickness, cloud-drop size, and cloud reflection of solar radiation) from which the interaction of aerosol with clouds can be surmised. In order to minimize the effect of variations in the precipitable water vapor and in other smoke and cloud properties, biomass burning in the tropics is chosen as the study topic, and the results are averaged for numerous clouds with the same ambient smoke optical thickness.It is shown in this study that the presence of dense smoke (an increase in the optical thickness from 0.1 to 2.0) can reduce the remotely sensed drop size of continental cloud drops from 15 to 9 µm. Due to both the high initial reflectance of clouds in the visible part of the spectrum and the presence of graphitic carbon, the average cloud reflectance at 0.64 µm is reduced from 0.71 to 0.68 for an increase in smoke optical thickness from 0.1 to 2.0. The measurements are compared to results from other years, and it is found that, as predicted, high concentration of aerosol particles causes a decrease in the cloud-drop size and that smoke darkens the bright Amazonian clouds. Comparison with theoretical computations based on Twomey's model show that by using the measured reduction in the cloud-drop size due to the presence of smoke it is possible to explain the reduction in the cloud reflectance at 0.64 µm for smoke imagery index of 0.02 to 0.03.Smoke particles are hygroscopic and have a similar size distribution to maritime and anthropogenic sulfuric aerosol particles. Therefore, these results may also be representative of the interaction of sulfuric particles with clouds.

Disk Evolution, Element Abundances and Cloud Properties of Young Gas Giant Planets

PubMed Central

Helling, Christiane; Woitke, Peter; Rimmer, Paul B.; Kamp, Inga; Thi, Wing-Fai; Meijerink, Rowin

2014-01-01

We discuss the chemical pre-conditions for planet formation, in terms of gas and ice abundances in a protoplanetary disk, as function of time and position, and the resulting chemical composition and cloud properties in the atmosphere when young gas giant planets form, in particular discussing the effects of unusual, non-solar carbon and oxygen abundances. Large deviations between the abundances of the host star and its gas giants seem likely to occur if the planet formation follows the core-accretion scenario. These deviations stem from the separate evolution of gas and dust in the disk, where the dust forms the planet cores, followed by the final run-away accretion of the left-over gas. This gas will contain only traces of elements like C, N and O, because those elements have frozen out as ices. ProDiMo protoplanetary disk models are used to predict the chemical evolution of gas and ice in the midplane. We find that cosmic rays play a crucial role in slowly un-blocking the CO, where the liberated oxygen forms water, which then freezes out quickly. Therefore, the C/O ratio in the gas phase is found to gradually increase with time, in a region bracketed by the water and CO ice-lines. In this regions, C/O is found to approach unity after about 5 Myrs, scaling with the cosmic ray ionization rate assumed. We then explore how the atmospheric chemistry and cloud properties in young gas giants are affected when the non-solar C/O ratios predicted by the disk models are assumed. The Drift cloud formation model is applied to study the formation of atmospheric clouds under the influence of varying premordial element abundances and its feedback onto the local gas. We demonstrate that element depletion by cloud formation plays a crucial role in converting an oxygen-rich atmosphere gas into carbon-rich gas when non-solar, premordial element abundances are considered as suggested by disk models. PMID:25370190

Disk evolution, element abundances and cloud properties of young gas giant planets.

PubMed

Helling, Christiane; Woitke, Peter; Rimmer, Paul B; Kamp, Inga; Thi, Wing-Fai; Meijerink, Rowin

2014-04-14

We discuss the chemical pre-conditions for planet formation, in terms of gas and ice abundances in a protoplanetary disk, as function of time and position, and the resulting chemical composition and cloud properties in the atmosphere when young gas giant planets form, in particular discussing the effects of unusual, non-solar carbon and oxygen abundances. Large deviations between the abundances of the host star and its gas giants seem likely to occur if the planet formation follows the core-accretion scenario. These deviations stem from the separate evolution of gas and dust in the disk, where the dust forms the planet cores, followed by the final run-away accretion of the left-over gas. This gas will contain only traces of elements like C, N and O, because those elements have frozen out as ices. PRODIMO protoplanetary disk models are used to predict the chemical evolution of gas and ice in the midplane. We find that cosmic rays play a crucial role in slowly un-blocking the CO, where the liberated oxygen forms water, which then freezes out quickly. Therefore, the C/O ratio in the gas phase is found to gradually increase with time, in a region bracketed by the water and CO ice-lines. In this regions, C/O is found to approach unity after about 5 Myrs, scaling with the cosmic ray ionization rate assumed. We then explore how the atmospheric chemistry and cloud properties in young gas giants are affected when the non-solar C/O ratios predicted by the disk models are assumed. The DRIFT cloud formation model is applied to study the formation of atmospheric clouds under the influence of varying premordial element abundances and its feedback onto the local gas. We demonstrate that element depletion by cloud formation plays a crucial role in converting an oxygen-rich atmosphere gas into carbon-rich gas when non-solar, premordial element abundances are considered as suggested by disk models.

Sources and Variability of Aerosols and Aerosol-Cloud Interactions in the Arctic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, H.; Zhang, B.; Taylor, P. C.; Moore, R.; Barahona, D.; Fairlie, T. D.; Chen, G.; Ham, S. H.; Kato, S.

2017-12-01

Arctic sea ice in recent decades has significantly declined. This requires understanding of the Arctic surface energy balance, of which clouds are a major driver. However, the mechanisms for the formation and evolution of clouds in the Arctic and the roles of aerosols therein are highly uncertain. Here we conduct data analysis and global model simulations to examine the sources and variability of aerosols and aerosol-cloud interactions in the Arctic. We use the MERRA-2 reanalysis data (2006-present) from the NASA Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) to (1) quantify contributions of different aerosol types to the aerosol budget and aerosol optical depths in the Arctic, (2) ­examine aerosol distributions and variability and diagnose the major pathways for mid-latitude pollution transport to the Arctic, including their seasonal and interannual variability, and (3) characterize the distribution and variability of clouds (cloud optical depth, cloud fraction, cloud liquid and ice water path, cloud top height) in the Arctic. We compare MERRA-2 aerosol and cloud properties with those from C3M, a 3-D aerosol and cloud data product developed at NASA Langley Research Center and merged from multiple A-Train satellite (CERES, CloudSat, CALIPSO, and MODIS) observations. We also conduct perturbation experiments using the NASA GEOS-5 chemistry-climate model (with GOCART aerosol module coupled with two-moment cloud microphysics), and discuss the roles of various types of aerosols in the formation and evolution of clouds in the Arctic.

Intercomparison study and optical asphericity measurements of small ice particles in the CERN CLOUD experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nichman, Leonid; Järvinen, Emma; Dorsey, James; Connolly, Paul; Duplissy, Jonathan; Fuchs, Claudia; Ignatius, Karoliina; Sengupta, Kamalika; Stratmann, Frank; Möhler, Ottmar; Schnaiter, Martin; Gallagher, Martin

2017-09-01

Optical probes are frequently used for the detection of microphysical cloud particle properties such as liquid and ice phase, size and morphology. These properties can eventually influence the angular light scattering properties of cirrus clouds as well as the growth and accretion mechanisms of single cloud particles. In this study we compare four commonly used optical probes to examine their response to small cloud particles of different phase and asphericity. Cloud simulation experiments were conducted at the Cosmics Leaving OUtdoor Droplets (CLOUD) chamber at European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN). The chamber was operated in a series of multi-step adiabatic expansions to produce growth and sublimation of ice particles at super- and subsaturated ice conditions and for initial temperatures of -30, -40 and -50 °C. The experiments were performed for ice cloud formation via homogeneous ice nucleation. We report the optical observations of small ice particles in deep convection and in situ cirrus simulations. Ice crystal asphericity deduced from measurements of spatially resolved single particle light scattering patterns by the Particle Phase Discriminator mark 2 (PPD-2K, Karlsruhe edition) were compared with Cloud and Aerosol Spectrometer with Polarisation (CASPOL) measurements and image roundness captured by the 3View Cloud Particle Imager (3V-CPI). Averaged path light scattering properties of the simulated ice clouds were measured using the Scattering Intensity Measurements for the Optical detectioN of icE (SIMONE) and single particle scattering properties were measured by the CASPOL. We show the ambiguity of several optical measurements in ice fraction determination of homogeneously frozen ice in the case where sublimating quasi-spherical ice particles are present. Moreover, most of the instruments have difficulties of producing reliable ice fraction if small aspherical ice particles are present, and all of the instruments cannot separate perfectly spherical ice particles from supercooled droplets. Correlation analysis of bulk averaged path depolarisation measurements and single particle measurements of these clouds showed higher R2 values at high concentrations and small diameters, but these results require further confirmation. We find that none of these instruments were able to determine unambiguously the phase of the small particles. These results have implications for the interpretation of atmospheric measurements and parametrisations for modelling, particularly for low particle number concentration clouds.

Comparing modelled and measured ice crystal concentrations in orographic clouds during the INUPIAQ campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farrington, Robert; Connolly, Paul J.; Lloyd, Gary; Bower, Keith N.; Flynn, Michael J.; Gallagher, Martin W.; Field, Paul R.; Dearden, Chris; Choularton, Thomas W.; Hoyle, Chris

2016-04-01

At temperatures between -35°C and 0°C, the presence of insoluble aerosols acting as ice nuclei (IN) is the only way in which ice can nucleate under atmospheric conditions. Previous field and laboratory campaigns have suggested that mineral dust present in the atmosphere act as IN at temperatures warmer than -35°C (e.g. Sassen et al. 2003); however, the cause of ice nucleation at temperatures greater than -10°C is less certain. In-situ measurements of aerosol properties and cloud micro-physical processes are required to drive the improvement of aerosol-cloud processes in numerical models. As part of the Ice NUcleation Process Investigation and Quantification (INUPIAQ) project, two field campaigns were conducted in the winters of 2013 and 2014 (Lloyd et al. 2014). Both campaigns included measurements of cloud micro-physical properties at the summit of Jungfraujoch in Switzerland (3580m asl), using cloud probes, including the Two-Dimensional Stereo Hydrometeor Spectrometer (2D-S), the Cloud Particle Imager 3V (CPI-3V) and the Cloud Aerosol Spectrometer with Depolarization (CAS-DPOL). The first two of these probes measured significantly higher ice number concentrations than those observed in clouds at similar altitudes from aircraft. In this contribution, we assess the source of the high ice number concentrations observed by comparing in-situ measurements at Jungfraujoch with WRF simulations applied to the region around Jungfraujoch. During the 2014 field campaign the model simulations regularly simulated ice particle concentrations that were 3 orders of magnitude per litre less than the observed ice number concentration, even taking into account the aerosol properties measured upwind. WRF was used to investigate a number of potential sources of the high ice crystal concentrations, including: an increased ice nucleating particle (INP) concentration, secondary ice multiplication and the advection of surface ice or snow crystals into the clouds. It was found that the influence of these processes on the ice particle concentrations could not explain the observations. We also assessed whether the inclusion of a surface flux of hoar crystals into the WRF model could account for the increased ice concentrations in the orographic clouds found at Jungfraujoch. By including a simple parameterisation based on the surface wind speed, the inclusion of the surface crystal flux provided good agreement with the measurements at Jungfraujoch. A summary of these results will be presented at the meeting. References Lloyd, G., et al., 2015. The origins of ice crystals measured in mixed-phase clouds at the high-alpine site Jungfraujoch. Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 12953-12969. Sassen, K., et al., 2003. Saharan dust storms and indirect aerosol effects on clouds: Crystal-face results. Geophys. Res. Lett., 30, 1633-1636.

Application of the CloudSat and NEXRAD Radars Toward Improvements in High Resolution Operational Forecasts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Molthan, A. L.; Haynes, J. A.; Case, J. L.; Jedlovec, G. L.; Lapenta, W. M.

2008-01-01

As computational power increases, operational forecast models are performing simulations with higher spatial resolution allowing for the transition from sub-grid scale cloud parameterizations to an explicit forecast of cloud characteristics and precipitation through the use of single- or multi-moment bulk water microphysics schemes. investments in space-borne and terrestrial remote sensing have developed the NASA CloudSat Cloud Profiling Radar and the NOAA National Weather Service NEXRAD system, each providing observations related to the bulk properties of clouds and precipitation through measurements of reflectivity. CloudSat and NEXRAD system radars observed light to moderate snowfall in association with a cold-season, midlatitude cyclone traversing the Central United States in February 2007. These systems are responsible for widespread cloud cover and various types of precipitation, are of economic consequence, and pose a challenge to operational forecasters. This event is simulated with the Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) Model, utilizing the NASA Goddard Cumulus Ensemble microphysics scheme. Comparisons are made between WRF-simulated and observed reflectivity available from the CloudSat and NEXRAD systems. The application of CloudSat reflectivity is made possible through the QuickBeam radiative transfer model, with cautious application applied in light of single scattering characteristics and spherical target assumptions. Significant differences are noted within modeled and observed cloud profiles, based upon simulated reflectivity, and modifications to the single-moment scheme are tested through a supplemental WRF forecast that incorporates a temperature dependent snow crystal size distribution.

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.

Characterization of optical and micro-physical properties of cirrus clouds using a wideband thermal infrared spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palchetti, Luca; Di Natale, Gianluca; Bianchini, Giovanni

2014-05-01

High-altitude ice clouds such as cirrus clouds play a key role in the Earth's radiation budget since they cover permanently about 20-30% of the surface of the planet, reaching even to 60-70% in the tropics. The modulation of the incoming solar radiation and the outgoing Earth's thermal emission due to cirrus can contribute to heat or to cool the atmosphere, according to their optical properties, which must be characterised with great accuracy and over the whole spectral range involved in the scattering and emission processes. Here we present the infrared measurements over the wide spectral range from 9 to 50 micron performed by the Fourier transform spectrometer REFIR-PAD (Radiation Explorer in Far InfraRed - Prototype for Application and Development) during many field campaigns that have taken place since 2007 from different high-altitude ground-based stations: Testa Grigia Station, Cervinia-Italy, (3480 m asl), Cerro Toco, Atacama-Chile, (5380 m asl), Concordia Base, Dome C-Antarctica (3230 m asl). These measurements show for the first time the spectral effect of cirrus clouds in the long-wave part of the emission spectrum above 15 micron of wavelength. To characterise these measurements over the wide spectral range as a function of the optical properties of ice particles, a model of the radiative transfer, that integrates the well known numerical code LBLRTM, which simulates the radiative transfer in the atmosphere, with a specific code which simulates the propagation of the radiation through the cloud, was developed. The optical properties of clouds have been modelled using the δ-scaled Eddington approximation for a single layer and the Ping Yang's database for the single-scattering properties of ice crystals. The preliminary results of the fit procedure used for the determination of the micro-physical parameters of ice crystals, such as the effective diameter, ice water path, effective temperature and optical thickness will be shown in the presentation. The sounding of the long-wave part of the spectrum, where the signal is higher than in the other infrared regions, will allow to increase the accuracy of the fit calculation and therefore improving the quality of the remote sensing of cirrus clouds.

Conference on Satellite Meteorology and Oceanography, 5th, London, England, Sept. 3-7, 1990, Preprints

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

Not Available

The present conference on satellite meteorology and oceanography discusses climate and clouds, retrieval algorithms, air-sea phenomenology, oceanographic applications, SSM/I, mesoscale, synoptic, and NWP applications, and future satellites and systems. Attention is given to the properties of cirrus clouds measured by satellites and lidars, the geographical variation of the diurnal cycle of clouds from ISCCP, the susceptibility of cloud reflectance to pollution, and a global analysis of aerosol-cloud interactions. Topics addressed include precision intercomparisons between MSU channel 2 and radiosonde data over the U.S., humidity estimates from Meteosat observations, the assimilation of altimeter observations into a global wave model, and atmosphericmore » stratification effects on scatterometer model functions. Also discussed are observations of Indian Ocean eddy variability, the deconvolution of GOES infrared data, short-range variations in total cloud cover in the tropics, and rainfall monitoring by the SSM/I in middle latitudes.« less

Aerosol-Radiation-Cloud Interactions in the South-East Atlantic: Results from the ORACLES-2016 Deployment and a First Look at ORACLES-2017 and Beyond

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Redemann, Jens; Wood, R.; Zuidema, P.

2018-01-01

Seasonal biomass burning (BB) in Southern Africa during the Southern hemisphere spring produces almost a third of the Earth's BB aerosol particles. These particles are lofted into the mid-troposphere and transported westward over the South-East (SE) Atlantic, where they interact with one of the three semi-permanent subtropical stratocumulus (Sc) cloud decks in the world. These interactions include adjustments to aerosol-induced solar heating and microphysical effects. The representation of these interactions in climate models remains highly uncertain, because of the scarcity of observational constraints on both, the aerosol and cloud properties, and the governing physical processes. The first deployment of the NASA P-3 and ER-2 aircraft in the ORACLES (ObseRvations of Aerosols Above Clouds and Their IntEractionS) project in August/September of 2016 has started to fill this observational gap by providing an unprecedented look at the SE Atlantic cloud-aerosol system. We provide an overview of the first deployment, highlighting aerosol absorptive and cloud-nucleating properties, their vertical distribution relative to clouds, the locations and degree of aerosol mixing into clouds, cloud changes in response to such mixing, and cloud top stability relationships to the aerosol. We also expect to describe preliminary results of the second ORACLES deployment from Sao Tome and Pri­ncipe in August 2017. We will make an initial assessment of the differences and similarities of the BB plume and cloud properties as observed from a deployment site near the plume's northern edge. We will conclude with an outlook for the third ORACLES deployment in October 2018.

Chemical Transformation System: Cloud Based Cheminformatic Services to Support Integrated Environmental Modeling

EPA Science Inventory

Integrated Environmental Modeling (IEM) systems that account for the fate/transport of organics frequently require physicochemical properties as well as transformation products. A myriad of chemical property databases exist but these can be difficult to access and often do not co...

Exploring the Effects of Cloud Vertical Structure on Cloud Microphysical Retrievals based on Polarized Reflectances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, D. J.; Zhang, Z.; Platnick, S. E.; Ackerman, A. S.; Cornet, C.; Baum, B. A.

2013-12-01

A polarized cloud reflectance simulator was developed by coupling an LES cloud model with a polarized radiative transfer model to assess the capabilities of polarimetric cloud retrievals. With future remote sensing campaigns like NASA's Aerosols/Clouds/Ecosystems (ACE) planning to feature advanced polarimetric instruments it is important for the cloud remote sensing community to understand the retrievable information available and the related systematic/methodical limitations. The cloud retrieval simulator we have developed allows us to probe these important questions in a realistically relevant test bed. Our simulator utilizes a polarized adding-doubling radiative transfer model and an LES cloud field from a DHARMA simulation (Ackerman et al. 2004) with cloud properties based on the stratocumulus clouds observed during the DYCOMS-II field campaign. In this study we will focus on how the vertical structure of cloud microphysics can influence polarized cloud effective radius retrievals. Numerous previous studies have explored how retrievals based on total reflectance are affected by cloud vertical structure (Platnick 2000, Chang and Li 2002) but no such studies about the effects of vertical structure on polarized retrievals exist. Unlike the total cloud reflectance, which is predominantly multiply scattered light, the polarized reflectance is primarily the result of singly scattered photons. Thus the polarized reflectance is sensitive to only the uppermost region of the cloud (tau~<1) where photons can scatter once and still escape before being scattered again. This means that retrievals based on polarized reflectance have the potential to reveal behaviors specific to the cloud top. For example cloud top entrainment of dry air, a major influencer on the microphysical development of cloud droplets, can be potentially studied with polarimetric retrievals.

Overlap Properties of Clouds Generated by a Cloud Resolving Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oreopoulos, L.; Khairoutdinov, M.

2002-01-01

In order for General Circulation Models (GCMs), one of our most important tools to predict future climate, to correctly describe the propagation of solar and thermal radiation through the cloudy atmosphere a realistic description of the vertical distribution of cloud amount is needed. Actually, one needs not only the cloud amounts at different levels of the atmosphere, but also how these cloud amounts are related, in other words, how they overlap. Currently GCMs make some idealized assumptions about cloud overlap, for example that contiguous cloud layers overlap maximally and non-contiguous cloud layers overlap in a random fashion. Since there are difficulties in obtaining the vertical profile of cloud amount from observations, the realism of the overlap assumptions made in GCMs has not been yet rigorously investigated. Recently however, cloud observations from a relatively new type of ground radar have been used to examine the vertical distribution of cloudiness. These observations suggest that the GCM overlap assumptions are dubious. Our study uses cloud fields from sophisticated models dedicated to simulate cloud formation, maintenance, and dissipation called Cloud Resolving Models . These models are generally considered capable of producing realistic three-dimensional representation of cloudiness. Using numerous cloud fields produced by such a CRM we show that the degree of overlap between cloud layers is a function of their separation distance, and is in general described by a combination of the maximum and random overlap assumption, with random overlap dominating as separation distances increase. We show that it is possible to parameterize this behavior in a way that can eventually be incorporated in GCMs. Our results seem to have a significant resemblance to the results from the radar observations despite the completely different nature of the datasets. This consistency is encouraging and will promote development of new radiative transfer codes that will estimate the radiation effects of multi-layer cloud fields more accurately.

EUREC4A: A Field Campaign to Elucidate the Couplings Between Clouds, Convection and Circulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bony, Sandrine; Stevens, Bjorn; Ament, Felix; Bigorre, Sebastien; Chazette, Patrick; Crewell, Susanne; Delanoë, Julien; Emanuel, Kerry; Farrell, David; Flamant, Cyrille; Gross, Silke; Hirsch, Lutz; Karstensen, Johannes; Mayer, Bernhard; Nuijens, Louise; Ruppert, James H.; Sandu, Irina; Siebesma, Pier; Speich, Sabrina; Szczap, Frédéric; Totems, Julien; Vogel, Raphaela; Wendisch, Manfred; Wirth, Martin

2017-11-01

Trade-wind cumuli constitute the cloud type with the highest frequency of occurrence on Earth, and it has been shown that their sensitivity to changing environmental conditions will critically influence the magnitude and pace of future global warming. Research over the last decade has pointed out the importance of the interplay between clouds, convection and circulation in controling this sensitivity. Numerical models represent this interplay in diverse ways, which translates into different responses of trade-cumuli to climate perturbations. Climate models predict that the area covered by shallow cumuli at cloud base is very sensitive to changes in environmental conditions, while process models suggest the opposite. To understand and resolve this contradiction, we propose to organize a field campaign aimed at quantifying the physical properties of trade-cumuli (e.g., cloud fraction and water content) as a function of the large-scale environment. Beyond a better understanding of clouds-circulation coupling processes, the campaign will provide a reference data set that may be used as a benchmark for advancing the modelling and the satellite remote sensing of clouds and circulation. It will also be an opportunity for complementary investigations such as evaluating model convective parameterizations or studying the role of ocean mesoscale eddies in air-sea interactions and convective organization.

EUREC4A: A Field Campaign to Elucidate the Couplings Between Clouds, Convection and Circulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bony, Sandrine; Stevens, Bjorn; Ament, Felix; Bigorre, Sebastien; Chazette, Patrick; Crewell, Susanne; Delanoë, Julien; Emanuel, Kerry; Farrell, David; Flamant, Cyrille; Gross, Silke; Hirsch, Lutz; Karstensen, Johannes; Mayer, Bernhard; Nuijens, Louise; Ruppert, James H.; Sandu, Irina; Siebesma, Pier; Speich, Sabrina; Szczap, Frédéric; Totems, Julien; Vogel, Raphaela; Wendisch, Manfred; Wirth, Martin

Trade-wind cumuli constitute the cloud type with the highest frequency of occurrence on Earth, and it has been shown that their sensitivity to changing environmental conditions will critically influence the magnitude and pace of future global warming. Research over the last decade has pointed out the importance of the interplay between clouds, convection and circulation in controling this sensitivity. Numerical models represent this interplay in diverse ways, which translates into different responses of tradecumuli to climate perturbations. Climate models predict that the area covered by shallow cumuli at cloud base is very sensitive to changes in environmental conditions, while process models suggest the opposite. To understand and resolve this contradiction, we propose to organize a field campaign aimed at quantifying the physical properties of tradecumuli (e.g., cloud fraction and water content) as a function of the large-scale environment. Beyond a better understanding of clouds-circulation coupling processes, the campaign will provide a reference data set that may be used as a benchmark for advancing the modelling and the satellite remote sensing of clouds and circulation. It will also be an opportunity for complementary investigations such as evaluating model convective parameterizations or studying the role of ocean mesoscale eddies in air-sea interactions and convective organization.

Coupling of the microphysical and optical properties of an Arctic nimbostratus cloud during the ASTAR 2004 experiment: Implications for light-scattering modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jourdan, Olivier; Mioche, Guillaume; Garrett, Timothy J.; SchwarzenböCk, Alfons; Vidot, JéRôMe; Xie, Yu; Shcherbakov, Valery; Yang, Ping; Gayet, Jean-FrançOis

2010-12-01

Airborne measurements in an Arctic mixed-phase nimbostratus cloud were conducted in Spitsbergen on 21 May 2004 during the international Arctic Study of Tropospheric Aerosol, Clouds and Radiation (ASTAR) campaign. The in situ instrument suite aboard the Alfred Wegener Institute Polar 2 aircraft included a polar nephelometer (PN), a cloud particle imager (CPI), a Nevzorov probe, and a standard PMS 2DC probe to measure the cloud particle single-scattering properties (at a wavelength of 0.8 μm), and the particle morphology and size, as well as the in-cloud partitioning of ice/water content. The main objective of this work is to present a technique based on principal component analysis and light-scattering modeling to link the microphysical properties of cloud particles to their optical characteristics. The technique is applied to the data collected during the 21 May case study where a wide variety of ice crystal shapes and liquid water fractions were observed at temperatures ranging from -1°C to -12°C. CPI measurements highlight the presence of large supercooled water droplets with diameters close to 500 μm. Although the majority of ice particles were found to have irregular shapes, columns and needles were the prevailing regular habits between -3°C and -6°C while stellars and plates were observed at temperatures below -8°C. The implementation of the principal component analysis of the PN scattering phase function measurements revealed representative optical patterns that were consistent with the particle habit classification derived from the CPI. This indicates that the synergy between the CPI and the PN can be exploited to link the microphysical and shape properties of cloud particles to their single-scattering characteristics. Using light-scattering modeling, we have established equivalent microphysical models based on a limited set of free parameters (roughness, mixture of idealized particle habits, and aspect ratio of ice crystals) that reproduce the main optical features assessed for cloud regions with different particle geometries and liquid water fractions. However, the retrieved bulk microphysical parameters can substantially differ from the measurements (by several times for the effective size and up to 3 orders of magnitude for the number concentration). Several possible explanations for these discrepancies are discussed. The retrievals show that the optical contribution of small particles with sizes lower than 50 μm (droplets and ice crystals) is significant, always exceeding 50% of the total scattering signal, and thus needs to be more accurately quantified. The shattering of large ice crystals on the shrouded inlet of the PN could also strongly affect the retrieved microphysical parameters.

Observations of marine stratocumulus clouds during FIRE

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Albrecht, Bruce A.; Randall, David A.; Nicholls, Stephen

1988-01-01

The First International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project Regional Experiment (FIRE) to study extensive fields of stratocumulus clouds off the coast of California is presented. Measurements on the regional and detailed local scales were taken, allowing for a wide interpretation of the mean, turbulent, microphysical, radiative, and chemical characteristics of stratocumulus. Multiple aircraft and ground-based remote-sensing systems were used to study the time evolution of the boundary layer structure over a three-week period, and probes from tethered balloons were used to measure turbulence and to collect cloud-microphysical and cloud-radiative data. The observations provide a base for studying the generation maintenance and dissipation of stratocumulus clouds, and could aid in developing numerical models and improved methods for retrieving cloud properties by satellite.

Simulation of the brightness temperatures observed by the visible infrared imaging radiometer suite instrument

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Evrard, Rebecca L.; Ding, Yifeng

2018-01-01

Clouds play a large role in the Earth's global energy budget, but the impact of cirrus clouds is still widely questioned and researched. Cirrus clouds reside high in the atmosphere and due to cold temperatures are comprised of ice crystals. Gaining a better understanding of ice cloud optical properties and the distribution of cirrus clouds provides an explanation for the contribution of cirrus clouds to the global energy budget. Using radiative transfer models (RTMs), accurate simulations of cirrus clouds can enhance the understanding of the global energy budget as well as improve the use of global climate models. A newer, faster RTM such as the visible infrared imaging radiometer suite (VIIRS) fast radiative transfer model (VFRTM) is compared to a rigorous RTM such as the line-by-line radiative transfer model plus the discrete ordinates radiative transfer program. By comparing brightness temperature (BT) simulations from both models, the accuracy of the VFRTM can be obtained. This study shows root-mean-square error <0.2 K for BT difference using reanalysis data for atmospheric profiles and updated ice particle habit information from the moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer collection 6. At a higher resolution, the simulated results of the VFRTM are compared to the observations of VIIRS resulting in a <1.5 % error from the VFRTM for all cases. The VFRTM is validated and is an appropriate RTM to use for global cloud retrievals.

Some Peculiar Properties of Magnetic Clouds as Observed by the WIND Spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berdichevsky, D.; Lepping, R. P.; Szabo, A.; Burlaga, L. F.; Thompson, B. J.; Lazarus, A. J.; Steinburg, J. T.; Mariani, F.

1999-01-01

We aimed at understanding the common characteristics of magnetic clouds, relevant to solar-interplanetary connections, but exceptional ones were noted and are stressed here through a short compendium. The study is based on analyses of 28 good or better events (Out of 33 candidates) as identified in WIND magnetic field and plasma data. These cloud intervals are provided by WIND-MFI's Website under the URL (http://lepmfi.gsfc.nasa.gov/mfi/mag_cloud_publ.html#table). The period covered is from early 1995 to November 1998. A force free, cylindrically symmetric, magnetic field model has been applied to the field data in usually 1-hour averaged form for the cloud analyses. Some of the findings are: (1) one small duration event turned out to have an approximately normal size which was due to a distant almost "skimming" passage by the spacecraft; (2) One truly small event was observed, where 10 min averages had to be used in the model fitting; it had an excellent model fit and the usual properties of a magnetic cloud, except it possessed a small axial magnetic flux; (3) One cloud ha a dual axial-field-polarity, in the sense that the "core" had one polarity and the annular region around it had an opposite polarity. This event also satisfied the model and with a ve3ry good chi-squared value. Some others show a hint of this dual polarity; (4) The temporal distribution of occurrence clouds over the 4 years show a dip in 1996; (5) About 50 % of the clouds had upstream shocks; any others had upstream pressure pulses; (6) The overall average speed (390 km/s) of the best 28 events is less than the normally quoted for the average solar wind speed (420 km/s) The average of central cloud speed to the upstream solar wind speed was not much greater than one (1.08), even though many of these clouds were drivers of interplanetary shocks. Cloud expansion is partly the reason for the existence of upstream shocks; (7) The cloud axes often (about 50 % of the time) revealed reasonable attitudes with respect to the interpreted solar source, from simple geometry, but many bore no relationship, suggesting that their observations at 1 AU were probably those of the legs of the global cloud often having near-radial axes; (8) many clouds appear to have magnetic holes at or their their boundaries.

ARM Research in the Equatorial Western Pacific: A Decade and Counting

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

Long, Charles N.; McFarlane, Sally A.; Del Genio, Anthony D.

2013-05-22

The tropical western Pacific (TWP) is an important climatic region. Strong solar heating, warm sea surface temperatures and the annual progression of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) across this region generate abundant convective systems, which through their effects on the heat and water budgets have a profound impact on global climate and precipitation. To accurately represent tropical cloud systems in models, measurements of tropical clouds, the environment in which they reside, and their impact on the radiation and water budgets are needed. Because of the remote location, ground-based datasets of cloud, atmosphere, and radiation properties from the TWP region havemore » traditionally come primarily from short-term field experiments. While providing extremely useful information on physical processes, these datasets are limited in statistical and climatological information because of their short duration. To provide long-term measurements of the surface radiation budget in the tropics, and the atmospheric properties that affect it, the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program established a measurement site on Manus Island, Papua New Guinea in 1996 and on the island republic of Nauru in late 1998. These sites provide unique datasets available from more than 10 years of operation in the equatorial western Pacific on Manus and Nauru. We present examples of the scientific use of these datasets including characterization of cloud properties, analysis of cloud radiative forcing, model studies of tropical clouds and processes, and validation of satellite algorithms. We also note new instrumentation recently installed at the Manus site that will expand opportunities for tropical atmospheric science.« less

Parametric behaviors of CLUBB in simulations of low clouds in the Community Atmosphere Model (CAM)

DOE PAGES

Guo, Zhun; Wang, Minghuai; Qian, Yun; ...

2015-07-03

In this study, we investigate the sensitivity of simulated low clouds to 14 selected tunable parameters of Cloud Layers Unified By Binormals (CLUBB), a higher order closure (HOC) scheme, and 4 parameters of the Zhang-McFarlane (ZM) deep convection scheme in the Community Atmosphere Model version 5 (CAM5). A quasi-Monte Carlo (QMC) sampling approach is adopted to effectively explore the high-dimensional parameter space and a generalized linear model is applied to study the responses of simulated cloud fields to tunable parameters. Our results show that the variance in simulated low-cloud properties (cloud fraction and liquid water path) can be explained bymore » the selected tunable parameters in two different ways: macrophysics itself and its interaction with microphysics. First, the parameters related to dynamic and thermodynamic turbulent structure and double Gaussians closure are found to be the most influential parameters for simulating low clouds. The spatial distributions of the parameter contributions show clear cloud-regime dependence. Second, because of the coupling between cloud macrophysics and cloud microphysics, the coefficient of the dissipation term in the total water variance equation is influential. This parameter affects the variance of in-cloud cloud water, which further influences microphysical process rates, such as autoconversion, and eventually low-cloud fraction. Furthermore, this study improves understanding of HOC behavior associated with parameter uncertainties and provides valuable insights for the interaction of macrophysics and microphysics.« less

Retrievals with the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zhou, Daniel K.; Liu, Xu; Larar, Allen M.; Smith, William L.; Taylor, Jonathan P.; Schlussel, Peter; Strow, L. Larrabee; Calbet, Xavier; Mango, Stephen A.

2007-01-01

The Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) on the MetOp satellite was launched on October 19, 2006. The Joint Airborne IASI Validation Experiment (JAIVEx) was conducted during April 2007 mainly for validation of the IASI on the MetOp satellite. IASI possesses an ultra-spectral resolution of 0.25/cm and a spectral coverage from 645 to 2760/cm. Ultraspectral resolution infrared spectral radiance obtained from near nadir observations provide atmospheric, surface, and cloud property information. An advanced retrieval algorithm with a fast radiative transfer model, including cloud effects, is used for atmospheric profile and cloud parameter retrieval. Preliminary retrievals of atmospheric soundings, surface properties, and cloud optical/microphysical properties with the IASI observations during the JAIVEx are obtained and presented. These retrievals are further inter-compared with those obtained from airborne FTS system, such as the NPOESS Airborne Sounder Testbed Interferometer (NAST-I), dedicated dropsondes, radiosondes, and ground based Raman Lidar. The capabilities of satellite ultra-spectral sounder such as the IASI are investigated.

Coupling Spectral-bin Cloud Microphysics with the MOSAIC Aerosol Model in WRF-Chem: Methodology and Results for Marine Stratocumulus Clouds

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

Gao, Wenhua; Fan, Jiwen; Easter, Richard C.

Aerosol-cloud interaction processes can be represented more physically with bin cloud microphysics relative to bulk microphysical parameterizations. However, due to computational power limitations in the past, bin cloud microphysics was often run with very simple aerosol treatments. The purpose of this study is to represent better aerosol-cloud interaction processes in the Chemistry version of Weather Research and Forecast model (WRF-Chem) at convection-permitting scales by coupling spectral-bin cloud microphysics (SBM) with the MOSAIC sectional aerosol model. A flexible interface is built that exchanges cloud and aerosol information between them. The interface contains a new bin aerosol activation approach, which replaces themore » treatments in the original SBM. It also includes the modified aerosol resuspension and in-cloud wet removal processes with the droplet loss tendencies and precipitation fluxes from SBM. The newly coupled system is evaluated for two marine stratocumulus cases over the Southeast Pacific Ocean with either a simplified aerosol setup or full-chemistry. We compare the aerosol activation process in the newly-coupled SBM-MOSAIC against the SBM simulation without chemistry using a simplified aerosol setup, and the results show consistent activation rates. A longer time simulation reinforces that aerosol resuspension through cloud drop evaporation plays an important role in replenishing aerosols and impacts cloud and precipitation in marine stratocumulus clouds. Evaluation of the coupled SBM-MOSAIC with full-chemistry using aircraft measurements suggests that the new model works realistically for the marine stratocumulus clouds, and improves the simulation of cloud microphysical properties compared to a simulation using MOSAIC coupled with the Morrison two-moment microphysics.« less

Coupling spectral-bin cloud microphysics with the MOSAIC aerosol model in WRF-Chem: Methodology and results for marine stratocumulus clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Wenhua; Fan, Jiwen; Easter, R. C.; Yang, Qing; Zhao, Chun; Ghan, Steven J.

2016-09-01

Aerosol-cloud interaction processes can be represented more physically with bin cloud microphysics relative to bulk microphysical parameterizations. However, due to computational power limitations in the past, bin cloud microphysics was often run with very simple aerosol treatments. The purpose of this study is to represent better aerosol-cloud interaction processes in the Chemistry version of Weather Research and Forecast model (WRF-Chem) at convection-permitting scales by coupling spectral-bin cloud microphysics (SBM) with the MOSAIC sectional aerosol model. A flexible interface is built that exchanges cloud and aerosol information between them. The interface contains a new bin aerosol activation approach, which replaces the treatments in the original SBM. It also includes the modified aerosol resuspension and in-cloud wet removal processes with the droplet loss tendencies and precipitation fluxes from SBM. The newly coupled system is evaluated for two marine stratocumulus cases over the Southeast Pacific Ocean with either a simplified aerosol setup or full-chemistry. We compare the aerosol activation process in the newly coupled SBM-MOSAIC against the SBM simulation without chemistry using a simplified aerosol setup, and the results show consistent activation rates. A longer time simulation reinforces that aerosol resuspension through cloud drop evaporation plays an important role in replenishing aerosols and impacts cloud and precipitation in marine stratocumulus clouds. Evaluation of the coupled SBM-MOSAIC with full-chemistry using aircraft measurements suggests that the new model works realistically for the marine stratocumulus clouds, and improves the simulation of cloud microphysical properties compared to a simulation using MOSAIC coupled with the Morrison two-moment microphysics.

A New Methodology for Simultaneous Multi-layer Retrievals of Ice and Liquid Water Cloud Properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sourdeval, O.; Labonnote, L.; Baran, A. J.; Brogniez, G.

2014-12-01

It is widely recognized that the study of clouds has nowadays become one of the major concern of the climate research community. Consequently, a multitude of retrieval methodologies have been developed during the last decades in order to obtain accurate retrievals of cloud properties that can be supplied to climate models. Most of the current methodologies have proven to be satisfactory for separately retrieving ice or liquid cloud properties, but very few of them have attempted simultaneous retrievals of these two cloud types. Recent studies nevertheless show that the omission of one of these layers can have strong consequences on the retrievals and their accuracy. In this study, a new methodology that simultaneously retrieves the properties of ice and liquid clouds is presented. The optical thickness and the effective radius of up to two liquid cloud layers and the ice water path of one ice cloud layer are simultaneously retrieved, along with an accurate estimation of their uncertainties. Radiometric measurements ranging from the visible to the thermal infrared are used for performing the retrievals. In order to quantify the capabilities and limitations of our methodology, the results of a theoretical information content analysis are first presented. This analysis allows obtaining an a priori understanding of how much information should be expected on each of the retrieval parameters in different atmospheric conditions, and which set of channels is likely to provide this information. After such theoretical considerations, global retrievals corresponding to several months of A-Train data are presented. Comparisons of our retrievals with operational products from active and passive instruments are effectuated and show good global agreements. These comparisons are useful for validating our retrievals but also for testing how operational products can be influenced by multi-layer configurations.

Arctic Stratus Cloud Properties and Their Effect on the Surface Radiation Budget: Selected Cases from FIRE ACE

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Doug, Xiquan; Mace, Gerald G.; Minnis, Patrick; Young, David F.

2001-01-01

To study Arctic stratus cloud properties and their effect on the surface radiation balance during the spring transition season, analyses are performed using data taken during three cloudy and two clear days in May 1998 as part of the First ISCCP Regional Experiment (FIRE) Arctic Cloud Experiment (ACE). Radiative transfer models are used in conjunction with surface- and satellite-based measurements to retrieve the layer-averaged microphysical and shortwave radiative properties. The surface-retrieved cloud properties in Cases 1 and 2 agree well with the in situ and satellite retrievals. Discrepancies in Case 3 are due to spatial mismatches between the aircraft and the surface measurements in a highly variable cloud field. Also, the vertical structure in the cloud layer is not fully characterized by the aircraft measurements. Satellite data are critical for understanding some of the observed discrepancies. The satellite-derived particle sizes agree well with the coincident surface retrievals and with the aircraft data when they were collocated. Optical depths derived from visible-channel data over snow backgrounds were overestimated in all three cases, suggesting that methods currently used in satellite cloud climatologies derive optical depths that are too large. Use of a near-infrared channel with a solar infrared channel to simultaneously derive optical depth and particle size appears to alleviate this overestimation problem. Further study of the optical depth retrieval is needed. The surface-based radiometer data reveal that the Arctic stratus clouds produce a net warming of 20 W m(exp -2) in the surface layer during the transition season suggesting that these clouds may accelerate the spring time melting of the ice pack. This surface warming contrasts with the net cooling at the top of the atmosphere (TOA) during the same period. All analysis of the complete FIRE ACE data sets will be valuable for understanding the role of clouds during the entire melting and refreezing process that occurs annually in the Arctic.

Transparency of a magnetic cloud boundary for cosmic rays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petukhov, I. S.; Petukhov, S. I.

2013-02-01

We have suggested a model of magnetic cloud presented as a torus with magnetic flux rope structure situated inside the interplanetary corona mass ejecta expanding radially away from the Sun through the interplanetary medium. The magnetic field of the torus changing during its propagation has been obtained. The magnetic cloud — solar wind boundary transparency for cosmic rays with different energies depending on the cloud orientation and properties of the torus magnetic field has been determined by means of calculation of the particle trajectories at the boundary.

Airborne Astronomy Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Butner, Harold M.

1999-01-01

Our understanding about the inter-relationship between the collapsing cloud envelope and the disk has been greatly altered. While the dominant star formation models invoke free fall collapse and r(sup -1.5) density profile, other star formation models are possible. These models invoke either different cloud starting conditions or the mediating effects of magnetic fields to alter the cloud geometry during collapse. To test these models, it is necessary to understand the envelope's physical structure. The discovery of disks, based on millimeter observations around young stellar objects, however makes a simple interpretation of the emission complicated. Depending on the wavelength, the disk or the envelope could dominate emission from a star. In addition, the discovery of planets around other stars has made understanding the disks in their own right quite important. Many star formation models predict disks should form naturally as the star is forming. In many cases, the information we derive about disk properties depends implicitly on the assumed envelope properties. How to understand the two components and their interaction with each other is a key problem of current star formation.

Microphysical effects determine macrophysical response for aerosol impacts on deep convective clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Jiwen; Leung, L. Ruby; Rosenfeld, Daniel; Chen, Qian; Li, Zhanqing; Zhang, Jinqiang; Yan, Hongru

2013-11-01

Deep convective clouds (DCCs) play a crucial role in the general circulation, energy, and hydrological cycle of our climate system. Aerosol particles can influence DCCs by altering cloud properties, precipitation regimes, and radiation balance. Previous studies reported both invigoration and suppression of DCCs by aerosols, but few were concerned with the whole life cycle of DCC. By conducting multiple monthlong cloud-resolving simulations with spectral-bin cloud microphysics that capture the observed macrophysical and microphysical properties of summer convective clouds and precipitation in the tropics and midlatitudes, this study provides a comprehensive view of how aerosols affect cloud cover, cloud top height, and radiative forcing. We found that although the widely accepted theory of DCC invigoration due to aerosol's thermodynamic effect (additional latent heat release from freezing of greater amount of cloud water) may work during the growing stage, it is microphysical effect influenced by aerosols that drives the dramatic increase in cloud cover, cloud top height, and cloud thickness at the mature and dissipation stages by inducing larger amounts of smaller but longer-lasting ice particles in the stratiform/anvils of DCCs, even when thermodynamic invigoration of convection is absent. The thermodynamic invigoration effect contributes up to ∼27% of total increase in cloud cover. The overall aerosol indirect effect is an atmospheric radiative warming (3-5 Wṡm-2) and a surface cooling (-5 to -8 Wṡm-2). The modeling findings are confirmed by the analyses of ample measurements made at three sites of distinctly different environments.

Microphysical effects determine macrophysical response for aerosol impacts on deep convective clouds.

PubMed

Fan, Jiwen; Leung, L Ruby; Rosenfeld, Daniel; Chen, Qian; Li, Zhanqing; Zhang, Jinqiang; Yan, Hongru

2013-11-26

Deep convective clouds (DCCs) play a crucial role in the general circulation, energy, and hydrological cycle of our climate system. Aerosol particles can influence DCCs by altering cloud properties, precipitation regimes, and radiation balance. Previous studies reported both invigoration and suppression of DCCs by aerosols, but few were concerned with the whole life cycle of DCC. By conducting multiple monthlong cloud-resolving simulations with spectral-bin cloud microphysics that capture the observed macrophysical and microphysical properties of summer convective clouds and precipitation in the tropics and midlatitudes, this study provides a comprehensive view of how aerosols affect cloud cover, cloud top height, and radiative forcing. We found that although the widely accepted theory of DCC invigoration due to aerosol's thermodynamic effect (additional latent heat release from freezing of greater amount of cloud water) may work during the growing stage, it is microphysical effect influenced by aerosols that drives the dramatic increase in cloud cover, cloud top height, and cloud thickness at the mature and dissipation stages by inducing larger amounts of smaller but longer-lasting ice particles in the stratiform/anvils of DCCs, even when thermodynamic invigoration of convection is absent. The thermodynamic invigoration effect contributes up to ~27% of total increase in cloud cover. The overall aerosol indirect effect is an atmospheric radiative warming (3-5 W m(-2)) and a surface cooling (-5 to -8 W m(-2)). The modeling findings are confirmed by the analyses of ample measurements made at three sites of distinctly different environments.

Formation of Silicate and Titanium Clouds on Hot Jupiters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Powell, Diana; Zhang, Xi; Gao, Peter; Parmentier, Vivien

2018-06-01

We present the first application of a bin-scheme microphysical and vertical transport model to determine the size distribution of titanium and silicate cloud particles in the atmospheres of hot Jupiters. We predict particle size distributions from first principles for a grid of planets at four representative equatorial longitudes, and investigate how observed cloud properties depend on the atmospheric thermal structure and vertical mixing. The predicted size distributions are frequently bimodal and irregular in shape. There is a negative correlation between the total cloud mass and equilibrium temperature as well as a positive correlation between the total cloud mass and atmospheric mixing. The cloud properties on the east and west limbs show distinct differences that increase with increasing equilibrium temperature. Cloud opacities are roughly constant across a broad wavelength range, with the exception of features in the mid-infrared. Forward-scattering is found to be important across the same wavelength range. Using the fully resolved size distribution of cloud particles as opposed to a mean particle size has a distinct impact on the resultant cloud opacities. The particle size that contributes the most to the cloud opacity depends strongly on the cloud particle size distribution. We predict that it is unlikely that silicate or titanium clouds are responsible for the optical Rayleigh scattering slope seen in many hot Jupiters. We suggest that cloud opacities in emission may serve as sensitive tracers of the thermal state of a planet’s deep interior through the existence or lack of a cold trap in the deep atmosphere.

A comparative study of the response of modeled non-drizzling stratocumulus to meteorological and aerosol perturbations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petters, J. L.; Jiang, H.; Feingold, G.; Rossiter, D. L.; Khelif, D.; Sloan, L. C.; Chuang, P. Y.

2013-03-01

The impact of changes in aerosol and cloud droplet concentration (Na and Nd) on the radiative forcing of stratocumulus-topped boundary layers (STBLs) has been widely studied. How these impacts compare to those due to variations in meteorological context has not been investigated in a systematic fashion for non-drizzling overcast stratocumulus. In this study we examine the impact of observed variations in meteorological context and aerosol state on daytime, non-drizzling overcast stratiform evolution, and determine how resulting changes in cloud properties compare. Using large-eddy simulation (LES) we create a model base case of daytime southeast Pacific coastal stratocumulus, spanning a portion of the diurnal cycle (early morning to near noon) and constrained by observations taken during the VOCALS (VAMOS Ocean-Atmosphere-Land Study) field campaign. We perturb aerosol and meteorological properties around this base case to investigate the stratocumulus response. We determine perturbations in the cloud top jumps in potential temperature θ and total water mixing ratio qt from ECMWF Re-analysis Interim data, and use a set of Nd values spanning the observable range. To determine the cloud response to these meteorological and aerosol perturbations, we compute changes in liquid water path (LWP), bulk optical depth (τ) and cloud radiative forcing (CRF). We find that realistic variations in the thermodynamic jump properties can elicit a response in the cloud properties of τ and shortwave (SW) CRF that are on the same order of magnitude as the response found due to realistic changes in aerosol state (i.e Nd). In response to increases in Nd, the cloud layer in the base case thinned due to increases in evaporative cooling and entrainment rate. This cloud thinning somewhat mitigates the increase in τ resulting from increases in Nd. On the other hand, variations in θ and qt jumps did not substantially modify Nd. The cloud layer thickens in response to an increase in the θ jump and thins in response to an increase in the qt jump, both resulting in a τ and SW CRF response comparable to those found from perturbations in Nd. Longwave CRF was not substantially altered by the perturbations we tested. We find that realistic variations in meteorological context can elicit a response in CRF and τ on the same order of magnitude as, and at times larger than, that response found due to realistic changes in aerosol state. We estimate the limits on variability of cloud top jump properties required for accurate observation of aerosol SW radiative impacts on stratocumulus, and find strict constraints: less than 1 K and 1 g kg-1 in the early morning hours, and order 0.1 K and 0.1 g kg-1 close to solar noon. These constraints suggest that accurately observing aerosol radiative impacts in stratocumulus may be challenging as co-variation of meteorological properties may obfuscate aerosol-cloud interactions.

Evaluating the cloud radiative forcing over East Asia during summer simulated by CMIP5 models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Z.; Wang, Y.; Liu, X.

2017-12-01

A large degree of uncertainty in global climate models (GCMs) can be attributed to the representation of clouds and its radiative forcing (CRF). In this study, the simulated CRFs, total cloud fraction (CF) and cloud properties over East Asia from 20 CMIP5 AMIP models are evaluated and compared with multiple satellite observations, and the possible causes for the CRF bias in the CMIP5 models are then investigated. Based on the satellite observation, strong Long wave CRF (LWCRF) and Short wave CRF (SWCRF) are found to be located over Southwestern China, with minimum SWCRF less than -130Wm-2 and this is associated with the large amount of cloud in the region. By contrast, weak CRFs are located over Northwest China and Western Pacific region because of less cloud amount. In Northeastern China, the strong SWCRF and week LWCRF can be found due to the dominant low-level cloud. In Eastern China, the CRFs is moderate due to the co-existence of the multi-layer cloud. CMIP5 models can basically capture the structure of CRFs in East Asia, with the spatial correlation coefficient between 0.5 and 0.9. But most models underestimate CRFs in East Asia, which is highly associated with the underestimation of cloud amount in the region. The performance of CMIP5 models varies in different part of East Asian region, with a larger deviation in Eastern China (EC). Further investigation suggests that, underestimation of the cloud amount in EC can lead to the weak bias of CRFs in EC, however, this CRF bias can be cancelled out by the overestimation effect of CRF due to excessive cloud optical depth (COD) simulated by the models. The annual cycle of simulated CRF over Eastern China is also examined, and it is found, CMIP models are unable to reproduce the northward migration of CRF in summer monsoon season, which is closely related with northward shift of East Asian summer monsoon rain belt.

Natural aerosols explain seasonal and spatial patterns of Southern Ocean cloud albedo.

PubMed

McCoy, Daniel T; Burrows, Susannah M; Wood, Robert; Grosvenor, Daniel P; Elliott, Scott M; Ma, Po-Lun; Rasch, Phillip J; Hartmann, Dennis L

2015-07-01

Atmospheric aerosols, suspended solid and liquid particles, act as nucleation sites for cloud drop formation, affecting clouds and cloud properties-ultimately influencing the cloud dynamics, lifetime, water path, and areal extent that determine the reflectivity (albedo) of clouds. The concentration N d of droplets in clouds that influences planetary albedo is sensitive to the availability of aerosol particles on which the droplets form. Natural aerosol concentrations affect not only cloud properties themselves but also modulate the sensitivity of clouds to changes in anthropogenic aerosols. It is shown that modeled natural aerosols, principally marine biogenic primary and secondary aerosol sources, explain more than half of the spatiotemporal variability in satellite-observed N d. Enhanced N d is spatially correlated with regions of high chlorophyll a, and the spatiotemporal variability in N d is found to be driven primarily by high concentrations of sulfate aerosol at lower Southern Ocean latitudes (35(o) to 45(o)S) and by organic matter in sea spray aerosol at higher latitudes (45(o) to 55(o)S). Biogenic sources are estimated to increase the summertime mean reflected solar radiation in excess of 10 W m(-2) over parts of the Southern Ocean, which is comparable to the annual mean increases expected from anthropogenic aerosols over heavily polluted regions of the Northern Hemisphere.

Biological aerosol particles in the atmosphere and their impact on clouds (BIOCLOUDS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amato, Pierre; Attard, Eleonore; Deguillaume, Laurent; Delort, Anne-Marie; Flossmann, Andrea; Good, Nicholas; Joly, Muriel; Koop, Thomas; Möhler, Ottmar; Monier, Marie; Morris, Cindy; Oehm, Caroline; Pöschl, Ulrich; Sancelme, Martine

2015-04-01

The project BIOCLOUDS aimed at investigating and quantifying the role of bioaerosols in tropospheric clouds. We focused on the studies on microorganisms, mainly bacteria. To reach our objective we (1) isolated and identified INA bacterial strains in cloud waters, (2) studied in more details IN properties of bacteria isolated from cloud waters in laboratories and cloud chamber, (3) used new data as input to cloud models. 1. Isolation and Identification of INA bacterial strains in cloud waters Cloud water samples were collected at the puy de Dôme station under sterile conditions, microorganisms were cultured on agar plates and further identified by DNA sequencing coding for16SrRNA. 257 bacterial strains isolated from 25 cloud events were screened and 44 isolates were selected as they belonged to Pseudomonas, Xanthomonas and Erwinia genera which are potential INA candidates. Using the classical "Droplet Freezing method" as ice nucleation test, 7 strains were shown INA+. Their cumulative IN frequency profiles were established and showed that some of them are very efficient, for example the strain Pseudomonas syringae 13b74 started to nucleate a t-3°C and 4% of the cells were active at- 5°C. 2. Further laboratory investigations of IN properties of cloud bacterial strains All the experiments presented in this section were carried out with 3 Pseudomonas syringae strains. We tested the influence of O3, NO, UV and pH, which are atmospheric markers of anthropogenic activity, on the IN activity of the Pseudomonas strains. It was clearly shown that pH had a main influence, acidic pHs decreased the IN activity of the strains. This suggests a negative impact of human emissions on the natural capacity of bacteria to precipitate with rain. The 3 Pseudomas strains were sprayed in the AIDA cloud chamber. The survival of these strains with time before cloud formation was measured and will be used in the future to parameterize models for bacterial transport. After cloud formation, IN activity of bacteria was followed with time, our results suggest that bacteria are precipitated in the cloud chamber as a result of their IN activity. Also the coating of bacteria with sulfates decreased their IN activity, pointing out the negative potential anthropogenic influence on IN bacteria activity. 3. Modeling study to see if any impact of bacteria on cloud development and/or precipitation is realistic. Modeling studies were performed with DESCAM (Detailed SCAvenging Model) using as an input the new data from the different campaigns in AIDA. M. VAÏTILINGOM et al. Atmospheric Environment, 2012, 56, 88-100. E. ATTARD et al. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 2012, 12, 10667-10677. M. JOLY et al. Atmospheric Environment, 2013, 70, 392-400.

Improvements in Night-Time Low Cloud Detection and MODIS-Style Cloud Optical Properties from MSG SEVIRI

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wind, Galina (Gala); Platnick, Steven; Riedi, Jerome

2011-01-01

The MODIS cloud optical properties algorithm (MOD06IMYD06 for Terra and Aqua MODIS, respectively) slated for production in Data Collection 6 has been adapted to execute using available channels on MSG SEVIRI. Available MODIS-style retrievals include IR Window-derived cloud top properties, using the new Collection 6 cloud top properties algorithm, cloud optical thickness from VISINIR bands, cloud effective radius from 1.6 and 3.7Jlm and cloud ice/water path. We also provide pixel-level uncertainty estimate for successful retrievals. It was found that at nighttime the SEVIRI cloud mask tends to report unnaturally low cloud fraction for marine stratocumulus clouds. A correction algorithm that improves detection of such clouds has been developed. We will discuss the improvements to nighttime low cloud detection for SEVIRI and show examples and comparisons with MODIS and CALIPSO. We will also show examples of MODIS-style pixel-level (Level-2) cloud retrievals for SEVIRI with comparisons to MODIS.

Cloud Macro- and Microphysical Properties Derived from GOES over the ARM SGP Domain

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Minnis, P.; Smith, W. L., Jr.; Young, D. F.

2001-01-01

Cloud macrophysical properties like fractional coverage and height Z(sub c) and microphysical parameters such as cloud liquid water path (LWP), effective droplet radius r(sub e), and cloud phase, are key factors affecting both the radiation budget and the hydrological cycle. Satellite data have been used to complement surface observations from Atmospheric Radiation Measurements (ARM) by providing additional spatial coverage and top-of-atmosphere boundary conditions of these key parameters. Since 1994, the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) has been used for deriving at each half-hour over the ARM Southern Great Plains (SGP) domain: cloud amounts, altitudes, temperatures, and optical depths as well as broadband shortwave (SW) albedo and outgoing longwave radiation at the top of the atmosphere. A new operational algorithm has been implemented to increase the number of value-added products to include cloud particle phase and effective size (r(sub e) or effective ice diameter D(sub e)) as well as LWP and ice water path. Similar analyses have been performed on the data from the Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS) on the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite as part of the Clouds and Earth's Radiant Energy System project. This larger suite of cloud properties will enhance our knowledge of cloud processes and further constrain the mesoscale and single column models using ARM data as a validation/initialization resource. This paper presents the results of applying this new algorithm to GOES-8 data taken during 1998 and 2000. The global VIRS results are compared to the GOES SGP results to provide appropriate context and to test consistency.

Improving Pixel Level Cloud Optical Property Retrieval using Monte Carlo Simulations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oreopoulos, Lazaros; Marshak, Alexander; Cahalan, Robert F.

1999-01-01

The accurate pixel-by-pixel retrieval of cloud optical properties from space is influenced by radiative smoothing due to high order photon scattering and radiative roughening due to low order scattering events. Both are caused by cloud heterogeneity and the three-dimensional nature of radiative transfer and can be studied with the aid of computer simulations. We use Monte Carlo simulations on variable 1-D and 2-D model cloud fields to seek for dependencies of smoothing and roughening phenomena on single scattering albedo, solar zenith angle, and cloud characteristics. The results are discussed in the context of high resolution satellite (such as Landsat) retrieval applications. The current work extends the investigation on the inverse NIPA (Non-local Independent Pixel Approximation) as a tool for removing smoothing and improving retrievals of cloud optical depth. This is accomplished by: (1) Delineating the limits of NIPA applicability; (2) Exploring NIPA parameter dependences on cloud macrostructural features, such as mean cloud optical depth and geometrical thickness, degree of extinction and cloud top height variability. We also compare parameter values from empirical and theoretical considerations; (3) Examining the differences between applying NIPA on radiation quantities vs direct application on optical properties; (4) Studying the radiation budget importance of the NIPA corrections as a function of scale. Finally, we discuss fundamental adjustments that need to be considered for successful radiance inversion at non-conservative wavelengths and oblique Sun angles. These adjustments are necessary to remove roughening signatures which become more prominent with increasing absorption and solar zenith angle.

Chemical Transformation System: Cloud Based Cheminformatic Services to Support Integrated Environmental Modeling (proceedings)

EPA Science Inventory

Integrated Environmental Modeling (IEM) systems that account for the fate/transport of organics frequently require physicochemical properties as well as transformation products. A myriad of chemical property databases exist but these can be difficult to access and often do not co...

Multi-sensor cloud and aerosol retrieval simulator and remote sensing from model parameters - Part 2: Aerosols

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wind, Galina; da Silva, Arlindo M.; Norris, Peter M.; Platnick, Steven; Mattoo, Shana; Levy, Robert C.

2016-07-01

The Multi-sensor Cloud Retrieval Simulator (MCRS) produces a "simulated radiance" product from any high-resolution general circulation model with interactive aerosol as if a specific sensor such as the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) were viewing a combination of the atmospheric column and land-ocean surface at a specific location. Previously the MCRS code only included contributions from atmosphere and clouds in its radiance calculations and did not incorporate properties of aerosols. In this paper we added a new aerosol properties module to the MCRS code that allows users to insert a mixture of up to 15 different aerosol species in any of 36 vertical layers.This new MCRS code is now known as MCARS (Multi-sensor Cloud and Aerosol Retrieval Simulator). Inclusion of an aerosol module into MCARS not only allows for extensive, tightly controlled testing of various aspects of satellite operational cloud and aerosol properties retrieval algorithms, but also provides a platform for comparing cloud and aerosol models against satellite measurements. This kind of two-way platform can improve the efficacy of model parameterizations of measured satellite radiances, allowing the assessment of model skill consistently with the retrieval algorithm. The MCARS code provides dynamic controls for appearance of cloud and aerosol layers. Thereby detailed quantitative studies of the impacts of various atmospheric components can be controlled.In this paper we illustrate the operation of MCARS by deriving simulated radiances from various data field output by the Goddard Earth Observing System version 5 (GEOS-5) model. The model aerosol fields are prepared for translation to simulated radiance using the same model subgrid variability parameterizations as are used for cloud and atmospheric properties profiles, namely the ICA technique. After MCARS computes modeled sensor radiances equivalent to their observed counterparts, these radiances are presented as input to operational remote-sensing algorithms.Specifically, the MCARS-computed radiances are input into the processing chain used to produce the MODIS Data Collection 6 aerosol product (M{O/Y}D04). The M{O/Y}D04 product is of course normally produced from M{O/Y}D021KM MODIS Level-1B radiance product directly acquired by the MODIS instrument. MCARS matches the format and metadata of a M{O/Y}D021KM product. The resulting MCARS output can be directly provided to MODAPS (MODIS Adaptive Processing System) as input to various operational atmospheric retrieval algorithms. Thus the operational algorithms can be tested directly without needing to make any software changes to accommodate an alternative input source.We show direct application of this synthetic product in analysis of the performance of the MOD04 operational algorithm. We use biomass-burning case studies over Amazonia employed in a recent Working Group on Numerical Experimentation (WGNE)-sponsored study of aerosol impacts on numerical weather prediction (Freitas et al., 2015). We demonstrate that a known low bias in retrieved MODIS aerosol optical depth appears to be due to a disconnect between actual column relative humidity and the value assumed by the MODIS aerosol product.

Multi-Sensor Cloud and Aerosol Retrieval Simulator and Remote Sensing from Model Parameters . Part 2; Aerosols

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wind, Galina; Da Silva, Arlindo M.; Norris, Peter M.; Platnick, Steven; Mattoo, Shana; Levy, Robert C.

2016-01-01

The Multi-sensor Cloud Retrieval Simulator (MCRS) produces a simulated radiance product from any high-resolution general circulation model with interactive aerosol as if a specific sensor such as the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) were viewing a combination of the atmospheric column and land ocean surface at a specific location. Previously the MCRS code only included contributions from atmosphere and clouds in its radiance calculations and did not incorporate properties of aerosols. In this paper we added a new aerosol properties module to the MCRS code that allows users to insert a mixture of up to 15 different aerosol species in any of 36 vertical layers. This new MCRS code is now known as MCARS (Multi-sensor Cloud and Aerosol Retrieval Simulator). Inclusion of an aerosol module into MCARS not only allows for extensive, tightly controlled testing of various aspects of satellite operational cloud and aerosol properties retrieval algorithms, but also provides a platform for comparing cloud and aerosol models against satellite measurements. This kind of two-way platform can improve the efficacy of model parameterizations of measured satellite radiances, allowing the assessment of model skill consistently with the retrieval algorithm. The MCARS code provides dynamic controls for appearance of cloud and aerosol layers. Thereby detailed quantitative studies of the impacts of various atmospheric components can be controlled. In this paper we illustrate the operation of MCARS by deriving simulated radiances from various data field output by the Goddard Earth Observing System version 5 (GEOS-5) model. The model aerosol fields are prepared for translation to simulated radiance using the same model sub grid variability parameterizations as are used for cloud and atmospheric properties profiles, namely the ICA technique. After MCARS computes modeled sensor radiances equivalent to their observed counterparts, these radiances are presented as input to operational remote-sensing algorithms. Specifically, the MCARS-computed radiances are input into the processing chain used to produce the MODIS Data Collection 6 aerosol product (MOYD04). TheMOYD04 product is of course normally produced from MOYD021KM MODIS Level-1B radiance product directly acquired by the MODIS instrument. MCARS matches the format and metadata of a MOYD021KM product. The resulting MCARS output can be directly provided to MODAPS (MODIS Adaptive Processing System) as input to various operational atmospheric retrieval algorithms. Thus the operational algorithms can be tested directly without needing to make any software changes to accommodate an alternative input source. We show direct application of this synthetic product in analysis of the performance of the MOD04 operational algorithm. We use biomass-burning case studies over Amazonia employed in a recent Working Group on Numerical Experimentation (WGNE)-sponsored study of aerosol impacts on numerical weather prediction (Freitas et al., 2015). We demonstrate that a known low bias in retrieved MODIS aerosol optical depth appears to be due to a disconnect between actual column relative humidity and the value assumed by the MODIS aerosol product.

Cloud Property Retrieval Products for Graciosa Island, Azores

DOE Data Explorer

Dong, Xiquan

2014-05-05

The motivation for developing this product was to use the Dong et al. 1998 method to retrieve cloud microphysical properties, such as cloud droplet effective radius, cloud droplets number concentration, and optical thickness. These retrieved properties have been used to validate the satellite retrieval, and evaluate the climate simulations and reanalyses. We had been using this method to retrieve cloud microphysical properties over ARM SGP and NSA sites. We also modified the method for the AMF at Shouxian, China and some IOPs, e.g. ARM IOP at SGP in March, 2000. The ARSCL data from ARM data archive over the SGP and NSA have been used to determine the cloud boundary and cloud phase. For these ARM permanent sites, the ARSCL data was developed based on MMCR measurements, however, there were no data available at the Azores field campaign. We followed the steps to generate this derived product and also include the MPLCMASK cloud retrievals to determine the most accurate cloud boundaries, including the thin cirrus clouds that WACR may under-detect. We use these as input to retrieve the cloud microphysical properties. Due to the different temporal resolutions of the derived cloud boundary heights product and the cloud properties product, we submit them as two separate netcdf files.

Predicting Decade-to-Century Climate Change: Prospects for Improving Models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Somerville, Richard C. J.

1999-01-01

Recent research has led to a greatly increased understanding of the uncertainties in today's climate models. In attempting to predict the climate of the 21st century, we must confront not only computer limitations on the affordable resolution of global models, but also a lack of physical realism in attempting to model key processes. Until we are able to incorporate adequate treatments of critical elements of the entire biogeophysical climate system, our models will remain subject to these uncertainties, and our scenarios of future climate change, both anthropogenic and natural, will not fully meet the requirements of either policymakers or the public. The areas of most-needed model improvements are thought to include air-sea exchanges, land surface processes, ice and snow physics, hydrologic cycle elements, and especially the role of aerosols and cloud-radiation interactions. Of these areas, cloud-radiation interactions are known to be responsible for much of the inter-model differences in sensitivity to greenhouse gases. Recently, we have diagnostically evaluated several current and proposed model cloud-radiation treatments against extensive field observations. Satellite remote sensing provides an indispensable component of the observational resources. Cloud-radiation parameterizations display a strong sensitivity to vertical resolution, and we find that vertical resolutions typically used in global models are far from convergence. We also find that newly developed advanced parameterization schemes with explicit cloud water budgets and interactive cloud radiative properties are potentially capable of matching observational data closely. However, it is difficult to evaluate the realism of model-produced fields of cloud extinction, cloud emittance, cloud liquid water content and effective cloud droplet radius until high-quality measurements of these quantities become more widely available. Thus, further progress will require a combination of theoretical and modeling research, together with intensified emphasis on both in situ and space-based remote sensing observations.

Influence of Arctic cloud thermodynamic phase on surface shortwave flux

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

Lubin, D.; Vogelmann, A.

2010-03-15

As part of the Indirect and Semi-Direct Aerosol Campaign (ISDAC) an Analytical Spectral Devices (ASD, Inc.) spectroradiometer was deployed at the Barrow NSA site during April and May of 2008, and in April-October of 2009. This instrument recorded one-minute averages of surface downwelling spectral flux in the wavelength interval 350-2200 nm, thus sampling the two major near infrared windows (1.6 and 2.2 microns) in which the flux is influenced by cloud microphysical properties including thermodynamic phase and effective particle size. Aircraft in situ measurements of cloud properties show mostly mixed-phase clouds over Barrow during the campaign, but with wide variabilitymore » in relative liquid versus ice water content. At fixed total optical depth, this variability in phase composition can yield of order 5-10 Watts per square meter in surface flux variability, with greater cloud attenuation of the surface flux usually occurring under higher ice water content. Thus our data show that changes in cloud phase properties, even within the 'mixed-phase' category, can affect the surface energy balance at the same order of magnitude as greenhouse gas increases. Analysis of this spectral radiometric data provides suggestions for testing new mixed-phase parameterizations in climate models.« less

The use of satellite data assimilation methods in regional NWP for solar irradiance forecasting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurzrock, Frederik; Cros, Sylvain; Chane-Ming, Fabrice; Potthast, Roland; Linguet, Laurent; Sébastien, Nicolas

2016-04-01

As an intermittent energy source, the injection of solar power into electricity grids requires irradiance forecasting in order to ensure grid stability. On time scales of more than six hours ahead, numerical weather prediction (NWP) is recognized as the most appropriate solution. However, the current representation of clouds in NWP models is not sufficiently precise for an accurate forecast of solar irradiance at ground level. Dynamical downscaling does not necessarily increase the quality of irradiance forecasts. Furthermore, incorrectly simulated cloud evolution is often the cause of inaccurate atmospheric analyses. In non-interconnected tropical areas, the large amplitudes of solar irradiance variability provide abundant solar yield but present significant problems for grid safety. Irradiance forecasting is particularly important for solar power stakeholders in these regions where PV electricity penetration is increasing. At the same time, NWP is markedly more challenging in tropic areas than in mid-latitudes due to the special characteristics of tropical homogeneous convective air masses. Numerous data assimilation methods and strategies have evolved and been applied to a large variety of global and regional NWP models in the recent decades. Assimilating data from geostationary meteorological satellites is an appropriate approach. Indeed, models converting radiances measured by satellites into cloud properties already exist. Moreover, data are available at high temporal frequencies, which enable a pertinent cloud cover evolution modelling for solar energy forecasts. In this work, we present a survey of different approaches which aim at improving cloud cover forecasts using the assimilation of geostationary meteorological satellite data into regional NWP models. Various approaches have been applied to a variety of models and satellites and in different regions of the world. Current methods focus on the assimilation of cloud-top information, derived from infrared channels. For example, those information have been directly assimilated by modifying the water vapour profile in the initial conditions of the WRF model in California using GOES satellite imagery. In Europe, the assimilation of cloud-top height and relative humidity has been performed in an indirect approach using an ensemble Kalman filter. In this case Meteosat SEVIRI cloud information has been assimilated in the COSMO model. Although such methods generally provide improved cloud cover forecasts in mid-latitudes, the major limitation is that only clear-sky or completely cloudy cases can be considered. Indeed, fractional clouds cause a measured signal mixing cold clouds and warmer Earth surface. If the model's initial state is directly forced by cloud properties observed by satellite, the changed model fields have to be smoothed in order to avoid numerical instability. Other crucial aspects which influence forecast quality in the case of satellite radiance assimilation are channel selection, bias and error treatment. The overall promising satellite data assimilation methods in regional NWP have not yet been explicitly applied and tested under tropical conditions. Therefore, a deeper understanding on the benefits of such methods is necessary to improve irradiance forecast schemes.

Aerosol-Cloud Interactions and Cloud Microphysical Properties in the Asir Region of Saudi Arabia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kucera, P. A.; Axisa, D.; Burger, R. P.; Li, R.; Collins, D. R.; Freney, E. J.; Buseck, P. R.

2009-12-01

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, located adjacent to the Red Sea in the southwest region of Saudi Arabia. Ground measurements of aerosol size distributions, hygroscopic growth factors, CCN concentrations as well as aircraft measurements of cloud hydrometeor size distributions were observed in the Asir region in August 2009. The presentation will include a summary of the analysis and results with a focus on aerosol-cloud interactions and cloud microphysical properties observed during the convective season in the Asir region.

Enhanced clear sky reflectance near clouds: What can be learned from it about aerosol properties?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marshak, A.; Varnai, T.; Wen, G.; Chiu, J.

2009-12-01

Studies on aerosol direct and indirect effects require a precise separation of cloud-free and cloudy air. However, separation between cloud-free and cloudy areas from remotely-sensed measurements is ambiguous. The transition zone in the regions around clouds often stretches out tens of km, which are neither precisely clear nor precisely cloudy. We study the transition zone between cloud-free and cloudy air using MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) measurements. Both instruments show enhanced clear-sky reflectance (MODIS) and clear-sky backscatterer (CALIPSO) near clouds. Analyzing a large dataset of MODIS observations, we examine the effect of three-dimensional radiative interactions between clouds and cloud-free areas, also known as a cloud adjacency effect. The cloud adjacency effect is well observed in MODIS clear-sky data in the vicinity of clouds. Comparing with CALIPSO clear-sky backscatterer measurements, we show that this effect may be responsible for a large portion of the enhanced clear-sky reflectance observed by MODIS. Finally, we describe a simple model that estimates the cloud-induced enhanced reflectances of cloud-free areas in the vicinity of clouds. The model assumes that the enhancement is due entirely to Rayleigh scattering and is therefore bigger at shorter wavelengths, thus creating a so-called apparent “bluing” of aerosols in remote sensing retrievals.

The sensitivities of in cloud and cloud top phase distributions to primary ice formation in ICON-LEM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beydoun, H.; Karrer, M.; Tonttila, J.; Hoose, C.

2017-12-01

Mixed phase clouds remain a leading source of uncertainty in our attempt to quantify cloud-climate and aerosol-cloud climate interactions. Nevertheless, recent advances in parametrizing the primary ice formation process, high resolution cloud modelling, and retrievals of cloud phase distributions from satellite data offer an excellent opportunity to conduct closure studies on the sensitivity of the cloud phase to microphysical and dynamical processes. Particularly, the reliability of satellite data to resolve the phase at the top of the cloud provides a promising benchmark to compare model output to. We run large eddy simulations with the new ICOsahedral Non-hydrostatic atmosphere model (ICON) to place bounds on the sensitivity of in cloud and cloud top phase to the primary ice formation process. State of the art primary ice formation parametrizations in the form of the cumulative ice active site density ns are implemented in idealized deep convective cloud simulations. We exploit the ability of ICON-LEM to switch between a two moment microphysics scheme and the newly developed Predicted Particle Properties (P3) scheme by running our simulations in both configurations for comparison. To quantify the sensitivity of cloud phase to primary ice formation, cloud ice content is evaluated against order of magnitude changes in ns at variable convective strengths. Furthermore, we assess differences between in cloud and cloud top phase distributions as well as the potential impact of updraft velocity on the suppression of the Wegener-Bergeron-Findeisen process. The study aims to evaluate our practical understanding of primary ice formation in the context of predicting the structure and evolution of mixed phase clouds.

Retrieval of Ice Cloud Properties Using Variable Phase Functions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heck, Patrick W.; Minnis, Patrick; Yang, Ping; Chang, Fu-Lung; Palikonda, Rabindra; Arduini, Robert F.; Sun-Mack, Sunny

2009-03-01

An enhancement to NASA Langley's Visible Infrared Solar-infrared Split-window Technique (VISST) is developed to identify and account for situations when errors are induced by using smooth ice crystals. The retrieval scheme incorporates new ice cloud phase functions that utilize hexagonal crystals with roughened surfaces. In some situations, cloud optical depths are reduced, hence, cloud height is increased. Cloud effective particle size also changes with the roughened ice crystal models which results in varied effects on the calculation of ice water path. Once validated and expanded, the new approach will be integrated in the CERES MODIS algorithm and real-time retrievals at Langley.

Cloud and aerosol studies using combined CPL and MAS data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vaughan, Mark A.; Rodier, Sharon; Hu, Yongxiang; McGill, Matthew J.; Holz, Robert E.

2004-11-01

Current uncertainties in the role of aerosols and clouds in the Earth's climate system limit our abilities to model the climate system and predict climate change. These limitations are due primarily to difficulties of adequately measuring aerosols and clouds on a global scale. The A-train satellites (Aqua, CALIPSO, CloudSat, PARASOL, and Aura) will provide an unprecedented opportunity to address these uncertainties. The various active and passive sensors of the A-train will use a variety of measurement techniques to provide comprehensive observations of the multi-dimensional properties of clouds and aerosols. However, to fully achieve the potential of this ensemble requires a robust data analysis framework to optimally and efficiently map these individual measurements into a comprehensive set of cloud and aerosol physical properties. In this work we introduce the Multi-Instrument Data Analysis and Synthesis (MIDAS) project, whose goal is to develop a suite of physically sound and computationally efficient algorithms that will combine active and passive remote sensing data in order to produce improved assessments of aerosol and cloud radiative and microphysical properties. These algorithms include (a) the development of an intelligent feature detection algorithm that combines inputs from both active and passive sensors, and (b) identifying recognizable multi-instrument signatures related to aerosol and cloud type derived from clusters of image pixels and the associated vertical profile information. Classification of these signatures will lead to the automated identification of aerosol and cloud types. Testing of these new algorithms is done using currently existing and readily available active and passive measurements from the Cloud Physics Lidar and the MODIS Airborne Simulator, which simulate, respectively, the CALIPSO and MODIS A-train instruments.

Light Scattering by Gaussian Particles: A Solution with Finite-Difference Time Domain Technique

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sun, W.; Nousiainen, T.; Fu, Q.; Loeb, N. G.; Videen, G.; Muinonen, K.

2003-01-01

The understanding of single-scattering properties of complex ice crystals has significance in atmospheric radiative transfer and remote-sensing applications. In this work, light scattering by irregularly shaped Gaussian ice crystals is studied with the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) technique. For given sample particle shapes and size parameters in the resonance region, the scattering phase matrices and asymmetry factors are calculated. It is found that the deformation of the particle surface can significantly smooth the scattering phase functions and slightly reduce the asymmetry factors. The polarization properties of irregular ice crystals are also significantly different from those of spherical cloud particles. These FDTD results could provide a reference for approximate light-scattering models developed for irregular particle shapes and can have potential applications in developing a much simpler practical light scattering model for ice clouds angular-distribution models and for remote sensing of ice clouds and aerosols using polarized light. (copyright) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Aerosol and Cloud Experiments in Eastern North Atlantic (ACE-ENA) Science Plan

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

Wang, Jian; Dong, Xiquan; Wood, Robert

With their extensive coverage, low clouds greatly impact global climate. Presently, low clouds are poorly represented in global climate models (GCMs), and the response of low clouds to changes in atmospheric greenhouse gases and aerosols remains the major source of uncertainty in climate simulations. The poor representations of low clouds in GCMs are in part due to inadequate observations of their microphysical and macrophysical structures, radiative effects, and the associated aerosol distribution and budget in regions where the aerosol impact is the greatest. The Eastern North Atlantic (ENA) is a region of persistent but diverse subtropical marine boundary-layer (MBL) clouds,more » whose albedo and precipitation are highly susceptible to perturbations in aerosol properties. Boundary-layer aerosol in the ENA region is influenced by a variety of sources, leading to strong variations in cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentration and aerosol optical properties. Recently a permanent ENA site was established by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility on Graciosa Island in the Azores, providing invaluable information on MBL aerosol and low clouds. At the same time, the vertical structures and horizontal variabilities of aerosol, trace gases, cloud, drizzle, and atmospheric thermodynamics are critically needed for understanding and quantifying the budget of MBL aerosol, the radiative properties, precipitation efficiency, and lifecycle of MBL clouds, and the cloud response to aerosol perturbations. Much of this data can be obtained only through aircraft-based measurements. In addition, the interconnected aerosol and cloud processes are best investigated by a study involving simultaneous in situ aerosol, cloud, and thermodynamics measurements. Furthermore, in situ measurements are also necessary for validating and improving ground-based retrieval algorithms at the ENA site. This project is motivated by the need for comprehensive in situ characterizations of boundary-layer structure, and associated vertical distributions and horizontal variabilities of low clouds and aerosol over the Azores. ARM Aerial Facility (AAF) Gulfstream-1 (G-1) aircraft will be deployed at the ENA site during two intensive operational periods (IOPs) of early summer (June to July) of 2017 and winter (January to February) of 2018, respectively. Deployments during both seasons allow for examination of key aerosol and cloud processes under a variety of representative meteorological and cloud conditions. The science themes for the deployments include: 1) Budget of MBL CCN and its seasonal variation; 2) Effects of aerosol on cloud and precipitation; 3) Cloud microphysical and macrophysical structures, and entrainment mixing; 4) Advancing retrievals of turbulence, cloud, and drizzle; and 5) Model evaluation and processes studies. A key advantage of the deployments is the strong synergy between the measurements onboard the G-1 and the routine measurements at the ENA site, including state-of-the-art profiling and scanning radars. The 3D cloud structures provided by the scanning radars will put the detailed in situ measurements into mesoscale and cloud lifecycle contexts. On the other hand, high quality in situ measurements will enable validation and improvements of ground-based retrieval algorithms at the ENA site, leading to high-quality and statistically robust data sets from the routine measurements. The deployments, combined with the routine measurements at the ENA site, will have a long lasting impact on the research and modeling of low clouds and aerosols in the remote marine environment.« less

Statistical Analyses of Satellite Cloud Object Data From CERES. Part 4; Boundary-layer Cloud Objects During 1998 El Nino

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Xu, Kuan-Man; Wong, Takmeng; Wielicki, Bruce A.; Parker, Lindsay

2006-01-01

Three boundary-layer cloud object types, stratus, stratocumulus and cumulus, that occurred over the Pacific Ocean during January-August 1998, are identified from the CERES (Clouds and the Earth s Radiant Energy System) single scanner footprint (SSF) data from the TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission) satellite. This study emphasizes the differences and similarities in the characteristics of each cloud-object type between the tropical and subtropical regions and among different size categories and among small geographic areas. Both the frequencies of occurrence and statistical distributions of cloud physical properties are analyzed. In terms of frequencies of occurrence, stratocumulus clouds dominate the entire boundary layer cloud population in all regions and among all size categories. Stratus clouds are more prevalent in the subtropics and near the coastal regions, while cumulus clouds are relatively prevalent over open ocean and the equatorial regions, particularly, within the small size categories. The largest size category of stratus cloud objects occurs more frequently in the subtropics than in the tropics and has much larger average size than its cumulus and stratocumulus counterparts. Each of the three cloud object types exhibits small differences in statistical distributions of cloud optical depth, liquid water path, TOA albedo and perhaps cloud-top height, but large differences in those of cloud-top temperature and OLR between the tropics and subtropics. Differences in the sea surface temperature (SST) distributions between the tropics and subtropics influence some of the cloud macrophysical properties, but cloud microphysical properties and albedo for each cloud object type are likely determined by (local) boundary-layer dynamics and structures. Systematic variations of cloud optical depth, TOA albedo, cloud-top height, OLR and SST with cloud object sizes are pronounced for the stratocumulus and stratus types, which are related to systematic variations of the strength of inversion with cloud object sizes, produced by large-scale subsidence. The differences in cloud macrophysical properties over small regions are significantly larger than those of cloud microphysical properties and TOA albedo, suggesting a greater control of (local) large-scale dynamics and other factors on cloud object properties. When the three cloud object types are combined, the relative population among the three types is the most important factor for determining the cloud object properties in a Pacific transect where the transition of boundary-layer cloud types takes place.

Impact of aerosol microphysics on cloud optical properties and implications to atmospheric oxidation capacity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, G.; Yu, F.

2016-12-01

GEOS-Chem, presently used by many research groups, is a state-of-the-art global 3-D model of atmospheric composition driven by assimilated meteorology from the Goddard Earth Observing System. Our comparisons of GEOS-5 cloud properties, used in photolysis rate calculation, with MODIS retrievals show that GEOS-5 underestimates cloud optical depth (COD) by a factor of more than 2 over most regions. Our further analysis indicates that the COD underestimation in the released GEOS-5 meteorology products is likely to be associated with the fact that the GEOS-5 doesn't take into account the impact of aerosol on cloud microphysics and optical properties. A new COD parameterization (called NewC thereafter), which re-calculates COD from GEOS-5 water content and GEOS-Chem simulated size-resolved particle properties, cloud condensation nuclei abundance, and cloud droplet number concentration, has been developed and incorporated into GEOS-Chem. The NewC increases the GEOS-5 derived annual mean CODs averaged between 60ºS and 60ºN from 2.0 to 4.3, in much better agreement with corresponding MODIS value of 4.3. The enhanced COD based on NewC scheme reduces global average boundary layer OH concentration by 9.8%. Zonal averaged OH is increased 3-7% above clouds due to backscattering and decreased 10-15% below clouds due to the attenuation of solar radiation. The global mean OH concentration simulated by GEOS-Chem driven by GEOS-5 COD and NewC COD are respectively12.9 × 105molec cm-3 and 12.2 × 105molec cm-3, with the latter closer to the ACCMIP multi-model estimation (11.7±1 105molec cm-3). Surface OH concentrations over major anthropogenic regions such as Eastern US, Europe, and East Asia decrease by up to -18.6%, -14.4%, and -19.9%, respectively. The relative change of surface OH concentration appears to be the largest over the Amazon rainforest, reaching up to -30%. After switching from old COD to NewC COD, GEOS-Chem simulated column HCHO and surface isoprene over Amazon region are enhanced 12% and 20%, respectively. At the Eastern United States, column HCHO and surface isoprene are enhanced 5% and 15%, respectively. Seasonal variation and regional characteristics of the impact of aerosol microphysics on cloud properties and implications to atmospheric oxidation capacity and tropospheric compositions will be discussed.

Influence of Meteorological Regimes on Cloud Microphysics Over Ross Island, Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glennon, C.; Wang, S. H.; Scott, R. C.; Bromwich, D. H.; Lubin, D.

2017-12-01

The Antarctic provides a sharp contrast in cloud microphysics from the high Arctic, due to orographic lifting and resulting strong vertical motions induced by mountain ranges and other varying terrain on several spatial scales. The Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) West Antarctic Radiation Experiment (AWARE) deployed advanced cloud remote sensing equipment to Ross Island, Antarctica, from December 2015 until January 2016. This equipment included scanning and zenith radars operating in the Ka and X bands, a high spectral resolution lidar (HSRL), and a polarized micropulse lidar (MPL). A major AWARE objective is to provide state-of-the-art data for improving cloud microphysical parameterizations in climate models. To further this objective we have organized and classified the local Ross Island meteorology into distinct regimes using k-means clustering on ERA-Interim reanalysis data. We identify synoptic categories producing unique regimes of cloud cover and cloud microphysical properties over Ross Island. Each day of observations can then be associated with a specific meteorological regime, thus assisting modelers with identifying case studies. High-resolution (1 km) weather forecasts from the Antarctic Mesoscale Prediction System (AMPS) are sorted into these categories. AMPS-simulated anomalies of cloud fraction, near-surface air temperature, and vertical velocity at 500-mb are composited and compared with ground-based radar and lidar-derived cloud properties to identify mesoscale meteorological processes driving Antarctic cloud formation. Synoptic lows over the Ross and Amundsen Seas drive anomalously warm conditions at Ross Island by injecting marine air masses inland over the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS). This results in ice and mixed-phase orographic cloud systems arriving at Ross Island from the south to southeast along the Transantarctic Mountains. In contrast, blocking over the Amundsen Sea region brings classical liquid-dominated mixed-phase and thin liquid water clouds from the Southern Ocean. Low pressure systems over the Bellingshausen Sea produce outflow of cold, dry continental polar air, yielding predominantly tenuous ice cloud at Ross Island.

Comparison of three ice cloud optical schemes in climate simulations with community atmospheric model version 5

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Wenjie; Peng, Yiran; Wang, Bin; Yi, Bingqi; Lin, Yanluan; Li, Jiangnan

2018-05-01

A newly implemented Baum-Yang scheme for simulating ice cloud optical properties is compared with existing schemes (Mitchell and Fu schemes) in a standalone radiative transfer model and in the global climate model (GCM) Community Atmospheric Model Version 5 (CAM5). This study systematically analyzes the effect of different ice cloud optical schemes on global radiation and climate by a series of simulations with a simplified standalone radiative transfer model, atmospheric GCM CAM5, and a comprehensive coupled climate model. Results from the standalone radiative model show that Baum-Yang scheme yields generally weaker effects of ice cloud on temperature profiles both in shortwave and longwave spectrum. CAM5 simulations indicate that Baum-Yang scheme in place of Mitchell/Fu scheme tends to cool the upper atmosphere and strengthen the thermodynamic instability in low- and mid-latitudes, which could intensify the Hadley circulation and dehydrate the subtropics. When CAM5 is coupled with a slab ocean model to include simplified air-sea interaction, reduced downward longwave flux to surface in Baum-Yang scheme mitigates ice-albedo feedback in the Arctic as well as water vapor and cloud feedbacks in low- and mid-latitudes, resulting in an overall temperature decrease by 3.0/1.4 °C globally compared with Mitchell/Fu schemes. Radiative effect and climate feedback of the three ice cloud optical schemes documented in this study can be referred for future improvements on ice cloud simulation in CAM5.

Observations of Three-Dimensional Radiative Effects that Influence Satellite Retrievals of Cloud Properties

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Varnai, Tamas; Marshak, Alexander; Lau, William K. M. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

This paper examines three-dimensional (3D) radiative effects, which arise from horizontal radiative interactions between areas that have different cloud properties. Earlier studies have argued that these effects can cause significant uncertainties in current satellite retrievals of cloud properties, because the retrievals rely on one-dimensional (1D) theory and do not consider the effects of horizontal changes in cloud properties. This study addresses two questions: which retrieved cloud properties are influenced by 3D radiative effects, and where 3D effects tend to occur? The influence of 3D effects is detected from the wayside illumination and shadowing make clouds appear asymmetric: Areas appear brighter if the cloud top surface is tilted toward, rather than away from, the Sun. The analysis of 30 images by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) reveals that retrievals of cloud optical thickness and cloud water content are most influenced by 3D effects, whereas retrievals of cloud particle size are much less affected. The results also indicate that while 3D effects are strongest at cloud edges, cloud top variability in cloud interiors, even in overcast regions, also produces considerable 3D effects. Finally, significant 3D effects are found in a wide variety of situations, ranging from thin clouds to thick ones and from low clouds to high ones.

Sound, infrasound, and sonic boom absorption by atmospheric clouds.

PubMed

Baudoin, Michaël; Coulouvrat, François; Thomas, Jean-Louis

2011-09-01

This study quantifies the influence of atmospheric clouds on propagation of sound and infrasound, based on an existing model [Gubaidulin and Nigmatulin, Int. J. Multiphase Flow 26, 207-228 (2000)]. Clouds are considered as a dilute and polydisperse suspension of liquid water droplets within a mixture of dry air and water vapor, both considered as perfect gases. The model is limited to low and medium altitude clouds, with a small ice content. Four physical mechanisms are taken into account: viscoinertial effects, heat transfer, water phase changes (evaporation and condensation), and vapor diffusion. Physical properties of atmospheric clouds (altitude, thickness, water content and droplet size distribution) are collected, along with values of the thermodynamical coefficients. Different types of clouds have been selected. Quantitative evaluation shows that, for low audible and infrasound frequencies, absorption within clouds is several orders of magnitude larger than classical absorption. The importance of phase changes and vapor diffusion is outlined. Finally, numerical simulations for nonlinear propagation of sonic booms indicate that, for thick clouds, attenuation can lead to a very large decay of the boom at the ground level. © 2011 Acoustical Society of America

CLouds, and Aerosols Radiative Impacts and Forcing: Year 2016 (CLARIFY-2016)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haywood, J. M.; Bellouin, N.; Carslaw, K. S.; Coe, H.; Field, P.; Highwood, E. J.; Redemann, J.; Stier, P.; Wood, R.; Zuidema, P.

2013-12-01

Strongly absorbing biomass burning aerosols (BBAs) exist above highly reflectant stratocumulus clouds in the SE Atlantic with implications on the direct (e.g. Haywood et al., 2003), semi-direct (e.g. Johnson et al., 2006), and indirect effect of aerosols, implications on the remote sensing of cloud optical properties, development of clouds and feedback processes. Here, we present an analysis of modelled estimates of the direct effect using twelve models from the AEROCOM project (Myhre et al., 2013) to show that estimates of the direct effect in SE Atlantic range from strongly negative to strongly positive. Furthermore, we evaluate the performance of the HadGEM2 model and show it cannot replicate the extreme values of positive forcing inferred from high spectral resolution satellite retrievals. By examining patterns of deposition, we infer that the indirect effect from biomass burning aerosols is very limited in the model, but without detailed measurements we are unsure of the validity of this inference. We conclude that the SE Atlantic is therefore of key importance in determining the radiative forcing of biomass burning aerosols and provides a very stringent test for global climate models as they need to accurately represent the geographic distribution of the aerosol optical depth, the wavelength dependent aerosol single scattering albedo, the vertical profile of the aerosol, the geographic distribution of the cloud, the cloud fraction, the cloud liquid water content, the cloud droplet effective radii, and the vertical profile of the cloud. These results are used as scientific rationale to justify a new measurement campaign: CLouds and Aerosol Radiative Impacts and Forcing: Year-2016 (CLARIFY-2016). Haywood, J.M., Osborne, S.R. Francis, P.N., Keil, A., Formenti, P., Andreae, M.O., and Kaye, P.H., The mean physical and optical properties of regional haze dominated by biomass burning aerosol measured from the C-130 aircraft during SAFARI 2000, J. Geophys. Res., 108(D13), 8473, doi:10.1029/2002JD002226, 2003. Johnson, B.T., K.P. Shine, and P.M. Forster, The semi-direct aerosol effect: Impact of absorbing aerosols on marine stratocumulus, QJRMS, DOI: 10.1256/qj.03.61, 2006. Myhre, G. et al. Radiative forcing of the direct aerosol effect from AeroCom Phase II simulations, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 1853-1877, doi:10.5194/acp-13-1853-2013, 2013

2010 Atmospheric System Research (ASR) Science Team Meeting Summary

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

Dupont, DL

This document contains the summaries of papers presented in poster format at the March 2010 Atmospheric System Research Science Team Meeting held in Bethesda, Maryland. More than 260 posters were presented during the Science Team Meeting. Posters were sorted into the following subject areas: aerosol-cloud-radiation interactions, aerosol properties, atmospheric state and surface, cloud properties, field campaigns, infrastructure and outreach, instruments, modeling, and radiation. To put these posters in context, the status of ASR at the time of the meeting is provided here.

Laboratory Studies of the Cloud Droplet Activation Properties and Corresponding Chemistry of Saline Playa Dust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaston, C.; Pratt, K.; Suski, K. J.; May, N.; Gill, T. E.; Prather, K. A.

2016-12-01

Saline playas (dried lake beds) emit large quantities of dust that can facilitate the activation of cloud droplets. Despite the potential importance of playa dust for cloud formation, several models assume that dust is non-hygroscopic highlighting the need for measurements to clarify the role of dust from multiple sources in aerosol-cloud-climate interactions. Here we present water uptake measurements onto playa dust represented by the hygroscopicity parameter κ, which ranged from 0.002 ± 0.001 to 0.818 ± 0.094. Single-particle measurements made using an aircraft-aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer (A-ATOFMS) revealed the presence of halite, sodium sulfates, and sodium carbonates that were strongly correlated with κ underscoring the role that dust composition plays in water uptake. Predictions of κ made using bulk chemical techniques generally showed good agreement with measured values; however, several samples were poorly predicted using bulk particle composition. The lack of measurements/model agreement using this method and the strong correlations between κ and single-particle data are suggestive of chemical heterogeneities as a function of particle size and/or chemically distinct particle surfaces that dictate the water uptake properties of playa dust particles. Overall, our results highlight the ability of playa dust particles to act as cloud condensation nuclei that should be accounted for in models.

A Melting Layer Model for Passive/Active Microwave Remote Sensing Applications. Part 2; Simulation of TRMM Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Olson, William S.; Bauer, Peter; Kummerow, Christian D.; Tao, Wei-Kuo

2000-01-01

The one-dimensional, steady-state melting layer model developed in Part I of this study is used to calculate both the microphysical and radiative properties of melting precipitation, based upon the computed concentrations of snow and graupel just above the freezing level at applicable horizontal gridpoints of 3-dimensional cloud resolving model simulations. The modified 3-dimensional distributions of precipitation properties serve as input to radiative transfer calculations of upwelling radiances and radar extinction/reflectivities at the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) frequencies, respectively. At the resolution of the cloud resolving model grids (approx. 1 km), upwelling radiances generally increase if mixed-phase precipitation is included in the model atmosphere. The magnitude of the increase depends upon the optical thickness of the cloud and precipitation, as well as the scattering characteristics of ice-phase precipitation aloft. Over the set of cloud resolving model simulations utilized in this study, maximum radiance increases of 43, 28, 18, and 10 K are simulated at 10.65, 19.35 GHz, 37.0, and 85.5 GHz, respectively. The impact of melting on TMI-measured radiances is determined not only by the physics of the melting particles but also by the horizontal extent of the melting precipitation, since the lower-frequency channels have footprints that extend over 10''s of kilometers. At TMI resolution, the maximum radiance increases are 16, 15, 12, and 9 K at the same frequencies. Simulated PR extinction and reflectivities in the melting layer can increase dramatically if mixed-phase precipitation is included, a result consistent with previous studies. Maximum increases of 0.46 (-2 dB) in extinction optical depth and 5 dBZ in reflectivity are simulated based upon the set of cloud resolving model simulations.

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 succeed to reproduce all the processes neither. Finally, thanks to the combined use of CALIPSO-GOCCP and ECMWF water vapor pressure, we showed an updated version of the Clausius-Clapeyron water vapor phase diagram. This diagram represents a new tool to improve the simulation of the cloud phase transition in climate models.

Overview of the CERES Edition-4 Multilayer Cloud Property Datasets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, F. L.; Minnis, P.; Sun-Mack, S.; Chen, Y.; Smith, R. A.; Brown, R. R.

2014-12-01

Knowledge of the cloud vertical distribution is important for understanding the role of clouds on earth's radiation budget and climate change. Since high-level cirrus clouds with low emission temperatures and small optical depths can provide a positive feedback to a climate system and low-level stratus clouds with high emission temperatures and large optical depths can provide a negative feedback effect, the retrieval of multilayer cloud properties using satellite observations, like Terra and Aqua MODIS, is critically important for a variety of cloud and climate applications. For the objective of the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES), new algorithms have been developed using Terra and Aqua MODIS data to allow separate retrievals of cirrus and stratus cloud properties when the two dominant cloud types are simultaneously present in a multilayer system. In this paper, we will present an overview of the new CERES Edition-4 multilayer cloud property datasets derived from Terra as well as Aqua. Assessment of the new CERES multilayer cloud datasets will include high-level cirrus and low-level stratus cloud heights, pressures, and temperatures as well as their optical depths, emissivities, and microphysical properties.

Design, Evaluation and GCM-Performance of a New Parameterization for Microphysics of Clouds with Relaxed Arakawa-Schubert Scheme (McRas)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sud, Y. C.; Walker, G. K.

1998-01-01

A prognostic cloud scheme named McRAS (Microphysics of clouds with Relaxed Arakawa-Schubert Scheme) was developed with the aim of improving cloud-microphysics, and cloud-radiation interactions in GCMs. McRAS distinguishes convective, stratiform, and boundary-layer clouds. The convective clouds merge into stratiform clouds on an hourly time-scale, while the boundary-layer clouds do so instantly. The cloud condensate transforms into precipitation following the auto-conversion relations of Sundqvist that contain a parametric adaptation for the Bergeron-Findeisen process of ice crystal growth and collection of cloud condensate by precipitation. All clouds convect, advect, and diffuse both horizontally and vertically with a fully active cloud-microphysics throughout its life-cycle, while the optical properties of clouds are derived from the statistical distribution of hydrometeors and idealized cloud geometry. An evaluation of McRAS in a single column model (SCM) with the GATE Phase III data has shown that McRAS can simulate the observed temperature, humidity, and precipitation without discernible systematic errors. An evaluation with the ARM-CART SCM data in a cloud model intercomparison exercise shows reasonable but not an outstanding accurate simulation. Such a discrepancy is common to almost all models and is related, in part, to the input data quality. McRAS was implemented in the GEOS II GCM. A 50 month integration that was initialized with the ECMWF analysis of observations for January 1, 1987 and forced with the observed sea-surface temperatures and sea-ice distribution and vegetation properties (biomes, and soils), with prognostic soil moisture, snow-cover, and hydrology showed a very realistic simulation of cloud process, incloud water and ice, and cloud-radiative forcing (CRF). The simulated ITCZ showed a realistic time-mean structure and seasonal cycle, while the simulated CRF showed sensitivity to vertical distribution of cloud water which can be easily altered by the choice of time constant and incloud critical cloud water amount regulators for auto-conversion. The CRF and its feedbacks also have a profound effect on the ITCZ. Even though somewhat weaker than observed, the McRAS-GCM simulation produces robust 30-60 day oscillations in the 200 hPa velocity potential. Two ensembles of 4-summer (July, August, September) simulations, one each for 1987 and 1988 show that the McRAS-GCM simulates realistic and statistically significant precipitation differences over India, Central America, and tropical Africa. Several seasonal simulations were performed with McRAS-GEOS II GCM for the summer (June-July- August) and winter (December-January-February) periods to determine how the simulated clouds and CRFs would be affected by: i) advection of clouds; ii) cloud top entrainment instability, iii) cloud water inhomogeneity correction, and (iv) cloud production and dissipation in different cloud-processes. The results show that each of these processes contributes to the simulated cloud-fraction and CRF.

Microphysics of Clouds with the Relaxed Arakawa-Schubert Scheme (McRAS). Part I: Design and Evaluation with GATE Phase III Data.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sud, Y. C.; Walker, G. K.

1999-09-01

A prognostic cloud scheme named McRAS (Microphysics of Clouds with Relaxed Arakawa-Schubert Scheme) has been designed and developed with the aim of improving moist processes, microphysics of clouds, and cloud-radiation interactions in GCMs. McRAS distinguishes three types of clouds: convective, stratiform, and boundary layer. The convective clouds transform and merge into stratiform clouds on an hourly timescale, while the boundary layer clouds merge into the stratiform clouds instantly. The cloud condensate converts into precipitation following the autoconversion equations of Sundqvist that contain a parametric adaptation for the Bergeron-Findeisen process of ice crystal growth and collection of cloud condensate by precipitation. All clouds convect, advect, as well as diffuse both horizontally and vertically with a fully interactive cloud microphysics throughout the life cycle of the cloud, while the optical properties of clouds are derived from the statistical distribution of hydrometeors and idealized cloud geometry.An evaluation of McRAS in a single-column model (SCM) with the Global Atmospheric Research Program Atlantic Tropical Experiment (GATE) Phase III data has shown that, together with the rest of the model physics, McRAS can simulate the observed temperature, humidity, and precipitation without discernible systematic errors. The time history and time mean in-cloud water and ice distribution, fractional cloudiness, cloud optical thickness, origin of precipitation in the convective anvils and towers, and the convective updraft and downdraft velocities and mass fluxes all simulate a realistic behavior. Some of these diagnostics are not verifiable with data on hand. These SCM sensitivity tests show that (i) without clouds the simulated GATE-SCM atmosphere is cooler than observed; (ii) the model's convective scheme, RAS, is an important subparameterization of McRAS; and (iii) advection of cloud water substance is helpful in simulating better cloud distribution and cloud-radiation interaction. An evaluation of the performance of McRAS in the Goddard Earth Observing System II GCM is given in a companion paper (Part II).

Assessment of optical properties variation and discrimination of aerosol and cloud with a multiple-wavelength elastic-Raman lidar in New York City

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arapi, A.; Wu, Y.; Moshary, F.; Blake, R.; Liou-Mark, J.

2017-12-01

Aerosol and cloud play important roles on the Earth's energy budget, which is an important component of climate research. The radiative effects of aerosol-cloud interaction are still highly uncertain and the accuracy of their representation in climate models depends on the accuracy of their measurements. This study evaluates the potential to determine the existence of hydrated aerosols near clouds based on a ground-based multiple-wavelength elastic-Raman lidar at 1064-532-355nm and satellite measurement in New York City area (NYC), east coast of US. The main goal of this study is to examine the variations of color-ratio (spectral or wavelength dependence of backscatter) and relative backscatter to identify patterns between aerosol and cloud. In this presentation, we show the time-height distribution and variation of lidar-measured relative backscatter and color-ratio for some case studies. Then, we employ an aerosol-cloud discrimination algorithm to separate aerosols and clouds according to the color-ratio differences. We demonstrate the significant variation of aerosol optical properties near the low-level clouds in summer, which indicates the potential interaction or transient zone between aerosols and clouds. Finally, we show the preliminary evaluation of the aerosol and cloud product from the satellite retrievals when the ground-lidar observes the transported smoke plumes in NYC area.

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 cloud systems increases with increasing sea surface temperature, while the high cloud fraction and outgoing shortwave radiation decrease.

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 close to Yangtze River downstream, and is higher than the regions of northern and northwestern China. The contribution of daily mean surface evaporation to precipitation was 10.92%, indicating that the 90% rainfall was from the conversion of water vapor outside the plateau.

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).

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).

Design and Performance of McRas in SCMs and GEOS I/II GCMs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sud, Yogesh C.; Einaudi, Franco (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

The design of a prognostic cloud scheme named McRAS (Microphysics of clouds with Relaxed Arakawa-Schubert Scheme) for general circulation models (GCMs) will be discussed. McRAS distinguishes three types of clouds: (1) convective, (2) stratiform, and (3) boundary-layer types. The convective clouds transform and merge into stratiform clouds on an hourly time-scale, while the boundary-layer clouds merge into the stratiform clouds instantly. The cloud condensate converts into precipitation following the auto-conversion equations of Sundqvist that contain a parametric adaptation for the Bergeron-Findeisen process of ice crystal growth and collection of cloud condensate by precipitation. All clouds convect, advect, as well as diffuse both horizontally and vertically with a fully interactive cloud-microphysics throughout the life-cycle of the cloud, while the optical properties of clouds are derived from the statistical distribution of hydrometeors and idealized cloud geometry. An evaluation of McRAS in a single column model (SCM) with the GATE Phase III and 5-ARN CART datasets has shown that together with the rest of the model physics, McRAS can simulate the observed temperature, humidity, and precipitation without many systematic errors. The time history and time mean incloud water and ice distribution, fractional cloudiness, cloud optical thickness, origin of precipitation in the convective anvil and towers, and the convective updraft and downdraft velocities and mass fluxes all show a realistic behavior. Performance of McRAS in GEOS 11 GCM shows several satisfactory features but some of the remaining deficiencies suggest need for additional research involving convective triggers and inhibitors, provision for continuously detraining updraft, a realistic scheme for cumulus gravity wave drag, and refinements to physical conditions for ascertaining cloud detrainment level.

Aerosol-radiation-cloud interactions in the South-East Atlantic: first results from the ORACLES-2016 deployment and plans for future activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Redemann, J.; Wood, R.; Zuidema, P.; Haywood, J. M.; Piketh, S.; Formenti, P.; Abel, S.

2016-12-01

Southern Africa produces almost a third of the Earth's biomass burning (BB) aerosol particles. Particles lofted into the mid-troposphere are transported westward over the South-East (SE) Atlantic, home to one of the three permanent subtropical stratocumulus (Sc) cloud decks in the world. The SE Atlantic stratocumulus deck interacts with the dense layers of BB aerosols that initially overlay the cloud deck, but later subside and may mix into the clouds. These interactions include adjustments to aerosol-induced solar heating and microphysical effects, and their global representation in climate models remains one of the largest uncertainties in estimates of future climate. Hence, new observations over the SE Atlantic have significant implications for regional and global climate change predictions. Our understanding of aerosol-cloud interactions in the SE Atlantic is severely limited. Most notably, we are missing knowledge on the absorptive and cloud nucleating properties of aerosols, including their vertical distribution relative to clouds, on the locations and degree of aerosol mixing into clouds, on the processes that govern cloud property adjustments, and on the importance of aerosol effects on clouds relative to co-varying synoptic scale meteorology. We describe first results from various synergistic, international research activities aimed at studying aerosol-cloud interactions in the region: NASA's airborne ORACLES (ObseRvations of Aerosols Above Clouds and Their IntEractionS) deployment in August/September of 2016, the DoE's LASIC (Layered Atlantic Smoke Interactions with Clouds) deployment of the ARM Mobile Facility to Ascension Island (June 2016 - October 2017), the ground-based components of CNRS' AEROCLO-sA (Aerosols Clouds and Fog over the west coast of southern Africa), and ongoing regional-scale integrative, process-oriented science efforts as part of SEALS-sA (Sea Earth Atmosphere Linkages Study in southern Africa). We expect to describe experimental setups as well as showcase initial aerosol and cloud property distributions. Furthermore, we discuss the implementation of future activities in these programs in coordination with the UK Met Office's CLARIFY (CLoud-Aerosol-Radiation Interactions and Forcing) experiment in 2017.

A Multi-Year Data Set of Cloud Properties Derived for CERES from Aqua, Terra, and TRMM

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Minnis, Patrick; Sunny Sun-Mack; Trepte, Quinz Z.; Yan Chen; Brown, Richard R.; Gibson, Sharon C.; Heck, Michael L.; Dong, Xiquan; Xi, Baike

2007-01-01

The Clouds and Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) Project is producing a suite of cloud properties from high-resolution imagers on several satellites and matching them precisely with broadband radiance data to study the influence of clouds and radiation on climate. The cloud properties generally compare well with independent validation sources. Distinct differences are found between the CERES cloud properties and those derived with other algorithms from the same imager data. CERES products will be updated beginning in late 2006.

A Numerical Study of Cirrus Clouds. Part I: Model Description.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Hui-Chun; Wang, Pao K.; Schlesinger, Robert E.

2003-04-01

This article, the first of a two-part series, presents a detailed description of a two-dimensional numerical cloud model directed toward elucidating the physical processes governing the evolution of cirrus clouds. The two primary scientific purposes of this work are (a) to determine the evolution and maintenance mechanisms of cirrus clouds and try to explain why some cirrus can persist for a long time; and (b) to investigate the influence of certain physical factors such as radiation, ice crystal habit, latent heat, ventilation effects, and aggregation mechanisms on the evolution of cirrus. The second part will discuss sets of model experiments that were run to address objectives (a) and (b), respectively.As set forth in this paper, the aforementioned two-dimensional numerical model, which comprises the research tool for this study, is organized into three modules that embody dynamics, microphysics, and radiation. The dynamic module develops a set of equations to describe shallow moist convection, also parameterizing turbulence by using a 1.5-order closure scheme. The microphysical module uses a double-moment scheme to simulate the evolution of the size distribution of ice particles. Heterogeneous and homogeneous nucleation of haze particles are included, along with other ice crystal processes such as diffusional growth, sedimentation, and aggregation. The radiation module uses a two-stream radiative transfer scheme to determine the radiative fluxes and heating rates, while the cloud optical properties are determined by the modified anomalous diffraction theory (MADT) for ice particles. One of the main advantages of this cirrus model is its explicit formulation of the microphysical and radiative properties as functions of ice crystal habit.

The effect of clouds on the earth's radiation budget

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ziskin, Daniel; Strobel, Darrell F.

1991-01-01

The radiative fluxes from the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) and the cloud properties from the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) over Indonesia for the months of June and July of 1985 and 1986 were analyzed to determine the cloud sensitivity coefficients. The method involved a linear least squares regression between co-incident flux and cloud coverage measurements. The calculated slope is identified as the cloud sensitivity. It was found that the correlations between the total cloud fraction and radiation parameters were modest. However, correlations between cloud fraction and IR flux were improved by separating clouds by height. Likewise, correlations between the visible flux and cloud fractions were improved by distinguishing clouds based on optical depth. Calculating correlations between the net fluxes and either height or optical depth segregated cloud fractions were somewhat improved. When clouds were classified in terms of their height and optical depth, correlations among all the radiation components were improved. Mean cloud sensitivities based on the regression of radiative fluxes against height and optical depth separated cloud types are presented. Results are compared to a one-dimensional radiation model with a simple cloud parameterization scheme.

Aerosol-Cloud Interactions during Tropical Deep Convection: Evidence for the Importance of Free Tropospheric Aerosols

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ackerman, A.; Jensen, E.; Stevens, D.; Wang, D.; Heymsfield, A.; Miloshevich, L.; Twohy, C.; Poellot, M.; VanReken, T.; Fridland, Ann

2003-01-01

NASA's 2002 CRYSTAL-FACE field experiment focused on the formation and evolution of tropical cirrus cloud systems in southern Florida. Multiple aircraft extensively sampled cumulonimbus dynamical and microphysical properties, as well as characterizing ambient aerosol populations both inside and outside the full depth of the convective column. On July 18, unique measurements were taken when a powerful updraft was traversed directly by aircraft, providing a window into the primary source region of cumulonimbus anvil crystals. Observations of the updraft, entered at approximately l0 km altitude and -34 C, indicated more than 200 cloud particles per mL at vertical velocities exceeding 20 m/s and the presence of significant condensation nuclei and liquid water within the core. In this work, aerosol and cloud phase observations are integrated by simulating the updraft conditions using a large-eddy resolving model with 3 explicit multiphase microphysics, including treatment of size-resolved aerosol fields, aerosol activation and freezing, and evaporation of cloud particles back to the aerosol phase. Simulations were initialized with observed thermodynamic and aerosol size distributions profiles and convection was driven by surface fluxes assimilated from the ARPS forecast model. Model results are consistent with the conclusions that most crystals are homogeneously frozen droplets and that entrained free tropospheric aerosols may contribute a significant fraction of the crystals. Thus most anvil crystals appear to be formed aloft in updraft cores, well above cloud base. These conclusions are supported by observations of hydrometeor size distribution made while traversing the dore, as well as aerosol and cloud particle size distributions generally observed by aircraft below 4km and crystal properties generally observed by aircraft above 12km.

Validation of VIIRS Cloud Base Heights at Night Using Ground and Satellite Measurements over Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

NOH, Y. J.; Miller, S. D.; Seaman, C.; Forsythe, J. M.; Brummer, R.; Lindsey, D. T.; Walther, A.; Heidinger, A. K.; Li, Y.

2016-12-01

Knowledge of Cloud Base Height (CBH) is critical to describing cloud radiative feedbacks in numerical models and is of practical significance to aviation communities. We have developed a new CBH algorithm constrained by Cloud Top Height (CTH) and Cloud Water Path (CWP) by performing a statistical analysis of A-Train satellite data. It includes an extinction-based method for thin cirrus. In the algorithm, cloud geometric thickness is derived with upstream CTH and CWP input and subtracted from CTH to generate the topmost layer CBH. The CBH information is a key parameter for an improved Cloud Cover/Layers product. The algorithm has been applied to the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) onboard the Suomi NPP spacecraft. Nighttime cloud optical properties for CWP are retrieved from the nighttime lunar cloud optical and microphysical properties (NLCOMP) algorithm based on a lunar reflectance model for the VIIRS Day/Night Band (DNB) measuring nighttime visible light such as moonlight. The DNB has innovative capabilities to fill the polar winter and nighttime gap of cloud observations which has been an important shortfall from conventional radiometers. The CBH products have been intensively evaluated against CloudSat data. The results showed the new algorithm yields significantly improved performance over the original VIIRS CBH algorithm. However, since CloudSat is now operational during daytime only due to a battery anomaly, the nighttime performance has not been fully assessed. This presentation will show our approach to assess the performance of the CBH algorithm at night. VIIRS CBHs are retrieved over the Alaska region from October 2015 to April 2016 using the Clouds from AVHRR Extended (CLAVR-x) processing system. Ground-based measurements from ceilometer and micropulse lidar at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) site on the North Slope of Alaska are used for the analysis. Local weather conditions are checked using temperature and precipitation observations at the site. CALIPSO data with near-simultaneous colocation are added for multi-layered cloud cases which may have high clouds aloft beyond the ground measurements. Multi-month statistics of performance and case studies will be shown. Additional efforts for algorithm refinements will be also discussed.

The impact of atmospheric stability and wind shear on vertical cloud overlap over the Tibetan Plateau

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jiming; Lv, Qiaoyi; Jian, Bida; Zhang, Min; Zhao, Chuanfeng; Fu, Qiang; Kawamoto, Kazuaki; Zhang, Hua

2018-05-01

Studies have shown that changes in cloud cover are responsible for the rapid climate warming over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) in the past 3 decades. To simulate the total cloud cover, atmospheric models have to reasonably represent the characteristics of vertical overlap between cloud layers. Until now, however, this subject has received little attention due to the limited availability of observations, especially over the TP. Based on the above information, the main aim of this study is to examine the properties of cloud overlaps over the TP region and to build an empirical relationship between cloud overlap properties and large-scale atmospheric dynamics using 4 years (2007-2010) of data from the CloudSat cloud product and collocated ERA-Interim reanalysis data. To do this, the cloud overlap parameter α, which is an inverse exponential function of the cloud layer separation D and decorrelation length scale L, is calculated using CloudSat and is discussed. The parameters α and L are both widely used to characterize the transition from the maximum to random overlap assumption with increasing layer separations. For those non-adjacent layers without clear sky between them (that is, contiguous cloud layers), it is found that the overlap parameter α is sensitive to the unique thermodynamic and dynamic environment over the TP, i.e., the unstable atmospheric stratification and corresponding weak wind shear, which leads to maximum overlap (that is, greater α values). This finding agrees well with the previous studies. Finally, we parameterize the decorrelation length scale L as a function of the wind shear and atmospheric stability based on a multiple linear regression. Compared with previous parameterizations, this new scheme can improve the simulation of total cloud cover over the TP when the separations between cloud layers are greater than 1 km. This study thus suggests that the effects of both wind shear and atmospheric stability on cloud overlap should be taken into account in the parameterization of decorrelation length scale L in order to further improve the calculation of the radiative budget and the prediction of climate change over the TP in the atmospheric models.

Probing Clouds in Planets with a Simple Radiative Transfer Model: The Jupiter Case

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mendikoa, Inigo; Perez-Hoyos, Santiago; Sanchez-Lavega, Agustin

2012-01-01

Remote sensing of planets evokes using expensive on-orbit satellites and gathering complex data from space. However, the basic properties of clouds in planetary atmospheres can be successfully estimated with small telescopes even from an urban environment using currently available and affordable technology. This makes the process accessible for…

Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) algorithm theoretical basis document. Volume 1; Overviews (subsystem 0)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wielicki, Bruce A. (Principal Investigator); Barkstrom, Bruce R. (Principal Investigator); Baum, Bryan A.; Cess, Robert D.; Charlock, Thomas P.; Coakley, James A.; Green, Richard N.; Lee, Robert B., III; Minnis, Patrick; Smith, G. Louis

1995-01-01

The theoretical bases for the Release 1 algorithms that will be used to process satellite data for investigation of the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) are described. The architecture for software implementation of the methodologies is outlined. Volume 1 provides both summarized and detailed overviews of the CERES Release 1 data analysis system. CERES will produce global top-of-the-atmosphere shortwave and longwave radiative fluxes at the top of the atmosphere, at the surface, and within the atmosphere by using the combination of a large variety of measurements and models. The CERES processing system includes radiance observations from CERES scanning radiometers, cloud properties derived from coincident satellite imaging radiometers, temperature and humidity fields from meteorological analysis models, and high-temporal-resolution geostationary satellite radiances to account for unobserved times. CERES will provide a continuation of the ERBE record and the lowest error climatology of consistent cloud properties and radiation fields. CERES will also substantially improve our knowledge of the Earth's surface radiation budget.

Role of clouds, aerosols, and aerosol-cloud interaction in 20th century simulations with GISS ModelE2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nazarenko, L.; Rind, D. H.; Bauer, S.; Del Genio, A. D.

2015-12-01

Simulations of aerosols, clouds and their interaction contribute to the major source of uncertainty in predicting the changing Earth's energy and in estimating future climate. Anthropogenic contribution of aerosols affects the properties of clouds through aerosol indirect effects. Three different versions of NASA GISS global climate model are presented for simulation of the twentieth century climate change. All versions have fully interactive tracers of aerosols and chemistry in both the troposphere and stratosphere. All chemical species are simulated prognostically consistent with atmospheric physics in the model and the emissions of short-lived precursors [Shindell et al., 2006]. One version does not include the aerosol indirect effect on clouds. The other two versions include a parameterization of the interactive first indirect aerosol effect on clouds following Menon et al. [2010]. One of these two models has the Multiconfiguration Aerosol Tracker of Mixing state (MATRIX) that permits detailed treatment of aerosol mixing state, size, and aerosol-cloud activation. The main purpose of this study is evaluation of aerosol-clouds interactions and feedbacks, as well as cloud and aerosol radiative forcings, for the twentieth century climate under different assumptions and parameterizations for aerosol, clouds and their interactions in the climate models. The change of global surface air temperature based on linear trend ranges from +0.8°C to +1.2°C between 1850 and 2012. Water cloud optical thickness increases with increasing temperature in all versions with the largest increase in models with interactive indirect effect of aerosols on clouds, which leads to the total (shortwave and longwave) cloud radiative cooling trend at the top of the atmosphere. Menon, S., D. Koch, G. Beig, S. Sahu, J. Fasullo, and D. Orlikowski (2010), Black carbon aerosols and the third polar ice cap, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 10,4559-4571, doi:10.5194/acp-10-4559-2010. Shindell, D., G. Faluvegi, N. Unger, E. Aguilar, G.A. Schmidt, D.M. Koch, S.E. Bauer, and J.R. Miller (2006), Simulations of preindustrial, present-day, and 2100 conditions in the NASA GISS composition and climate model G-PUCCINI, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 6, 4427-4459.

Interactions between deep convective clouds and aerosols as observed by satellites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, T.; Li, Z. I.; Remer, L.; Martins, V.

2008-12-01

Major uncertainties regarding interactions between deep convective clouds (DCC) exist due partly to observational difficulty and partly to the entanglement among remotely sensed properties of aerosols and clouds and entanglement between meteorology and possible aerosol signals. In this study we adopt a novel, physically sound relationship between cloud crystal effective radius(CER) and brightness temperature (BT) and utilize ample sampling opportunity provided by MODIS instrument. We reveal aerosol impacts on DCCs by analyzing an ensemble data. Through a conceptual model we demonstrate how aerosol may affect DCC properties. We outline a few scenarios where aerosol signals are best separated and pronounced. Based on our results, anthropogenic pollutions and smokes are shown to effectively decrease CER and to elevate glaciation level of DCCs. On the other hand, dust particles from local sources have the opposite effects, namely, increasing cloud ice particle size and enhancing glaciation by acting possibly as giant CCN or IN. Implications of these effects for aerosols are discussed along with feedbacks of these effects to dynamics.

Space shuttle exhaust cloud properties

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, B. J.; Keller, V. W.

1983-01-01

A data base describing the properties of the exhaust cloud produced by the launch of the Space Transportation System and the acidic fallout observed after each of the first four launches was assembled from a series of ground and aircraft based measurements made during the launches of STS 2, 3, and 4. Additional data were obtained from ground-based measurements during firings of the 6.4 percent model of the Solid Rocket Booster at the Marshall Center. Analysis indicates that the acidic fallout is produced by atomization of the deluge water spray by the rocket exhaust on the pad followed by rapid scavening of hydrogen chloride gas aluminum oxide particles from the Solid Rocket Boosters. The atomized spray is carried aloft by updrafts created by the hot exhaust and deposited down wind. Aircraft measurements in the STS-3 ground cloud showed an insignificant number of ice nuclei. Although no measurements were made in the column cloud, the possibility of inadvertent weather modification caused by the interaction of ice nuclei with natural clouds appears remote.

Changes in cloud properties over East Asia deduced from the CLARA-A2 satellite data record

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benas, Nikos; Fokke Meirink, Jan; Hollmann, Rainer; Karlsson, Karl-Göran; Stengel, Martin

2017-04-01

Studies on cloud properties and processes, and their role in the Earth's changing climate, have advanced during the past decades. A significant part of this advance was enabled by satellite measurements, which offer global and continuous monitoring. Lately, a new satellite-based cloud data record was released: the CM SAF cLoud, Albedo and surface RAdiation dataset from AVHRR data - second edition (CLARA-A2) includes high resolution cloud macro- and micro-physical properties derived from the AVHRR instruments on board NOAA and MetOp polar orbiters. Based on this data record, an analysis of cloud property changes over East Asia during the 12-year period 2004-2015 was performed. Significant changes were found in both optical and geometric cloud properties, including increases in cloud liquid water path and top height. The Cloud Droplet Number Concentration (CDNC) was specifically studied in order to gain further insight into possible connections between aerosol and cloud processes. To this end, aerosol and cloud observations from MODIS, covering the same area and period, were included in the analysis.

Lagrangian large eddy simulations of boundary layer clouds on ERA-Interim and ERA5 trajectories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2017-12-01

This exploratory study examines Lagrangian large eddy simulations of boundary layer clouds along wind trajectories from the ERA-Interim and ERA5 reanalyses. The study is motivated by the need for statistically representative sets of high resolution simulations of cloud field evolution in realistic meteorological conditions. The study will serve as a foundation for the investigation of biomass burning effects on the transition from stratocumulus to shallow cumulus clouds in the South-East Atlantic. Trajectories that pass through a location with radiosonde data (St. Helena) and which exhibit a well-defined cloud structure and evolution were identified in satellite imagery, and sea surface temperature and atmospheric vertical profiles along the trajectories were extracted from the reanalysis data sets. The System for Atmospheric Modeling (SAM) simulated boundary layer turbulence and cloud properties along the trajectories. Mean temperature and moisture (in the free troposphere) and mean wind speed (at all levels) were nudged towards the reanalysis data. Atmospheric and cloud properties in the large eddy simulations were compared with those from the reanalysis products, and evaluated with satellite imagery and radiosonde data. Simulations using ERA-Interim data and the higher resolution ERA5 data are contrasted.

New single-aircraft integrated atmospheric observation capabilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Z.

2011-12-01

Improving current weather and climate model capabilities requires better understandings of many atmospheric processes. Thus, advancing atmospheric observation capabilities has been regarded as the highest imperatives to advance the atmospheric science in the 21st century. Under the NSF CAREER support, we focus on developing new airborne observation capabilities through the developments of new instrumentations and the single-aircraft integration of multiple remote sensors with in situ probes. Two compact Wyoming cloud lidars were built to work together with a 183 GHz microwave radiometer, a multi-beam Wyoming cloud radar and in situ probes for cloud studies. The synergy of these remote sensor measurements allows us to better resolve the vertical structure of cloud microphysical properties and cloud scale dynamics. Together with detailed in situ data for aerosol, cloud, water vapor and dynamics, we developed the most advanced observational capability to study cloud-scale properties and processes from a single aircraft (Fig. 1). A compact Raman lidar was also built to work together with in situ sampling to characterize boundary layer aerosol and water vapor distributions for many important atmospheric processes studies, such as, air-sea interaction and convective initialization. Case studies will be presented to illustrate these new observation capabilities.

Characterizing the Influence of the General Circulation on Marine Boundary Layer Clouds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rozendaal, Margaret A.; Rossow, William B.; Hansen, James E. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The seasonal and intraseasonal variability of boundary layer cloud in the subtropical eastern oceans are studied using combined data from the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) reanalysis. Spectral analysis reveals that most of the time variability of cloud properties occurs on seasonal to annual time scales. The variance decreases one to two orders of magnitude for each decade of time scale decrease, indicating that daily to monthly time scales have smaller, but non-negligible variability. The length of these dominant time scales suggests that the majority of the variability is influenced by the general circulation and its interaction with boundary layer turbulence, rather than a product of boundary layer turbulence alone. Previous datasets have lacked the necessary resolution in either time or in space to properly characterize variability on synoptic scales; this is remedied by using global satellite-retrieved cloud properties. We characterize the intraseasonal subtropical cloud variability in both hemispheres and in different seasons. In addition to cloud fraction, we examine variability of cloud optical thickness - cloud top pressure frequency distributions. Despite the large concentration of research on the variability of Northern Hemisphere (NH) regions during summer, it is noted that the largest amplitude intraseasonal variability in the NH regions occurs during local winter. The effect of intraseasonal variability on the calculation and interpretation of seasonal results is investigated. Decreases in seasonally averaged cloud cover, optical thickness and cloud top pressure from the May-through-September season to the November-through-March season are most apparent in the NH regions. Further analysis indicates that these changes are due to an increase in frequency, but a decrease in the persistence of synoptic events. In addition, changes in cloud top pressure and optical thickness characteristics from the summer to winter seasons indicate that the NH subtropics undergo a change in dynamic regime with season. This change appears in the cloud fields as a shift from the more commonly seen lower-altitude, thicker optical thickness clouds to higher-altitude, thinner clouds. The latter cloud-type is associated with the lower sea level pressure, upward vertical velocity phase of the synoptic wave. Intraseasonal changes in cloud properties in the Southern Hemisphere and NH summer are much smaller in amplitude. Although they also appear to be linked to changes in the large-scale dynamics, similarly to NH winter variations, the relationships are more ambiguous due to the small amplitudes and longer time scales. We attempt to interpret some of these relationships using the results of the Betts and Ridgway (1989) box model. However, these results cannot consistently explain the patterns when results from all regions are considered, implying that this model may not adequately explain all the processes involved in the variability.

Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Clouds as Observed by MODIS Onboard the Terra and Aqua Satellites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

King, Michael D.; Platnick, Steven; Menzel, Paul; Ackerman, Steven A.

2006-01-01

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) was developed by NASA and launched onboard the Terra spacecraft on December 18,1999 and Aqua spacecraft on May 4, 2002. It achieved its final orbit and began Earth observations on February 24,2000 for Terra and June 24,2002 for Aqua. A comprehensive set of remote sensing algorithms for cloud masking and the retrieval of cloud physical and optical properties has been developed by members of the MODIS atmosphere science team. The archived products from these algorithms have applications in climate change studies, climate modeling, numerical weather prediction, and fundamental atmospheric research. In addition to an extensive cloud mask, products include cloud-top properties (temperature, pressure, effective emissivity), cloud thermodynamic phase, cloud optical and microphysical parameters (optical thickness, effective particle radius, water path), as well as derived statistics. Over the last year, extensive improvements and enhancements in the global cloud products have been implemented, and reprocessing of all MODIS data on Terra has commenced since first light in February 2000. In the cloud mask algorithm, the most extensive improvements were in distinguishing clouds at nighttime, including the challenging polar darkness regions of the world. Additional improvements have been made to properly distinguish sunglint from clouds in the tropical ocean regions, and to improve the identification of clouds from snow during daytime in Polar Regions. We will show global monthly mean cloud fraction for both Terra and Aqua, and show how similar the global daytime cloud fraction is from these morning and afternoon orbits, respectively. We will also show the zonal distribution of cloud fraction over land and ocean regions for both Terra and Aqua, and show the time series of global cloud fraction from July 2002 through June 2006.

The Cloud Feedback Model Intercomparison Project Observational Simulator Package: Version 2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Swales, Dustin J.; Pincus, Robert; Bodas-Salcedo, Alejandro

2018-01-01

The Cloud Feedback Model Intercomparison Project Observational Simulator Package (COSP) gathers together a collection of observation proxies or satellite simulators that translate model-simulated cloud properties to synthetic observations as would be obtained by a range of satellite observing systems. This paper introduces COSP2, an evolution focusing on more explicit and consistent separation between host model, coupling infrastructure, and individual observing proxies. Revisions also enhance flexibility by allowing for model-specific representation of sub-grid-scale cloudiness, provide greater clarity by clearly separating tasks, support greater use of shared code and data including shared inputs across simulators, and follow more uniform software standards to simplify implementation across a wide range of platforms. The complete package including a testing suite is freely available.

Simulations of cloudy hyperspectral infrared radiances using the HT-FRTC, a fast PC-based multipurpose radiative transfer code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2017-12-01

The HT-FRTC uses principal components which cover the spectrum at a very high spectral resolution allowing very fast line-by-line-like, hyperspectral and broadband simulations for satellite-based, airborne and ground-based sensors. Using data from IASI and from the Airborne Research Interferometer Evaluation System (ARIES) on board the FAAM BAE 146 aircraft, variational retrievals in principal component space with HT-FRTC as forward model have demonstrated that valuable information on temperature and humidity profiles and on the cirrus cloud properties can be obtained simultaneously. The NASA/JPL/UMBC cloudy RTM inter-comparison project has been working on a global dataset consisting of 7377 AIRS spectra. Initial simulations with HT-FRTC for this dataset have been promising. A next step taken here is to investigate how sensitive the results are with respect to different assumptions in the cloud modelling. One aspect of this is to study how assumptions about the microphysical and related optical properties of liquid/ice clouds impact the statistics of the agreement between model and observations. The other aspect is about the cloud overlap scheme. Different schemes have been tested (maximum, random, maximum random). As the computational cost increases linearly with the number of cloud columns, it will be investigated if there is an optimal number of columns beyond which there is little additional benefit to be gained. During daytime the high wave number channels of AIRS are affected by solar radiation. With full scattering calculations using a monochromatic version of the Edwards-Slingo radiation code the HT-FRTC can model solar radiation reasonably well, but full scattering calculations are relatively expensive. Pure Chou scaling on the other hand can not properly describe scattering of solar radiation by clouds and requires additional refinements.

Scaling properties of observed and simulated satellite visible radiances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barker, Howard W.; Qu, Zhipeng; Bélair, Stéphane; Leroyer, Sylvie; Milbrandt, Jason A.; Vaillancourt, Paul A.

2017-09-01

Structure functions Sq, which are related to power spectra and used to study turbulence, were computed for GOES-13 visible radiances measured on 16 May 2015 over French Guiana and adjacent Atlantic Ocean. The nested Global Environmental Multiscale (GEM) numerical weather prediction (NWP) model was run for the same time and area. Cloud data generated by GEM over (300 km)2 domains, with one-way nesting ending at horizontal grid-spacing of 0.25 km, were operated on by a 3-D solar radiative transfer model with resulting radiances degraded to GOES-13 resolution ( 1 km) and Sq computed for them, too. For GOES-13 radiances, scaling exponents ζ(2) associated with S2, for separation distances between 5 km and 25 km, were typically >0.6 for deep convective and marine boundary layer clouds and <0.4 for shallow cumuli over land. ζ(2) for GEM agreed well with GOES-13 for deep convective clouds. This suggests that the self-organizing properties of deep convection in GEM exhibit realistic geometric features, a potentially important point given the link between cloud structure and precipitation, with the latter being much more difficult to measure and assess than visible radiances. Regarding radiances for GEM's marine boundary layer clouds, their Sq differed markedly from GOES-13's; better resembling fair-weather cumulus. Likewise, GEM's shallow cumuli over land appear to have bypassed the "scattered" fair-weather stage and went straight into more organized convection. Thus, it appears that comparing time series of Sq for geostationary satellite data and corresponding modeled radiances has the potential to benefit assessment of cloud system-resolving models.

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

Zhang, Damao; Wang, Zhien; Heymsfield, Andrew J.

Measurement of ice number concentration in clouds is important but still challenging. Stratiform mixed-phase clouds (SMCs) provide a simple scenario for retrieving ice number concentration from remote sensing measurements. The simple ice generation and growth pattern in SMCs offers opportunities to use cloud radar reflectivity (Ze) measurements and other cloud properties to infer ice number concentration quantitatively. To understand the strong temperature dependency of ice habit and growth rate quantitatively, we develop a 1-D ice growth model to calculate the ice diffusional growth along its falling trajectory in SMCs. The radar reflectivity and fall velocity profiles of ice crystals calculatedmore » from the 1-D ice growth model are evaluated with the Atmospheric Radiation Measurements (ARM) Climate Research Facility (ACRF) ground-based high vertical resolution radar measurements. Combining Ze measurements and 1-D ice growth model simulations, we develop a method to retrieve the ice number concentrations in SMCs at given cloud top temperature (CTT) and liquid water path (LWP). The retrieved ice concentrations in SMCs are evaluated with in situ measurements and with a three-dimensional cloud-resolving model simulation with a bin microphysical scheme. These comparisons show that the retrieved ice number concentrations are within an uncertainty of a factor of 2, statistically.« less

Effect of Thin Cirrus Clouds on Dust Optical Depth Retrievals From MODIS Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Feng, Qian; Hsu, N. Christina; Yang, Ping; Tsay, Si-Chee

2011-01-01

The effect of thin cirrus clouds in retrieving the dust optical depth from MODIS observations is investigated by using a simplified aerosol retrieval algorithm based on the principles of the Deep Blue aerosol property retrieval method. Specifically, the errors of the retrieved dust optical depth due to thin cirrus contamination are quantified through the comparison of two retrievals by assuming dust-only atmospheres and the counterparts with overlapping mineral dust and thin cirrus clouds. To account for the effect of the polarization state of radiation field on radiance simulation, a vector radiative transfer model is used to generate the lookup tables. In the forward radiative transfer simulations involved in generating the lookup tables, the Rayleigh scattering by atmospheric gaseous molecules and the reflection of the surface assumed to be Lambertian are fully taken into account. Additionally, the spheroid model is utilized to account for the nonsphericity of dust particles In computing their optical properties. For simplicity, the single-scattering albedo, scattering phase matrix, and optical depth are specified a priori for thin cirrus clouds assumed to consist of droxtal ice crystals. The present results indicate that the errors in the retrieved dust optical depths due to the contamination of thin cirrus clouds depend on the scattering angle, underlying surface reflectance, and dust optical depth. Under heavy dusty conditions, the absolute errors are comparable to the predescribed optical depths of thin cirrus clouds.

Cirrus cloud spectra and layers observed during the FIRE and GASP projects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Flatau, Piotr J.; Gultepe, I.; Nastrom, G.; Cotton, William R.; Heymsfield, A. J.

1990-01-01

A general characterization is developed for cirrus clouds in terms of their spectra, shapes, optical thicknesses, and radiative properties for use in numerical models. Data sets from the Global Atmospheric Sampling Project (GASP) of the upper troposphere and the First ISCCP Regional Experiment (FIRE) are combined and analyzed to study general traits of cirrus clouds. A definition is given for 2D turbulence, and the GASP and FIRE data sets are examined with respect to cirrus layers and entrainment and to dominant turbulent scales. The approach employs conditional sampling in cloudy and clear air, power-spectral analysis, and mixing-line-type diagrams. Evidence is given for a well mixed cloud deck and for the tendency of cirrus to be formed in multilayer structures. The results are of use in mesoscale and global circulation models which predict cirrus, in small-scale cirrus modeling, and in studying the role of gravity waves in the horizontal structure of upper tropospheric clouds.

Observational evidence of dust evolution in galactic extinction curves

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

Cecchi-Pestellini, Cesare; Casu, Silvia; Mulas, Giacomo

Although structural and optical properties of hydrogenated amorphous carbons are known to respond to varying physical conditions, most conventional extinction models are basically curve fits with modest predictive power. We compare an evolutionary model of the physical properties of carbonaceous grain mantles with their determination by homogeneously fitting observationally derived Galactic extinction curves with the same physically well-defined dust model. We find that a large sample of observed Galactic extinction curves are compatible with the evolutionary scenario underlying such a model, requiring physical conditions fully consistent with standard density, temperature, radiation field intensity, and average age of diffuse interstellar clouds.more » Hence, through the study of interstellar extinction we may, in principle, understand the evolutionary history of the diffuse interstellar clouds.« less

Some Technical Aspects of a CALIOP and MODIS Data Analysis that Examines Near-Cloud Aerosol Properties as a Function of Cloud Fraction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Varnai, Tamas; Yang, Weidong; Marshak, Alexander

2016-01-01

CALIOP shows stronger near-cloud changes in aerosol properties at higher cloud fractions. Cloud fraction variations explain a third of near-cloud changes in overall aerosol statistics. Cloud fraction and aerosol particle size distribution have a complex relationship.

Modelled and measured effects of clouds on UV Aerosol Indices on a local, regional, and global scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Penning de Vries, M.; Wagner, T.

2011-12-01

The UV Aerosol Indices (UVAI) form one of very few available tools in satellite remote sensing that provide information on aerosol absorption. The UVAI are also quite insensitive to surface type and are determined in the presence of clouds - situations where most aerosol retrieval algorithms do not work. The UVAI are most sensitive to elevated layers of absorbing aerosols, such as mineral dust and smoke, but they can also be used to study non-absorbing aerosols, such as sulphate and secondary organic aerosols. Although UVAI are determined for cloud-contaminated pixels, clouds do affect the value of UVAI in several ways: (1) they shield the underlying scene (potentially containing aerosols) from view, (2) they enhance the apparent surface albedo of an elevated aerosol layer, and (3) clouds unpolluted by aerosols also yield non-zero UVAI, here referred to as "cloudUVAI". The main purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that clouds can cause significant UVAI and that this cloudUVAI can be well modelled using simple assumptions on cloud properties. To this aim, we modelled cloudUVAI by using measured cloud optical parameters - either with low spatial resolution from SCIAMACHY, or high resolution from MERIS - as input. The modelled cloudUVAI were compared with UVAI determined from SCIAMACHY reflectances on different spatial (local, regional and global) and temporal scales (single measurement, daily means and seasonal means). The general dependencies of UVAI on cloud parameters were quite well reproduced, but several issues remain unclear: compared to the modelled cloudUVAI, measured UVAI show a bias, in particular for large cloud fractions. Also, the spread in measured UVAI is larger than in modelled cloudUVAI. In addition to the original, Lambert Equivalent Reflector (LER)-based UVAI algorithm, we have also investigated the effects of clouds on UVAI determined using the so-called Modified LER (MLER) algorithm (currently applied to TOMS and OMI data). For medium-sized clouds the MLER algorithm performs better (UVAI are closer to 0), but like for LER UVAI, MLER UVAI can become as large as -1.2 for small clouds and deviate significantly from zero for cloud fractions near 1. The effects of clouds should therefore also be taken into account when MLER UVAI data are used. Because the effects of clouds and aerosols on UVAI are not independent, a simple subtraction of modelled cloudUVAI from measured UVAI does not yield a UVAI representative of a cloud-free scene when aerosols are present. We here propose a first, simple approach for the correction of cloud effects on UVAI. The method is shown to work reasonably well for small to medium-sized clouds located above aerosols.

The effect of clouds on the earth's radiation balance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Herman, G. F.; Wu, M. L. C.; Johnson, W. T.

1979-01-01

The effect of global cloudiness on the radiation balance at the top of the atmosphere is studied in general circulation model experiments. Wintertime simulations were conducted with clouds that had realistic optical properties, and were compared with simulations in which the clouds were transparent to either solar or thermal radiation. Clouds increase the net balance by limiting longwave loss to space, but decrease it by reflecting solar radiation. It is found that the net result of cloudiness is to maintain net radiation which is less than would be realized under clear conditions: Clouds cause the net radiation at the top of the atmosphere to increase due to longwave absorption, but to decrease even more due to cloud reflectance of solar radiation.

The Impact of Cloud Properties on Young Sea Ice during Three Winter Storms at N-ICE2015

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murphy, S. Y.; Walden, V. P.; Cohen, L.; Hudson, S. R.

2017-12-01

The impact of clouds on sea ice varies significantly as cloud properties change. Instruments deployed during the Norwegian Young Sea Ice field campaign (N-ICE2015) are used to study how differing cloud properties influence the cloud radiative forcing at the sea ice surface. N-ICE2015 was the first campaign in the Arctic winter since SHEBA (1997/1998) to study the surface energy budget of sea ice and the associated effects of cloud properties. Cloud characteristics, surface radiative and turbulent fluxes, and meteorological properties were measured throughout the field campaign. Here we explore how cloud macrophysical and microphysical properties affect young, thin sea ice during three winter storms from 31 January to 15 February 2015. This time period is of interest due to the varying surface and atmospheric conditions, which showcase the variety of conditions the newly-formed sea ice can experience during the winter. This period was characterized by large variations in the ice surface and near-surface air temperatures, with highs near 0°C when warm, moist air was advected into the area and lows reaching -40°C during clear, calm periods between storms. The advection of warm, moist air into the area influenced the cloud properties and enhanced the downwelling longwave flux. For most of the period, downwelling longwave flux correlates closely with the air temperature. However, at the end of the first storm, a drop in downwelling longwave flux of about 50 Wm-2 was observed, independent of any change in surface or air temperature or cloud fraction, indicating a change in cloud properties. Lidar data show an increase in cloud height during this period and a potential shift in cloud phase from ice to mixed-phase. This study will describe the cloud properties during the three winter storms and discuss their impacts on surface energy budget.

Model Atmospheres for Massive Gas Giants with Thick Clouds: Application to the HR 8799 Planets and Predictions for Future Detections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madhusudhan, Nikku; Burrows, Adam; Currie, Thayne

2011-08-01

We have generated an extensive new suite of massive giant planet atmosphere models and used it to obtain fits to photometric data for the planets HR 8799b, c, and d. We consider a wide range of cloudy and cloud-free models. The cloudy models incorporate different geometrical and optical thicknesses, modal particle sizes, and metallicities. For each planet and set of cloud parameters, we explore grids in gravity and effective temperature, with which we determine constraints on the planet's mass and age. Our new models yield statistically significant fits to the data, and conclusively confirm that the HR 8799 planets have much thicker clouds than those required to explain data for typical L and T dwarfs. Both models with (1) physically thick forsterite clouds and a 60 μm modal particle size and (2) clouds made of 1 μm sized pure iron droplets and 1% supersaturation fit the data. Current data are insufficient to accurately constrain the microscopic cloud properties, such as composition and particle size. The range of best-estimated masses for HR 8799b, HR 8799c, and HR 8799d conservatively span 2-12 MJ , 6-13 MJ , and 3-11 MJ , respectively, and imply coeval ages between ~10 and ~150 Myr, consistent with previously reported stellar ages. The best-fit temperatures and gravities are slightly lower than values obtained by Currie et al. using even thicker cloud models. Finally, we use these models to predict the near-to-mid-IR colors of soon-to-be imaged planets. Our models predict that planet-mass objects follow a locus in some near-to-mid-IR color-magnitude diagrams that is clearly separable from the standard L/T dwarf locus for field brown dwarfs.

Overview of CERES Cloud Properties Derived From VIRS AND MODIS DATA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Minis, Patrick; Geier, Erika; Wielicki, Bruce A.; Sun-Mack, Sunny; Chen, Yan; Trepte, Qing Z.; Dong, Xiquan; Doelling, David R.; Ayers, J. Kirk; Khaiyer, Mandana M.

2006-01-01

Simultaneous measurement of radiation and cloud fields on a global basis is recognized as a key component in understanding and modeling the interaction between clouds and radiation at the top of the atmosphere, at the surface, and within the atmosphere. The NASA Clouds and Earth s Radiant Energy System (CERES) Project (Wielicki et al., 1998) began addressing this issue in 1998 with its first broadband shortwave and longwave scanner on the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM). This was followed by the launch of two CERES scanners each on Terra and Aqua during late 1999 and early 2002, respectively. When combined, these satellites should provide the most comprehensive global characterization of clouds and radiation to date. Unfortunately, the TRMM scanner failed during late 1998. The Terra and Aqua scanners continue to operate, however, providing measurements at a minimum of 4 local times each day. CERES was designed to scan in tandem with high resolution imagers so that the cloud conditions could be evaluated for every CERES measurement. The cloud properties are essential for converting CERES radiances shortwave albedo and longwave fluxes needed to define the radiation budget (ERB). They are also needed to unravel the impact of clouds on the ERB. The 5-channel, 2-km Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS) on the TRMM and the 36-channel 1-km Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on Terra and Aqua are analyzed to define the cloud properties for each CERES footprint. To minimize inter-satellite differences and aid the development of useful climate-scale measurements, it was necessary to ensure that each satellite imager is calibrated in a fashion consistent with its counterpart on the other CERES satellites (Minnis et al., 2006) and that the algorithms are as similar as possible for all of the imagers. Thus, a set of cloud detection and retrieval algorithms were developed that could be applied to all three imagers utilizing as few channels as possible while producing stable and accurate cloud properties. This paper discusses the algorithms and results of applying those techniques to more than 5 years of Terra MODIS, 3 years of Aqua MODIS, and 4 years of TRMM VIRS data.

On The Cloud Processing of Aerosol Particles: An Entraining Air Parcel Model With Two-dimensional Spectral Cloud Microphysics and A New Formulation of The Collection Kernel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bott, Andreas; Kerkweg, Astrid; Wurzler, Sabine

A study has been made of the modification of aerosol spectra due to cloud pro- cesses and the impact of the modified aerosols on the microphysical structure of future clouds. For this purpose an entraining air parcel model with two-dimensional spectral cloud microphysics has been used. In order to treat collision/coalescence processes in the two-dimensional microphysical module, a new realistic and continuous formu- lation of the collection kernel has been developed. Based on experimental data, the kernel covers the entire investigated size range of aerosols, cloud and rain drops, that is the kernel combines all important coalescence processes such as the collision of cloud drops as well as the impaction scavenging of small aerosols by big raindrops. Since chemical reactions in the gas phase and in cloud drops have an important impact on the physico-chemical properties of aerosol particles, the parcel model has been extended by a chemical module describing gas phase and aqueous phase chemical reactions. However, it will be shown that in the numerical case studies presented in this paper the modification of aerosols by chemical reactions has a minor influence on the microphysical structure of future clouds. The major process yielding in a second cloud event an enhanced formation of rain is the production of large aerosol particles by collision/coalescence processes in the first cloud.

Unveiling aerosol-cloud interactions - Part 2: Minimising the effects of aerosol swelling and wet scavenging in ECHAM6-HAM2 for comparison to satellite data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neubauer, David; Christensen, Matthew W.; Poulsen, Caroline A.; Lohmann, Ulrike

2017-11-01

Aerosol-cloud interactions (ACIs) are uncertain and the estimates of the ACI effective radiative forcing (ERFaci) magnitude show a large variability. Within the Aerosol_cci project the susceptibility of cloud properties to changes in aerosol properties is derived from the high-resolution AATSR (Advanced Along-Track Scanning Radiometer) data set using the Cloud-Aerosol Pairing Algorithm (CAPA) (as described in our companion paper) and compared to susceptibilities from the global aerosol climate model ECHAM6-HAM2 and MODIS-CERES (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer - Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System) data. For ECHAM6-HAM2 the dry aerosol is analysed to mimic the effect of CAPA. Furthermore the analysis is done for different environmental regimes. The aerosol-liquid water path relationship in ECHAM6-HAM2 is systematically stronger than in AATSR-CAPA data and cannot be explained by an overestimation of autoconversion when using diagnostic precipitation but rather by aerosol swelling in regions where humidity is high and clouds are present. When aerosol water is removed from the analysis in ECHAM6-HAM2 the strength of the susceptibilities of liquid water path, cloud droplet number concentration and cloud albedo as well as ERFaci agree much better with those of AATSR-CAPA or MODIS-CERES. When comparing satellite-derived to model-derived susceptibilities, this study finds it more appropriate to use dry aerosol in the computation of model susceptibilities. We further find that the statistical relationships inferred from different satellite sensors (AATSR-CAPA vs. MODIS-CERES) as well as from ECHAM6-HAM2 are not always of the same sign for the tested environmental conditions. In particular the susceptibility of the liquid water path is negative in non-raining scenes for MODIS-CERES but positive for AATSR-CAPA and ECHAM6-HAM2. Feedback processes like cloud-top entrainment that are missing or not well represented in the model are therefore not well constrained by satellite observations. In addition to aerosol swelling, wet scavenging and aerosol processing have an impact on liquid water path, cloud albedo and cloud droplet number susceptibilities. Aerosol processing leads to negative liquid water path susceptibilities to changes in aerosol index (AI) in ECHAM6-HAM2, likely due to aerosol-size changes by aerosol processing. Our results indicate that for statistical analysis of aerosol-cloud interactions the unwanted effects of aerosol swelling, wet scavenging and aerosol processing need to be minimised when computing susceptibilities of cloud variables to changes in aerosol.

HOW GALACTIC ENVIRONMENT REGULATES STAR FORMATION

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

Meidt, Sharon E.

2016-02-10

In a new simple model I reconcile two contradictory views on the factors that determine the rate at which molecular clouds form stars—internal structure versus external, environmental influences—providing a unified picture for the regulation of star formation in galaxies. In the presence of external pressure, the pressure gradient set up within a self-gravitating turbulent (isothermal) cloud leads to a non-uniform density distribution. Thus the local environment of a cloud influences its internal structure. In the simple equilibrium model, the fraction of gas at high density in the cloud interior is determined simply by the cloud surface density, which is itselfmore » inherited from the pressure in the immediate surroundings. This idea is tested using measurements of the properties of local clouds, which are found to show remarkable agreement with the simple equilibrium model. The model also naturally predicts the star formation relation observed on cloud scales and at the same time provides a mapping between this relation and the closer-to-linear molecular star formation relation measured on larger scales in galaxies. The key is that pressure regulates not only the molecular content of the ISM but also the cloud surface density. I provide a straightforward prescription for the pressure regulation of star formation that can be directly implemented in numerical models. Predictions for the dense gas fraction and star formation efficiency measured on large-scales within galaxies are also presented, establishing the basis for a new picture of star formation regulated by galactic environment.« less

The Influence of Cloud Field Uniformity on Observed Cloud Amount

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riley, E.; Kleiss, J.; Kassianov, E.; Long, C. N.; Riihimaki, L.; Berg, L. K.

2017-12-01

Two ground-based measurements of cloud amount include cloud fraction (CF) obtained from time series of zenith-pointing radar-lidar observations and fractional sky cover (FSC) acquired from a Total Sky Imager (TSI). In comparison with the radars and lidars, the TSI has a considerably larger field of view (FOV 100° vs. 0.2°) and therefore is expected to have a different sensitivity to inhomogeneity in a cloud field. Radiative transfer calculations based on cloud properties retrieved from narrow-FOV overhead cloud observations may differ from shortwave and longwave flux observations due to spatial variability in local cloud cover. This bias will impede radiative closure for sampling reasons rather than the accuracy of cloud microphysics retrievals or radiative transfer calculations. Furthermore, the comparison between observed and modeled cloud amount from large eddy simulations (LES) models may be affected by cloud field inhomogeneity. The main goal of our study is to estimate the anticipated impact of cloud field inhomogeneity on the level of agreement between CF and FSC. We focus on shallow cumulus clouds observed at the U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Facility's Southern Great Plains (SGP) site in Oklahoma, USA. Our analysis identifies cloud field inhomogeneity using a novel metric that quantifies the spatial and temporal uniformity of FSC over 100-degree FOV TSI images. We demonstrate that (1) large differences between CF and FSC are partly attributable to increases in inhomogeneity and (2) using the uniformity metric can provide a meaningful assessment of uncertainties in observed cloud amount to aide in comparing ground-based measurements to radiative transfer or LES model outputs at SGP.

Clouds vertical properties over the Northern Hemisphere monsoon regions from CloudSat-CALIPSO measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Das, Subrata Kumar; Golhait, R. B.; Uma, K. N.

2017-01-01

The CloudSat spaceborne radar and Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) space-borne lidar measurements, provide opportunities to understand the intriguing behavior of the vertical structure of monsoon clouds. The combined CloudSat-CALIPSO data products have been used for the summer season (June-August) of 2006-2010 to present the statistics of cloud macrophysical (such as cloud occurrence frequency, distribution of cloud top and base heights, geometrical thickness and cloud types base on occurrence height), and microphysical (such as ice water content, ice water path, and ice effective radius) properties of the Northern Hemisphere (NH) monsoon region. The monsoon regions considered in this work are the North American (NAM), North African (NAF), Indian (IND), East Asian (EAS), and Western North Pacific (WNP). The total cloud fraction over the IND (mostly multiple-layered cloud) appeared to be more frequent as compared to the other monsoon regions. Three distinctive modes of cloud top height distribution are observed over all the monsoon regions. The high-level cloud fraction is comparatively high over the WNP and IND. The ice water content and ice water path over the IND are maximum compared to the other monsoon regions. We found that the ice water content has little variations over the NAM, NAF, IND, and WNP as compared to their macrophysical properties and thus give an impression that the regional differences in dynamics and thermodynamics properties primarily cause changes in the cloud frequency or coverage and only secondary in the cloud ice properties. The background atmospheric dynamics using wind and relative humidity from the ERA-Interim reanalysis data have also been investigated which helps in understanding the variability of the cloud properties over the different monsoon regions.

Microphysical effects determine macrophysical response for aerosol impacts on deep convective clouds

PubMed Central

Fan, Jiwen; Leung, L. Ruby; Rosenfeld, Daniel; Chen, Qian; Li, Zhanqing; Zhang, Jinqiang; Yan, Hongru

2013-01-01

Deep convective clouds (DCCs) play a crucial role in the general circulation, energy, and hydrological cycle of our climate system. Aerosol particles can influence DCCs by altering cloud properties, precipitation regimes, and radiation balance. Previous studies reported both invigoration and suppression of DCCs by aerosols, but few were concerned with the whole life cycle of DCC. By conducting multiple monthlong cloud-resolving simulations with spectral-bin cloud microphysics that capture the observed macrophysical and microphysical properties of summer convective clouds and precipitation in the tropics and midlatitudes, this study provides a comprehensive view of how aerosols affect cloud cover, cloud top height, and radiative forcing. We found that although the widely accepted theory of DCC invigoration due to aerosol’s thermodynamic effect (additional latent heat release from freezing of greater amount of cloud water) may work during the growing stage, it is microphysical effect influenced by aerosols that drives the dramatic increase in cloud cover, cloud top height, and cloud thickness at the mature and dissipation stages by inducing larger amounts of smaller but longer-lasting ice particles in the stratiform/anvils of DCCs, even when thermodynamic invigoration of convection is absent. The thermodynamic invigoration effect contributes up to ∼27% of total increase in cloud cover. The overall aerosol indirect effect is an atmospheric radiative warming (3–5 W⋅m−2) and a surface cooling (−5 to −8 W⋅m−2). The modeling findings are confirmed by the analyses of ample measurements made at three sites of distinctly different environments. PMID:24218569

Effects of Cloud Properties on PM2.5 Levels in the Southeastern United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, C.; Zhang, X.; Liu, Y.

2012-12-01

The spatial and temporal characteristics of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) are increasingly being derived from satellite aerosol remote sensing data. A major concern of satellite-derived PM2.5 information is cloud cover, i.e., PM2.5 mass concentrations cannot be estimated from satellite observations under cloudy conditions. There has been little research on the effects of cloud properties on PM2.5 levels. In this study, we performed a statistical analysis of relationships between various cloud parameters and PM2.5 concentrations. We used 2005-2010 PM2.5 observations from 8 sites in the Southeastern Aerosol Research and Characterization (SEARCH) Network, and cloud parameters from MODIS cloud product retrievals from Terra and Aqua satellites. We find that cloud fraction (CF) is generally negatively correlated with the mean value of PM2.5 mass concentration. However, the largest mean value occurs when the cloud fraction is between 10% and 30% instead of lower cloud cover (CF < 10%). The mean value of PM2.5 decreased from 14.3μg/m3 during 10%~30% cloud fraction to 9.3μg/m3 in cloudy days (CF=100%), and the negative correlation is more significant during the summer and fall than spring and winter. In addition, Cloud top pressure (CTP) and cloud optical thickness (COT) also influence PM2.5 mass concentration, with CTP being positively correlated with PM2.5 while COT being negatively correlated. These results suggest that cloud parameters may be used as predictor variables in satellite models of PM2.5.

Impact of entrainment on cloud droplet spectra: theory, observations, and modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grabowski, W.

2016-12-01

Understanding the impact of entrainment and mixing on microphysical properties of warm boundary layer clouds is an important aspect of the representation of such clouds in large-scale models of weather and climate. Entrainment leads to a reduction of the liquid water content in agreement with the fundamental thermodynamics, but its impact on the droplet spectrum is difficult to quantify in observations and modeling. For in-situ (e.g., aircraft) observations, it is impossible to follow air parcels and observe processes that lead to changes of the droplet spectrum in different regions of a cloud. For similar reasons traditional modeling methodologies (e.g., the Eulerian large eddy simulation) are not useful either. Moreover, both observations and modeling can resolve only relatively narrow range of spatial scales. Theory, typically focusing on differences between idealized concepts of homogeneous and inhomogeneous mixing, is also of a limited use for the multiscale turbulent mixing between a cloud and its environment. This presentation will illustrate the above points and argue that the Lagrangian large-eddy simulation with appropriate subgrid-scale scheme may provide key insights and eventually lead to novel parameterizations for large-scale models.