Evaluation of the diurnal cycle of model predicted cloud properties using MSG‐SEVIRI observations

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. Roebeling ◽  
A. Feijt ◽  
E. van Meijgaard
Keyword(s):  
Diurnal Cycle ◽  
Cloud Properties

scholarly journals A comparison of ship and satellite measurements of cloud properties with global climate model simulations in the southeast Pacific stratus deck

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (14) ◽  
pp. 6527-6536 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Brunke ◽  
S. P. de Szoeke ◽  
P. Zuidema ◽  
X. Zeng
Keyword(s):  
Diurnal Cycle ◽  
Climate Model ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Global Climate Model ◽  
Cloud Fraction ◽  
Cloud Base ◽  
Liquid Water Path ◽  
Cloud Properties ◽  
Southeast Pacific ◽  
Cloud Thickness

Abstract. Here, liquid water path (LWP), cloud fraction, cloud top height, and cloud base height retrieved by a suite of A-train satellite instruments (the CPR aboard CloudSat, CALIOP aboard CALIPSO, and MODIS aboard Aqua) are compared to ship observations from research cruises made in 2001 and 2003–2007 into the stratus/stratocumulus deck over the southeast Pacific Ocean. It is found that CloudSat radar-only LWP is generally too high over this region and the CloudSat/CALIPSO cloud bases are too low. This results in a relationship (LWP~h9) between CloudSat LWP and CALIPSO cloud thickness (h) that is very different from the adiabatic relationship (LWP~h2) from in situ observations. Such biases can be reduced if LWPs suspected to be contaminated by precipitation are eliminated, as determined by the maximum radar reflectivity Zmax>−15 dBZ in the apparent lower half of the cloud, and if cloud bases are determined based upon the adiabatically-determined cloud thickness (h~LWP1/2). Furthermore, comparing results from a global model (CAM3.1) to ship observations reveals that, while the simulated LWP is quite reasonable, the model cloud is too thick and too low, allowing the model to have LWPs that are almost independent of h. This model can also obtain a reasonable diurnal cycle in LWP and cloud fraction at a location roughly in the centre of this region (20° S, 85° W) but has an opposite diurnal cycle to those observed aboard ship at a location closer to the coast (20° S, 75° W). The diurnal cycle at the latter location is slightly improved in the newest version of the model (CAM4). However, the simulated clouds remain too thick and too low, as cloud bases are usually at or near the surface.

Cloud Properties and Their Seasonal and Diurnal Variability from TOVS Path-B

2006 ◽  
Vol 19 (21) ◽  
pp. 5531-5553 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. J. Stubenrauch ◽  
A. Chédin ◽  
G. Rädel ◽  
N. A. Scott ◽  
S. Serrar
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Diurnal Cycle ◽  
Cloud Amount ◽  
Early Morning ◽  
Infrared Observation ◽  
Relevant Variable ◽  
Diurnal Variability ◽  
Cloud Properties ◽  
Early Afternoon ◽  
The Tropics

Abstract Eight years of cloud properties retrieved from Television Infrared Observation Satellite-N (TIROS-N) Observational Vertical Sounder (TOVS) observations aboard the NOAA polar orbiting satellites are presented. The relatively high spectral resolution of these instruments in the infrared allows especially reliable cirrus identification day and night. This dataset therefore provides complementary information to the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP). According to this dataset, cirrus clouds cover about 27% of the earth and 45% of the Tropics, whereas ISCCP reports 19% and 25%, respectively. Both global datasets agree within 5% on the amount of single-layer low clouds, at 30%. From 1987 to 1995, global cloud amounts remained stable to within 2%. The seasonal cycle of cloud amount is in general stronger than its diurnal cycle and it is stronger than the one of effective cloud amount, the latter the relevant variable for radiative transfer. Maximum effective low cloud amount over ocean occurs in winter in SH subtropics in the early morning hours and in NH midlatitudes without diurnal cycle. Over land in winter the maximum is in the early afternoon, accompanied in the midlatitudes by thin cirrus. Over tropical land and in the other regions in summer, the maximum of mesoscale high opaque clouds occurs in the evening. Cirrus also increases during the afternoon and persists during night and early morning. The maximum of thin cirrus is in the early afternoon, then decreases slowly while cirrus and high opaque clouds increase. TOVS extends information of ISCCP during night, indicating that high cloudiness, increasing during the afternoon, persists longer during night in the Tropics and subtropics than in midlatitudes. A comparison of seasonal and diurnal cycle of high cloud amount between South America, Africa, and Indonesia during boreal winter has shown strong similarities between the two land regions, whereas the Indonesian islands show a seasonal and diurnal behavior strongly influenced by the surrounding ocean. Deeper precipitation systems over Africa than over South America do not seem to be directly reflected in the horizontal coverage and mesoscale effective emissivity of high clouds.

scholarly journals CERES Synoptic Product: Methodology and Validation of Surface Radiant Flux

2015 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 1121-1143 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A. Rutan ◽  
Seiji Kato ◽  
David R. Doelling ◽  
Fred G. Rose ◽  
Le Trang Nguyen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Standard Deviation ◽  
Diurnal Cycle ◽  
Radiant Energy ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Surface Fluxes ◽  
Radiant Flux ◽  
Earth Observing System ◽  
Cloud Properties ◽  
Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer ◽  
Surface Observations

AbstractThe Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System Synoptic (SYN1deg), edition 3, product provides climate-quality global 3-hourly 1° × 1°gridded top of atmosphere, in-atmosphere, and surface radiant fluxes. The in-atmosphere surface fluxes are computed hourly using a radiative transfer code based upon inputs from Terra and Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), 3-hourly geostationary (GEO) data, and meteorological assimilation data from the Goddard Earth Observing System. The GEO visible and infrared imager calibration is tied to MODIS to ensure uniform MODIS-like cloud properties across all satellite cloud datasets. Computed surface radiant fluxes are compared to surface observations at 85 globally distributed land (37) and ocean buoy (48) sites as well as several other publicly available global surface radiant flux data products. Computed monthly mean downward fluxes from SYN1deg have a bias (standard deviation) of 3.0 W m−2 (5.7%) for shortwave and −4.0 W m−2 (2.9%) for longwave compared to surface observations. The standard deviation between surface downward shortwave flux calculations and observations at the 3-hourly time scale is reduced when the diurnal cycle of cloud changes is explicitly accounted for. The improvement is smaller for surface downward longwave flux owing to an additional sensitivity to boundary layer temperature/humidity, which has a weaker diurnal cycle compared to clouds.

Evaluation of the Daylight Cycle of Model-Predicted Cloud Amount and Condensed Water Path over Europe with Observations from MSG SEVIRI

2009 ◽  
Vol 22 (7) ◽  
pp. 1749-1766 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. Roebeling ◽  
E. van Meijgaard
Keyword(s):  
Diurnal Cycle ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Climate Model ◽  
Cloud Amount ◽  
Daily Maximum ◽  
Accurate Information ◽  
Water Path ◽  
Cloud Properties ◽  
Condensed Water ◽  
The Mediterranean

Abstract The evaluation of the diurnal cycle of cloud amount (CA) and cloud condensed water path (CWP) as predicted by climate models receives relatively little attention, mostly because of the lack of observational data capturing the diurnal cycle of such quantities. The Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) onboard the geostationary Meteosat-8 satellite is the first instrument able to provide accurate information on diurnal cycles during daylight hours of cloud properties over land and ocean surfaces. This paper evaluates the daylight cycle of CA and CWP as predicted by the Regional Atmospheric Climate Model version 2 (RACMO2), using corresponding SEVIRI retrievals. The study is done for Europe using hourly cloud properties retrievals from SEVIRI during the summer months from May to September 2004. The results of this study show that SEVIRI-retrieved daylight cycles of CA and CWP provide a powerful tool for identifying climate model deficiencies. Over Europe the SEVIRI retrievals of cloud condensed water paths comprise about 80% liquid water and about 20% ice water. The daylight cycles of CA and CWP from SEVIRI show large spatial variations in their mean values and time of daily maximum and daytime-normalized amplitude. In general, RACMO2 overestimates CWP by about 30% and underestimates CA by about 20% as compared to SEVIRI. The largest amplitudes are observed in the Mediterranean and northern Africa. For the greater part of the ocean and coastal areas the time of daily maximum CWP is found during morning, whereas over land this maximum is found after local solar noon. These features are reasonably well captured by RACMO2. In the Mediterranean and continental Europe RACMO2 tends to predict maximum CWP associated with convection to occur about two hours earlier than SEVIRI indicates.

scholarly journals Comparison of ISS–CATS and CALIPSO–CALIOP Characterization of High Clouds in the Tropics

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (23) ◽  
pp. 3946
Author(s):  
Pasquale Sellitto ◽  
Silvia Bucci ◽  
Bernard Legras
Keyword(s):  
Optical Properties ◽  
Space Station ◽  
Satellite Observation ◽  
Observation Data ◽  
Upper Troposphere ◽  
Cloud Properties ◽  
Synchronous Orbit ◽  
The Tropics ◽  
High Clouds

Clouds in the tropics have an important role in the energy budget, atmospheric circulation, humidity, and composition of the tropical-to-global upper-troposphere–lower-stratosphere. Due to its non-sun-synchronous orbit, the Cloud–Aerosol Transport System (CATS) onboard the International Space Station (ISS) provided novel information on clouds from space in terms of overpass time in the period of 2015–2017. In this paper, we provide a seasonally resolved comparison of CATS characterization of high clouds (between 13 and 18 km altitude) in the tropics with well-established CALIPSO (Cloud–Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation) data, both in terms of clouds’ occurrence and cloud optical properties (optical depth). Despite the fact that cloud statistics for CATS and CALIOP are generated using intrinsically different local overpass times, the characterization of high clouds occurrence and optical properties in the tropics with the two instruments is very similar. Observations from CATS underestimate clouds occurrence (up to 80%, at 18 km) and overestimate the occurrence of very thick clouds (up to 100% for optically very thick clouds, at 18 km) at higher altitudes. Thus, the description of stratospheric overshoots with CATS and CALIOP might be different. While this study hints at the consistency of CATS and CALIOP clouds characterizaton, the small differences highlighted in this work should be taken into account when using CATS for estimating cloud properties and their variability in the tropics.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Fengyun-4A Lightning Mapping Imager (LMI) Performance during Multiple Convective Episodes over Beijing

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 1746
Author(s):  
Zhixiong Chen ◽  
Xiushu Qie ◽  
Juanzhen Sun ◽  
Xian Xiao ◽  
Yuxin Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Doppler Radar ◽  
Detection Efficiency ◽  
Ground Truth ◽  
Radar Data ◽  
Detection Capability ◽  
Cloud Properties ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Total Lightning ◽  
Matching Criteria ◽  
Event Based

This study investigates the characteristics of space-borne Lightning Mapping Imager (LMI) lightning products and their relationships with cloud properties using ground-based total lightning observations from the Beijing Broadband Lightning Network (BLNET) and cloud information from S-band Doppler radar data. LMI showed generally consistent lightning spatial distributions with those of BLNET, and yielded a considerable lightning detection capability over regions with complex terrain. The ratios between the LMI events, groups and flashes were approximately 9:3:1, and the number of LMI-detected flashes was roughly one order of magnitude smaller than the number of BLNET-detected flashes. However, in different convective episodes, the LMI detection capability was likely to be affected by cloud properties, especially in strongly electrified convective episodes associated with frequent lightning discharging and thick cloud depth. As a result, LMI tended to detect lightning flashes located in weaker and shallower cloud portions associated with fewer cloud shielding effects. With reference to the BLNET total lightning data as the ground truth of observation (both intra-cloud lightning and cloud-to-ground lightning flashes), the LMI event-based detection efficiency (DE) was estimated to reach 28% under rational spatiotemporal matching criteria (1.5 s and 65 km) over Beijing. In terms of LMI flash-based DE, it was much reduced compared with event-based DE. The LMI flash-based ranged between 1.5% and 3.5% with 1.5 s and 35–65 km matching scales. For 330 ms and 35 km, the spatiotemporal matching criteria used to evaluate Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM), the LMI flash-based DE was smaller (<1%).

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