Improved information about the vertical location and extent of cloud layers from POLDER3 measurements in the oxygen A band
Abstract. This paper describes new advances in the exploitation of oxygen A band measurements from POLDER3 sensor aboard PARASOL, satellite platform within the A-Train. These developments result from a better account of the dependence of POLDER oxygen parameters to cloud optical thickness τ and to the scene's geometrical conditions, but also and more importantly from the finer understanding of the sensitivity of these parameters to cloud vertical extent. This sensitivity is made possible thanks to the multidirectional character of POLDER measurements. In the case of monolayer clouds that represent most of cloudy conditions, new oxygen parameters are obtained and calibrated from POLDER3 data colocalized with the measurements of the two active sensors of the A-Train, CALIOP/CALIPSO and CPR/CloudSat. From a parameterization that is (μs, τ) dependent, with μs the cosine of the solar zenith angle, a cloud top oxygen pressure (CTOP) and a cloud middle oxygen pressure (CMOP) are obtained which are estimates of actual cloud top and middle pressures. The performance of CTOP and CMOP are presented for the most numerous ISCCP cases in 2008. The coefficient of the correlation between CMOP and the actual cloud middle pressure is 0.81 for cirrostratus, 0.79 for stratocumulus, 0.75 for deep convective clouds. The coefficient of the correlation between CTOP and the actual cloud top pressure is 0.75, 0.73, and 0.79 for the same cloud types respectively. The score obtained by CTOP, defined as the confidence in the retrieval for a particular range of infered value and for a given error, is higher than the one of MODIS CTP. For liquid and ice clouds, the score reaches 50 and 70% respectively for bin value of CTP superior in numbers and accepted errors of 30 and 50 hPa. From the difference between CTOP and CMOP, a first estimate of the cloud vertical extent H is possible. Then, the correlation between the angular standard deviation of POLDER oxygen pressure σPO2 and the cloud vertical extent is described in detail in the case of liquid clouds. The correlation is shown to be spatially and temporally robust, excepted for clouds above land during winter months. The study of the correlation's dependence to cloud optical thickness and to the scene's geometrical conditions leads to parameterizations which provide a second way for retrieving H for this type of clouds. For liquid water clouds above ocean in 2008, the mean difference between the actual cloud vertical extent and the one retrieved from σPO2 (from the pressure difference) is 5 m (−12 m). The standard deviation of the mean difference is close to 1000 m for the two methods. The score of 50% confidence for the retrieval of H corresponds to an error of 20 and 40% for ice and liquid clouds respectively over ocean. These promising results need to be validated outside of the CALIPSO/CloudSat track.