scholarly journals CloudSat-constrained cloud ice water path and cloud top height retrievals from MHS 157 and 183.3 GHz radiances

2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 8187-8233 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Gong ◽  
D. L. Wu
Keyword(s):  
Climate Models ◽  
Cloud Microphysics ◽  
Water Path ◽  
Ice Cloud ◽  
Cloud Properties ◽  
Ice Water Path ◽  
Satellite Sensors ◽  
Key Variables ◽  
Cloud Ice ◽  
Ice Water

Abstract. Ice water path (IWP) and cloud top height (ht) are two of the key variables to determine cloud radiative and thermodynamical properties in the 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 Microwave Humidity Sounder (MHS) such that the MHS cloud ice retrieval is consistent with CloudSat IWP measurements. This retrieval is obtained by constraining the 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 look-up-table (LUT) of Tcir–IWP relationships as a function of ht and 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 m−2, and agrees well with CloudSat in terms of normalized probability density function (PDF). Compared to the empirical model, current radiative transfer models (RTMs) still have significant uncertainties in characterizing the observed Tcir–IWP relationships. Therefore, the empirical LUT method developed here remains as an effective approach to retrieving ice cloud properties from the MHS-like microwave channels.

scholarly journals CloudSat-constrained cloud ice water path and cloud top height retrievals from MHS 157 and 183.3 GHz radiances

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 1873-1890 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Gong ◽  
D. L. Wu
Keyword(s):  
Climate Models ◽  
Cloud Microphysics ◽  
Water Path ◽  
Ice Cloud ◽  
Cloud Properties ◽  
Ice Water Path ◽  
Satellite Sensors ◽  
Key Variables ◽  
Cloud Ice ◽  
Ice Water

Abstract. 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 look-up 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 m−2, 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.

scholarly journals Assessing observed and modelled spatial distributions of ice water path using satellite data

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 375-391 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Eliasson ◽  
S. A. Buehler ◽  
M. Milz ◽  
P. Eriksson ◽  
V. O. John
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Satellite Data ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Water Path ◽  
Ice Water Path ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Cloud Ice ◽  
The Tropics ◽  
Ipcc Ar4 ◽  
Ice Water

Abstract. The climate models used in the IPCC AR4 show large differences in monthly mean ice water path (IWP). The most valuable source of information that can be used to potentially constrain the models is global satellite data. The satellite datasets also have large differences. The retrieved IWP depends on the technique used, as retrievals based on different techniques are sensitive to different parts of the cloud column. Building on the foundation of Waliser et al. (2009), this article provides a more comprehensive comparison between satellite datasets. IWP data from the CloudSat cloud profiling radar provide the most advanced dataset on clouds. For all its unmistakable value, CloudSat data are too short and too sparse to assess climatic distributions of IWP, hence the need to also use longer datasets. We evaluate satellite datasets from CloudSat, PATMOS-x, ISCCP, MODIS and MSPPS in terms of monthly mean IWP, in order to determine the differences and relate them to the sensitivity of the instrument used in the retrievals. This information is also used to evaluate the climate models, to the extent that is possible. ISCCP and MSPPS were shown to have comparatively low IWP values. ISCCP shows particularly low values in the tropics, while MSPPS has particularly low values outside the tropics. MODIS and PATMOS-x were in closest agreement with CloudSat in terms of magnitude and spatial distribution, with MODIS being the better of the two. Additionally PATMOS-x and ISCCP, which have a temporal range long enough to capture the inter-annual variability of IWP, are used in conjunction with CloudSat IWP (after removing profiles that contain precipitation) to assess the IWP variability and mean of the climate models. In general there are large discrepancies between the individual climate models, and all of the models show problems in reproducing the observed spatial distribution of cloud-ice. Comparisons consistently showed that ECHAM-5 is probably the GCM from IPCC AR4 closest to satellite observations.

scholarly journals Potential of Hyperspectral Thermal Infrared Spaceborne Measurements to Retrieve Ice Cloud Physical Properties: Case Study of IASI and IASI-NG

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 116
Author(s):  
Lucie Leonarski ◽  
Laurent C.-Labonnote ◽  
Mathieu Compiègne ◽  
Jérôme Vidot ◽  
Anthony J. Baran ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Radiative Transfer ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Thermal Infrared ◽  
Radiative Transfer Model ◽  
Retrieval Algorithm ◽  
Transfer Model ◽  
Water Path ◽  
Ice Cloud ◽  
Ice Water Path ◽  
Ice Water

The present study aims to quantify the potential of hyperspectral thermal infrared sounders such as the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) and the future IASI next generation (IASI-NG) for retrieving the ice cloud layer altitude and thickness together with the ice water path. We employed the radiative transfer model Radiative Transfer for TOVS (RTTOV) to simulate cloudy radiances using parameterized ice cloud optical properties. The radiances have been computed from an ice cloud profile database coming from global operational short-range forecasts at the European Center for Medium-range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) which encloses the normal conditions, typical variability, and extremes of the atmospheric properties over one year (Eresmaa and McNally (2014)). We performed an information content analysis based on Shannon’s formalism to determine the amount and spectral distribution of the information about ice cloud properties. Based on this analysis, a retrieval algorithm has been developed and tested on the profile database. We considered the signal-to-noise ratio of each specific instrument and the non-retrieved atmospheric and surface parameter errors. This study brings evidence that the observing system provides information on the ice water path (IWP) as well as on the layer altitude and thickness with a convergence rate up to 95% and expected errors that decrease with cloud opacity until the signal saturation is reached (satisfying retrievals are achieved for clouds whose IWP is between about 1 and 300 g/m2).

scholarly journals Retrieval of Cloud Ice Water Path from Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Sounder (SSMIS)

2012 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 366-379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ninghai Sun ◽  
Fuzhong Weng
Keyword(s):  
Radiative Transfer Model ◽  
Transfer Model ◽  
Effective Diameter ◽  
Water Path ◽  
Ice Cloud ◽  
Defense Meteorological Satellite Program ◽  
Microwave Sounding ◽  
Microwave Imager ◽  
Cloud Ice ◽  
Ice Water

AbstractThe Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Sounder (SSMIS) aboard the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program F-16 spacecraft measures the Earth-emitted radiation at frequencies from 19 to 183 GHz. From its high-frequency channels at 91 and 150 GHz, cloud microphysical parameters can be observed at a spatial resolution of 15 km. In this study, a simplified two-stream radiative transfer model is applied for microwave applications as a three-parameter equation and then used to retrieve the ice cloud water path (IWP) and ice particle effective diameter De. Since SSMIS is a conically scanning instrument, the retrieved IWP is less dependent on scan position and is a useful product for imaging atmospheric ice-phase clouds related to precipitation. Thus, IWP is also used to estimate surface rainfall rate through the same relationship derived previously and used in Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU-B) and Microwave Humidity Sounder applications. The SSMIS-derived ice cloud products are compared with those from other microwave instruments on the MetOp-A satellite, and both agree well in their spatial distributions.

scholarly journals Sensitivity of cirrus and mixed-phase clouds to the ice nuclei spectra in McRAS-AC: single column model simulations

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 14927-14957
Author(s):  
R. Morales Betancourt ◽  
D. Lee ◽  
L. Oreopoulos ◽  
Y. C. Sud ◽  
D. Barahona ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cloud Microphysics ◽  
Ice Nucleation ◽  
Mixed Phase ◽  
Cloud Particle ◽  
Water Path ◽  
Ice Water Path ◽  
Single Column ◽  
Mixed Phase Clouds ◽  
Ice Water ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. The salient features of mixed-phase and ice clouds in a GCM cloud scheme are examined using the ice formation parameterizations of Liu and Penner (LP) and Barahona and Nenes (BN). The performance of LP and BN ice nucleation parameterizations were assessed in the GEOS-5 AGCM using the McRAS-AC cloud microphysics framework in single column mode. Four dimensional assimilated data from the intensive observation period of ARM TWP-ICE campaign was used to drive the fluxes and lateral forcing. Simulation experiments where established to test the impact of each parameterization in the resulting cloud fields. Three commonly used IN spectra were utilized in the BN parameterization to described the availability of IN for heterogeneous ice nucleation. The results show large similarities in the cirrus cloud regime between all the schemes tested, in which ice crystal concentrations were within a factor of 10 regardless of the parameterization used. In mixed-phase clouds there are some persistent differences in cloud particle number concentration and size, as well as in cloud fraction, ice water mixing ratio, and ice water path. Contact freezing in the simulated mixed-phase clouds contributed to transfer liquid to ice efficiently, so that on average, the clouds were fully glaciated at T~260 K, irrespective of the ice nucleation parameterization used. Comparison of simulated ice water path to available satellite derived observations were also performed, finding that all the schemes tested with the BN parameterization predicted average values of IWP within ±15% of the observations.

scholarly journals Large-Scale Analysis of Relationships between Mineral Dust, Ice Cloud Properties, and Precipitation from Satellite Observations Using a Bayesian Approach: Theoretical Basis and First Results for the Tropical Atlantic Ocean

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Lars Klüser ◽  
Thomas Popp
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Ocean ◽  
Bayesian Approach ◽  
Mineral Dust ◽  
Tropical Atlantic ◽  
Ice Crystal ◽  
Water Path ◽  
Ice Cloud ◽  
Ice Water Path ◽  
Ice Water ◽  
Dust Load

Mineral dust and ice cloud observations from the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) are used to assess the relationships between desert dust aerosols and ice clouds over the tropical Atlantic Ocean during the hurricane season 2008. Cloud property histograms are first adjusted for varying cloud top temperature or ice water path distributions with a Bayesian approach to account for meteorological constraints on the cloud variables. Then, histogram differences between dust load classes are used to describe the impact of dust load on cloud property statistics. The analysis of the histogram differences shows that ice crystal sizes are reduced with increasing aerosol load and ice cloud optical depth and ice water path are increased. The distributions of all three variables broaden and get less skewed in dusty environments. For ice crystal size the significant bimodality is reduced and the order of peaks is reversed. Moreover, it is shown that not only are distributions of ice cloud variables simply shifted linearly but also variance, skewness, and complexity of the cloud variable distributions are significantly affected. This implies that the whole cloud variable distributions have to be considered for indirect aerosol effects in any application for climate modelling.

scholarly journals Retrieval of Cloud Properties Using CALIPSO Imaging Infrared Radiometer. Part II: Effective Diameter and Ice Water Path

2013 ◽  
Vol 52 (11) ◽  
pp. 2582-2599 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Garnier ◽  
Jacques Pelon ◽  
Philippe Dubuisson ◽  
Ping Yang ◽  
Michaël Faivre ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Orthogonal Polarization ◽  
Effective Diameter ◽  
Pixel Resolution ◽  
Water Path ◽  
Microphysical Properties ◽  
Cloud Properties ◽  
Ice Water Path ◽  
Ice Water ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Infrared Radiometer

AbstractThis paper describes the version-3 level-2 operational analysis of the Imaging Infrared Radiometer (IIR) data collected in the framework of the Cloud–Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) mission to retrieve cirrus cloud effective diameter and ice water path in synergy with the Cloud–Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) collocated observations. The analysis uses a multisensor split-window technique relying on the concept of microphysical index applied to the two pairs of channels (12.05, 10.6 μm) and (12.05, 8.65 μm) to retrieve cirrus microphysical properties (effective diameter, ice water path) at 1-km pixel resolution. Retrievals are performed for three crystal families selected from precomputed lookup tables identified as representative of the main relationships between the microphysical indices. The uncertainties in the microphysical indices are detailed and quantified, and the impact on the retrievals is simulated. The possible biases have been assessed through consistency checks that are based on effective emissivity difference. It has been shown that particle effective diameters of single-layered cirrus clouds can be retrieved, for the first time, down to effective emissivities close to 0.05 when accurate measured background radiances can be used and up to 0.95 over ocean and land, as well as over low opaque clouds. The retrieval of the ice water path from the IIR effective optical depth and the effective diameter is discussed. Taking advantage of the cloud boundaries retrieved by CALIOP, an IIR power-law relationship between ice water content and extinction is established for four temperature ranges and shown to be consistent with previous results on average for the chosen dataset.

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