Search results for "Radiative Transfer"

The tropopause inversion layer in baroclinic life-cycle experiments: the role of diabatic processes

2016

Abstract. Recent studies on the formation of a quasi-permanent layer of enhanced static stability above the thermal tropopause revealed the contributions of dynamical and radiative processes. Dry dynamics leads to the evolution of a tropopause inversion layer (TIL), which is, however, too weak compared to observations and thus diabatic contributions are required. In this study we aim to assess the importance of diabatic processes in the understanding of TIL formation at midlatitudes. The non-hydrostatic model COSMO (COnsortium for Small-scale MOdelling) is applied in an idealized midlatitude channel configuration to simulate baroclinic life cycles. The effect of individual diabatic processe…

Computation of anthropogenic sulphate aerosol forcing using radiative perturbation theory

1994

The radiative forcing of the climate by anthropogenic aerosols has been a matter of some concern for many years now, especially in the northern hemisphere. Recently in these pages, Charlson et al. attempted to quantify this forcing. However, that calculation involved relatively crude optical and radiative transfer models. In this paper, we use a far more detailed sulphate optical model, and employ radiative perturbation theory (a technique ideally suited to answering questions of this sort) to repeat this radiation calculation. We obtain results which are similar to Charlson et al., provided that proper allowance is made for the effects of humidity. DOI: 10.1034/j.1600-0889.1994.00003.x

Cloud phase identification of Arctic boundary-layer clouds from airborne spectral reflection measurements: test of three approaches

2008

Abstract. Arctic boundary-layer clouds were investigated with remote sensing and in situ instruments during the Arctic Study of Tropospheric Aerosol, Clouds and Radiation (ASTAR) campaign in March and April 2007. The clouds formed in a cold air outbreak over the open Greenland Sea. Beside the predominant mixed-phase clouds pure liquid water and ice clouds were observed. Utilizing measurements of solar radiation reflected by the clouds three methods to retrieve the thermodynamic phase of the cloud are introduced and compared. Two ice indices IS and IP were obtained by analyzing the spectral pattern of the cloud top reflectance in the near infrared (1500–1800 nm wavelength) spectral range whi…

Evidence of ice crystals at cloud top of Arctic boundary-layer mixed-phase clouds derived from airborne remote sensing

2009

Abstract. The vertical distribution of ice crystals in Arctic boundary-layer mixed-phase (ABM) clouds was investigated by airborne remote-sensing and in situ measurements during the Arctic Study of Tropospheric Aerosol, Clouds and Radiation (ASTAR) campaign in March and April 2007. Information on the spectral absorption of solar radiation by ice and liquid water cloud particles is derived from airborne measurements of solar spectral radiation reflected by these clouds. It is shown by calculation of the vertical weighting function of the measurements that the observed absorption of solar radiation is dominated by the upper cloud layers (50% within 200 m from cloud top). This vertical weighti…

A microphysics guide to cirrus clouds - Part 1: Cirrus types

2016

Abstract. The microphysical and radiative properties of cirrus clouds continue to be beyond understanding and thus still represent one of the largest uncertainties in the prediction of the Earth's climate (IPCC, 2013). Our study aims to provide a guide to cirrus microphysics, which is compiled from an extensive set of model simulations, covering the broad range of atmospheric conditions for cirrus formation and evolution. The model results are portrayed in the same parameter space as field measurements, i.e., in the Ice Water Content-Temperature (IWC-T) parameter space. We validate this cirrus analysis approach by evaluating cirrus data sets from 17 aircraft campaigns, conducted in the last…

Heating rate profiles and radiative forcing due to a dust storm in the Western Mediterranean using satellite observations

2017

Abstract We analyze the vertically-resolved radiative impact due to a dust storm in the Western Mediterranean. The dust plume travels around 3–5 km altitude and the aerosol optical depth derived by MODIS at 550 nm ranges from 0.33 to 0.52 at the overpass time (13:05 UT). The aerosol radiative forcing (ARF), forcing efficiency (FE) and heating rate profile (AHR) are determined throughout the dust trajectory in shortwave (SW) and longwave (LW) ranges. To do this, we integrate different satellite observations (CALIPSO and MODIS) and detailed radiative transfer modeling. The combined (SW + LW) effect of the dust event induces a net cooling in the studied region. On average, the FE at 22.4° sola…

A case study of the radiative effect of aerosols over Europe: EUCAARI-LONGREX

2016

Abstract. The radiative effect of anthropogenic aerosols over Europe during the 2008 European Integrated Project on Aerosol Cloud Climate and Air Quality Interactions Long Range Experiment (EUCAARI-LONGREX) campaign has been calculated using measurements collected by the Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurements (FAAM) BAe-146 aircraft and radiative transfer modelling. The aircraft sampled anthropogenically perturbed air masses across north-western Europe under anticyclonic conditions with aerosol optical depths ranging from 0.047 to 0.357. For one specially designed “radiative closure” flight, simulated irradiances have been compared to radiation measurements for a case of aged Europe…

Simulation of Future Geostationary Ocean Color Images

2012

The objective of this work is to simulate global images that would be provided by a theoretical ocean color sensor on a geostationary orbit at longitude 0, in order to assess the range of radiance value data reaching the sensor throughout the day for 20 spectral bands similar to those of the Ocean and Land Color Imager (OLCI). The secondary objective is to assess the illumination and viewing geometries that result in sunglint. For this purpose, we combined a radiative transfer model for ocean waters (Hydrolight) and a radiative transfer model for atmosphere (MODTRAN) to construct the simulated radiance images at the sea surface and at the Top-Of-Atmosphere (TOA). Bio-optical data from GlobC…

The temperature dependence of ice-nucleating particle concentrations affects the radiative properties of tropical convective cloud systems

2021

Convective cloud systems in the maritime tropics play a critical role in global climate, but accurately representing aerosol interactions within these clouds persists as a major challenge for weather and climate modelling. We quantify the effect of ice-nucleating particles (INPs) on the radiative properties of a complex tropical Atlantic deep convective cloud field using a regional model with an advanced double-moment microphysics scheme. Our results show that the domain-mean daylight outgoing radiation varies by up to 18 W m−2 depending on the chosen INP parameterisation. The key distinction between different INP parameterisations is the temperature dependence of ice formation, which alter…

2017

Abstract. Microphysical and radiation measurements were collected with the novel AIRcraft TOwed Sensor Shuttle (AIRTOSS) – Learjet tandem platform. The platform is a combination of an instrumented Learjet 35A research aircraft and an aerodynamic bird, which is detached from and retracted back to the aircraft during flight via a steel wire with a length of 4000 m. Both platforms are equipped with radiative, cloud microphysical, trace gas, and meteorological instruments. The purpose of the development of this tandem set-up is to study the inhomogeneity of cirrus as well as other stratiform clouds. Sophisticated numerical flow simulations were conducted in order to optimally integrate an axial…