Modeling Single Scattering and Radiative Properties of Cirrus Clouds

Modeling Single Scattering and Radiative Properties of Cirrus Clouds
Author:
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Total Pages: 0
Release: 1997
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The specific objective of this research has been the development and improvement of theoretical models to simulate the effect of nonsphericity on single scattering properties of cirrus cloud particles in the visible and infrared spectral regions. First, we have shown that using a matrix inversion scheme based on a special LU factorization rather than on the standard Gaussian elimination significantly improves the numerical stability of T-matrix computations for nonabsorbing and weakly absorbing nonspherical particles. Second, we use exact T-matrix computations and the Kirchhoff approximation to show that the delta function transmission peak predicted by the GO approximation for hexagonal ice crystals is an artifact of GO completely ignoring physical optics effects and must be convolved with the Fraunhofer pattern, thereby producing a phase function component with an angular profile similar to the standard diffraction component. Third, we have used the improved T-matrix method to compute the linear depolarization ration for polydispersions of randomly oriented ice spheroids, circular cylinders, and Chebyshev particles with sizes typical of young contrails. We have shown that ice crystals with effective radii as small as several tenths of a micron can already produce 3 exceeding 0.5 at visible wavelengths.

Improvements in Modeling the Microphysical and Radiative Properties of Cirrus Clouds Using the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS). Final Report

Improvements in Modeling the Microphysical and Radiative Properties of Cirrus Clouds Using the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS). Final Report
Author:
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Total Pages: 7
Release: 1998
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The main work activity during this period was the refinement and GCM parameterization of the treatment of ice cloud radiative properties, developed for this project. The treatment has now been rigorously tested and improved, and can now be used with confidence in radiation transfer schemes. The ice Cloud radiation scheme has also proven useful in satellite remote sensing. The radiation scheme differs from others in the thermal infrared, where it is assumed that photon tunneling does not occur for real ice particles (tunneling can be viewed as a process by which photons outside a particle's area-cross section can still be absorbed). Single particle T-matrix and Mie calculations suggest that a particle's ability to capture energy through tunneling depends on surface morphology, with more tunneling the more circular (or less angular) a surface is. This assumption leads to retrievals of mean particle size which are similar to those observed in tropical cirrus by optical imaging probes, whereas retrieved sizes using Mie theory are about 1/3 those predicted by this scheme. The retrieval method requires channels in the 8--9 [mu]m and 11--12 [mu]m ranges. This assumption about tunneling, as well as treating size distributions in the radiation scheme as bimodal, allows retrievals over a broader range of mean particle size than previous schemes permitted, making such size retrievals applicable to most types of cirrus clouds.

Cirrus

Cirrus
Author: David K. Lynch
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 499
Release: 2002
Genre: Cirrus clouds
ISBN: 0195130723

This text, devoted entirely to cirrus clouds, captures the state of knowledge of cirrus clouds and serves as a practical handbook as well.

Study of Cloud Properties from Single-scattering, Radiative Forcing, and Retrieval Perspectives

Study of Cloud Properties from Single-scattering, Radiative Forcing, and Retrieval Perspectives
Author: Yong-Keun Lee
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2010
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This dissertation reports on three different yet related topics in light scattering computation, radiative transfer simulation, and remote sensing implementation, regarding the cloud properties and the retrieval of cloud properties from satellite-based infrared radiometric measurements. First, the errors associated with the use of circular cylinders as surrogates for hexagonal columns in computing the optical properties of pristine ice crystals at infrared (8-12 [micron]) wavelengths are investigated. It is found that the differences between the results for circular cylinders and hexagonal columns are on the order of a few percent at infrared wavelengths. Second, investigated in this dissertation are the outgoing broadband longwave and window channel radiances at the top-of-atmosphere under clear-sky conditions on the basis of the data acquired by the Cloud and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) instrument onboard the NASA Terra satellite platform. Based on the comparison of the observed broadband radiances with those obtained from rigorous radiative transfer simulations, it is found that the theoretical results tend to be larger than their measured counterparts. Extensive sensitivity studies regarding the uncertainties of various parameters were carried out. Within the considered uncertainties of various factors, the computed radiances are still larger than the observed radiances if thin cirrus clouds are excluded. Thus, a potential cause for the differences could be associated with the presence of thin cirrus clouds whose visible optical thickness is smaller than approximately 0.3. Third, presented in this dissertation is an illustration of the application of hyperspectral infrared channel observations to the retrieval of the cloud properties. Specifically, the hyperspectral measurements acquired from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) aboard the NASA Aqua platform are used to infer cloud top pressure, effective cloud amount, cloud thermodynamic phase, cloud optical thickness, and the effective size of cloud particles. The AIRS-based retrievals are compared with the counterparts of the operational cloud products derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). The two retrievals agree reasonably well except for the retrieved cloud effective particle size. Furthermore, the diurnal and seasonal contrasts of cloud properties are also investigated on the basis of the cloud properties retrieved from the AIRS data.

Radiation and Cloud Processes in the Atmosphere

Radiation and Cloud Processes in the Atmosphere
Author: Kuo-Nan Liou
Publisher: Oxford University Press on Demand
Total Pages: 487
Release: 1992
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780195049107

This is an up-to-date treatment of atmospheric science and the key roles of solar radiation and cloud layers.

Light Scattering by Ice Crystals

Light Scattering by Ice Crystals
Author: Kuo-Nan Liou
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 461
Release: 2016-10-06
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0521889162

This volume outlines the fundamentals and applications of light scattering, absorption and polarization processes involving ice crystals.

Cirrus

Cirrus
Author: David K. Lynch
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 516
Release: 2002-01-24
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780195351392

Cirrus clouds are high, thin, tropospheric clouds composed predominately of ice. In the last ten years, considerable work has shown that cirrus is widespread--more common than previously believed--and has a significant impact on climate and global change. As the next generation weather satellites are being designed, the impact of cirrus on remote sensing and the global energy budget must be recognized and accommodated. This book, the first to be devoted entirely to cirrus clouds, captures the state of knowledge of cirrus and serves as a practical handbook as well. Each chapter is based on an invited review talk presented at Cirrus, a meeting hosted by the Optical Society of America and co-sponsored by the American Geophysical Union and the American Meteorological Society. All aspects of cirrus clouds are covered, an approach that reaches into diverse fields. Topics include: the definition of cirrus, cirrus climatologies, nucleation, evolution and dissipation, mixed-phase thermodynamics, crystallinity, orientation mechanisms, dynamics, scattering, radiative transfer, in situ sampling, processes that produce or influence cirrus (and vice versa), contrails, and the influence of cirrus on climate.

Radiative Effects of Dust Aerosols, Natural Cirrus Clouds and Contrails: Broadband Optical Properties and Sensitivity Studies

Radiative Effects of Dust Aerosols, Natural Cirrus Clouds and Contrails: Broadband Optical Properties and Sensitivity Studies
Author: Bingqi Yi
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2013
Genre:
ISBN:

This dissertation aims to study the broadband optical properties and radiative effects of dust aerosols and ice clouds. It covers three main topics: the uncertainty of dust optical properties and radiative effects from the dust particle shape and refractive index, the influence of ice particle surface roughening on the global cloud radiative effect, and the simulations of the global contrail radiative forcing. In the first part of this dissertation, the effects of dust non-spherical shape on radiative transfer simulations are investigated. We utilize a spectral database of the single-scattering properties of tri-axial ellipsoidal dust-like aerosols and determined a suitable dust shape model. The radiance and flux differences between the spherical and ellipsoidal models are quantified, and the non-spherical effect on the net flux and heating rate is obtained over the solar spectrum. The results indicate the particle shape effect is related to the dust optical depth and surface albedo. Under certain conditions, the dust particle shape effect contributes to 30% of the net flux at the top of the atmosphere. The second part discusses how the ice surface roughening can exert influence on the global cloud radiative effect. A new broadband parameterization for ice cloud bulk scattering properties is developed using severely roughened ice particles. The effect of ice particle surface roughness is derived through simulations with the Fu-Liou and RRTMG radiative transfer codes and the Community Atmospheric Model. The global averaged net cloud radiative effect due to surface roughness is around 1.46 Wm-2. Non-negligible increase in longwave cloud radiative effect is also found. The third part is about the simulation of global contrail radiative forcing and its sensitivity studies using both offline and online modeling frameworks. Global contrail distributions from the literature and Contrail Cirrus Prediction Tool are used. The 2006 global annual averaged contrail net radiative forcing from the offline model is estimated to be 11.3 mW m^(-2), with the regional contrail radiative forcing being more than ten times stronger. Sensitivity tests show that contrail effective size, contrail layer height, the model cloud overlap assumption, and contrail optical properties are among the most important factors. The electronic version of this dissertation is accessible from http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/151136

Investigation of Thin Cirrus Cloud Optical and Microphysical Properties on the Basis of Satellite Observations and Fast Radiative Transfer Models

Investigation of Thin Cirrus Cloud Optical and Microphysical Properties on the Basis of Satellite Observations and Fast Radiative Transfer Models
Author: Chenxi Wang
Publisher:
Total Pages: 180
Release: 2013
Genre:
ISBN:

This dissertation focuses on the global investigation of optically thin cirrus cloud optical thickness [tau] and microphysical properties, such as, effective particle size (D_(eff)) and ice crystal habits (shapes), based on the global satellite observations and fast radiative transfer models (RTMs). In the first part, we develop two computationally efficient RTMs simulating satellite observations under cloudy-sky conditions in the visible/shortwave infrared (VIS/SWIR) and thermal inferred (IR) spectral regions, respectively. To mitigate the computational burden associated with absorption, thermal emission and multiple scattering, we generate pre-computed lookup tables (LUTs) using two rigorous models, i.e., the line-by-line radiative transfer model (LBLRTM) and the discrete ordinates radiative transfer model (DISORT). The second part introduces two methods (i.e., VIS/SWIR- and IR-based methods) to retrieve [tau] and D_(eff) from satellite observations in corresponding spectral regions of the two RTMs. We discuss the advantages and weakness of the two methods by estimating the impacts from different error sources on the retrievals through sensitivity studies. Finally, we develop a new method to infer the scattering phase functions of optically thin cirrus clouds in a water vapor absorption channel (1.38-[mu]m). We estimate the ice crystal habits and surface structures by comparing the inferred scattering phase functions and numerically simulated phase functions calculated using idealized habits. We find two critical features of the two retrieval methods: (1) the IR-based method is more sensitive to optically thin cirrus cloud, and (2) the VIS/SWIR-based method is more sensitive to the pre-assumed ice cloud microphysical parameterization schemes. We derive the optically thin cirrus cloud phase functions based on the two methods. We find that small column-like particles (e.g., solid columns and column-aggregates) and droxtals with rough surfaces are likely to reside in optically thin cirrus clouds. The electronic version of this dissertation is accessible from http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/151213