Cloud-Surface Interaction on the North Slope of Alaska
The radiation balance in the Arctic is widely understood to be a major control for global climate, and because of the routine occurrence of clouds, cloud–radiative interactions are a prominent part of that balance. Curry et al. cited studies that indicated the cloud fraction in the Arctic is a minimum in winter (40–70%) and reaches a maximum of approximately 90% in summer. Parameterizations for the interaction between clouds and radiation are generally given in terms of liquid water path (LWP) and droplet or ice crystal effective radius. We have analyzed three years of radiation and radiatively important cloud properties, such as liquid water path and cloud optical thickness, from Alaska’s North Slope to see what role surface interactions may play in establishing cloud radiative characteristics. We have focused on summer (warm) clouds, since at that time liquid water clouds provide the strongest radiative forcing and surface interactions are likely to be most important. In this paper, we describe differences in LWP between a coastal and an inland site and their relation to wind direction. From this, we can infer the effect of surface interactions on this radiatively important variable.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 985091
- Report Number(s):
- PNNL-SA-42413; KP1201030; TRN: US201016%%1775
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 16th Symposium on Boundary Layers and Turbulence, August 9-13, 2004, Portland, Maine
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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