Skip to main content
OSTI.GOVU.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information
 

Investigation on cloud vertical structures based on Ka-band cloud radar observations at Wuhan in Central China

Journal Article · · Atmospheric Research
 [1];  [2];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [2]
  1. Wuhan Univ. (China); Ministry of Education, Wuhan (China)
  2. Wuhan Univ. (China); Ministry of Education, Wuhan (China); State Observatory for Atmospheric Remote Sensing, Wuhan (China)
+ Show Author Affiliations
Based on vertically pointing observations of Ka-band frequency-modulated continuous millimeter wave cloud radar (MMCR) in 2020, we investigate cloud vertical structures at Wuhan in central China. Case comparison indicates that the cloud top locations in the MMCR observation are largely consistent with those in satellite data. The precipitation has the occurrence frequency of 9.5% over the year, with the maximum value of 16.3% in July and the submaximal value of 14.7% in January, showing the significant influences of monsoons on precipitation at Wuhan. As the humid, cloudy and rainy climate, the probability of precipitation and non-precipitation clouds increases gradually from 53.9% in January to a large value of 71.5% in July. The non-precipitation clouds have the probability of 44.5% in the year, with two prominent peaks at the reflectivities of -35 to -30 dBZ around 12 km in summer and - 37– -32 dBZ around 10 km in spring. The cloud top can reach the heights of 14.49, 16.62, 13.38 and 11.73 km from spring to winter, respectively. The monthly mean cloud layer thickness is the largest (2.18 km) in May and September, and the smallest (1.36 km) in November. The seasonally averaged base and top heights and thickness of clouds have small diurnal variations. The high cloud is predominant in the warm months from May to September, and in the other cool months, the middle cloud has the most fraction. The quantitative investigation of clouds is helpful in improving the cloud parameterization in climate models.
Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Data Center
Sponsoring Organization:
National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
1960770
Journal Information:
Atmospheric Research, Journal Name: Atmospheric Research Vol. 281; ISSN 0169-8095
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (67)

Cloud vertical structure, precipitation, and cloud radiative effects over Tibetan Plateau and its neighboring regions: Cloud and CRE over Tibetan Plateau journal May 2016
Aerosol and monsoon climate interactions over Asia journal November 2016
Cloud Properties Observed From the Surface and by Satellite at the Northern Edge of the Southern Ocean: SOUTHERN OCEAN CLOUDS journal January 2018
Application of cloud vertical structure from CloudSat to investigate MODIS-derived cloud properties of cirriform, anvil, and deep convective clouds journal May 2013
Meteorological research applications of MM-wave radar journal January 1996
Cloud observations with a polarimetric 33 GHz and 95 GHz radar journal January 1996
Seasonal characteristics of precipitation in 1998 over East Asia as derived from TRMM PR journal July 2003
A 35-GHz polarimetrie Doppler radar and its application for observing clouds associated with Typhoon Nuri journal June 2011
Cloud-base distribution and cirrus properties based on micropulse lidar measurements at a site in southeastern China journal April 2015
Verification and correction of cloud base and top height retrievals from Ka-band cloud radar in Boseong, Korea journal November 2015
Analysis of Low-level Temperature Inversions and Their Effects on Aerosols in the Lower Atmosphere journal October 2019
Cloud physics studies with 8 mm wavelength radar journal January 1995
Vertical distribution of clouds over Hampton, Virginia observed by lidar under the ECLIPS and FIRE ETO programs journal June 1994
Recent radar measurements of turbulence and microphysical parameters in marine boundary layer clouds journal May 1996
Cloud-base and cloud-top heights determined from a ground-based cloud radar in Beijing, China journal March 2019
Tropospheric temperature inversion over central China journal October 2012
MMCR-based characteristic properties of non-precipitating cloud liquid droplets at Naqu site over Tibetan Plateau in July 2014 journal July 2017
Improved retrieval of cloud base heights from ceilometer using a non-standard instrument method journal April 2018
Elucidating cloud vertical structures based on three-year Ka-band cloud radar observations from Beijing, China journal July 2019
Spatiotemporal distributions of cloud properties over China based on Himawari-8 advanced Himawari imager data journal August 2020
Cloud vertical structure measurements from a ground-based cloud radar over the southeastern Tibetan Plateau journal August 2021
Characteristics of vertical atmosphere based on five-year microwave remote sensing data over Wuhan region journal October 2021
Ground-based lidar and radar remote sensing of tropical cirrus clouds at Nauru Island: Cloud statistics and radiative impacts: GROUND-BASED REMOTE SENSING OF TROPICAL CIRRUS CLOUDS journal December 2002
Cloud climatology at the Southern Great Plains and the layer structure, drizzle, and atmospheric modes of continental stratus journal January 2007
Classifying clouds around the globe with the CloudSat radar: 1-year of results journal January 2008
Global characterization of cirrus clouds using CALIPSO data journal January 2008
Estimating the top altitude of optically thick ice clouds from thermal infrared satellite observations using CALIPSO data: THICK CLOUD TOP HEIGHTS FROM SATELLITE journal June 2008
CloudSat mission: Performance and early science after the first year of operation journal January 2008
A 10 year climatology of cloud fraction and vertical distribution derived from both surface and GOES observations over the DOE ARM SPG site journal January 2010
Analysis of cloud layer structure in Shouxian, China using RS92 radiosonde aided by 95 GHz cloud radar journal January 2010
The cloud radiative effects of International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project weather states journal January 2011
Evidence for climate change in the satellite cloud record journal July 2016
The role of clouds in the climate system journal December 2004
Observational evidence that cloud feedback amplifies global warming journal July 2021
Cloud-Radiative Forcing and Climate: Results from the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment journal January 1989
The Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program Cloud Radars: Operational Modes journal July 1999
The Effect of Cloud Type on Earth's Energy Balance: Global Analysis journal November 1992
Cloud Layer Thicknesses from a Combination of Surface and Upper-Air Observations journal March 1995
Effects of Cloud Vertical Structure on Atmospheric Circulation in the GISS GCM journal November 1998
A Cloud Climatology of the Southern Great Plains ARM CART journal May 2000
Objective Determination of Cloud Heights and Radar Reflectivities Using a Combination of Active Remote Sensors at the ARM CART Sites journal May 2000
An Experimental Technique for Testing the Validity of Cumulus Cloud Parameterizations for Longwave Radiation Calculations journal July 2000
Cloud Type and Macrophysical Property Retrieval Using Multiple Remote Sensors journal October 2001
On the Effects of Cumulus Dimensions on Longwave Irradiance and Heating Rate Calculations journal April 1982
Cloud Boundary Statistics during FIRE II journal December 1995
An Unattended Cloud-Profiling Radar for Use in Climate Research journal March 1998
Detection of Cloud-Base Height Using Jenoptik CHM15K and Vaisala CL31 Ceilometers journal February 2010
A Comparison of GOES Sounder– and Cloud Lidar- and Radar-Retrieved Cloud-Top Heights journal August 2005
Cloud Feedbacks in the Climate System: A Critical Review journal January 2005
On the Longwave Climate Feedbacks journal October 2013
A Climatology of Midlatitude Continental Clouds from the ARM SGP Central Facility: Part I: Low-Level Cloud Macrophysical, Microphysical, and Radiative Properties journal May 2005
A Near-Global Climatology of Single-Layer and Overlapped Clouds and Their Optical Properties Retrieved from Terra /MODIS Data Using a New Algorithm journal November 2005
A 35-GHz Polarimetric Doppler Radar for Long-Term Observations of Cloud Parameters—Description of System and Data Processing journal April 2015
Cloud-Base Height Derived from a Ground-Based Infrared Sensor and a Comparison with a Collocated Cloud Radar journal April 2018
An Introduction to Himawari-8/9— Japan’s New-Generation Geostationary Meteorological Satellites journal January 2016
Characteristics of Warm Clouds and Precipitation in South China during the Pre-Flood Season Using Datasets from a Cloud Radar, a Ceilometer, and a Disdrometer journal December 2019
Measurement of Cloud Top Height: Comparison of MODIS and Ground-Based Millimeter Radar journal May 2020
Statistical Characteristics of Cloud Occurrence and Vertical Structure Observed by a Ground-Based Ka-Band Cloud Radar in South Korea journal July 2020
Understanding How Low-Level Clouds and Fog Modify the Diurnal Cycle of Orographic Precipitation Using In Situ and Satellite Observations journal September 2017
Comparing and Merging Observation Data from Ka-Band Cloud Radar, C-Band Frequency-Modulated Continuous Wave Radar and Ceilometer Systems journal December 2017
Long-term trend analysis and climatology of tropical cirrus clouds using 16 years of lidar data set over Southern India journal December 2015
Aerosol-induced changes in the vertical structure of precipitation: a perspective of TRMM precipitation radar journal January 2018
Technical note: First comparison of wind observations from ESA's satellite mission Aeolus and ground-based radar wind profiler network of China journal February 2021
Lidar observations of cirrus clouds in Palau (7°33′ N, 134°48′ E) journal May 2021
Long-term characterisation of the vertical structure of the Saharan Air Layer over the Canary Islands using lidar and radiosonde profiles: implications for radiative and cloud processes over the subtropical Atlantic Ocean journal January 2022
Combining cloud radar and radar wind profiler for a value added estimate of vertical air motion and particle terminal velocity within clouds journal January 2018
Detection and analysis of cloud boundary in Xi'an, China, employing 35 GHz cloud radar aided by 1064 nm lidar journal August 2022

Similar Records

The diurnal cycle of clouds and precipitation at the ARM SGP site: Cloud radar observations and simulations from the multiscale modeling framework
Journal Article · Fri Jul 07 20:00:00 EDT 2017 · Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres · OSTI ID:1423787
Millimeter Wave Cloud Radar (MMCR) Handbook
Technical Report · Sat Jan 29 23:00:00 EST 2005 · OSTI ID:948372
Comparisons of Cloud-Top Height Retrievals from Ground-Based 35 GHz MMCR and GMS-5 Satellite Observations at ARM TWP Manus Site
Journal Article · Sun Oct 31 23:00:00 EST 2004 · Atmospheric Research · OSTI ID:15011376

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Cloud and precipitation occurrence frequencies
Cloud base and top heights
Ka-band cloud radar
Wuhan in Central China