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Title: Cloud Edge Properties Measured by the ARM Shortwave Spectrometer Over Ocean and Land

Journal Article · · Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [2]; ORCiD logo [3]
  1. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, MD (United States); Univ. Space Research Association, Columbia, MD (United States)
  2. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, MD (United States)
  3. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, MD (United States); Morgan State Univ., Baltimore, MD (United States)
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In this paper, we use the spectrally invariant method to study the variability of cloud optical thickness (τ) and droplet effective radius (reff) in transition zones between the cloudy and clear-sky columns observed by Shortwave Array Spectroradiometer-Zenith at the Southern Great Plains Central Facility site (SGP C1) and during the Marine ARM GPCI Investigation of Clouds (MAGIC) field campaign. The spectrally invariant method approximates the spectra in the transition zone as a linear combination of definitely clear and definitely cloudy spectra. The slope and intercept of the linear relations characterize τ and reff in the transition region, respectively. The radiative transfer model simulations show that that (i) the slope of the visible band is positively correlated with τ, while (ii) the intercept of the near-infrared band has a high negative correlation with reff. We have analyzed 22 cloud edge cases from the SGP and MAGIC and found that from cloud to clear in the transitions, (a) the slopes of the visible band decrease, indicating the decrease of τ toward cloud edges, and (b) the intercepts of the near-infrared band show a much more significant increase at the SGP than from the MAGIC. The results from observed cases suggest that while τ decreases for all cases, the decrease in reff is much more significant for cloud over land at the SGP site compared to the ocean counterpart during the MAGIC campaign.

Research Organization:
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, MD (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0005457; SC0018045
OSTI ID:
1593962
Journal Information:
Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Vol. 124, Issue 15; ISSN 2169-897X
Publisher:
American Geophysical UnionCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 5 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Figures / Tables (9)

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54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
cloud edge
ARM
shortwave spectrometer
spectrally invariant
SGP
MAGIC
transition zone
cloud
cloud-aerosol interaction
air entrainment and mixing
spectral invariance
shortwave spectroradiometer