Midlatitude Oceanic Cloud and Precipitation Properties as Sampled By the ARM Eastern North Atlantic Observatory
Abstract
Abstract Marine low clouds are critical to the climate system because of their extensive coverage and associated controls on boundary layer dynamics and radiative energy balance. The primary foci for this study are marine low cloud observations over a heavily instrumented site on the Azores archipelago in the Eastern North Atlantic and their associated raindrop size distribution (DSD) properties, relative low cloud contributions to the precipitation, and additional sampling (instrument, environmental) considerations. The contribution from low clouds (e.g., cloud top < 4 km) to the overall precipitation over midlatitude oceans is poorly understood, in part because of the lack of coupled, high‐quality measurements of precipitation and low cloud properties. Cloud regime and precipitation breakdowns performed for a multiyear (2014–2017) record emphasize diurnal precipitation and raindrop size distribution characteristics for both low and deeper clouds, as well as differences between the two disdrometer types used. Results demonstrate that marine low clouds over this Eastern North Atlantic location account for a significant (45%) contribution to the total rainfall and exhibit a diurnal cycle in cloud (thickness, top, and base) and precipitation characteristics similar to satellite records. Additional controls on observed surface rainfall characteristics of low clouds allowed by the extended ground‐based facility data sets aremore »
- Authors:
-
[1];
[1];
[1];
[2];
[3];
[4]
- Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States). Environmental and Climate Sciences Dept.
- Univ. of Kansas, Lawrence, KS (United States). Dept. of Geography and Atmospheric Science
- Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
- Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States). Dept. of Atmospheric Sciences
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Univ. of Kansas, Lawrence, KS (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1504386
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1509742
- Report Number(s):
- BNL-211482-2019-JAAM
Journal ID: ISSN 2169-897X
- Grant/Contract Number:
- SC0012704; SC0016522; DE‐SC0012704; DE‐SC0016522
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 124; Journal Issue: 8; Journal ID: ISSN 2169-897X
- Publisher:
- American Geophysical Union
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; precipitation; clouds; oceanic; midlatitude; rainfall; disdrometer
Citation Formats
Giangrande, Scott E., Wang, Die, Bartholomew, Mary Jane, Jensen, Michael, Mechem, David B., Hardin, Joseph, and Wood, Robert. Midlatitude Oceanic Cloud and Precipitation Properties as Sampled By the ARM Eastern North Atlantic Observatory. United States: N. p., 2019.
Web. doi:10.1029/2018JD029667.
Giangrande, Scott E., Wang, Die, Bartholomew, Mary Jane, Jensen, Michael, Mechem, David B., Hardin, Joseph, & Wood, Robert. Midlatitude Oceanic Cloud and Precipitation Properties as Sampled By the ARM Eastern North Atlantic Observatory. United States. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JD029667
Giangrande, Scott E., Wang, Die, Bartholomew, Mary Jane, Jensen, Michael, Mechem, David B., Hardin, Joseph, and Wood, Robert. Fri .
"Midlatitude Oceanic Cloud and Precipitation Properties as Sampled By the ARM Eastern North Atlantic Observatory". United States. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JD029667. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1504386.
@article{osti_1504386,
title = {Midlatitude Oceanic Cloud and Precipitation Properties as Sampled By the ARM Eastern North Atlantic Observatory},
author = {Giangrande, Scott E. and Wang, Die and Bartholomew, Mary Jane and Jensen, Michael and Mechem, David B. and Hardin, Joseph and Wood, Robert},
abstractNote = {Abstract Marine low clouds are critical to the climate system because of their extensive coverage and associated controls on boundary layer dynamics and radiative energy balance. The primary foci for this study are marine low cloud observations over a heavily instrumented site on the Azores archipelago in the Eastern North Atlantic and their associated raindrop size distribution (DSD) properties, relative low cloud contributions to the precipitation, and additional sampling (instrument, environmental) considerations. The contribution from low clouds (e.g., cloud top < 4 km) to the overall precipitation over midlatitude oceans is poorly understood, in part because of the lack of coupled, high‐quality measurements of precipitation and low cloud properties. Cloud regime and precipitation breakdowns performed for a multiyear (2014–2017) record emphasize diurnal precipitation and raindrop size distribution characteristics for both low and deeper clouds, as well as differences between the two disdrometer types used. Results demonstrate that marine low clouds over this Eastern North Atlantic location account for a significant (45%) contribution to the total rainfall and exhibit a diurnal cycle in cloud (thickness, top, and base) and precipitation characteristics similar to satellite records. Additional controls on observed surface rainfall characteristics of low clouds allowed by the extended ground‐based facility data sets are also explored. From those analyses, it is suggested that the synoptic state exerts a significant control on low cloud and surface precipitation properties.},
doi = {10.1029/2018JD029667},
journal = {Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres},
number = 8,
volume = 124,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Mar 29 00:00:00 EDT 2019},
month = {Fri Mar 29 00:00:00 EDT 2019}
}
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