Investigation of regional and seasonal variations in marine boundary layer cloud properties from MODIS observations

Journal of Climate

Volumn 21, Issue 19, 2008, Pages 4955-4973

  Jensen, Michael P ^a   Vogelmann, Andrew M ^a   Collins, William D ^b   Zhang, Guang J ^c   Luke, Edward P ^a  

^a BROOKHAVEN NATIONAL LABORATORY   (United States)

^b LAWRENCE BERKELEY NATIONAL LABORATORY   (United States)

^c UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA   (United States)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

AERODYNAMICS; ATMOSPHERICS; BOUNDARY LAYERS; DISTRIBUTION FUNCTIONS; DRAG REDUCTION; EQUIPMENT TESTING; FABRICS; HYDRODYNAMICS; METEOROLOGY; NASA; PROBABILITY DENSITY FUNCTION; PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTIONS; SPECTROMETERS;

AUSTRALIA; CALIFORNIA; CANARY ISLANDS; CLIMATE MODELS; CLOUD FIELDS; CLOUD FRACTIONS; CLOUD LIQUID WATER PATHS; CLOUD PRODUCTS; CLOUD TYPES; DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATIONS; GENERAL CIRCULATION MODELS; GRID BOXES; INTER-RELATIONSHIPS; MARINE BOUNDARY LAYER CLOUDS; MARINE BOUNDARY LAYERS; MESOSCALE ORGANIZATIONS; MESOSCALE STRUCTURES; MICROPHYSICAL PROPERTIES; MODEL SIMULATIONS; MODERATE RESOLUTION IMAGING SPECTRO RADIOMETERS; MODIS OBSERVATIONS; NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATIONS; OPTICAL DEPTHS; PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTION FUNCTIONS; SEASONAL VARIATIONS; SUBGRID SCALES; TERRA SATELLITES; TEST BEDS; WEST COASTS;

CLOUDS;

BOUNDARY LAYER; CLOUD MICROPHYSICS; GENERAL CIRCULATION MODEL; MESOSCALE METEOROLOGY; MODIS; PIXEL; SATELLITE DATA; SEASONAL VARIATION; SIMULATION;

AFRICA; ANGOLA; ATLANTIC ISLANDS; ATLANTIC OCEAN; AUSTRALASIA; AUSTRALIA; CALIFORNIA; CANARY ISLANDS; EURASIA; EUROPE; MACARONESIA; NORTH AMERICA; PERU; SOUTH AMERICA; SOUTHERN AFRICA; SOUTHERN EUROPE; SPAIN; SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA; UNITED STATES;

EID: 56349172219     PISSN: 08948755     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1175/2008JCLI1974.1     Document Type: Article

References (53)

1. Agee, E. M., 1984: Observations from space and thermal convection: A historical perspective. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 65, 938-949.
2. Bender, F. A.-M., H. Rodhe, R. J. Charlson, A. M. L. Ekman, and N. Loeb, 2006: 22 views of the global albedo-Comparison between 20 GCMs and two satellites. Tellus, 58A, 320-330, doi:10.1111/ j.1600-0870.2006.00181.x.
3. Bennartz, R., 2007: Global assessment of marine boundary layer cloud droplet number concentration from satellite. J. Geophys. Res., 112, D02201, doi:10.1029/2006JD007547.
4. Bennartz, R., and Harshvardhan, 2007: Correction to "Global assessment of marine boundary layer cloud droplet number concentration from satellite." J. Geophys. Res., 112, D16302, doi:10.1029/2007JD008841.
5. Bony, S., and J.-L. Dufresne, 2005: Marine boundary layer clouds at the heart of tropical cloud feedback uncertainties in climate models. Geophys. Res. Lett., 32, L20806, doi:10.1029/2005GL023851.
6. Brón, F. M., and M. Doutriaux-Boucher, 2005: A comparison of cloud droplet radii measured from space. IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sens., 43, 1796-1805.
7. Chang, F.-L., and Z. Li, 2003: Retrieving vertical profiles of water-cloud droplet effective radius: Algorithm modification and preliminary application. J. Geophys. Res., 108, 4763, doi:10.1029/2003JD003906.
8. Coakley, J. A., M. A. Friedman, and W. R. Tahnk, 2005: Retrieval of cloud properties for partly cloudy imager pixels. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 22, 3-17.
9. Comstock, K. K., C. S. Bretherton, and S. E. Yuter, 2005: Mesoscale variability and drizzle in Southeast Pacific stratocumulus. J. Atmos. Sci., 62, 3792-3807.
10. Comstock, K. K., S. E. Yuter, R. Wood, and C. S. Bretherton, 2007: The three-dimensional structure and kinematics of drizzling stratocumulus. Mon. Wea. Rev., 135, 3767-3784.
11. Cornet, C., J.-C. Buriez, J. Riedi, H. Isaka, and B. Guillemet, 2005: Case study of inhomogeneous cloud parameter retrieval from MODIS data. Geophys. Res. Lett., 32, L13807, doi:10.1029/2005GL022791.
12. Cusack, S., J. M. Edwards, and R. Kershaw, 1999: Estimating the subgrid variance of saturation, and its parameterization for use in a GCM cloud scheme. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 125, 3057-3076.
13. Garay, M., R. Davies, C. Averill, and J. Westphal, 2004: Actino-form clouds: Overlooked examples of cloud self-organization at the mesoscale. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 85, 1585-1594.
14. Hartmann, D. L., M. E. Ockert-Bell, and M. L. Michelsen, 1992: The effect of cloud type on earth's energy balance: Global analysis. J. Climate, 5, 1281-1304.
15. Haywood, J. M., S. R. Osborne, and S. J. Abel, 2004: The effect of overlying absorbing aerosol layers on remote sensing retrievals of cloud effective radius and cloud optical depth. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 130, 779-800.
16. Kawamoto, K., T. Nakajima, and T. Y. Nakajima, 2001: A global determination of cloud microphysics with AVHRR remote sensing. J. Climate, 14, 2054-2068.
17. King, M. D., S.-C. Tsay, S. E. Platnick, M. Wang, and K.-N. Liou, 1998: Cloud retrieval algorithms for MODIS: Optical thickness, effective radius and thermodynamic phase. MODIS Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document ATBD-MOD-05, 83 pp.
18. King, M. D., and Coauthors, 2003: Cloud and aerosol and water vapor properties, perceptible water, and profiles of temperature and humidity from MODIS. IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sens., 41, 442-458.
19. Klein, S. A., and D. L. Hartmann, 1993: The seasonal cycle of low stratiform clouds. J. Climate, 6, 1587-1606.
20. Li, F., A. M. Vogelmann, and V. Ramanathan, 2004: Saharan dust aerosol radiative forcing measured from space. J. Climate, 17, 2558-2571.
21. Loeb, N. G., and R. Davies, 1996: Observational evidence of plane parallel model biases: Apparent dependence of cloud optical depth on solar zenith angle. J. Geophys. Res., 101, 1621-1634.
22. Loeb, N. G., and J. A. Coakley Jr., 1998: Inference of marine stratus cloud optical depths from satellite measurements: Does 1D theory apply? J. Climate, 11, 215-233.
23. Mahowald, N. M., and L. M. Kiehl, 2003: Mineral aerosol and cloud interactions. Geophys. Res. Lett., 30, 1475, doi:10.1029/ 2002GL016762.
24. Marshak, A., S. Platnick, T. Várnai, G. Wen, and R. F. Cahalan, 2006: Impact of three-dimensional radiative effects on satellite retrievals of cloud droplet sizes. J. Geophys. Res., 111, D09207, doi:10.1029/2005JD006686.
25. Masunaga, H., T. Y. Nakajima, T. Nakajima, M. Kachi, and K. Suzuki, 2002: Physical properties of maritime low clouds as retrieved by combined use of Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Microwave Imager and Visible/Infrared Scanner 2. Climatology of warm clouds. J. Geophys. Res., 107, 4367, doi:10.1029/2001JD001269.
26. Matsui, T., H. Masunaga, S. M. Kreidenweis, R. A. Pielke Sr., W.-K. Tao, M. Chin, and Y. J. Kaufman, 2006: Satellite-based assessment of marine low cloud variability associated with aerosol, atmospheric stability, and the diurnal cycle. J. Geophys. Res., 111, D17204, doi:10.1029/2005JD006097.
27. Mechem, D. B., and Y. L. Kogan, 2003: Simulating the transition from drizzling marine stratocumulus to boundary layer cumulus with a mesoscale model. Mon. Wea. Rev., 131, 2342-2360.
28. Menzel, W. P., B. A. Baum, K. I. Strabala, and R. A. Frey, 2002: Cloud top properties and cloud phase algorithm theoretical basis document. MODIS Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document ATBD-MOD-04, 61 pp.
29. Miles, N. L., J. Verlinde, and E. E. Clothiaux, 2000: Cloud droplet size distributions in low-level stratiform clouds. J. Atmos. Sci., 57, 295-311.
30. Naud, C. M., J.-M. Muller, E. E. Clothiaux, B. A. Baum, and W. P. Menzel, 2005: Intercomparison of multiple years of MODIS, MISR and radar cloud-top heights. Ann. Geophys., 23, 2415-2424.
31. Norris, J. R., 1998: Low cloud type over the ocean from surface observations. Part II: Geographical and seasonal variations. J. Climate, 11, 383-403.
32. Norris, J. R., and C. B. Leovy, 1994: Interannual variability in stratiform cloudiness and sea surface temperature. J. Climate, 7, 1915-1925.
33. Oreopoulos, L., and R. Davies, 1998: Plane-parallel albedo biases from satellite observations. Part II: Parameterizations for bias removal. J. Climate, 11, 933-944.
34. Pawlowska, H., and J.-L. Brenguier, 2003: An observational study of drizzle formation in stratocumulus clouds for general circulation model (GCM) parameterizations. J. Geophys. Res., 108, 8630, doi:10.1029/2002JD002679.
35. Petters, M. D., J. R. Snider, B. Stevens, G. Vali, I. Faloona, and L. M. Russell, 2006: Accumulation mode aerosol, pockets of open cells, and particle nucleation in the remote subtropical Pacific marine boundary layer. J. Geophys. Res., 111, D02206, doi:10.1029/ 2004JD005694.
36. Pinsky, M. B., and A. P. Khain, 2002: Effects of in-cloud nucleation and turbulence on droplet spectrum formation in cumulus clouds. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 128, 501-534.
37. Platnick, S., M. D. King, S. A. Ackerman, W. P. Menzel, B. A. Baum, J. C. Riedi, and R. A. Frey, 2003: The MODIS cloud products: Algorithms and examples from Terra. IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sens., 41, 459-473.
38. Randall, D. A., J. A. Coakley, C. W. Fairall, R. A. Kropfli, and D. H. Lenshow, 1984: Outlook for research on subtropical marine stratiform clouds. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 65, 1209-1301.
39. Rosenfeld, D., Y. J. Kaufman, and I. Koren, 2006: Switching cloud cover and dynamical regimes from open to closed Benard cells in response to the suppression of precipitation by aerosols. Atmos. Chem. Phys., 6, 2503-2511.
40. Rozendaal, M. A., and W. B. Rossow, 2003: Characterizing some of the influences of the general circulation on subtropical marine boundary layer clouds. J. Atmos. Sci., 60, 711-728.
41. Shao, H., and G. Liu, 2004: Detecting drizzle in marine warm clouds using combined visible, infrared, and microwave satellite data. J. Geophys. Res., 109, D07205, doi:10.1029/2003JD004286.
42. Sharon, T. M., B. A. Albrecht, H. H. Jonsson, P. Minnis, M. M. Khaiyer, T. M. van Reken, J. Seinfeld, and R. Flagan, 2006: Aerosol and cloud microphysical characteristics of rifts and gradients in maritime stratocumulus clouds. J. Atmos. Sci., 63, 983-997.
43. Stevens, B., G. Vali, K. Comstock, R. Wood, M. C. van Zanten, P. H. Austin, C. S. Bretherton, and D. H. Lenschow, 2005: Pockets of open cells (POCs) and drizzle in marine stratocumulus. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 86, 51-57.
44. Vant-Hull, B., A. Marshak, L. A. Remer, and Z. Q. Li, 2007: The effects of scattering angle and cumulus cloud geometry on satellite retrievals of cloud droplet effective radius. IEEE Geosci. Remote Sens., 45, 1039-1045.
45. van Zanten, M. C., B. Stevens, G. Vali, and D. Lenschow, 2005: Observations of drizzle in nocturnal marine stratocumulus. J. Atmos. Sci., 62, 88-106.
46. Várnai, T., and A. Marshak, 2002a: Observations and analysis of three-dimensional radiative effects that influence MODIS cloud optical thickness retrievals. J. Atmos. Sci., 59, 1607-1618.
47. Várnai, T., and A. Marshak, 2002b: Observations of three-dimensional radiative effects that influence satellite retrievals of cloud properties. Idojaras, 106, 265-278.
48. Wood, R., 2005: Drizzle in stratiform boundary layer clouds. Part I: Vertical and horizontal structure. J. Atmos. Sci., 62, 3011-3033.
49. Wood, R., and D. L. Hartmann, 2006: Spatial variability of liquid water path in marine low cloud: The importance of mesoscale cellular convection. J. Climate, 19, 1748-1764.
50. Woodruff, S. D., R. J. Slutz, R. L. Jenne, and P. M. Steurer, 1987: A comprehensive ocean-atmosphere data set. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 68, 1239-1250.
51. Xu, K.-M., T. Wong, B. A. Wielicki, L. Parker, and Z. A. Eitzen, 2005: Statistical analyses of satellite cloud object data for large ensemble evaluation of cloud models. Part I: Methodology and preliminary results. J. Climate, 18, 2497-2514.
52. Zhang, M. H., and Coauthors, 2005: Comparing clouds and their seasonal variations in 10 atmospheric general circulation models with satellite measurements. J. Geophys. Res., 110, D15S02, doi:10.1029/ 2004JD005021.
53. Zhou, M., X. Zeng, M. Brunke, Z. Zhang, and C. Fairall, 2006: An analysis of statistical characteristics of stratus and stratocumulus over eastern Pacific. Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L02807, doi:10.1029/2005GL024796.