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Quantifying the Amount of Ice in Cold Tropical Cirrus CloudsHow much ice is there in the Tropical Tropopause layer, globally? How does one begin to answer that question? Clouds are currently the largest source of uncertainty in climate models, and the ice water content (IWC) of cold cirrus clouds is needed to understand the total water and radiation budgets of the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UT/LS). The Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) satellite, originally a "pathfinder" mission only expected to last for three years, has now been operational for more than eight years. Lidar data from CALIPSO can provide information about how IWC is vertically distributed in the UT/LS, and about inter-annual variability and seasonal changes in cloud ice. However, cloud IWC is difficult to measure accurately with either remote or in situ instruments because IWC from cold cirrus clouds is derived from the particle cross-sectional area or visible extinction coefficient. Assumptions must be made about the relationship between the area, volume and density of ice particles with various crystal habits. Recently there have been numerous aircraft field campaigns providing detailed information about cirrus ice water content from cloud probes. This presentation evaluates the assumptions made when creating the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) global IWC data set, using recently reanalyzed aircraft particle probe measurements of very cold, thin TTL cirrus from the 2006 CR-AVE.
Document ID
20140011509
Acquisition Source
Langley Research Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Avery, Melody A. (NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
Winker, David M. (NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
Garnier, Anne (Science Systems and Applications, Inc. Hampton, VA, United States)
Lawson, R. Paul (Spec, Inc. Boulder, CO, United States)
Heymsfield, Andrew J. (National Center for Atmospheric Research Boulder, CO, United States)
Mo, Qixu (Spec, Inc. Boulder, CO, United States)
Schoeberl, Mark R. (Science and Technology Corp. Columbia, MD, United States)
Woods, Sarah (Spec, Inc. Boulder, CO, United States)
Lance, Sara (Spec, Inc. Boulder, CO, United States)
Young, Stuart A. (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization Aspendale, Australia)
Vaughan, Mark A. (NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
Trepte, Charles R. (NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
Date Acquired
September 10, 2014
Publication Date
July 7, 2014
Subject Category
Meteorology And Climatology
Report/Patent Number
NF1676L-19287
Meeting Information
Meeting: Conference on Atmospheric Radiation
Location: Boston, MA
Country: United States
Start Date: July 7, 2014
End Date: July 14, 2014
Sponsors: American Meteorological Society
Funding Number(s)
WBS: WBS 653967.04.12.01
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.

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