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Effect of particle size distributions on the retrieval of ice cloud properties
Author(s) -
Han Qingyuan,
Zeng Jian,
Kuo KwoSen,
Chen Hui,
Smith Erik
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2005gl022659
Subject(s) - effective radius , ice crystals , particle size , particle size distribution , ice cloud , radius , environmental science , scattering , satellite , variance (accounting) , cloud computing , remote sensing , computational physics , statistical physics , materials science , atmospheric sciences , meteorology , physics , geology , optics , computer science , astrophysics , paleontology , computer security , accounting , astronomy , galaxy , business , operating system
Various measured size distributions obtained from aircraft measurements at different regions and seasons are used in the retrieval algorithms for ice cloud properties by several major satellite instruments such as MODIS, CERES and VIIRS. These measured size distributions are characterized by one parameter: effective size (diameter or radius). This study shows that the adoption of such measured size distributions leads to inconsistent results in retrieved cloud properties because neglecting the effect of effective variances causes non‐monotonic relations between crystal size and single scattering properties. We also show that single scattering properties of most observed size distributions of hexagonal columns can be adequately characterized by effective radius and effective variance. Therefore, in remote sensing of ice cloud properties, theoretical size distributions with explicitly assumed effective variances should be used, similar to the practice adopted for water clouds.