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Height distribution between cloud and aerosol layers from the GLAS spaceborne lidar in the Indian Ocean region
Author(s) -
Hart William D.,
Spinhirne James D.,
Palm Steven P.,
Hlavka Dennis L.
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 - 10.1029/2005gl023671
Subject(s) - lidar , aerosol , satellite , backscatter (email) , altimeter , remote sensing , altitude (triangle) , environmental science , nadir , cloud height , atmosphere (unit) , cloud top , elevation (ballistics) , cloud computing , ice cloud , atmospheric sciences , geology , meteorology , cloud cover , geography , physics , telecommunications , geometry , mathematics , astronomy , computer science , wireless , operating system
The Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS), a nadir pointing lidar on the Ice Cloud and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) launched in 2003, now provides important new global measurements of the relationship between the height distribution of cloud and aerosol layers. GLAS data have the capability to detect, locate, and distinguish between cloud and aerosol layers in the atmosphere up to 40 km altitude. The data product algorithm tests the product of the maximum attenuated backscatter coefficient β′(r) and the vertical gradient of β′(r) within a layer against a predetermined threshold. An initial case result for the critical Indian Ocean region is presented. From the results the relative height distribution between collocated aerosol and cloud shows extensive regions where cloud formation is well within dense aerosol scattering layers at the surface.