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Estimating glaciation temperature of deep convective clouds with remote sensing data
Author(s) -
Yuan Tianle,
Martins J. Vanderlei,
Li Zhanqing,
Remer Lorraine A.
Publication year - 2010
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 - 10.1029/2010gl042753
Subject(s) - remote sensing , cloud computing , environmental science , convection , phase (matter) , glacial period , cloud top , meteorology , particle (ecology) , atmospheric sciences , geology , computer science , physics , geomorphology , oceanography , quantum mechanics , operating system
Major uncertainties exist for observing and modeling ice content inside deep convective clouds (DCC). One of the difficulties has been the lack of characterization of vertical profiles of cloud hydrometeor phase. Here we propose a technique to estimate the DCC glaciation temperature using passive remote sensing data. It is based on a conceptual model of vertical hydrometeor size profiles inside DCCs. Estimates from the technique agree well with our general understanding of the problem. Furthermore, the link between vertical profiles of cloud particle size and hydrometeor thermodynamic phase is confirmed by a 3‐D cloud retrieval technique. The technique is applied to aircraft measurements of cloud side reflectance and the result was compared favorably with an independent retrieval of thermodynamic phase based on different refractive indices at 2.13 μ m and 2.25 μ m. Possible applications of the technique are discussed.