Cloud microphysical properties from multispectral reflectance measurements

Michael D. King; Teruyuki Nakajima; James D. Spinhirne; Lawrence F. Radke

doi:10.1117/12.21374

1 September 1990 Cloud microphysical properties from multispectral reflectance measurements

Michael D. King, Teruyuki Nakajima, James D. Spinhirne, Lawrence F. Radke

Proceedings Volume 1299, Long-Term Monitoring of the Earth's Radiation Budget; (1990) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.21374
Event: 1990 Technical Symposium on Optics, Electro-Optics, and Sensors, 1990, Orlando, FL, United States

Abstract

A multispectral scanning radiometer has been used to obtain measurements of the reflection function of marine stratocumulus clouds at 0. 75 1 . 65 and 2. 1 6 rim. These observations were obtained from the NASA ER-2 aircraft as part of the First ISCCP [International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project] Regional Experiment (FIRE) conducted off the coast of southern California during July 1987. Multispectral images of the reflection function were used to derive the optical thickness and effective particle radius of stratiform cloud layers on four days. In addition to the radiation measurements in situ microphysical measurements were obtained from the University of Washington Convair C-131A aircraft. In this paper we compare remote sensing results with in situ observations which show a good spatial correlation for both optical thickness and effective radius. These comparisons further show systematic differences between remote sensing and in situ values with a tendency for remote sensing to overestimate the effective radius by 23 pm independent of particle radius. The optical thickness in contrast is somewhat overestimated for small optical thicknesses and underestimated for large optical thicknesses. Marginal probability density functions of optical thickness and effective radius have been derived from our remote sensing results. The joint probability density function of optical thickness and effective radius shows that the effective radius increases as the optical thickness increases for optically thin clouds in contrast to optically thick clouds for

Citation Download Citation

Michael D. King, Teruyuki Nakajima, James D. Spinhirne, and Lawrence F. Radke "Cloud microphysical properties from multispectral reflectance measurements", Proc. SPIE 1299, Long-Term Monitoring of the Earth's Radiation Budget, (1 September 1990); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.21374

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