Infrared sounding of the trade‐wind boundary layer: AIRS and the RICO experiment

Martins, João Paulo; Teixeira, J.; Soares, Pedro M. M.; Miranda, Pedro; Kahn, Brian H.; Dang, Van; Irion, F. W.; Fetzer, Eric J.; Fishbein, Evan

doi:10.1029/2010gl045902

Cited by 24 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Strong (poor) spatial correspondence between radiance skewness and AIRS ECF (MODIS cloud fraction) was found, suggesting infraredbased ECF is a potentially valuable and unappreciated diagnostic for MBL cloud characterization. The mean MBL depth derived from AIRS (Martins et al, 2010) shows a characteristic transition from shallow MBLs (920-970 hPa) near the coast to deeper MBLs (830-880 hPa) away from the coast and is a well-observed feature of the stratocumulus-tocumulus transition (e.g., Teixeira et al, 2011). The AIRSderived dMSE between 700 and 1000 hPa agree very well with ERA-Interim (Kubar et al, 2012).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 61%

“…The AIRS operational products also provide numerous cloud variables that include effective cloud fraction (ECF), cloud thermodynamic phase (liquid, ice, and unknown categories), and others (Kahn et al, 2014). A MBL depth estimate inferred from the height/pressure of maximum RH gradient is described and validated with radiosondes launched during the Rain in Shallow Cumulus over the Ocean (RICO) campaign in Martins et al (2010).…”

Section: Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

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An A-train and MERRA view of cloud, thermodynamic, and dynamic variability within the subtropical marine boundary layer

et al. 2017

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Abstract. The global-scale patterns and covariances of subtropical marine boundary layer (MBL) cloud fraction and spatial variability with atmospheric thermodynamic and dynamic fields remain poorly understood. We describe an approach that leverages coincident NASA A-train and the Modern Era Retrospective-Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) data to quantify the relationships in the subtropical MBL derived at the native pixel and grid resolution. A new method for observing four subtropical oceanic regions that capture transitions from stratocumulus to trade cumulus is demonstrated, where stratocumulus and cumulus regimes are determined from infrared-based thermodynamic phase. Visible radiances are normally distributed within stratocumulus and are increasingly skewed away from the coast, where trade cumulus dominates. Increases in MBL depth, wind speed, and effective radius (r e ), and reductions in 700-1000 hPa moist static energy differences and 700 and 850 hPa vertical velocity correspond with increases in visible radiance skewness. We posit that a more robust representation of the cloudy MBL is obtained using visible radiance rather than retrievals of optical thickness that are limited to a smaller subset of cumulus. The method using the combined A-train and MERRA data set has demonstrated that an increase in r e within shallow cumulus is strongly related to higher MBL wind speeds that further correspond to increased precipitation occurrence according to CloudSat, previously demonstrated with surface observations. Hence, the combined data sets have the potential of adding global context to process-level understanding of the MBL.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 61%

Section: Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

An A-train and MERRA view of cloud, thermodynamic, and dynamic variability within the subtropical marine boundary layer

et al. 2017

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“…The use of infrared retrievals in the lower troposphere remains a challenge due to the decreasing information content and the difficulty in detecting low-cloud contamination. However, recent investigations (e.g., Kahn et al, 2011b;Martins et al, 2011 have shown that AIRS/AMSU is capable of observing coarse-layer thermodynamic structures in the planetary boundary layer.…”

Section: M Schreier Et Al: Atmospheric Parameters In a Subtropicmentioning

confidence: 99%

Atmospheric parameters in a subtropical cloud regime transition derived by AIRS and MODIS: observed statistical variability compared to ERA-Interim

et al. 2014

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Abstract. Cloud occurrence, microphysical and optical properties, and atmospheric profiles within a subtropical cloud regime transition in the northeastern Pacific Ocean are obtained from a synergistic combination of the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) and the MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). The observed cloud parameters and atmospheric thermodynamic profile retrievals are binned by cloud type and analyzed based on their probability density functions (PDFs). Comparison of the PDFs to data from the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting reanalysis (ERA-Interim) shows a strong difference in the occurrence of the different cloud types compared to clear sky. An increasing non-Gaussian behavior is observed in cloud optical thickness (τ c ), effective radius (r e ) and cloud-top temperature (T c ) distributions from stratocumulus to trade cumulus, while decreasing values of lowertropospheric stability are seen. However, variations in the mean, width and shape of the distributions are found. The AIRS potential temperature (θ) and water vapor (q) profiles in the presence of varying marine boundary layer (MBL) cloud types show overall similarities to the ERA-Interim in the mean profiles, but differences arise in the higher moments at some altitudes. The differences between the PDFs from AIRS+MODIS and ERA-Interim make it possible to pinpoint systematic errors in both systems and help to understand joint PDFs of cloud properties and coincident thermodynamic profiles from satellite observations.

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“…To date, only a few studies of limited scale have examined PBL processes using space-based remote sensing [11]. However, as remote sensing has evolved, satellites providing atmospheric temperature and water-vapor profile data are increasingly available.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Method for Deriving the Boundary Layer Mixing Height from MODIS Atmospheric Profile Data

Feng

Niu

2015

Atmosphere

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Abstract:The planetary boundary layer is the medium of energy, moisture, momentum and pollutant exchange between the surface and the atmosphere. In this paper, a method to derive the boundary layer mixing height (MH) was introduced and applied over the Heihe river basin. Atmospheric profiles from the MODerate Resolution Imaging Sepctroradiometer (MODIS) instrument onboard the NASA-Aqua satellite were used for the high spatial resolution of this method. A gap-filling method was used to replace missing MODIS data. In situ MH data were also calculated from HIWATER (Heihe Watershed Allied Telemetry Experimental Research) and WATER (Watershed Allied Telemetry Experimental Research) observational radiosonde sounding data from 2008 and 2012 using the Richardson number method combined with a subjective method. The MH occurs where there is an abrupt decrease in the MR (water vapor mixing ratio). The minimum vertical gradient of the MR is used to determine the MH. The method has an average RMSE of 370 m under clear skies and convective conditions. The seasonal variation in the MH at the Gaoya radiosonde station is also presented. The study demonstrates that remote sensing methodologies can successfully estimate the MH without the help of field measurements.

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Infrared sounding of the trade‐wind boundary layer: AIRS and the RICO experiment

Cited by 24 publications

References 30 publications

An A-train and MERRA view of cloud, thermodynamic, and dynamic variability within the subtropical marine boundary layer

An A-train and MERRA view of cloud, thermodynamic, and dynamic variability within the subtropical marine boundary layer

Atmospheric parameters in a subtropical cloud regime transition derived by AIRS and MODIS: observed statistical variability compared to ERA-Interim

A Method for Deriving the Boundary Layer Mixing Height from MODIS Atmospheric Profile Data

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