Lidar investigations on the optical and dynamical properties of cirrus clouds in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere regions at a tropical station, Gadanki, India (13.5°N, 79.2°E)

Krishnakumar, V.; Satyanarayana, M.; Radhakrishnan, S. R.; Dhaman, Reji K.; Jayeshlal, G. S.; Motty, Gopinathan Nair S.; Pillai, V. P. Mahadevan; Raghunath, K.; Ratnam, M. Venkat; Rao, D. V. Sudhakar; Sudhakar, P.

doi:10.1117/1.jrs.8.083659

Cited by 9 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…The cloud top observed for the month of October lies close to the tropopause. The variation in cloud base height for the cirrus clouds formed near to the tropopause is relatively less (Krishnakumar, 2014). These type of clouds were absent during the rest of the period.…”

Section: Macrophysical Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 88%

Climatology Of Thin Cirrus Clouds at Gadanki (13.5°N, 79.2°E) Using Ground Based Lidar And Satellite Based Measurements

Motty

Jayeshlal

Satyanarayana

2014

Int. Arch. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci.

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ABSTRACT:High altitude cirrus clouds play a significant role in the radiative balance of Earth atmosphere system. Information on cirrus occurrences and their optical properties is essential for climate modeling studies. The influence of high altitude thin cirru s clouds on the climate is important due to their optical and thermodynamic properties. In order to quantify their effect on atmosphere, the vertical structure and optical properties of these thin cirrus clouds are to be characterized. The Lidar technique has become a unique tool for detecting and characterizing cirrus clouds for their optical properties. Ground based LIDAR system offers an excellent way to obtain characteristic values on the cirrus formations, although the microphysical and optical properties of thin cirrus clouds can also obtained on global scale by the observations from Earth-orbiting Satellites .The ground-based lidar observations could provide more intensive measurements on continuous basis, compared to satellite observations. Utilising observations from both, the statistical characteristics, physical and optical properties of thin cirrus clouds can be retrieved more precisely. The present study is based on the ground based lidar measurements using the pulsed monostatic LIDAR system at the National Atmospheric Research Laboratory [NARL], Gadanki (13.5 0 N, 79.2 0 E), Andhra Pradesh, India. The data obtained in the altitude range of 8-20 km are used for this study. Cirrus observations made using CALIPSO and MODIS satellites are compared with the ground based lidar data for systematic statistical study of cirrus climatology. Optically thin cirrus clouds (τ<0.3) observed during 2009 are selected and their microphysical and geometrical properties are studied. The microphysical properties such as optical depth, lidar ratio and depolarisation ratio for cirrus clouds were obtained. It is observed that the variability in optical depth depends on the composition and thickness of the clouds. The relationships between various quantities were also processed. The study shows that the thin cirrus generally was present in higher altitudes and the optical properties show correlation with the height and the temperature.

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Section: Macrophysical Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 88%

Climatology Of Thin Cirrus Clouds at Gadanki (13.5°N, 79.2°E) Using Ground Based Lidar And Satellite Based Measurements

Motty

Jayeshlal

Satyanarayana

2014

Int. Arch. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci.

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“…Aerosol optical depth (AOD) is calculated by integrating the extinction coefficient from cloud base to its top [23].…”

Section: Data Analysis and Methodologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Observation of Clouds Using the CSIR Transportable LIDAR: A Case Study over Durban, South Africa

Shikwambana

Sivakumar

2016

Advances in Meteorology

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The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) transportable Light Detection And Ranging (LIDAR) was used to collect data over Durban (29.9°S, 30.9°E) during 20–23 November 2012. Aerosol measurements have been carried out in the past over Durban; however, no cloud measurements using LIDAR have ever been performed. Therefore, this study further motivates the continuation of LIDAR for atmospheric research over Durban. Low level clouds were observed on 20–22 November 2012 and high level clouds were observed on 23 November 2012. The low level cloud could be classified as stratocumulus clouds, whereas the high level clouds could be classified as cirrus clouds. Low level cloud layers showed high extinction coefficients values ranging between 0.0009 and 0.0044 m−1, whereas low extinction coefficients for high level clouds were observed at values ranging between 0.000001 and 0.000002 m−1. Optical depth showed a high variability for 20 and 21 November 2012. This indicates a change in the composition and/or thickness of the cloud. For 22 and 23 November 2012, almost similar values of optical depth were observed. Cloud-Aerosol LIDAR and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) revealed high level clouds while the CSIR LIDAR could not. However, the two instruments complement each other well to describe the cloudy condition.

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“…This observation indicates that the particles associated with anvil cirrus clouds will comprise larger and more complex nonspherical ice (e.g., hexagonal ice crystals) that contribute to significantly larger volume DPRs (Thampi et al, 2009). The DPR is high in cloud regions where the turbulence effect is high (Krishnakumar et al, 2014), implying the possibility of ordered crystal formation via turbulence in anvil cirrus clouds. Ordered crystals in clouds give rise to high DPRs, and crystal growth increases in regions with high turbulence.…”

Section: Role Of Asm On the Formation And Properties Of Cirrus Cloudsmentioning

confidence: 97%

The role of ASM on the formation and properties of cirrus clouds over the Tibetan Plateau

Zheng

et al. 2019

Tellus B: Chemical and Physical Meteorology

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Cirrus clouds play a significant role in the Earth's energy balance and in the hydrological cycle of the atmosphere. Here, a high-performance Micro Pulse Lidar was continuously used to investigate cirrus cloud formation and characteristics at Ali (32.50 N, 80.08 E; 4279 m), in the western Tibetan Plateau from 25 July to 23 September 2016, a time frame that spanned the prevalence and degeneration period of the Asian summer monsoon (ASM). The cirrus clouds frequently occurred with sharp fluctuations in the vertical distribution from 8 to 14 km above ground level (AGL) during the ASM period. In contrast, cirrus clouds were remarkably reduced and consistently existed near 10 km in September, when the ASM began subsiding due to the lack of a driving force that triggers ice formation. Approximately half of the cirrus clouds were caused by deep convective activity during the ASM period, which held one-third of total cirrus clouds during the whole measurement period. These anvil cirrus clouds have a liquid origin and are characterised by optically thicker clouds with Cloud Optical Depth values greater than 0.2, high depolarisation ratios and high lidar ratios. These observations indicate that, in agreement with other studies at mid-latitudes and in the Arctic, liquid origin cirrus could be associated with thicker, larger and more complex nonspherical ice crystals in comparison to in situ formed cirrus. Cold perturbations were responsible for the formation and evolution of the remaining two-thirds of cirrus clouds. These clouds were mostly associated with in situ formation of ice crystals, in the slow updrafts in the tropical transition layer over the Tibetan Plateau.

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Lidar investigations on the optical and dynamical properties of cirrus clouds in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere regions at a tropical station, Gadanki, India (13.5°N, 79.2°E)

Cited by 9 publications

References 21 publications

Climatology Of Thin Cirrus Clouds at Gadanki (13.5°N, 79.2°E) Using Ground Based Lidar And Satellite Based Measurements

Climatology Of Thin Cirrus Clouds at Gadanki (13.5°N, 79.2°E) Using Ground Based Lidar And Satellite Based Measurements

Observation of Clouds Using the CSIR Transportable LIDAR: A Case Study over Durban, South Africa

The role of ASM on the formation and properties of cirrus clouds over the Tibetan Plateau

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