Comparison of in-situ, satellite and ground-based remote sensing retrievals of liquid cloud microphysics during MACLOUD

G. Martucci, C. Milroy, K. Bower, M. Gallagher, G. Lloyd, C. D. O'Dowd

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

    Abstract

    Two flights have been performed by the FAAM BAe 146-301 large Atmospheric Research Aircraft in the coastal atmosphere of Mace Head, Ireland, on the 9th and the 10th of December 2010 in the framework of the Marine Aerosol-CLOUD Interactions (MACLOUD) field campaign to study the microphysics of two liquid stratocumuli. Instruments onboard the FAAM BAe aircraft provided in situ measurements of the main liquid cloud microphysical variables. The latest-generation cloud microphysics retrieval method SYRSOC (SYnergistic Remote Sensing Of Cloud) has been compared with the microphysics observed by the in-situ aircraft measurements and with the METEOSAT Second Generation geostationary system, the Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infra Red Imager (SEVIRI). Synergistic profiling from LIDAR, Doppler ka-band cloud RADAR and humidity and temperature microwave radiometer have been used by SYRSOC to retrieve profiles of cloud droplet number concentration (CDNC), droplet effective radius (Reff) and liquid water content (LWC) and timeseries of cloud optical thickness (COT) from the two observed stratocumuli. Temporally and spatially co-located SEVIRI images and aircraft overpasses have then been selected for comparison with SYRSOC microphysics. Full profiles of cloud microphysics from FAAM BAe and cloud-top microphysics from SEVIRI proved to be in very good agreement with SYRSOC. The vertically-resolved microphysics measured by the aircraft revealed a generally adiabatic structure for both stratocumuli, while SYRSOC provided lower-peak and more subadiabatic LWC profiles. © 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationAIP Conference Proceedings|AIP Conf. Proc.
    Place of Publicationhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4803399
    PublisherAmerican Institute of Physics
    Pages828-831
    Number of pages3
    Volume1527
    ISBN (Print)9780735411524
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2013
    Event19th International Conference on Nucleation and Atmospheric Aerosols, ICNAA 2013 - Fort Collins, CO
    Duration: 1 Jul 2013 → …

    Publication series

    NameNUCLEATION AND ATMOSPHERIC AEROSOLS:
    PublisherAIP Publishing LLC

    Conference

    Conference19th International Conference on Nucleation and Atmospheric Aerosols, ICNAA 2013
    CityFort Collins, CO
    Period1/07/13 → …

    Keywords

    • Cloud Microphysics
    • FAAM
    • Remote Sensing
    • SYRSOC

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