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At least 55 records · Page 3

Chemical analysis of aerosol in the Venusian cloud layer by reaction gas chromatography on board the Vega landers

The experiment on sulfuric acid aerosol determination in the Venusian cloud layer on board the Vega landers is described. An average content of sulfuric acid of approximately 1 mg/cu m was found for the samples taken from the atmosphere at heights from 63 to 48 km and analyzed with the SIGMA-3 chromatograph. Sulfur dioxide (SO2) was revealed in the gaseous sample at the height of 48 km. From the experimental results and blank run measurements, a suggestion is made that the Venusian cloud layer aerosol consists of more complicated particles than the sulfuric acid water solution does.

Gelman, B. G.↗

Characterizing the Influence of the General Circulation on Marine Boundary Layer Clouds

The seasonal and intraseasonal variability of boundary layer cloud in the subtropical eastern oceans are studied using combined data from the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) reanalysis. Spectral analysis reveals that most of the time variability of cloud properties occurs on seasonal to annual time scales. The variance decreases one to two orders of magnitude for each decade of time scale decrease, indicating that daily to monthly time scales have smaller, but non-negligible variability. The length of these dominant time scales suggests that the majority of the variability is influenced by the general circulation and its interaction with boundary layer turbulence, rather than a product of boundary layer turbulence alone. Previous datasets have lacked the necessary resolution in either time or in space to properly characterize variability on synoptic scales; this is remedied by using global satellite-retrieved cloud properties. We characterize the intraseasonal subtropical cloud variability in both hemispheres and in different seasons. In addition to cloud fraction, we examine variability of cloud optical thickness - cloud top pressure frequency distributions. Despite the large concentration of research on the variability of Northern Hemisphere (NH) regions during summer, it is noted that the largest amplitude intraseasonal variability in the NH regions occurs during local winter. The effect of intraseasonal variability on the calculation and interpretation of seasonal results is investigated. Decreases in seasonally averaged cloud cover, optical thickness and cloud top pressure from the May-through-September season to the November-through-March season are most apparent in the NH regions. Further analysis indicates that these changes are due to an increase in frequency, but a decrease in the persistence of synoptic events. In addition, changes in cloud top pressure and optical thickness characteristics from the summer to winter seasons indicate that the NH subtropics undergo a change in dynamic regime with season. This change appears in the cloud fields as a shift from the more commonly seen lower-altitude, thicker optical thickness clouds to higher-altitude, thinner clouds. The latter cloud-type is associated with the lower sea level pressure, upward vertical velocity phase of the synoptic wave. Intraseasonal changes in cloud properties in the Southern Hemisphere and NH summer are much smaller in amplitude. Although they also appear to be linked to changes in the large-scale dynamics, similarly to NH winter variations, the relationships are more ambiguous due to the small amplitudes and longer time scales. We attempt to interpret some of these relationships using the results of the Betts and Ridgway (1989) box model. However, these results cannot consistently explain the patterns when results from all regions are considered, implying that this model may not adequately explain all the processes involved in the variability.

Rozendaal, Margaret A.↗

Vertical Structure of Ice Cloud Layers From CloudSat and CALIPSO Measurements and Comparison to NICAM Simulations

The shape of the vertical profile of ice cloud layers is examined using 4 months of CloudSat and Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) global measurements taken on January, April, July, and October 2007. Ice clouds are selected using temperature profiles when the cloud base is located above the 253K temperature level. The obtained ice water content (IWC), effective radius, or extinction coefficient profiles are normalized by their layer mean values and are expressed in the normalized vertical coordinate, which is defined as 0 and 1 at the cloud base and top heights, respectively. Both CloudSat and CALIPSO observations show that the maximum in the IWC and extinction profiles shifts toward the cloud bottom, as the cloud depth increases. In addition, clouds with a base reaching the surface in a high-latitude region show that the maximum peak of the IWC and extinction profiles occurs near the surface, which is presumably due to snow precipitation. CloudSat measurements show that the seasonal difference in normalized cloud vertical profiles is not significant, whereas the normalized cloud vertical profile significantly varies depending on the cloud type and the presence of precipitation. It is further examined if the 7 day Nonhydrostatic Icosahedral Atmospheric Model (NICAM) simulation results from 25 December 2006 to 1 January 2007 generate similar cloud profile shapes. NICAM IWC profiles also show maximum peaks near the cloud bottom for thick cloud layers and maximum peaks at the cloud bottom for low-level clouds near the surface. It is inferred that oversized snow particles in the NICAM cloud scheme produce a more vertically inhomogeneous IWC profile than observations due to quick sedimentation.

Ham, Seung-Hee↗

Investigating the Impacts of Daytime Boundary Layer Clouds on Surface Energy Fluxes and Boundary Layer Structure During CHEESEHEAD19

Studies of land-atmosphere interactions under a clear sky and low cumulus cloud conditions are common from long-term observatories like at the southern great plains. How well the relationships and responses of surface radiative and turbulent heat fluxes determined from these investigations hold for more heterogeneous surfaces in other climate regimes, however, is uncertain. In this study, detailed observations of the surface energy budget and daytime boundary layer properties are analyzed using measurements from the Chequamegon Heterogenous Ecosystem Energy-Balance Study Enabled by a High-Density Extensive Array of Detectors 2019 (CHEESEHEAD19) field campaign, July-October 2019, across a heterogeneous forested landscape of northern Wisconsin. A cloud regime framework is employed to classify consecutive periods of clear skies from lower atmosphere stratiform and cumulus clouds. A seasonal transition from low cumulus to low stratiform periods occurred, together with a diurnal pattern in cloudy or clear sky period dominance. Radiative forcing was highly dependent on sky conditions, leading to changes in the redistribution efficiency of radiative energy by the surface turbulent heat fluxes. During CHEESEHEAD19, small Bowen ratios dominated with daytime latent heat fluxes three times as large as sensible heat fluxes for all sky conditions studied; the forested region, therefore, falls within an energy-limited regime. The depth of the daytime mixed layer depended upon the sky condition and thermodynamic setting; deeper mixed layers occurred during periods of low cumulus and not clear skies. Profiles of vertical velocity were found to have enhanced variance under low cumulus compared to clear sky periods, suggesting potential for cloud feedbacks on boundary layer structure and surface energy fluxes.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

What Are the Similarities and Differences in Marine Boundary Layer Cloud and Drizzle Microphysical Properties During the ACE–ENA and MARCUS Field Campaigns?

This study compares macrophysical and microphysical properties of single-layered, liquid-dominant MBL clouds from the Measurements of Aerosols, Radiation, and Clouds over the Southern Ocean (MARCUS) (above 60°S) and the ARM East North Atlantic (ENA) site during the Aerosol and Cloud Experiments in Eastern North Atlantic (ACE-ENA) field campaign. A total of 1,136 (16.5% of clouds) and 6,034 5-min cloud samples are selected from MARCUS and ARM ENA in this study. MARCUS clouds have higher cloud-top heights, thicker cloud layers, larger liquid water path, and colder cloud temperatures than ENA. Thinner, warmer MBL clouds at ENA can contain higher layer-mean liquid water content due to higher cloud and ocean surface temperatures along with greater precipitable water vapor (PWV). MARCUS has a higher drizzle frequency rate (71.8%) than ENA (45.1%). Retrieved cloud and drizzle microphysical properties from each field campaign show key differences. MARCUS clouds feature smaller cloud droplets, whereas ENA clouds have larger cloud droplets, especially at the upper region of the cloud. From cloud top to cloud base, drizzle drop sizes increase while number concentrations decrease. Drizzle drop radius and number concentration decrease from cloud base to drizzle base due to net evaporation, and MARCUS' lower specific humidity leads to a higher drizzle base than ENA. In conclusion, the broader surface pressure and lower tropospheric stability (LTS) distributions during MARCUS have demonstrated that there are different synoptic patterns for selected cases during MARCUS with less PWV, while ENA is dominated by high pressure systems with nearly doubled PWV.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Variability of Eastern North Atlantic Summertime Marine Boundary Layer Clouds and Aerosols Across Different Synoptic Regimes Identified With Multiple Conditions

Abstract This study estimates the meteorological covariations of aerosol and marine boundary layer (MBL) cloud properties in the eastern North Atlantic (ENA) region, characterized by diverse synoptic conditions. Using a deep‐learning‐based clustering model with mid‐level and surface daily meteorological data, we identify seven distinct synoptic regimes during the summer from 2016 to 2021. Our analysis, incorporating reanalysis data and satellite retrievals, shows that surface aerosols and MBL clouds exhibit clear regime‐dependent characteristics, whereas lower tropospheric aerosols do not. This discrepancy likely arises from synoptic regimes determined by daily large‐scale conditions, which may overlook air mass histories that predominantly dictate lower tropospheric aerosol conditions. Focusing on three regimes dominated by northerly winds, we analyze the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program (ARM) ENA observations on Graciosa Island in the Azores. In the subtropical anticyclone regime, fewer cumulus clouds and more single‐layer stratocumulus clouds with light drizzle are observed, along with the highest cloud droplet number concentration (Nd), surface cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) and surface aerosol levels. The post‐trough regime features more broken or multi‐layer stratocumulus clouds with slightly higher surface rain rate, and lower Nd and surface CCN levels. The weak trough regime is characterized by the deepest MBL clouds, primarily cumulus and broken stratocumulus clouds, with the strongest surface rain rate and the lowest Nd, surface CCN and surface aerosol levels, indicating strong wet scavenging. These findings highlight the importance of considering the covariation of cloud and aerosol properties driven by large‐scale regimes when assessing aerosol indirect effects using observations.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

The 27-28 October 1986 FIRE IFO cirrus case study - In situ observations of radiation and dynamic properties of a cirrus cloud layer

Observations are presented of cirrus cloud radiative, microphysical, and dynamic properties, their variability, and apparent scale sizes, as observed from NCAR Sabreliner on October 28, 1986. Broadband mass-absorption coefficients were deduced as a function of depth into the cirrus cloud and found to vary with particle dimension. Broadband volume absorption coefficients were deduced. By employing a diffusivity factor of 1.49 this agreement was maximized. Calculated infrared heating rates were typical of thin cirrus layers. The cloud top cooling and cloud base warming were observed to become more accentuated for the denser portions of cloud. The broadband emittances due to the cloud aerosol were found to approach 0.5 to 0.6. The cirrus clouds were observed to exhibit significant horizontal variability and a significant amount of scatter was evident when attempting to relate the broadband infrared and shortwave radiative properties. It is suggested that these radiative properties, which are modulated by the cloud elements, have their scales determined by the eddies detected in the analysis of wind components.

Smith, William L., Jr.↗

Marine Boundary Layer Cloud Property Retrievals from High-Resolution ASTER Observations: Case Studies and Comparison with Terra MODIS

A research-level retrieval algorithm for cloud optical and microphysical properties is developed for the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) aboard the Terra satellite. It is based on the operational MODIS algorithm. This paper documents the technical details of this algorithm and evaluates the retrievals for selected marine boundary layer cloud scenes through comparisons with the operational MODIS Data Collection 6 (C6) cloud product. The newly developed, ASTERspecific cloud masking algorithm is evaluated through comparison with an independent algorithm reported in Zhao and Di Girolamo (2006). To validate and evaluate the cloud optical thickness (tau) and cloud effective radius (r(sub eff)) from ASTER, the high-spatial-resolution ASTER observations are first aggregated to the same 1000m resolution as MODIS. Subsequently, tau(sub aA) and r(sub eff, aA) retrieved from the aggregated ASTER radiances are compared with the collocated MODIS retrievals. For overcast pixels, the two data sets agree very well with Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficients of R greater than 0.970. However, for partially cloudy pixels there are significant differences between r(sub eff, aA) and the MODIS results which can exceed 10 micrometers. Moreover, it is shown that the numerous delicate cloud structures in the example marine boundary layer scenes, resolved by the high-resolution ASTER retrievals, are smoothed by the MODIS observations. The overall good agreement between the research-level ASTER results and the operational MODIS C6 products proves the feasibility of MODIS-like retrievals from ASTER reflectance measurements and provides the basis for future studies concerning the scale dependency of satellite observations and three-dimensional radiative effects.

marine boundary layer↗

A 1D Model for Nucleation of Ice From Aerosol Particles: An Application to a Mixed‐Phase Arctic Stratus Cloud Layer

Abstract Mixed‐phase clouds (MPCs) have been identified as significant contributors to uncertainties in climate projections, attributable to model representation of processes controlling the formation and loss of supercooled water droplets and ice particles from the atmosphere. Arctic MPCs are commonly widespread and long‐lived, with sustained ice crystal formation processes that challenge current understanding. This study examines the ice‐nucleating particle (INP) reservoir dynamics governing immersion‐mode heterogeneous freezing in an observed case of Arctic MPCs using a simplified 1D aerosol‐cloud model. The model setup includes prescribed dynamical forcings and thermodynamic profiles, and represents INPs as multicomponent and polydisperse particle size distributions. Diagnostic and prognostic approaches to immersion freezing parameterization are compared, including time‐independent (singular) number‐ and surface area‐based descriptions and a time‐dependent description following classical nucleation theory (CNT). The choice of freezing parameterization defines the size of the INP reservoir. The CNT‐based description yields an orders of magnitude larger INP reservoir than the singular parameterizations, which is the dominant factor for sustained ice crystal formation. The efficiency of the freezing process and cloud cooling are of secondary importance. A diagnostic treatment neglecting INP loss is only accurate when the INP reservoir size is large and INP depletion weak. Since a larger INP reservoir sustains ice crystal formation substantially longer, and ice water path scales with ice crystal concentrations for the conditions considered, resolving the source of differences in INP reservoir dynamics due to model implementation is a high priority for advancing climate model physics.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

A 1D Model for Nucleation of Ice From Aerosol Particles: An Application to a Mixed-Phase Arctic Stratus Cloud Layer

Mixed-phase clouds (MPCs) have been identified as significant contributors to uncertainties in climate projections, attributable to model representation of processes controlling the formation and loss of supercooled water droplets and ice particles from the atmosphere. Arctic MPCs are commonly widespread and long-lived, with sustained ice crystal formation processes that challenge current understanding. This study examines the ice-nucleating particle (INP) reservoir dynamics governing immersion-mode heterogeneous freezing in an observed case of Arctic MPCs using a simplified 1D aerosol-cloud model. The model setup includes prescribed dynamical forcings and thermodynamic profiles, and represents INPs as multicomponent and polydisperse particle size distributions. Diagnostic and prognostic approaches to immersion freezing parameterization are compared, including time-independent (singular) number- and surface area-based descriptions and a time-dependent description following classical nucleation theory (CNT). The choice of freezing parameterization defines the size of the INP reservoir. The CNT-based description yields an orders of magnitude larger INP reservoir than the singular parameterizations, which is the dominant factor for sustained ice crystal formation. The efficiency of the freezing process and cloud cooling are of secondary importance. A diagnostic treatment neglecting INP loss is only accurate when the INP reservoir size is large and INP depletion weak. Since a larger INP reservoir sustains ice crystal formation substantially longer, and ice water path scales with ice crystal concentrations for the conditions considered, resolving the source of differences in INP reservoir dynamics due to model implementation is a high priority for advancing climate model physics.

aerosol↗

Thermal structure of the Venus atmosphere in the middle cloud layer

Thermal structure measurements obtained by the two VEGA balloons show the Venus middle cloud layer to be generally adiabatic. Temperatures measured by the two balloons at locations roughly symmetric about the equator differed by about 6.5 kelvins at a given pressure. The VEGA-2 temperatures were about 2.5 kelvins cooler and those of VEGA-1 about 4 kelvins warmer than temperatures measured by the Pioneer Venus Large Probe at these levels. Data taken by the VEGA-2 lander as it passed through the middle cloud agreed with those of the VEGA-2 balloon. Study of individual frames of the balloon data suggests the presence of multiple discrete air masses that are internally adiabatic but lie on slightly different adiabats. These adiabats, for a given balloon, can differ in temperature by as much as 1 kelvin at a given pressure.

Linkin, V. M.↗

Entrainment and aerosol effects on marine boundary-layer clouds: An investigation using ACE-ENA data from HOLODEC, G1, Pico and ACTOS (Final Report on Project Activities)

Marine boundary-layer clouds cover large regions of the globe and are known to strongly influence radiative balances. The microphysical properties and persistence of these clouds are tightly coupled with cloud-top entrainment and aerosol properties within both the boundary layer and the overlying free troposphere. This work addressed the microphysical response to entrainment and aerosol properties in marine stratocumulus clouds, using data from the Aerosol and Cloud Experiments in the Eastern North Atlantic (ACE-ENA) project. Specifically, emphasis was placed on 1. extensive in situ measurements taken with the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) G1 aircraft using the Holographic Detector for Clouds (Holodec) instrument; 2. airborne measurements obtained with the helicopter-borne Airborne Cloud Turbulence Observation System (ACTOS) operated by the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS) during the first phase of ACE-ENA; and 3. above-boundary-layer, mountain-top measurements taken at the Pico Mountain Observatory (OMP) by the research group of the co-investigator and scientists from TROPOS during the first phase of ACE-ENA. The work is aligned with the topic “Warm Boundary-Layer Atmospheric Processes.” Key results include the following. Data from the Holographic Detector for Clouds (Holodec) were reprocessed, refined, and validated through a careful instrument intercomparison, resulting in a high-quality dataset available on the ARM archive for ACE-ENA. High-resolution ACTOS measurements of thermodynamics, microphysical, and turbulence properties were analyzed to explore the behavior of the entrainment velocity at cloud top. Analysis of the vertical variability of cloud droplet size distribution shape suggests that mixing is more inhomogeneous near cloud top, and more homogeneous deeper into the cloud. Analysis of aerosol measurements from OMP explored the mixing state and cloud condensation nucleus properties, as well as the implications for radiative forcing. Finally, a machine learning algorithm was developed for identifying characteristic cloud droplet size distributions, and was employed to explore microphysical regimes in stratocumulus clouds observed during ACE-ENA. The characteristic size distributions are narrow, and only when spatially averaged do they produce the broad “gamma” distributions typically assumed in models. This implies that precipitation development should account for variability and correlations in the distribution shape as well as the number concentration of cloud droplets.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

RACORO Continental Boundary Layer Cloud Investigations: 3. Separation of Parameterization Biases in Single-Column Model CAM5 Simulations of Shallow Cumulus

Climatically important low-level clouds are commonly misrepresented in climate models. The FAst-physics System TEstbed and Research (FASTER) Project has constructed case studies from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Climate Research Facility's Southern Great Plain site during the RACORO aircraft campaign to facilitate research on model representation of boundary-layer clouds. This paper focuses on using the single-column Community Atmosphere Model version 5 (SCAM5) simulations of a multi-day continental shallow cumulus case to identify specific parameterization causes of low-cloud biases. Consistent model biases among the simulations driven by a set of alternative forcings suggest that uncertainty in the forcing plays only a relatively minor role. In-depth analysis reveals that the model's shallow cumulus convection scheme tends to significantly under-produce clouds during the times when shallow cumuli exist in the observations, while the deep convective and stratiform cloud schemes significantly over-produce low-level clouds throughout the day. The links between model biases and the underlying assumptions of the shallow cumulus scheme are further diagnosed with the aid of large-eddy simulations and aircraft measurements, and by suppressing the triggering of the deep convection scheme. It is found that the weak boundary layer turbulence simulated is directly responsible for the weak cumulus activity and the simulated boundary layer stratiform clouds. Increased vertical and temporal resolutions are shown to lead to stronger boundary layer turbulence and reduction of low-cloud biases.

parameterization↗

Maximum Supersaturation in the Marine Boundary Layer Clouds Over the North Atlantic

Abstract The maximum supersaturation ( S x ) in clouds is a key parameter affecting the cloud's microphysical and radiative properties. We investigate the S x of the marine boundary layer clouds by combining airborne and surface observations in the Eastern North Atlantic. The cloud droplet number concentration ( N c ) in the least diluted cloud cores agrees well with the number concentration of particles larger than the Hoppel Minimum (HM) ( N >HM ) below clouds, indicating that the HM represents the average size threshold above which particles are activated to form cloud droplets. The S x values derived from surface observations vary from 0.10% to 0.50% from June 2017 to June 2018, with a clear seasonal variation exhibiting higher values during winter. Most of the S x variance (∼60%) can be explained by the cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentration and updraft velocity ( w ), with the CCN concentration playing a more important role than w in explaining the variation of S x . The influence of CCN concentration on S x leads to a buffered response of N c to aerosol perturbations. The response of N c to low aerosol concentration during winter is further buffered by the high w . The global Community Earth System Model (CESM) simulated S x values in the Azores have a positive bias compared to measured S x , likely due to overestimated w and underestimated CCN concentration. The CESM simulated S x exhibits higher values further north over the North Atlantic Ocean, which is attributed to stronger w . The suppression of S x by aerosol is also evident in regions with high CCN concentrations.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Venus zonal wind above the cloud layer

The altitude variation of the zonal wind velocity in the Venus atmosphere above the cloud layer is deduced from the structure of the wavenumber two solar tide. Results show that the amplitude of the zonal wind increases with respect to altitude near the equator, but decreases for latitudes greater than 30 deg. Thus, the zonal wind becomes concentrated at lower latitudes by 100 km altitude.

Lindzen, R. S.↗

Thermal structure in the Venus middle cloud layer

Thermal structure measurements obtained by the two Vega balloons show the Venus atmosphere in the middle cloud layer to be near-adiabatic, on the whole; but discrete air masses are present that differ slightly from one another in potential temperature and entropy. The Vega 1 temperatures are 6.5 K warmer than measured by Vega 2 at given pressures. Measurements taken by the Vega 2 lander on descent through these levels agree with the Vega 2 balloon data.

Linkin, V. M.↗

A FIRE-ACE/SHEBA Case Study of Mixed-Phase Arctic Boundary Layer Clouds: Entrainment Rate Limitations on Rapid Primary Ice Nucleation Processes

Observations of long-lived mixed-phase Arctic boundary layer clouds on 7 May 1998 during the First International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) Regional Experiment (FIRE)Arctic Cloud Experiment (ACE)Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic Ocean (SHEBA) campaign provide a unique opportunity to test understanding of cloud ice formation. Under the microphysically simple conditions observed (apparently negligible ice aggregation, sublimation, and multiplication), the only expected source of new ice crystals is activation of heterogeneous ice nuclei (IN) and the only sink is sedimentation. Large-eddy simulations with size-resolved microphysics are initialized with IN number concentration N(sub IN) measured above cloud top, but details of IN activation behavior are unknown. If activated rapidly (in deposition, condensation, or immersion modes), as commonly assumed, IN are depleted from the well-mixed boundary layer within minutes. Quasi-equilibrium ice number concentration N(sub i) is then limited to a small fraction of overlying N(sub IN) that is determined by the cloud-top entrainment rate w(sub e) divided by the number-weighted ice fall speed at the surface v(sub f). Because w(sub c)< 1 cm/s and v(sub f)> 10 cm/s, N(sub i)/N(sub IN)<< 1. Such conditions may be common for this cloud type, which has implications for modeling IN diagnostically, interpreting measurements, and quantifying sensitivity to increasing N(sub IN) (when w(sub e)/v(sub f)< 1, entrainment rate limitations serve to buffer cloud system response). To reproduce observed ice crystal size distributions and cloud radar reflectivities with rapidly consumed IN in this case, the measured above-cloud N(sub IN) must be multiplied by approximately 30. However, results are sensitive to assumed ice crystal properties not constrained by measurements. In addition, simulations do not reproduce the pronounced mesoscale heterogeneity in radar reflectivity that is observed.

Fridlin, Ann↗