An analysis of the cloud environment over the Ross Sea and Ross Ice Shelf using CloudSat/CALIPSO satellite observations: the importance of synoptic forcing
We use the 2B-GEOPROF-LIDAR R04 (2BGL4) and R05 (2BGL5) products and the 2B-CLDCLASS-LIDAR R04 (2BCL4) product, all generated by combining CloudSat radar and CALIPSO lidar satellite measurements with auxiliary data, to examine the vertical distribution of cloud occurrence around the Ross Ice Shelf (...
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ftcopernicus:oai:publications.copernicus.org:acp59694 2023-05-15T16:41:53+02:00 An analysis of the cloud environment over the Ross Sea and Ross Ice Shelf using CloudSat/CALIPSO satellite observations: the importance of synoptic forcing Jolly, Ben Kuma, Peter McDonald, Adrian Parsons, Simon 2019-01-22 application/pdf https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-9723-2018 https://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/18/9723/2018/ eng eng doi:10.5194/acp-18-9723-2018 https://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/18/9723/2018/ eISSN: 1680-7324 Text 2019 ftcopernicus https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-9723-2018 2019-12-24T09:50:05Z We use the 2B-GEOPROF-LIDAR R04 (2BGL4) and R05 (2BGL5) products and the 2B-CLDCLASS-LIDAR R04 (2BCL4) product, all generated by combining CloudSat radar and CALIPSO lidar satellite measurements with auxiliary data, to examine the vertical distribution of cloud occurrence around the Ross Ice Shelf (RIS) and Ross Sea region. We find that the 2BGL4 product, used in previous studies in this region, displays a discontinuity at 8.2 km which is not observable in the other products. This artefact appears to correspond to a change in the horizontal and vertical resolution of the CALIPSO dataset used above this level. We then use the 2BCL4 product to examine the vertical distribution of cloud occurrence, phase, and type over the RIS and Ross Sea. In particular we examine how synoptic conditions in the region, derived using a previously developed synoptic classification, impact the cloud environment and the contrasting response in the two regions. We observe large differences between the cloud occurrence as a function of altitude for synoptic regimes relative to those for seasonal variations. A stronger variation in the occurrence of clear skies and multi-layer cloud and in all cloud type occurrences over both the Ross Sea and RIS is associated more with synoptic type than seasonal composites. In addition, anomalies from the mean joint histogram of cloud top height against thickness display significant differences over the Ross Sea and RIS sectors as a function of synoptic regime, but are near identical over these two regions when a seasonal analysis is completed. However, the frequency of particular phases of cloud, notably mixed phase and water, is much more strongly modulated by seasonal than synoptic regime compositing, which suggests that temperature is still the most important control on cloud phase in the region. Text Ice Shelf Ross Ice Shelf Ross Sea Copernicus Publications: E-Journals Ross Ice Shelf Ross Sea Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 18 13 9723 9739 |
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Open Polar |
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Copernicus Publications: E-Journals |
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ftcopernicus |
language |
English |
description |
We use the 2B-GEOPROF-LIDAR R04 (2BGL4) and R05 (2BGL5) products and the 2B-CLDCLASS-LIDAR R04 (2BCL4) product, all generated by combining CloudSat radar and CALIPSO lidar satellite measurements with auxiliary data, to examine the vertical distribution of cloud occurrence around the Ross Ice Shelf (RIS) and Ross Sea region. We find that the 2BGL4 product, used in previous studies in this region, displays a discontinuity at 8.2 km which is not observable in the other products. This artefact appears to correspond to a change in the horizontal and vertical resolution of the CALIPSO dataset used above this level. We then use the 2BCL4 product to examine the vertical distribution of cloud occurrence, phase, and type over the RIS and Ross Sea. In particular we examine how synoptic conditions in the region, derived using a previously developed synoptic classification, impact the cloud environment and the contrasting response in the two regions. We observe large differences between the cloud occurrence as a function of altitude for synoptic regimes relative to those for seasonal variations. A stronger variation in the occurrence of clear skies and multi-layer cloud and in all cloud type occurrences over both the Ross Sea and RIS is associated more with synoptic type than seasonal composites. In addition, anomalies from the mean joint histogram of cloud top height against thickness display significant differences over the Ross Sea and RIS sectors as a function of synoptic regime, but are near identical over these two regions when a seasonal analysis is completed. However, the frequency of particular phases of cloud, notably mixed phase and water, is much more strongly modulated by seasonal than synoptic regime compositing, which suggests that temperature is still the most important control on cloud phase in the region. |
format |
Text |
author |
Jolly, Ben Kuma, Peter McDonald, Adrian Parsons, Simon |
spellingShingle |
Jolly, Ben Kuma, Peter McDonald, Adrian Parsons, Simon An analysis of the cloud environment over the Ross Sea and Ross Ice Shelf using CloudSat/CALIPSO satellite observations: the importance of synoptic forcing |
author_facet |
Jolly, Ben Kuma, Peter McDonald, Adrian Parsons, Simon |
author_sort |
Jolly, Ben |
title |
An analysis of the cloud environment over the Ross Sea and Ross Ice Shelf using CloudSat/CALIPSO satellite observations: the importance of synoptic forcing |
title_short |
An analysis of the cloud environment over the Ross Sea and Ross Ice Shelf using CloudSat/CALIPSO satellite observations: the importance of synoptic forcing |
title_full |
An analysis of the cloud environment over the Ross Sea and Ross Ice Shelf using CloudSat/CALIPSO satellite observations: the importance of synoptic forcing |
title_fullStr |
An analysis of the cloud environment over the Ross Sea and Ross Ice Shelf using CloudSat/CALIPSO satellite observations: the importance of synoptic forcing |
title_full_unstemmed |
An analysis of the cloud environment over the Ross Sea and Ross Ice Shelf using CloudSat/CALIPSO satellite observations: the importance of synoptic forcing |
title_sort |
analysis of the cloud environment over the ross sea and ross ice shelf using cloudsat/calipso satellite observations: the importance of synoptic forcing |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-9723-2018 https://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/18/9723/2018/ |
geographic |
Ross Ice Shelf Ross Sea |
geographic_facet |
Ross Ice Shelf Ross Sea |
genre |
Ice Shelf Ross Ice Shelf Ross Sea |
genre_facet |
Ice Shelf Ross Ice Shelf Ross Sea |
op_source |
eISSN: 1680-7324 |
op_relation |
doi:10.5194/acp-18-9723-2018 https://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/18/9723/2018/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-9723-2018 |
container_title |
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics |
container_volume |
18 |
container_issue |
13 |
container_start_page |
9723 |
op_container_end_page |
9739 |
_version_ |
1766032358986743808 |