Observations of cold-cloud properties in the Norwegian Arctic using ground-based and spaceborne lidar
The role of clouds in the surface radiation budget is particularly complex in the rapidly changing Arctic. However, despite their importance, long-term observations of Arctic clouds are relatively sparse. Here, we present observations of cold clouds based on 7 years (2011–2017) of ground-based lidar...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:4b35970f802e44f8b6fbbf2430ba8d65 2023-05-15T13:25:13+02:00 Observations of cold-cloud properties in the Norwegian Arctic using ground-based and spaceborne lidar B. Schäfer T. Carlsen I. Hanssen M. Gausa T. Storelvmo 2022-07-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-9537-2022 https://doaj.org/article/4b35970f802e44f8b6fbbf2430ba8d65 EN eng Copernicus Publications https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/22/9537/2022/acp-22-9537-2022.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1680-7316 https://doaj.org/toc/1680-7324 doi:10.5194/acp-22-9537-2022 1680-7316 1680-7324 https://doaj.org/article/4b35970f802e44f8b6fbbf2430ba8d65 Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Vol 22, Pp 9537-9551 (2022) Physics QC1-999 Chemistry QD1-999 article 2022 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-9537-2022 2022-12-31T02:21:19Z The role of clouds in the surface radiation budget is particularly complex in the rapidly changing Arctic. However, despite their importance, long-term observations of Arctic clouds are relatively sparse. Here, we present observations of cold clouds based on 7 years (2011–2017) of ground-based lidar observations at the Arctic Lidar Observatory for Middle Atmosphere Research (ALOMAR) in Andenes in the Norwegian Arctic. In two case studies, we assess (1) the agreement between a co-located cirrus cloud observations from the ground-based lidar and the spaceborne lidar aboard the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) satellite and (2) the ground-based lidar's capability to determine the cloud phase in mixed-phase clouds from depolarization measurements. We then compute multiyear statistics of cold clouds from both platforms with respect to their occurrence, cloud top and base height, cloud top temperature, and thermodynamic phase for the 2011–2017 period. We find that satellite- and ground-based observations agree well with respect to the coincident cirrus measurement and that the vertical phase distribution within a liquid-topped mixed-phase cloud could be identified from depolarization measurements. On average, 8 % of all satellite profiles were identified as single-layer cold clouds with no apparent seasonal differences. The average cloud top and base heights, combining the ground-based and satellite measurements, are 9.1 and 6.9 km, respectively, resulting in an average thickness of 2.2 km. Seasonal differences between the average top and base heights are on the order of 1–2 km and are largest when comparing fall (highest) and spring (lowest). However, seasonal variations are small compared with the observed day-to-day variability. Cloud top temperatures agree well between both platforms, with warmer cloud top temperatures in summer. The presented study demonstrates the capabilities of long-term cloud observations in the Norwegian Arctic from the ground-based lidar at Andenes. Article in Journal/Newspaper Andenes Arctic Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Arctic Alomar ENVELOPE(-67.083,-67.083,-68.133,-68.133) Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 22 14 9537 9551 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Physics QC1-999 Chemistry QD1-999 |
spellingShingle |
Physics QC1-999 Chemistry QD1-999 B. Schäfer T. Carlsen I. Hanssen M. Gausa T. Storelvmo Observations of cold-cloud properties in the Norwegian Arctic using ground-based and spaceborne lidar |
topic_facet |
Physics QC1-999 Chemistry QD1-999 |
description |
The role of clouds in the surface radiation budget is particularly complex in the rapidly changing Arctic. However, despite their importance, long-term observations of Arctic clouds are relatively sparse. Here, we present observations of cold clouds based on 7 years (2011–2017) of ground-based lidar observations at the Arctic Lidar Observatory for Middle Atmosphere Research (ALOMAR) in Andenes in the Norwegian Arctic. In two case studies, we assess (1) the agreement between a co-located cirrus cloud observations from the ground-based lidar and the spaceborne lidar aboard the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) satellite and (2) the ground-based lidar's capability to determine the cloud phase in mixed-phase clouds from depolarization measurements. We then compute multiyear statistics of cold clouds from both platforms with respect to their occurrence, cloud top and base height, cloud top temperature, and thermodynamic phase for the 2011–2017 period. We find that satellite- and ground-based observations agree well with respect to the coincident cirrus measurement and that the vertical phase distribution within a liquid-topped mixed-phase cloud could be identified from depolarization measurements. On average, 8 % of all satellite profiles were identified as single-layer cold clouds with no apparent seasonal differences. The average cloud top and base heights, combining the ground-based and satellite measurements, are 9.1 and 6.9 km, respectively, resulting in an average thickness of 2.2 km. Seasonal differences between the average top and base heights are on the order of 1–2 km and are largest when comparing fall (highest) and spring (lowest). However, seasonal variations are small compared with the observed day-to-day variability. Cloud top temperatures agree well between both platforms, with warmer cloud top temperatures in summer. The presented study demonstrates the capabilities of long-term cloud observations in the Norwegian Arctic from the ground-based lidar at Andenes. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
B. Schäfer T. Carlsen I. Hanssen M. Gausa T. Storelvmo |
author_facet |
B. Schäfer T. Carlsen I. Hanssen M. Gausa T. Storelvmo |
author_sort |
B. Schäfer |
title |
Observations of cold-cloud properties in the Norwegian Arctic using ground-based and spaceborne lidar |
title_short |
Observations of cold-cloud properties in the Norwegian Arctic using ground-based and spaceborne lidar |
title_full |
Observations of cold-cloud properties in the Norwegian Arctic using ground-based and spaceborne lidar |
title_fullStr |
Observations of cold-cloud properties in the Norwegian Arctic using ground-based and spaceborne lidar |
title_full_unstemmed |
Observations of cold-cloud properties in the Norwegian Arctic using ground-based and spaceborne lidar |
title_sort |
observations of cold-cloud properties in the norwegian arctic using ground-based and spaceborne lidar |
publisher |
Copernicus Publications |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-9537-2022 https://doaj.org/article/4b35970f802e44f8b6fbbf2430ba8d65 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-67.083,-67.083,-68.133,-68.133) |
geographic |
Arctic Alomar |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Alomar |
genre |
Andenes Arctic |
genre_facet |
Andenes Arctic |
op_source |
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Vol 22, Pp 9537-9551 (2022) |
op_relation |
https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/22/9537/2022/acp-22-9537-2022.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1680-7316 https://doaj.org/toc/1680-7324 doi:10.5194/acp-22-9537-2022 1680-7316 1680-7324 https://doaj.org/article/4b35970f802e44f8b6fbbf2430ba8d65 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-9537-2022 |
container_title |
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics |
container_volume |
22 |
container_issue |
14 |
container_start_page |
9537 |
op_container_end_page |
9551 |
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1766384190693048320 |