Locations for the best lidar view of mid-level and high clouds
Mid-level altocumulus clouds (Ac) and high cirrus clouds (Ci) can be considered natural laboratories for studying cloud glaciation in the atmosphere. While their altitude makes them difficult to access with in situ instruments, they can be conveniently observed from the ground with active remote-sen...
Published in: | Atmospheric Measurement Techniques |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2022
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4225-2022 https://doaj.org/article/a32cb40e36cd4ed99a9792dc7161d47a |
id |
ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:a32cb40e36cd4ed99a9792dc7161d47a |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:a32cb40e36cd4ed99a9792dc7161d47a 2023-05-15T13:40:42+02:00 Locations for the best lidar view of mid-level and high clouds M. Tesche V. Noel 2022-07-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4225-2022 https://doaj.org/article/a32cb40e36cd4ed99a9792dc7161d47a EN eng Copernicus Publications https://amt.copernicus.org/articles/15/4225/2022/amt-15-4225-2022.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1867-1381 https://doaj.org/toc/1867-8548 doi:10.5194/amt-15-4225-2022 1867-1381 1867-8548 https://doaj.org/article/a32cb40e36cd4ed99a9792dc7161d47a Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, Vol 15, Pp 4225-4240 (2022) Environmental engineering TA170-171 Earthwork. Foundations TA715-787 article 2022 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4225-2022 2022-12-30T23:19:21Z Mid-level altocumulus clouds (Ac) and high cirrus clouds (Ci) can be considered natural laboratories for studying cloud glaciation in the atmosphere. While their altitude makes them difficult to access with in situ instruments, they can be conveniently observed from the ground with active remote-sensing instruments such as lidar and radar. However, active remote sensing of Ac and Ci at visible wavelengths with lidar requires a clear line of sight between the instrument and the target cloud. It is therefore advisable to carefully assess potential locations for deploying ground-based lidar instruments in field experiments or for long-term observations that are focused on mid- or high-level clouds. Here, observations of clouds with two spaceborne lidars are used to assess where ground-based lidar measurements of mid- and high-level clouds are least affected by the light-attenuating effect of low-level clouds. It is found that cirrus can be best observed in the tropics, the Tibetan Plateau, the western part of North America, the Atacama region, the southern tip of South America, Greenland, Antarctica, and parts of western Europe. For the observation of altocumulus, a ground-based lidar is best placed at Greenland, Antarctica, the western flank of the Andes and Rocky Mountains, the Amazon, central Asia, Siberia, western Australia, or the southern half of Africa. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctica Greenland Siberia Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Greenland Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 15 14 4225 4240 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Environmental engineering TA170-171 Earthwork. Foundations TA715-787 |
spellingShingle |
Environmental engineering TA170-171 Earthwork. Foundations TA715-787 M. Tesche V. Noel Locations for the best lidar view of mid-level and high clouds |
topic_facet |
Environmental engineering TA170-171 Earthwork. Foundations TA715-787 |
description |
Mid-level altocumulus clouds (Ac) and high cirrus clouds (Ci) can be considered natural laboratories for studying cloud glaciation in the atmosphere. While their altitude makes them difficult to access with in situ instruments, they can be conveniently observed from the ground with active remote-sensing instruments such as lidar and radar. However, active remote sensing of Ac and Ci at visible wavelengths with lidar requires a clear line of sight between the instrument and the target cloud. It is therefore advisable to carefully assess potential locations for deploying ground-based lidar instruments in field experiments or for long-term observations that are focused on mid- or high-level clouds. Here, observations of clouds with two spaceborne lidars are used to assess where ground-based lidar measurements of mid- and high-level clouds are least affected by the light-attenuating effect of low-level clouds. It is found that cirrus can be best observed in the tropics, the Tibetan Plateau, the western part of North America, the Atacama region, the southern tip of South America, Greenland, Antarctica, and parts of western Europe. For the observation of altocumulus, a ground-based lidar is best placed at Greenland, Antarctica, the western flank of the Andes and Rocky Mountains, the Amazon, central Asia, Siberia, western Australia, or the southern half of Africa. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
M. Tesche V. Noel |
author_facet |
M. Tesche V. Noel |
author_sort |
M. Tesche |
title |
Locations for the best lidar view of mid-level and high clouds |
title_short |
Locations for the best lidar view of mid-level and high clouds |
title_full |
Locations for the best lidar view of mid-level and high clouds |
title_fullStr |
Locations for the best lidar view of mid-level and high clouds |
title_full_unstemmed |
Locations for the best lidar view of mid-level and high clouds |
title_sort |
locations for the best lidar view of mid-level and high clouds |
publisher |
Copernicus Publications |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4225-2022 https://doaj.org/article/a32cb40e36cd4ed99a9792dc7161d47a |
geographic |
Greenland |
geographic_facet |
Greenland |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctica Greenland Siberia |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctica Greenland Siberia |
op_source |
Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, Vol 15, Pp 4225-4240 (2022) |
op_relation |
https://amt.copernicus.org/articles/15/4225/2022/amt-15-4225-2022.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1867-1381 https://doaj.org/toc/1867-8548 doi:10.5194/amt-15-4225-2022 1867-1381 1867-8548 https://doaj.org/article/a32cb40e36cd4ed99a9792dc7161d47a |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4225-2022 |
container_title |
Atmospheric Measurement Techniques |
container_volume |
15 |
container_issue |
14 |
container_start_page |
4225 |
op_container_end_page |
4240 |
_version_ |
1766138627292659712 |