Investigating the Radiative Impact Clouds Using Retrieved Properties to Classify Cloud Type

Abstract

Active remote sensing allows cloud properties such as ice and liquid water contents and vertical structure to be retrieved. The 2-stream version of the Edwards and Slingo radiative transfer scheme is used, with cloud retrievals and Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) simulations of thermodynamic profiles, to simulate radiative fluxes throughout an atmospheric profile. These are verified against observed broadband fluxes at the top of the atmosphere, using Geostationary Earth Radiation Budget (GERB) on Meteosat 8, and at the surface, using the mid-latitude Baseline Surface Radiation Network (BSRN) site in Lindenberg, Germany. Retrieved cloud properties from Lindenberg are used to categorize the results with respect to cloud type, to understand the radiative impact of clouds. Observed cloud profiles are compared to cloud predictions by the ECMWF model and categorized by the same method to understand and quantify the radiative impact of errors in the representation of ice cloud particles.