The impact of cloud vertical profile on liquid water path retrieval based on the bispectral method: A theoretical study based on large‐eddy simulations of shallow marine boundary layer clouds

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dc.contributor.authorMiller, Daniel J.
dc.contributor.authorZhang, Zhibo
dc.contributor.authorAckerman, Andrew S.
dc.contributor.authorPlatnick, Steven
dc.contributor.authorBaum, Bryan A.
dc.date.accessioned2018-09-19T20:10:16Z
dc.date.available2018-09-19T20:10:16Z
dc.date.issued2016-04-06
dc.descriptionAn edited version of this paper was published by AGU. Copyright 2016 American Geophysical Union.en_US
dc.description.abstractPassive optical retrievals of cloud liquid water path (LWP), like those implemented for Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), rely on cloud vertical profile assumptions to relate optical thickness (τ) and effective radius (rₑ) retrievals to LWP. These techniques typically assume that shallow clouds are vertically homogeneous; however, an adiabatic cloud model is plausibly more realistic for shallow marine boundary layer cloud regimes. In this study a satellite retrieval simulator is used to perform MODIS‐like satellite retrievals, which in turn are compared directly to the large‐eddy simulation (LES) output. This satellite simulator creates a framework for rigorous quantification of the impact that vertical profile features have on LWP retrievals, and it accomplishes this while also avoiding sources of bias present in previous observational studies. The cloud vertical profiles from the LES are often more complex than either of the two standard assumptions, and the favored assumption was found to be sensitive to cloud regime (cumuliform/stratiform). Confirming previous studies, drizzle and cloud top entrainment of dry air are identified as physical features that bias LWP retrievals away from adiabatic and toward homogeneous assumptions. The mean bias induced by drizzle‐influenced profiles was shown to be on the order of 5–10 g/m². In contrast, the influence of cloud top entrainment was found to be smaller by about a factor of 2. A theoretical framework is developed to explain variability in LWP retrievals by introducing modifications to the adiabatic rₑ profile. In addition to analyzing bispectral retrievals, we also compare results with the vertical profile sensitivity of passive polarimetric retrieval techniques.en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipThis work was funded in part through NASA grants NNX11AR06G and NNX14AJ25G. The authors appreciate the continuing support of Hal Maring at NASA Headquarters. D.J.M. acknowledges the NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship (NESSF) managed by Ming‐Ying Wei. The hardware used in the computational studies is part of the UMBC High Performance Computing Facility (HPCF). The facility is supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation through the MRI program (grants CNS‐0821258 and CNS‐1228778) and the SCREMS program (grant DMS‐0821311), with additional substantial support from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC).en_US
dc.description.urihttps://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2015JD024322en_US
dc.format.extent20 pagesen_US
dc.genrejournal articleen_US
dc.identifierdoi:10.13016/M26M33726
dc.identifier.citationDaniel J. Miller, Zhibo Zhang, Andrew S. Ackerman, Steven Platnick, Bryan A. Baum, The impact of cloud vertical profile on liquid water path retrieval based on the bispectral method: A theoretical study based on large‐eddy simulations of shallow marine boundary layer clouds, Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres, 121, 4122–4141, 2016, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JD024322en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1002/2015JD024322
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11603/11321
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.publisherAGUen_US
dc.relation.isAvailableAtThe University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)
dc.relation.ispartofUMBC Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology
dc.relation.ispartofUMBC Physics Department
dc.relation.ispartofUMBC Student Collection
dc.relation.ispartofUMBC Faculty Collection
dc.rightsThis item may be protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. It is made available by UMBC for non-commercial research and education. For permission to publish or reproduce, please contact the author.
dc.subjectLWP retrieval sensitivityen_US
dc.subjectUMBC High Performance Computing Facility (HPCF)en_US
dc.subjectPassive optical retrievals
dc.subjectcloud liquid water path (LWP
dc.subjectcloud vertical profile assumptions
dc.subjectoptical thickness
dc.subjecteffective radius
dc.subjectadiabatic cloud model for shallow marine boundary layer cloud regimes
dc.subjectsatellite retrieval simulator used to perform MODIS-like satellite retrievals
dc.subjectlarge-eddy simulation (LES)
dc.subjectbias in LWP retrievals
dc.titleThe impact of cloud vertical profile on liquid water path retrieval based on the bispectral method: A theoretical study based on large‐eddy simulations of shallow marine boundary layer cloudsen_US
dc.typeTexten_US

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