Paper Info
Title
An Investigation of the Ice Cloud Detection Sensitivity of Cloud Radars Using the Raman Lidar at the ARM SGP Site
Abstract
The ice cloud detection sensitivity of the millimeter cloud radar (MMCR) and the Ka-band Zenith radar (KAZR) is investigated using a collocated Raman lidar (RL) at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program Southern Great Plains site. Only profiles that are transparent to the RL with ice clouds only are considered in this study. The MMCR underestimates the RL ice cloud optical depth (COD) by 20%. The MMCR detects no ice clouds in 37% of the profiles. These profiles where ice cloud goes undetected by the MMCR typically contain very optically thin clouds, with a mean RL ice COD of 0.03. Higher ice cloud detection sensitivity is found for the KAZR, which underestimates the RL ice COD by 15%. The decrease in the ice COD bias for the KAZR compared to the MMCR is largely due to a decrease in the ice COD bias for the situation where the transparent profiles with ice clouds are detected by both the RL and cloud radar. The climatic net ice cloud radiative effects (CREs) from the RL at the top of the atmosphere (TOA) and the surface are 3.2 W m(-2) and -0.6 W m(-2), respectively. The ice CREs at the TOA and surface are underestimated for the MMCR by 0.7 W m(-2) and 0.16 W m(-2) (21% and 29%) and underestimated for the KAZR by 0.6 W m(-2) and 0.14 W m(-2) (17% and 24%). The ice clouds undetected by the cloud radars led to underestimating the climatic net cloud heating rates below 150 hPa by about 0-0.04 K day(-1).
Year
DOI
Venue
2022
10.3390/rs14143466
REMOTE SENSING
Keywords
DocType
Volume
ice cloud, Raman lidar, cloud radar, cloud radiative effects, radiative transfer model
Journal
14
Issue
ISSN
Citations 
14
2072-4292
0
PageRank 
References 
Authors
0.34
0
5
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Mingcheng Wang100.34
Kelly A. Balmes200.34
Tyler J. Thorsen300.68
Dylan Willick400.34
Qiang Fu500.34