Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Climate Research Facility US Department of Energy

Marine ARM GPCI Investigations of Clouds (MAGIC): Cloud Properties from Zenith Radiance Data

1 October 2012 - 30 September 2013

Lead Scientist: J.-Y. Christine Chiu

Observatory: amf, mag

Cloud droplet size and optical depth are the most fundamental cloud properties for understanding cloud formation, dissipation and interactions with aerosol and drizzle. They are also a crucial determinant of the Earth’s radiative and water energy balance. However, these properties are poorly predicted in climate models. As a result, the response of clouds to climate change is one of the major sources of uncertainty in climate prediction.

To understand the feedback processes of marine boundary layer clouds, the AMF2 MAGIC field campaign aimed to observe the transition from the stratocumulus to shallow trade-wind cumulus. These clouds pose great challenges for remote sensing techniques because of their highly inhomogeneous and fast evolving nature. We aimed to provide observations of cloud optical depth and effective droplet size at high temporal resolution using the ARM sunphotometer, which has a proper narrow field-of-view for observing broken clouds and the necessary narrow wavelength bands. The cloud properties were retrieved from a physical-based method and complemented retrievals from flux, microwave and active sensors.

The proposed campaign had three goals. First, estimate liquid water path by the retrievals. By combining the retrieved liquid water path with that from microwave measurements, we can better understand the vertical distribution of liquid water content, and investigate its effect on cloud dynamics. Second, cloud droplet size retrievals are unique to this method and were used to investigate the link between cloud droplet size and precipitation efficiency. Third, sunphotometer measurements were compared to those from the new ARM shortwave spectrometer (SAS-Ze) to explore new uses of the spectrometer. Finally, sunphotometers have demonstrated robust performance in worldwide AERONET sites under all kinds of weather conditions and were easy to deploy. Therefore, the proposed sunphotometer deployment was a pathfinder not just for seagoing deployments, but also for many future deployments.

Co-Investigators

Laurie Gregory
Richard Wagener

Timeline

  • Parent Campaign
  • Sibling Campaign

2016

Alappattu DP, Q Wang, and J Kalogiros. 2016. "Anomalous propagation conditions over eastern Pacific Ocean derived from MAGIC data." Radio Science, 51(7), 10.1002/2016rs005994.

Chiu JC, L Gregory, and R Wagener. 2016. MAGIC Cloud Properties from Zenith Radiance Data Final Campaign Summary. Ed. by Robert Stafford, DOE ARM Climate Research Facility. DOE/SC-ARM-15-029. 10.2172/1242830.


View All Related Publications

Campaign Data Sets

IOP Participant Data Source Name Final Data
J.-Y. Christine Chiu CIMEL Sunphotometer Order Data

MAG Data Sources

Name Full Name Browse Data
AOS Aerosol Observing System Browse Data
AOSMET Meteorological Measurements associated with the Aerosol Observing System Browse Data
ASSIST Atmospheric Sounder Spectrometer for Infrared Spectral Technology Browse Data
CCN Cloud Condensation Nuclei Particle Counter Browse Data
CEIL Ceilometer Browse Data
CEILPBLHT Boundary-layer height data with CEIL Browse Data
CEILSHIPCOR Ceilometer Corrected for Ship Motion Browse Data
CPC Condensation Particle Counter Browse Data
HSRL High Spectral Resolution Lidar Browse Data
HSRLSHIPCOR HSRL Corrected for Ship Motion Browse Data
HTDMA Humidified Tandem Differential Mobility Analyzer Browse Data
INTERPSONDE Interpolated Sonde Browse Data
IRT Infrared Thermometer Browse Data
KAZR Ka ARM Zenith Radar Browse Data
KAZRSHIPCOR KAZR Ship Motion Correction Browse Data
MARINEMET Marine Surface Meteorological Instrumentation Browse Data
MPL Micropulse Lidar Browse Data
MPLCMASK Cloud mask from Micropulse Lidar Browse Data
MPLPOLFSSHIPCOR MPL Corrected for Ship Motion Browse Data
MWACR Marine W-Band (95 GHz) ARM Cloud Radar Browse Data
MWACRSHIPCOR MWACR Ship Motion Correction Browse Data
MWR Microwave Radiometer Browse Data
MWR3C Microwave Radiometer, 3 Channel Browse Data
MWRRET MWR Retrievals Browse Data
NAV Navigational Location and Attitude Browse Data
NAVBE Navigational Location and Attitude Best Estimate Browse Data
NEPHELOMETER Nephelometer Browse Data
OZONE Ozone Monitor Browse Data
PBLHT Planetary Boundary Layer Height Browse Data
PRP Portable Radiation Package Browse Data
PSAP Particle Soot Absorption Photometer Browse Data
RWP Radar Wind Profiler Browse Data
SASZE Shortwave Array Spectroradiometer-Zenith Browse Data
SONDE Balloon-Borne Sounding System Browse Data
SONDEGRID Gridded Sonde VAP Product Browse Data
S-TABLE Stabilized Platform Browse Data
TSI Total Sky Imager Browse Data
UHSAS Ultra-High Sensitivity Aerosol Spectrometer Browse Data