TROPCLDPROPRADHEAT

 

tropcldpropradheat > Cloud Properties and Radiative Heating Rates for TWPData Source Type(s) > PI

A cloud properties and radiative heating rates dataset is presented where cloud properties retrieved using lidar and radar observations are input into a radiative transfer model to compute radiative fluxes and heating rates at three ARM sites located in the Tropical Western Pacific (TWP) region. The cloud properties retrieval is a conditional retrieval that applies various retrieval techniques depending on the available data, that is if lidar, radar or both instruments detect cloud. This Combined Remote Sensor Retrieval Algorithm (CombRet) produces vertical profiles of liquid or ice water content (LWC or IWC), droplet effective radius (re), ice crystal generalized effective size (Dge), cloud phase, and cloud boundaries. The algorithm was compared with 3 other independent algorithms to help estimate the uncertainty in the cloud properties, fluxes, and heating rates (Comstock et al. 2013).

The dataset is provided at 2 min temporal and 90 m vertical resolution. The current dataset is applied to time periods when the MMCR (Millimeter Cloud Radar) version of the ARSCL (Active Remotely-Sensed Cloud Locations) Value Added Product (VAP) is available. The MERGESONDE VAP is utilized where temperature and humidity profiles are required. Future additions to this dataset will utilize the new KAZR instrument and its associated VAPs.

The radiative fluxes and heating rates are computed for each 2 min profile using the Fu-Liou radiative transfer model. The RT model is applied in a similar way as described in Mather et al. (2007) and Comstock et al. (2013).

The algorithm used in this dataset is similar to the PI dataset submitted by Zhe Feng for the AMIE/Gan ARM Mobile Facility Deployment ( http://www.arm.gov/data/pi/71). The AMIE/Gan dataset uses a combined S-Pol and KAZR dataset to improve the detection of clouds using the available radar datasets, and also a slightly different algorithm for estimating the precipitation rate and water content.

Data Details

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Content time range 1 January 2002 - 8 February 2012