TY - JOUR
T1 - Maritime Cloud and Drizzle Microphysical Properties Retrieved From Ship-Based Observations During MAGIC
AU - Brendecke, Jordann
AU - Dong, Xiquan
AU - Xi, Baike
AU - Wu, Peng
N1 - Funding Information:
Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Research, Office of Health and Environmental Research, and Environmental Sciences Division. This research was supported as part of the “Enabling Aerosol–cloud interactions at GLobal convection‐permitting scalES (EAGLES)” project (74358), funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Biological and Environmental Research, Earth System Modeling program with the subcontract to the University of Arizona.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021. The Authors.
PY - 2021/5
Y1 - 2021/5
N2 - The Marine ARM GPCI Investigation of Clouds (MAGIC) field campaign provided a wealth of information looking at the stratocumulus to cumulus transition (SCT) over the Eastern-North Pacific (ENP), however, the lack of cloud in situ measurements gave limited information. Using the observations of Marine W-band ARM cloud radar, ceilometer, and three-channel microwave radiometer onboard the ship, we retrieve the single-layer, low-level cloud-droplet effective radius and drizzle median radius (rc and rm,d), number concentration (Nc and Nd), and liquid water content (LWCc and LWCd) using the methods in Wu et al. (2020, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JD032205). Based on the results during MAGIC, we found that both cloud base and top heights increase approximately 0.75 km from Los Angeles (LA) until cloud breakup (CB) before leveling off. Low cloud fractions (CFs) ranged from ∼85% halfway between LA and CB to ∼20% near Hawaii. Retrieved rc values decreased approximately 2 μm from peak CF to Hawaii while rm,d increased more than 20 μm over the same path. Mean values of rc, rm,d, Nc, Nd, LWCc, and LWCd during MAGIC are 12.1 μm, 55.8 μm, 97.9 cm−3, 0.09 cm−3, 0.40 g m−3, and 0.05 g m−3, respectively. Compared to the mean values over the Azores in Wu et al. (2020, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JD032205), the mean cloud and drizzle microphysical properties during MAGIC, except LWCd which is roughly equal, are greater due to higher liquid water path and warmer sea surface temperature. This information allows for a better understanding of the SCT over the ENP and can be used to better improve model simulations.
AB - The Marine ARM GPCI Investigation of Clouds (MAGIC) field campaign provided a wealth of information looking at the stratocumulus to cumulus transition (SCT) over the Eastern-North Pacific (ENP), however, the lack of cloud in situ measurements gave limited information. Using the observations of Marine W-band ARM cloud radar, ceilometer, and three-channel microwave radiometer onboard the ship, we retrieve the single-layer, low-level cloud-droplet effective radius and drizzle median radius (rc and rm,d), number concentration (Nc and Nd), and liquid water content (LWCc and LWCd) using the methods in Wu et al. (2020, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JD032205). Based on the results during MAGIC, we found that both cloud base and top heights increase approximately 0.75 km from Los Angeles (LA) until cloud breakup (CB) before leveling off. Low cloud fractions (CFs) ranged from ∼85% halfway between LA and CB to ∼20% near Hawaii. Retrieved rc values decreased approximately 2 μm from peak CF to Hawaii while rm,d increased more than 20 μm over the same path. Mean values of rc, rm,d, Nc, Nd, LWCc, and LWCd during MAGIC are 12.1 μm, 55.8 μm, 97.9 cm−3, 0.09 cm−3, 0.40 g m−3, and 0.05 g m−3, respectively. Compared to the mean values over the Azores in Wu et al. (2020, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JD032205), the mean cloud and drizzle microphysical properties during MAGIC, except LWCd which is roughly equal, are greater due to higher liquid water path and warmer sea surface temperature. This information allows for a better understanding of the SCT over the ENP and can be used to better improve model simulations.
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U2 - 10.1029/2020EA001588
DO - 10.1029/2020EA001588
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85106857295
SN - 2333-5084
VL - 8
JO - Earth and Space Science
JF - Earth and Space Science
IS - 5
M1 - e2020EA001588
ER -