Quantifying cloud base updraft speeds of marine stratocumulus from cloud top radiative cooling

Youtong Zheng; Daniel Rosenfeld; Zhanqing Li

doi:10.1002/2016GL071185

Quantifying cloud base updraft speeds of marine stratocumulus from cloud top radiative cooling

Youtong Zheng^*, Daniel Rosenfeld, Zhanqing Li

^*Corresponding author for this work

Fredy & Nadine Herrmann Institute of Earth Sciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

46 Scopus citations

Abstract

Marine stratocumulus clouds play a significant role in the Earth's radiation budget. The updrafts at cloud base (W_b) govern the supersaturation and therefore the activation of cloud condensation nuclei, which modifies the cloud and precipitation properties. A statistically significant relationship between W_b and cloud top radiative cooling rate (CTRC) is found from the measurements of the Department of Energy's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Mobile Facility on board a ship sailing between Honolulu and Los Angeles. A similar relation was found on Graciosa Island but with greater scatter and weaker correlation presumably due to the island effect. Based on the relation, we are able to estimate the cloud base updrafts using a simple formula: W_b = −0.44 × CTRC + 22.30 ± 13, where the W_b and CTRC have units of cm/s and W/m², respectively. This quantification can be utilized in satellite remote sensing and parameterizations of W_b in general circulation models.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	11,407-11,413
Journal	Geophysical Research Letters
Volume	43
Issue number	21
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL071185
State	Published - 16 Nov 2016

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
©2016. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.

Keywords

cloud base updrafts
cloud top radiative cooling
marine stratocumulus

Access to Document

10.1002/2016GL071185

Cite this

@article{496e0a498fab4f92be9a7358dd89c22f,

title = "Quantifying cloud base updraft speeds of marine stratocumulus from cloud top radiative cooling",

abstract = "Marine stratocumulus clouds play a significant role in the Earth's radiation budget. The updrafts at cloud base (Wb) govern the supersaturation and therefore the activation of cloud condensation nuclei, which modifies the cloud and precipitation properties. A statistically significant relationship between Wb and cloud top radiative cooling rate (CTRC) is found from the measurements of the Department of Energy's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Mobile Facility on board a ship sailing between Honolulu and Los Angeles. A similar relation was found on Graciosa Island but with greater scatter and weaker correlation presumably due to the island effect. Based on the relation, we are able to estimate the cloud base updrafts using a simple formula: Wb = −0.44 × CTRC + 22.30 ± 13, where the Wb and CTRC have units of cm/s and W/m2, respectively. This quantification can be utilized in satellite remote sensing and parameterizations of Wb in general circulation models.",

keywords = "cloud base updrafts, cloud top radiative cooling, marine stratocumulus",

author = "Youtong Zheng and Daniel Rosenfeld and Zhanqing Li",

year = "2016",

month = nov,

day = "16",

doi = "10.1002/2016GL071185",

language = "אנגלית",

volume = "43",

pages = "11,407--11,413",

journal = "Geophysical Research Letters",

issn = "0094-8276",

publisher = "John Wiley and Sons Inc.",

number = "21",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Quantifying cloud base updraft speeds of marine stratocumulus from cloud top radiative cooling

AU - Zheng, Youtong

AU - Rosenfeld, Daniel

AU - Li, Zhanqing

PY - 2016/11/16

Y1 - 2016/11/16

N2 - Marine stratocumulus clouds play a significant role in the Earth's radiation budget. The updrafts at cloud base (Wb) govern the supersaturation and therefore the activation of cloud condensation nuclei, which modifies the cloud and precipitation properties. A statistically significant relationship between Wb and cloud top radiative cooling rate (CTRC) is found from the measurements of the Department of Energy's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Mobile Facility on board a ship sailing between Honolulu and Los Angeles. A similar relation was found on Graciosa Island but with greater scatter and weaker correlation presumably due to the island effect. Based on the relation, we are able to estimate the cloud base updrafts using a simple formula: Wb = −0.44 × CTRC + 22.30 ± 13, where the Wb and CTRC have units of cm/s and W/m2, respectively. This quantification can be utilized in satellite remote sensing and parameterizations of Wb in general circulation models.

AB - Marine stratocumulus clouds play a significant role in the Earth's radiation budget. The updrafts at cloud base (Wb) govern the supersaturation and therefore the activation of cloud condensation nuclei, which modifies the cloud and precipitation properties. A statistically significant relationship between Wb and cloud top radiative cooling rate (CTRC) is found from the measurements of the Department of Energy's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Mobile Facility on board a ship sailing between Honolulu and Los Angeles. A similar relation was found on Graciosa Island but with greater scatter and weaker correlation presumably due to the island effect. Based on the relation, we are able to estimate the cloud base updrafts using a simple formula: Wb = −0.44 × CTRC + 22.30 ± 13, where the Wb and CTRC have units of cm/s and W/m2, respectively. This quantification can be utilized in satellite remote sensing and parameterizations of Wb in general circulation models.

KW - cloud base updrafts

KW - cloud top radiative cooling

KW - marine stratocumulus

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84996802101&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1002/2016GL071185

DO - 10.1002/2016GL071185

M3 - ???researchoutput.researchoutputtypes.contributiontojournal.article???

AN - SCOPUS:84996802101

SN - 0094-8276

VL - 43

SP - 11,407-11,413

JO - Geophysical Research Letters

JF - Geophysical Research Letters

IS - 21

ER -

Quantifying cloud base updraft speeds of marine stratocumulus from cloud top radiative cooling

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this