ACPD Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions ACPD 1680-7375 Copernicus GmbH Göttingen, Germany 10.5194/acpd-9-1757-2009 Influence of ice particle model on retrieving cloud optical thickness from satellite measurements: model comparison and implication for climate study Zhang Z. 1 Yang P. 1 Kattawar G. 2 Riedi J. 3 Labonnote L. C. 3 Baum B. 4 Platnick S. 5 Huang H.-L. 4 Department of Atmospheric Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA Department of Physics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA Laboratoire d'Optique Atmosphérique – Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lille/CNRS, Villeneuve d'Ascq Cedex, France Space Science and Engineering Center – University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA 20 01 2009 9 1 1757 1796 This is an open-access article ditributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. This article is available from http://www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net/9/1757/2009/acpd-9-1757-2009.html The full text article is available as a PDF file from http://www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net/9/1757/2009/acpd-9-1757-2009.pdf

The influence is investigated of the assumed ice particle microphysical and optical model on inferring ice cloud optical thickness (τ) from satellite measurements of the Earth's reflected shortwave radiance. Ice cloud τ are inferred, and subsequently compared, using products from MODIS (MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) and POLDER (POLarization and Directionality of the Earth's Reflectances). POLDER τ values are found to be substantially smaller than those from collocated MODIS data. It is shown that this difference is caused primarily by the use of different ice particle bulk scattering models in the two retrievals, and more specifically, the scattering phase function. Furthermore, the influence of the ice particle model on the derivation of ice cloud radiative forcing (CRF) from satellite retrievals is studied. Three sets of shortwave CRF are calculated using different combinations of the retrieval and associated ice particle models. It is shown that the uncertainty associated with an ice particle model may lead to two types of errors in estimating CRF from satellite retrievals. One stems from the retrieval itself and the other is due to the optical properties, such as the asymmetry factor, used for CRF calculations. Although a comparison of the CRFs reveals that these two types of errors tend to cancel each other, significant differences are still found between the three CRFs, which indicates that the ice particle model affects not only optical thickness retrievals but also CRF calculations. In addition to CRF, the effect of the ice particle model on the derivation of seasonal variation of τ from satellite measurements is discussed. It is shown that optical thickness retrievals based on the same MODIS observations, but derived using different assumptions of the ice particle model, can be substantially different. These differences can be divided into two parts. The first-order difference is mainly caused by the differences in the asymmetry factor. The second-order difference is related to seasonal changes in the sampled scattering angles and therefore dependent on the sun-satellite viewing geometry. Because of this second-order difference, the use of different ice particle models may lead to a different understanding of the seasonal variation of τ.

 References Baran, A. J. and Labonnote, L. C.: On the reflection and polarisation properties of ice cloud, J. Quant. Spectrosc. Ra., 100, 41–54, 2006. Baum, B., Yang, P., Heymsfield, A., and Thomas, S.: Bulk Scattering Properties for the Remote Sensing of Ice Clouds. Part I: Microphysical Data and Models, J. Appl. Meteorol., 44, 1885–1895, 2005. Bony, S., Colman, R., Kattsov, V. M., Allan, R. P., Bretherton, C. S., Dufresne, J.-L., Hall, A., Hallegatte, S., Holland, M. M., Ingram, W., Randall, D. A., Soden, B. J., Tselioudis, G., and Webb, M. J.: How Well Do We Understand and Evaluate Climate Change Feedback Processes?, J. Climate, 19, 3445–3482, 2006. Buriez, J. C., Parol, F., Cornet, C., and Doutriaux-Boucher, M.: An improved derivation of the top-of-atmosphere albedo from POLDER/ADEOS-2: Narrowband albedos, J. Geophys. Res., 110, D05202, doi:05210.01029/02004JD005243., 2005. Labonnote, L., Brogniez, G., Doutriaux-Boucher, M., Buriez, J. C., Gayet, J. F., and Chepfer, H.: Modeling of light scattering in cirrus clouds with inhomogeneous hexagonal monocrystals. Comparison with in-situ and ADEOS-POLDER measurements, Geophys. Res. Lett., 27, 113–116, 2000. Labonnote, L., Brogniez, G., Buriez, J. C., Doutriaux-Boucher, M., Gayet, J. F., and Macke, A.: Polarized light scattering by inhomogeneous hexagonal monocrystals: Validation with ADEOS-POLDER measurements, J. Geophys. Res., 106, 12139–12155, 2001. Cahalan, R. F., Ridgway, W., Wiscombe, W. J., Bell, T. L., and Snider, J. B.: The Albedo of Fractal Stratocumulus Clouds, J. Atmos. Sci., 51, 2434–2455, 1994. Chou, M. D.: A Solar Radiation Model for Use in Climate Studies, J. Atmos. Sci., 49, 762–772, 1992. Comstock, J. M., d'Entremont, R., DeSlover, D., Mace, G. G., Matrosov, S. Y., McFarlane, S. A., Minnis, P., Mitchell, D., Sassen, K., and Shupe, M. D.: An Intercomparison of Microphysical Retrieval Algorithms for Upper-Tropospheric Ice Clouds, B. Am.. Meteorol. Soc., 88, 191–204, 2007. Cox, S. K., McDougal, D. S., Randall, D. A., and Schiffer, R. A.: FIRE-The First ISCCP Regional Experiment, B. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 68, 114–118, 1987. Fu, Q. and Liou, K. N.: Parameterization of the Radiative Properties of Cirrus Clouds, J. Atmos. Sci., 50, 2008–2025, 1993. Fu, Q.: An Accurate Parameterization of the Solar Radiative Properties of Cirrus Clouds for Climate Models, J. Climate, 9, 2058–2082, 1996. Fu, Q., Yang, P., and Sun, W. B.: An Accurate Parameterization of the Infrared Radiative Properties of Cirrus Clouds for Climate Models, J. Climate, 11, 2223–2237, 1998. Fu, Q.: A New Parameterization of an Asymmetry Factor of Cirrus Clouds for Climate Models, J. Atmos. Sci., 64, 4140–4150, 2007. Heidinger, A. K., Goldberg, M. D., Tarpley, D., Jelenak, A., and Pavolonis, M. J.: A new AVHRR cloud climatology, Proc. SPIE, 5658, 197–205, 2005. Heymsfield, A. J., Bansemer, A., Field, P. R., Durden, S. L., Stith, J. L., Dye, J. E., Hall, W., and Grainger, C. A.: Observations and Parameterizations of Particle Size Distributions in Deep Tropical Cirrus and Stratiform Precipitating Clouds: Results from In Situ Observations in TRMM Field Campaigns, J. Atmos. Sci., 59, 3457–3491, 2002a. Heymsfield, A. J., Lewis, S., Bansemer, A., Iaquinta, J., Miloshevich, L. M., Kajikawa, M., Twohy, C., and Poellot, M. R.: A General Approach for Deriving the Properties of Cirrus and Stratiform Ice Cloud Particles, J. Atmos. Sci., 59, 3–29, 2002b. Heymsfield, A. J.: Properties of Tropical and Midlatitude Ice Cloud Particle Ensembles. Part I: Median Mass Diameters and Terminal Velocities, J. Atmos. Sci., 60, 2573–2591, 2003. Jensen, E., Starr, D., and Toon, O. B.: Mission investigates tropical cirrus clouds, Eos Transactions American Geophysical Union, 85, 45–50, 2004. Jensen, E. J., Kinne, S., and Toon, O. B.: Tropical cirrus cloud radiative forcing- Sensitivity studies, Geophys. Res. Lett., 21, 2023–2026, 1994. Karlsson, K. G.: A 10~year cloud climatology over Scandinavia derived from NOAA Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer imagery, Int. J. Climatol., 23, 1023–1044, 2003. King, M. D.: Determination of the Scaled Optical Thickness of Clouds from Reflected Solar Radiation Measurements, J. Atmos. Sci., 44, 1734–1751, 1987. King, M. D., Tsay, S. C., Platnick, S. E., Wang, M., and Liou, K. N.: Cloud retrieval algorithms for MODIS: Optical thickness, effective particle radius, and thermodynamic phase, MODIS Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document, ATBD-MOD-05, 78~pp., 1997. Knap, W. H., Labonnote, L., Brogniez, G., and Stammes, P.: Modeling total and polarized reflectances of ice clouds: evaluation by means of POLDER and ATSR-2 measurements, Appl. Optics, 44, 4060–4073, 2005. Liou, K.-N.: Influence of Cirrus Clouds on Weather and Climate Processes: A Global Perspective, Mon. Weather Rev., 114, 1167–1199, 1986. Liou, K. N.: An Introduction to Atmospheric Radiation, Academic Press, 583~pp., 2002. Lohmann, U. and Roeckner, E.: Influence of cirrus cloud radiative forcing on climate and climate sensitivity in a general circulation model, J. Geophys. Res., 100, 16305–16324, 1995. Macke, A., Mishchenko, M. I., Muinonen, K., and Carlson, B. E.: Scattering of light by large nonspherical particles: ray-tracing approximation versus T-matrix method, Opt. Lett, 20, 1934–1936, 1995. Macke, A., Mishchenko, M. I., and Cairns, B.: The influence of inclusions on light scattering by large ice particles, J. Geophys. Res, 101, 23311–23316, 1996a. Macke, A., Mueller, J., and Raschke, E.: Single Scattering Properties of Atmospheric Ice Crystals, J. Atmos. Sci., 53, 2813–2825, 1996b. McFarquhar, G. M. and Heymsfield, A. J.: Microphysical Characteristics of Three Anvils Sampled during the Central Equatorial Pacific Experiment, J. Atmos. Sci., 53, 2401–2423, 1996. McFarquhar, G. M., Heymsfield, A. J., Spinhirne, J., and Hart, B.: Thin and Subvisual Tropopause Tropical Cirrus: Observations and Radiative Impacts, J. Atmos. Sci., 57, 1841–1853, 2000. Miller, S. D., Hawkins, J. D., Kent, J., Turk, F. J., Lee, T. F., Kuciauskas, A. P., Richardson, K., Wade, R., and Hoffman, C.: NexSat: Previewing NPOESS/VIIRS Imagery Capabilities, B.. Am.. Meteorol. Soc., 87, 433–446, 2006. Minnis, P., Liou, K. N., and Takano, Y.: Inference of Cirrus Cloud Properties Using Satellite-observed Visible and Infrared Radiances. Part I: Parameterization of Radiance Fields, J. Atmos. Sci., 50, 1279–1304, 1993. Mishchenko, M. I., Rossow, W. B., Macke, A., and Lacis, A. A.: Sensitivity of cirrus cloud albedo, bidirectional reflectance and optical thickness retrieval accuracy to ice particle shape, J. Geophys. Res., 101, 16973–16986, 1996. Nakajima, T. and King, M. D.: Determination of the Optical Thickness and Effective Particle Radius of Clouds from Reflected Solar Radiation Measurements. Part I: Theory, J. Atmos. Sci., 47, 1878–1893, 1990. Oreopoulos, L. and Davies, R.: Plane Parallel Albedo Biases from Satellite Observations. Part I: Dependence on Resolution and Other Factors, J. Climate, 11, 919–932, 1998. Platnick, S., King, M. D., Ackerman, S. A., Menzel, W. P., Baum, B. A., Riedi, J. C., and Frey, R. A.: The MODIS cloud products: algorithms and examples from Terra, IEEE T. Geosci. Remote, 41, 459–473, 2003. Ramanathan, V., Cess, R. D., Harrison, E. F., Minnis, P., Barkstrom, B. R., Ahmad, E., and Hartmann, D.: Cloud-Radiative Forcing and Climate: Results from the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment, Science, 243, 57–63, 1989. Ramaswamy, V. and Ramanathan, V.: Solar Absorption by Cirrus Clouds and the Maintenance of the Tropical Upper Troposphere Thermal Structure, J. Atmos. Sci., 46, 2293–2310, 1989. Riedi, J., Marchant, B., Platnick, S., Baum, B., Thieuleux, F., Oudard, C., Parol, F., Nicolas, J-M., and Dubuisson, P.: Cloud thermodynamic phase inferred from merged POLDER and MODIS data, Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., 7, 14103–14137, 2007. Roebeling, R. A., Feijt, A. J., and Stammes, P.: Cloud property retrievals for climate monitoring: Implications of differences between Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) on METEOSAT-8 and Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) on NOAA-17, J. Geophys. Res., 111, D20210, doi:10.1029/2005JD006990, 2006. Rossow, W. B. and Schiffer, R. A.: Advances in Understanding Clouds from ISCCP, B. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 80, 2261–2287, 1999. Salomonson, V. V., Barnes, W. L., Maymon, P. W., Montgomery, H. E., and Ostrow, H.: MODIS: advanced facility instrument for studies of the Earth as asystem, IEEE T. Geosci. Remote, 27, 145–153, 1989. Sassen, K., Wang, Z., and Liu, D.: The global distribution of cirrus clouds from CloudSat/CALIPSO measurements, J. Geophys. Res., submitted, 2008. Schmit, T. J., Gunshor, M. M., Menzel, W. P., Gurka, J. J., Li, J., and Bachmeier, A. S.: INTRODUCING THE NEXT-GENERATION ADVANCED BASELINE IMAGER ON GOES-R, B. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 86, 1079–1096, 2005. Stephens, G. L., Tsay, S.-C., Stackhouse, P. W., and Flatau, P. J.: The Relevance of the Microphysical and Radiative Properties of Cirrus Clouds to Climate and Climatic Feedback, J. Atmos. Sci., 47, 1742–1754, 1990. Takano, Y. and Liou, K.-N.: Solar Radiative Transfer in Cirrus Clouds. Part I: Single-Scattering and Optical Properties of Hexagonal Ice Crystals, J. Atmos. Sci., 46, 3–19, 1989. van de Hulst, H. C.: Light Scattering by Small Particles, Light Scattering by Small Particles, New York: John Wiley&Sons, 1957. Wang, P.-H., Minnis, P., McCormick, M. P., Kent, G. S., and Skeens, K. M.: A 6-year climatology of cloud occurrence frequency from Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment II observations (1985–1990), J. Geophys. Res., 101, 29407–29429, 1996. Weickmann, H. K.: Die Eisphase in der Atmosphäre (The Ice Phase in the Atmosphere), Royal Aircraft Establishments, 96~pp., 1947. Wylie, D. P. and Menzel, W. P.: Eight Years of High Cloud Statistics Using HIRS, J. Climate, 12, 170–184, 1999. Yang, P. and Liou, K. N.: Geometric-optics-integral-equation method for light scattering by nonspherical ice crystals, Appl. Optics, 35, 6568–6584, 1996. Yang, P., Baum, B. A., Heymsfield, A. J., Hu, Y. X., Huang, H. L., Tsay, S. C., and Ackerman, S.: Single-scattering properties of droxtals, J. Quant. Spectrosc. Ra., 79, 1159–1169, 2003. Yang, P., Zhang, L., Hong, G., Nasiri, S. L., Baum, B. A., Huang, H.-L., King, M. D., and Platnick, S.: Differences Between Collection 4 and 5 MODIS Ice Cloud Optical/Microphysical Products and Their Impact on Radiative Forcing Simulations, IEEE T. Geosci. Remote, 45, 2886–2899, 2007. Yang, P., Hong, G., Kattawar, G. W., Minnis, P., and Hu, Y.: Uncertainties Associated With the Surface Texture of Ice Particles in Satellite-Based Retrieval of Cirrus Clouds: Part II – Effect of Particle Surface Roughness on Retrieved Cloud Optical Thickness and Effective Particle Size, IEEE T. Geosci. Remote, 46, 1948–1957, 2008. Zhang, M. H., Lin, W. Y., Klein, S. A., Bacmeister, J. T., Bony, S., Cederwall, R. T., Del Genio, A. D., Hack, J. J., Loeb, N. G., and Lohmann, U.: Comparing clouds and their seasonal variations in 10 atmospheric general circulation models with satellite measurements, J. Geophys. Res, 110, D15S02 doi:10.1029/2004JD005021, 2005. Zhang, Z., Yang, P., Kattawar, G. W., Tsay, S.-C., Baum, B. A., Hu, Y., Heymsfiel, A. J., and Reichardt, J.: Geometrical-Optics Solution to Light Scattering by Droxtal Ice Crystals, Appl. Optics, 43, 2490–2499, 2004.