Publication Abstracts

Kahn et al. 2014

Kahn, B.H., F.W. Irion, V.T. Dang, E.M. Manning, S.L. Nasiri, C.M. Naud, J.M. Blaisdell, M.M. Schreier, Q. Yue, K.W. Bowman, E.J. Fetzer, G.C. Hulley, K.N. Liou, D. Lubin, S.C. Ou, J. Susskind, Y. Takano, B. Tian, and J.R. Worden, 2014: The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder version 6 cloud products. Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 399-426, doi:10.5194/acp-14-399-2014.

The version 6 cloud products of the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) and Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU) instrument suite are described. The cloud top temperature, pressure, and height and effective cloud fraction are now reported at the AIRS field-of-view (FOV) resolution. Significant improvements in cloud height assignment over version 5 are shown with FOV-scale comparisons to cloud vertical structure observed by the CloudSat 94 GHz radar and the Cloud-Aerosol LIdar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP). Cloud thermodynamic phase (ice, liquid, and unknown phase), ice cloud effective diameter (De), and ice cloud optical thickness (τ) are derived using an optimal estimation methodology for AIRS FOVs, and global distributions for 2007 are presented. The largest values of τ are found in the storm tracks and near convection in the tropics, while De is largest on the equatorial side of the midlatitude storm tracks in both hemispheres, and lowest in tropical thin cirrus and the winter polar atmosphere. Over the Maritime Continent the diurnal variability of τ is significantly larger than for the total cloud fraction, ice cloud frequency, and De, and is anchored to the island archipelago morphology. Important differences are described between northern and southern hemispheric midlatitude cyclones using storm center composites. The infrared-based cloud retrievals of AIRS provide unique, decadal-scale and global observations of clouds over portions of the diurnal and annual cycles, and capture variability within the mesoscale and synoptic scales at all latitudes.

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BibTeX Citation

@article{ka03200w,
  author={Kahn, B. H. and Irion, F. W. and Dang, V. T. and Manning, E. M. and Nasiri, S. L. and Naud, C. M. and Blaisdell, J. M. and Schreier, M. M. and Yue, Q. and Bowman, K. W. and Fetzer, E. J. and Hulley, G. C. and Liou, K. N. and Lubin, D. and Ou, S. C. and Susskind, J. and Takano, Y. and Tian, B. and Worden, J. R.},
  title={The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder version 6 cloud products},
  year={2014},
  journal={Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics},
  volume={14},
  pages={399--426},
  doi={10.5194/acp-14-399-2014},
}

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RIS Citation

TY  - JOUR
ID  - ka03200w
AU  - Kahn, B. H.
AU  - Irion, F. W.
AU  - Dang, V. T.
AU  - Manning, E. M.
AU  - Nasiri, S. L.
AU  - Naud, C. M.
AU  - Blaisdell, J. M.
AU  - Schreier, M. M.
AU  - Yue, Q.
AU  - Bowman, K. W.
AU  - Fetzer, E. J.
AU  - Hulley, G. C.
AU  - Liou, K. N.
AU  - Lubin, D.
AU  - Ou, S. C.
AU  - Susskind, J.
AU  - Takano, Y.
AU  - Tian, B.
AU  - Worden, J. R.
PY  - 2014
TI  - The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder version 6 cloud products
JA  - Atmos. Chem. Phys.
JO  - Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
VL  - 14
SP  - 399
EP  - 426
DO  - 10.5194/acp-14-399-2014
ER  -

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