Publication Abstracts

Liu et al. 2006

Liu, L., M.I. Mishchenko, B. Cairns, B.E. Carlson, and L.D. Travis, 2006: Modeling single-scattering properties of small cirrus particles by use of a size-shape distribution of ice spheroids and cylinders. J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transfer, 101, 488-497, doi:10.1016/j.jqsrt.2006.02.040.

In this study, we model single-scattering properties of small cirrus crystals using mixtures of polydisperse, randomly oriented spheroids and cylinders with varying aspect ratios and with a refractive index representative of water ice at a wavelength of 1.88 µm. The Stokes scattering matrix elements averaged over wide shape distributions of spheroids and cylinders are compared with those computed for polydisperse surface-equivalent spheres. The shape-averaged phase function for a mixture of oblate and prolate spheroids is smooth, featureless, and nearly flat at side-scattering angles and closely resembles those typically measured for cirrus. Compared with the ensemble-averaged phase function for spheroids, that for a shape distribution of cylinders shows a relatively deeper minimum at side-scattering angles. This may indicate that light scattering from realistic cirrus crystals can be better represented by a shape mixture of ice spheroids. Interestingly, the single-scattering properties of shape-averaged oblate and prolate cylinders are very similar to those of compact cylinders with a diameter-to-length ratio of unity. The differences in the optical cross sections, single-scattering albedo, and asymmetry parameter between the spherical and the nonspherical particles studied appear to be relatively small. This may suggest that for a given optical thickness, the influence of particle shape on the radiative forcing caused by a cloud composed of small ice crystals can be negligible.

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BibTeX Citation

@article{li06300n,
  author={Liu, L. and Mishchenko, M. I. and Cairns, B. and Carlson, B. E. and Travis, L. D.},
  title={Modeling single-scattering properties of small cirrus particles by use of a size-shape distribution of ice spheroids and cylinders},
  year={2006},
  journal={Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer},
  volume={101},
  pages={488--497},
  doi={10.1016/j.jqsrt.2006.02.040},
}

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RIS Citation

TY  - JOUR
ID  - li06300n
AU  - Liu, L.
AU  - Mishchenko, M. I.
AU  - Cairns, B.
AU  - Carlson, B. E.
AU  - Travis, L. D.
PY  - 2006
TI  - Modeling single-scattering properties of small cirrus particles by use of a size-shape distribution of ice spheroids and cylinders
JA  - J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transfer
JO  - Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer
VL  - 101
SP  - 488
EP  - 497
DO  - 10.1016/j.jqsrt.2006.02.040
ER  -

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