Cirrus clouds play a crucial role in the energy balance of the Earth-atmosphere system.We investigated the spatiotemporal variations of cirrus over the South China Sea(SCS)using satellite data(MOD08,MYD08,CALIPSO)and ...Cirrus clouds play a crucial role in the energy balance of the Earth-atmosphere system.We investigated the spatiotemporal variations of cirrus over the South China Sea(SCS)using satellite data(MOD08,MYD08,CALIPSO)and reanalysis data(MERRA-2)from March 2007 to February 2015(eight years).The horizontal distribution reveals lower cirrus fraction values in the northern SCS and higher values in the southern region,with minima observed in March and April and maxima sequentially occurring in August(northern SCS,NSCS),September(middle SCS,MSCS),and December(southern SCS,SSCS).Vertically,the cirrus fraction peaks in summer and reaches its lowest levels in spring.Opaque cirrus dominates during summer in the NSCS and MSCS,comprising 53.6%and 55.9%,respectively,while the SSCS exhibits a higher frequency of opaque cirrus relative to other cloud types.Subvisible cirrus clouds have the lowest frequency year-round,whereas thin cirrus is most prominent in winter in the NSCS(46.3%)and in spring in the MSCS(45.3%).A case study from September 2021 further explores the influence of ice crystal habits on brightness temperature(BT)over the SCS.Simulations utilizing five ice crystal shapes from the ARTS DDA(Atmospheric Radiative Transfer Simulator Discrete Dipole Approximation)database and the RTTOV 12.4 radiative transfer model reveal that the 8-column-aggregate shape best represents BT in the NSCS and SSCS,while the large-block-aggregate shape performs better in the SSCS.展开更多
Studying the characteristics and mechanisms of convective and non-convective cirrus clouds over the South China Sea is vital for their impact on regional climate dynamics,and enhancing predictive models for weather an...Studying the characteristics and mechanisms of convective and non-convective cirrus clouds over the South China Sea is vital for their impact on regional climate dynamics,and enhancing predictive models for weather and climate forecasts.This study utilizes eight years of CALIPSO data(from March 2007 to February 2015)to investigate convective and non-convective cirrus clouds.Explicit new insights include the observation that convective cirrus cloud samples are three times more numerous than non-convective cirrus clouds.Convective cirrus clouds are associated with humid conditions and demonstrate higher ice water content(IWC)values ranging from 10^(−3)to 10^(−1)g m^(−3),whereas non-convective cirrus clouds tend to be drier,exhibiting IWC values ranging from 10^(−4)to 10^(−3)g m^(−3).Both cirrus cloud types exhibit a maximum cloud fraction at 10°N.Convective cirrus reach their peak cloud fraction at an altitude of 14 km,while non-convective cirrus typically occur at altitudes between 15 and 16 km.The seasonal variability of the convective cirrus cloud fraction primarily reflects bottom-up positive specific humidity anomalies originating from convective activity,whereas the non-convective cirrus cloud fraction is influenced by top-down negative temperature anomalies.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.42027804,41775026,and 41075012)。
文摘Cirrus clouds play a crucial role in the energy balance of the Earth-atmosphere system.We investigated the spatiotemporal variations of cirrus over the South China Sea(SCS)using satellite data(MOD08,MYD08,CALIPSO)and reanalysis data(MERRA-2)from March 2007 to February 2015(eight years).The horizontal distribution reveals lower cirrus fraction values in the northern SCS and higher values in the southern region,with minima observed in March and April and maxima sequentially occurring in August(northern SCS,NSCS),September(middle SCS,MSCS),and December(southern SCS,SSCS).Vertically,the cirrus fraction peaks in summer and reaches its lowest levels in spring.Opaque cirrus dominates during summer in the NSCS and MSCS,comprising 53.6%and 55.9%,respectively,while the SSCS exhibits a higher frequency of opaque cirrus relative to other cloud types.Subvisible cirrus clouds have the lowest frequency year-round,whereas thin cirrus is most prominent in winter in the NSCS(46.3%)and in spring in the MSCS(45.3%).A case study from September 2021 further explores the influence of ice crystal habits on brightness temperature(BT)over the SCS.Simulations utilizing five ice crystal shapes from the ARTS DDA(Atmospheric Radiative Transfer Simulator Discrete Dipole Approximation)database and the RTTOV 12.4 radiative transfer model reveal that the 8-column-aggregate shape best represents BT in the NSCS and SSCS,while the large-block-aggregate shape performs better in the SSCS.
基金supported financially by the National Natural Science Foundation of China[grant numbers 42027804,41775026,and 41075012]。
文摘Studying the characteristics and mechanisms of convective and non-convective cirrus clouds over the South China Sea is vital for their impact on regional climate dynamics,and enhancing predictive models for weather and climate forecasts.This study utilizes eight years of CALIPSO data(from March 2007 to February 2015)to investigate convective and non-convective cirrus clouds.Explicit new insights include the observation that convective cirrus cloud samples are three times more numerous than non-convective cirrus clouds.Convective cirrus clouds are associated with humid conditions and demonstrate higher ice water content(IWC)values ranging from 10^(−3)to 10^(−1)g m^(−3),whereas non-convective cirrus clouds tend to be drier,exhibiting IWC values ranging from 10^(−4)to 10^(−3)g m^(−3).Both cirrus cloud types exhibit a maximum cloud fraction at 10°N.Convective cirrus reach their peak cloud fraction at an altitude of 14 km,while non-convective cirrus typically occur at altitudes between 15 and 16 km.The seasonal variability of the convective cirrus cloud fraction primarily reflects bottom-up positive specific humidity anomalies originating from convective activity,whereas the non-convective cirrus cloud fraction is influenced by top-down negative temperature anomalies.
