Modeling the Radiative Effect on Microphysics in Cirrus Clouds Against Satellite Observations

Area of Science:

• Atmospheric Science
• Cloud Physics
• Remote Sensing

Background:

• The radiative effect on microphysics (REM) is crucial for near-surface dew/frost formation.
• Understanding REM's influence on cirrus clouds is vital for climate modeling.
• Cirrus clouds significantly impact Earth's radiative balance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of the radiative effect on microphysics (REM) on cirrus clouds.
• To determine how radiative cooling and warming influence ice crystal formation in cirrus clouds.
• To validate microphysical model simulations using satellite observations.

Main Methods:

• Utilized bin microphysical model simulations.
• Analyzed coincident data from CloudSat and Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) satellites.
• Employed GPM Microwave Imager (GMI) observations at 166 GHz to detect horizontally oriented ice crystals (HOICs).

Main Results:

• Radiative cooling favors horizontally oriented ice crystals (HOICs), while radiative warming does not.
• GMI observations of HOIC distributions in different cloud types align with model predictions.
• Midlevel thick clouds showed higher HOIC concentrations than high-level clouds.

Conclusions:

• The radiative effect on microphysics (REM) significantly impacts cirrus clouds.
• Horizontally oriented ice crystals (HOICs) can serve as a proxy for detecting REM in cirrus clouds.
• The agreement between model simulations and satellite data suggests REM is a common phenomenon in cirrus clouds.