Articles | Volume 19, issue 13
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-8879-2019
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-8879-2019
Research article
 | 
12 Jul 2019
Research article |  | 12 Jul 2019

Is positive correlation between cloud droplet effective radius and aerosol optical depth over land due to retrieval artifacts or real physical processes?

Hailing Jia, Xiaoyan Ma, Johannes Quaas, Yan Yin, and Tom Qiu

Data sets

CERES Level 3 SSF1deg-Day Aqua-MODIS HDF file - Edition 4A D. Doelling https://doi.org/10.5067/aqua/ceres/ssf1degday_l3.004a

MYD08_D3 MODIS/Aqua Aerosol Cloud Water Vapor Ozone Daily L3 Global 1Deg CMG, Level 1 and Atmosphere Archive and Distribution System (LAADS) MODIS Science Team https://doi.org/10.5067/modis/myd08_d3.006

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Short summary
We systematically assess how and to what extent satellite retrieval biases may affect correlations, as well as explore the underlying physical mechanisms. It is noted that the retrieval biases of both cloud and aerosol can result in a serious overestimation of the slope of CER–AI. Positive correlations more likely to occur in the case of drier cloud top and stronger turbulence in clouds, implying entrainment mixing might be a possible physical interpretation for such a positive CER–AI slope.
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