Articles | Volume 24, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5603-2024
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5603-2024
Research article
 | 
15 May 2024
Research article |  | 15 May 2024

Observations of the macrophysical properties of cumulus cloud fields over the tropical western Pacific and their connection to meteorological variables

Michie Vianca De Vera, Larry Di Girolamo, Guangyu Zhao, Robert M. Rauber, Stephen W. Nesbitt, and Greg M. McFarquhar

Data sets

NASA-Langley: CAMP2EX_PISTON B. van Diedenhoven et al. https://www-air.larc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/ArcView/camp2ex

MISR Level 2 TOA/Cloud Classifier parameters V003 NASA LARC https://opendap.larc.nasa.gov/opendap/MISR/MIL2TCCL.003/

MISR Level 2 TOA/Cloud Height and Motion parameters V001 NASA LARC https://opendap.larc.nasa.gov/opendap/MISR/MIL2TCSP.001/

ASTER Level 1 Precision Terrain Corrected Registered At-Sensor Radiance V003 NASA LP DAAC https://lpdaac.usgs.gov/products/ast_l1tv003/

ERA5 hourly data on pressure levels from 1979 to present H. Hersbach et al. https://doi.org/10.24381/cds.bd0915c6

ERA5 hourly data on single levels from 1979 to present H. Hersbach et al. https://doi.org/10.24381/cds.adbb2d47

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Short summary
Tropical oceanic low clouds remain a dominant source of uncertainty in cloud feedback in climate models due to their macrophysical properties (fraction, size, height, shape, distribution) being misrepresented. High-resolution satellite imagery over the Philippine oceans is used here to characterize cumulus macrophysical properties and their relationship to meteorological variables. Such information can act as a benchmark for cloud models and can improve low-cloud generation in climate models.
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