Articles | Volume 26, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-411-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-411-2026
Research article
 | 
08 Jan 2026
Research article |  | 08 Jan 2026

Long-term trends in daytime cirrus cloud radiative effects: analyzing twenty years of Micropulse Lidar Network measurements at Greenbelt, Maryland in eastern North America

Simone Lolli, Erica K. Dolinar, Jasper R. Lewis, Andreu Salcedo-Bosch, James R. Campbell, and Ellsworth J. Welton

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Cited articles

Berry, E. and Mace, G. G.: Cirrus Cloud Properties and the Large-Scale Meteorological Environment: Relationships Derived from A-Train and NCEP–NCAR Reanalysis Data, Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology, 52, 1253–1276, https://doi.org/10.1175/JAMC-D-12-0102.1, 2013. a
Campbell, J. R., Hlavka, D. L., Welton, E. J., Flynn, C. J., Turner, D. D., Spinhirne, J. D., Scott, V. S., and Hwang, I. H.: Full-time, eye-safe cloud and aerosol lidar observation at atmospheric radiation measurement program sites: Instruments and data processing., Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, 19, 431–442, 2002. a, b
Campbell, J. R., Sassen, K., and Welton, E. J.: Elevated cloud and aerosol layer retrievals from micropulse lidar signal profiles, Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, 25, 685–700, 2008. a, b
Campbell, J. R., Vaughan, M. A., Oo, M., Holz, R. E., Lewis, J. R., and Welton, E. J.: Distinguishing cirrus cloud presence in autonomous lidar measurements, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 8, 435–449, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-8-435-2015, 2015. a, b
Campbell, J. R., Lolli, S., Lewis, J. R., Gu, Y., and Welton, E. J.: Daytime cirrus cloud top-of-the-atmosphere radiative forcing properties at a midlatitude site and their global consequences, Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology, 55, 1667–1679, 2016. a, b, c, d, e, f
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Over the past twenty years, continuous lidar observations at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center have assessed the radiative impact of cirrus clouds on the Earth–atmosphere system. Findings show these clouds increasingly trap heat as surface reflectivity drops with less snow and ice, contributing to local warming. Continued cirrus monitoring is crucial to refine climate forecasts and support effective climate action.

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