HR: 1340h
AN: A43D-0137    [Abstracts]
TI: Cloud Detection: The Impact of Optical Depth, Spectral Thresholds, FOV, and Averaging
AU: * Ackerman, S A
EM: stevea@ssec.wisc.edu
AF: Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison 1225 West Dayton Street, Madison, WI 53706 United States
AU: Frey, R A
EM: richard.frey@ssec.wisc.edu
AF: Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison 1225 West Dayton Street, Madison, WI 53706 United States
AU: Eloranta, E
EM: Ed.Eloranta@ssec.wisc.edu
AF: Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison 1225 West Dayton Street, Madison, WI 53706 United States
AU: Holz, R E
EM: reholz@ssec.wisc.edu
AF: Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison 1225 West Dayton Street, Madison, WI 53706 United States
AB: New satellite instruments, such as MODIS, GLI and AIRS, provide new capabilities in cloud detection. This poster addresses the impact of cloud optical depth on cloud detection using passive remote sensing instruments on a satellite or high-altitude aircraft platform. What is a cloud? The answer to that question is determined by the application. What is considered a cloud in some applications may be defined as clear in other applications. For example, detection of thin cirrus clouds is important for applications of infrared remote sensing of sea surface temperature, but of little concern for microwave remote sounding of atmospheric temperature. The MODIS cloud masks were designed to support various applications, but the optical depth limit of detection has not been defined. This paper defines MODIS cloud detection retrievals with lidar observations to estimate the optical depth limit of detection for these passive instruments. It also presents the dependence of cloud amount on selected thresholds and spatial averaging.
DE: 0319 Cloud optics
DE: 0394 Instruments and techniques
DE: 1640 Remote sensing (1855)
SC: Atmospheric Sciences [A]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005