HR: 0800h
AN: A21B-0428    [Abstracts]
TI: Comparison of MODIS and CALIPSO cloud mask
AU: * Sun, W
EM: wenbo.sun-1@nasa.gov
AF: Center for Atmospheric Sciences Hampton University, Mail Stop 420 NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA 23681, United States
AU: Loeb, N G
AF: Atmospheric sciences, NASA Langley Research Center, Mail Stop 420 NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA 23681, United States
AB: Global cloud mask is a critical parameter for the earth's climate study. Cloud mask retrieved from passive-instrument measurements, such as those from the MODIS observations, may suffer from significant uncertainties. The CALIPSO lidar measurements provide a new dimension of cloud information and are suitable for examining the cloud mask based on passive instruments. In this work, the cloud masks from the MODIS on Aqua and the CALIOP on CALIPSO are compared. The comparison results will have significance in improving the cloud retrieval algorithms based on passive instruments and will reduce the uncertainty in the earth's radiation energy budget due to the more accurate cloud information for aerosol and thin cirrus retrievals.
DE: 0300 ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE
DE: 1640 Remote sensing (1855)
DE: 1694 Instruments and techniques
SC: Atmospheric Sciences [A]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting