HR: 0800h
AN: A41A-0011    [Abstracts]
TI: A comparison of cloud radiative forcing as a function of climatological regime derived from A- Train data
AU: Benson, S
EM: sbenson@met.utah.edu
AF: Department of Meteorology University of Utah, 135S 1460E Rm 819, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, United States
AU: * Mace, G
EM: mace@met.utah.edu
AF: Department of Meteorology University of Utah, 135S 1460E Rm 819, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, United States
AB: The A-Train is providing unprecedented detail regarding the vertical distribution of cloud properties. Combining Cloudsat, Calipso, and MODIS measurements and retrievals, we are implementing a suite of cloud property retrieval algorithms to derive global cloud properties. In specific geographic regions such as the Island Continent region of the Western Pacific, the Eastern Pacific ITCZ, and the stratocumulus regimes west of subtropical Africa, South America, and North America, we are using the derived cloud properties to calculate the clear and cloudy fluxes of solar and IR radiation. Radiative closure provided by CERES as well as in situ data collected in various field programs are used as validation. From these calculations we can obtain the vertical distribution of the cloud radiative forcing. We will illustrate the role various cloud regimes play in the radiative balance of the planet by comparing the cloud radiative forcing of these regimes.
DE: 0321 Cloud/radiation interaction
SC: Atmospheric Sciences [A]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting