HR: 13:40h
AN: A53G-01 INVITED    [Abstracts]
TI: Remote Sensing of Cloud Properties: Beyond the A-Train
AU: * Ackerman, T P
EM: ackerman@atmos.washington.edu
AF: Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean, University of Washington Box 354235, Seattle, WA 98195-4235,
AB: The combination of active and passive sensors on the A-Train satellites provides the best data set to date for studying cloud and aerosol properties from space. Lidar and mm-wavelength radar provide an unprecedented global view of aerosol and cloud vertical structure. Multi-spectral imaging and thermal wavelength interferometry add spatial context and complementary information on cloud properties and atmospheric state. Science applications of this rich data set are now becoming available. The lifetime of the A-Train constellation is uncertain but the planned duration of the active sensors is only a few years. The planned joint European-Japanese EarthCARE mission with a scheduled launch in 2013 should supply a somewhat similar dataset. The question for the cloud-aerosol community is whether these systems are adequate for our science needs and, if not, what are the measurement needs? The current systems are largely focused on producing global datasets of aerosol and cloud properties. They are less useful for addressing process studies, particularly the impacts of aerosol on cloud properties. Here we examine the requirements of a mission that would target the aerosol-cloud problem and describe a satellite constellation of instruments that can meet these requirements.
DE: 3311 Clouds and aerosols
DE: 3360 Remote sensing
SC: Atmospheric Sciences [A]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting