One of the major sources of uncertainty in climate studies is the detection of cirrus clouds and characterization of their radiative properties. Combinations of water vapor absorption channels (e.g., 1.38 mm), ice–water absorption channels (e.g., 1.64 mm), and atmospheric window channels (e.g., 11 mm) in the imager, together with a lidar profiler on future EOS platforms, will contribute to enha...

Introduction Conclusions References Tables Figures Back Close Full Screen / Esc Abstract Introduction Conclusions References Tables Figures Back Close Full Screen / Esc Abstract The climate-chemistry-aerosol-cloud-radiation feedbacks are important processes occurring in the atmosphere. Accurately simulating those feedbacks requires fully-coupled meteorology, climate, and chemistry models and pr...

Stratiform clouds constitute ∼40% of global cloud cover and play a key role in determining the planetary radiation budget. Electrification remains one of the least understood effects on their microphysical processes. Droplet charging at the top and bottom edges of stratiform clouds arises from vertical current flow through clouds driven by the Global atmospheric Electric Circuit. In-cloud charg...

Abstract. Cloud properties and their evolution influence Earth's radiative balance. The cloud microphysical (CMP) processes that shape these are therefore important to represent in global climate models. Historically, parameterizations models have grown more detailed complex. However, a simpler formulation of CMP may leave the model results mostly unchanged while enabling an easier interpretati...

Aerosols have a large potential to influence climate through their effects on the microphysics and optical properties of clouds and, hence, on the Earth’s radiation budget. Aerosol–cloud interactions have been intensively studied in polluted air, but the possibility that the marine biosphere plays an important role in regulating cloud brightness in the pristine oceanic atmosphere remains largel...

Optical depth distributions (P(σ )) are a useful measure of radiatively important cirrus (Ci) inhomogeneity. Yet, the relationship between P(σ ) and underlying cloud physical processes remains unclear. In this study, we investigate the influence of homogeneous and heterogeneous freezing processes, ice particle growth and fallout, and mesoscale vertical velocity fluctuations on P(σ ) shape durin...