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Determining the Location and Radiative Impact of Thin Cirrus Clouds using Terra dataThin cirrus clouds (with optical depth tau much less than 1) play a potentially important role in the Earth atmosphere. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) onboard the Terra satellite has a channel at 1.375 microns that is specifically designed to detect these clouds. During two three-day periods from December 2000 and June 2001, I show that thin cirrus clouds are ubiquitous throughout the tropics. These thin cirrus generally have optical depths below 0.05 and appear with greater frequency and optical depth near deep convection. Regressing top-of-atmosphere outgoing longwave flux data from the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) against optical depth, we calculate that these thin clouds decrease outgoing longwave flux by approx. 1 W/sq m/(0.01 tau). This translates into longwave forcing of several W/sq m near convection and zero away from convection. Averaging over the whole tropics, these thin cirrus decrease average longwave forcing is approx. 1.4 W/sq m.
Document ID
20020070660
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Dessler, A. E.
(Maryland Univ. United States)
Bhartia, P. K.
Date Acquired
August 20, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2002
Subject Category
Meteorology And Climatology
Meeting Information
Meeting: 2002 Spring AGU Meeting
Location: Washington, DC
Country: United States
Start Date: May 28, 2001
End Date: May 31, 2001
Sponsors: American Geophysical Union
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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