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Global patterns of cloud optical thickness variation with temperatureThe International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project dataset is used to correlate variations of cloud optical thickness and cloud temperature in today's atmosphere. The analysis focuses on low clouds in order to limit the importance of changes in cloud vertical extent, particle size, and water phase. Coherent patterns of change are observed on several time and space scales. On the planetary scale, clouds in colder, higher latitudes are found to be optically thicker than clouds in warmer, lower latitudes. On the seasonal scale, winter clouds are, for the most part, optically thicker than summer clouds. The logarithmic derivative of cloud optical thickness with temperature is used to describe the sign and magnitude of the optical thickness-temperature correlation. The seasonal, latitudinal, and day-to-day variations of this relation are examined for Northern Hemisphere clouds in 1984. In cold continental clouds, optical thickness increases with temperature, consistent with the temperature variation of the adiabatic cloud water content. In warm continental and in almost all maritime clouds, however, optical thickness decreases with temperature.
Document ID
19930040012
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Tselioudis, George
(NASA Goddard Inst. for Space Studies New York, NY, United States)
Rossow, William B.
(NASA Goddard Inst. for Space Studies New York, NY, United States)
Rind, David
(NASA Goddard Inst. for Space Studies New York, United States)
Date Acquired
August 16, 2013
Publication Date
December 1, 1992
Publication Information
Publication: Journal of Climate
Volume: 5
Issue: 12
ISSN: 0894-8755
Subject Category
Meteorology And Climatology
Accession Number
93A24009
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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