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PACE Technical Report Series, Volume 4: Cloud Retrievals in the PACE Mission: PACE Science Team Consensus DocumentEarth is a complex dynamical system exhibiting continuous change in its atmosphere, ocean,and surface elements. Nearly all (99.97%) of the energy driving these systems is linked to the Sun. Measurements of reflected sunlight contain a unique signature of wavelength-specific scattering and absorption interactions occurring between incoming solar energy and atmospheric (molecules, aerosols,clouds) and surface features Clouds can affect significantly both shortwave and long wave radiation, depending on altitude/vertical structure, thermodynamic phase, and optical properties. Low, warm, and optically thick clouds predominantly have a cooling effect, while high, cold, optically thin clouds can cause warming by absorbing warmer radiation emitted from the surface and lower atmosphere.When the net difference between outgoing and incoming solar radiation is matched by the net infrared radiation emitted to space, the Earth's climate is in radiative balance. While radiative forcing components (GHGs, aerosols - direct and indirect) contribute to a net radiative imbalance, climate sensitivity is ultimately determined by the contribution of various system feed backs. The role of cloud feedback in a warming climate is currently the largest inter-model uncertainty in climate sensitivity and therefore in climate prediction [Bony and Dufresne 2005]. A comprehensive understanding of current cloud propertiesand dynamic/microphysical processes requires a global perspective from satellites.
Document ID
20190001666
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Technical Memorandum (TM)
Authors
Cetinic, Ivona
(Universities Space Research Association (USRA) Columbia, MD, United States)
McClain, Charles R.
(Science Applications International Corp. McLean, VA, United States)
Werdell, P. Jeremy ORCID
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Platnick, Steve ORCID
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Coddington, Odele ORCID
(Colorado Univ. Boulder, CO, United States)
Ackerman, Steven A. ORCID
(University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI, United States)
Frey, Richard ORCID
(University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI, United States)
Heidinger, Andrew
(University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI, United States)
Walter, Andi
(University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI, United States)
Meyer, Kerry G. ORCID
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Zhang, Zhibo
(Maryland Univ. Baltimore County (UMBC) Baltimore, MD, United States)
van Diedenhoven, Bastiaan ORCID
(Columbia Univ. New York, NY, United States)
Date Acquired
March 20, 2019
Publication Date
October 1, 2018
Subject Category
Earth Resources And Remote Sensing
Report/Patent Number
GSFC-E-DAA-TN65848
NASA/TM?2018-219027/Vol. 4
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NNG11HP16A
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Use by or on behalf of the US Gov. Permitted.
Technical Review
Professional Review
Keywords
Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE)
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