Abstract
The satellite-based quantification of cloud radiative forcing remains poorly understood, due largely to the limitation or uncertainties in characterizing cloud-base height (CBH). Here, we use the CBH data from radiosonde measurements over China in combination with the collocated cloud-top height (CTH) and cloud properties from MODIS/Aqua to quantify the impact of CBH on shortwave cloud radiative forcing (SWCRF). The climatological mean SWCRF at the surface (SWCRFSUR), at the top of the atmosphere (SWCRFTOA), and in the atmosphere (SWCRFATM) are estimated to be −97.14, −84.35, and 12.79 W m−2, respectively for the summers spanning 2010 to 2018 over China. To illustrate the role of the cloud base, we assume four scenarios according to vertical profile patterns of cloud optical depth (COD). Using the CTH and cloud properties from MODIS alone results in large uncertainties for the estimation of SWCRFATM, compared with those under scenarios that consider the CBH. Furthermore, the biases of the CERES estimation of SWCRFATM tend to increase in the presence of thick clouds with low CBH. Additionally, the discrepancy of SWCRFATM relative to that calculated without consideration of CBH varies according to the vertical profile of COD. When a uniform COD vertical profile is assumed, the largest SWCRF discrepancies occur during the early morning or late afternoon. By comparison, the two-point COD vertical distribution assumption has the largest uncertainties occurring at noon when the solar irradiation peaks. These findings justify the urgent need to consider the cloud vertical structures when calculating the SWCRF which is otherwise neglected.
摘 要
现有基于卫星观测的云辐射强迫定量估算精度仍十分有限, 这在很大程度上归因于云底高度 (CBH) 表征的局限性或不确定性. 本文利用中国区域L波段秒级探空数据计算得到的CBH数据, 及MODIS / Aqua的云特性和云顶高度 (CTH) 产品数据, 量化了CBH对短波云辐射强迫 (SWCRF) 的影响. 结果表明: 中国2010年至2018年夏季云的短波辐射强迫在地表 (SWCRFSUR)、 大气顶部 (SWCRFTOA) 和大气中 (SWCRFATM) 的平均值分别为–97.14、 –84.35和12.79 W m-2. 为阐明云底作用, 我们在利用辐射传输模式估算云短波辐射强迫时, 根据云光学厚度 (COD) 垂直分布廓线做了四种情景假设. 与考虑CBH的方案相比, 仅使用MODIS CTH和云特性的方案会导致估计的SWCRFATM产生较大的不确定性. 除此之外, 在云底高度较低且云层较厚的情况下, 云与地球辐射能量系统 (CERES) 的SWCRFATM偏差呈现增加的趋势. 另外, 相对于不考虑CBH的情景, 估算得到的SWCRFATM偏差会随COD的垂直廓线而变化. 当假定COD在垂直方向呈均匀分布时, 最大的SWCRF差异出现在清晨或午后. 相比之下, COD在垂直方向呈两点分布的假设具有最大的不确定性, 该不确定性发生在一天中太阳辐射达到峰值的正午. 鉴于云底高度在云短波辐射强迫估算中的重要作用, 因此在计算SWCRF时须考虑云的垂直结构特征.
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Acknowledgments
We acknowledge the support from the National Key R&D Program of China under Grants Nos. 2017YFC1501401 and 2017YFC0212803, the National Natural Science Foundation under Grant No. 41771399, and the Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences under Grant No. 2018Y014. Also, we are grateful to NASA for granting access to the level-3 cloud products from MODIS/Aqua. Last but not least, special thanks go to the National Meteorological Information Center, China Meteorological Administration for generously providing the radiosonde datasets used here (https://data.cma.cn/en).
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Article Highlights
• The cloud-base height measured from radiosonde, along with cloud properties from MODIS/Aqua, is used to estimate shortwave cloud forcing over China.
• Four scenarios concerning the vertical profile of COD are assumed to better illustrate the role of cloud base in cloud forcing estimation.
• Shortwave cloud forcing estimation in the atmosphere is highly dependent on the cloud-base height.
• Consideration of the height of cloud-base leads to a more realistic estimation of shortwave cloud forcing in the atmosphere.
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Xu, H., Guo, J., Li, J. et al. The Significant Role of Radiosonde-measured Cloud-base Height in the Estimation of Cloud Radiative Forcing. Adv. Atmos. Sci. 38, 1552–1565 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-021-0431-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-021-0431-5