How can 3D radiative transfer help correctly interpret satellite data on aerosol-cloud interactions?
Abstract
Clouds are the most strikingly complex 3D objects in Earth's atmosphere. One consequence is the radiative properties of each cloudy pixel are effected by its neighbors. Current operational retrievals of cloud and aerosol properties treat each pixel independently of its neighbors, assuming no radiative interactions between them. We quantify the influence of 3D radiative effects on MODIS-derived cloud optical thickness, particle size, and aerosol optical thickness. We demonstrate and discuss how to combine multi-spectral MODIS information on spatial variability with MISR multi-angle information and ASTER sub-pixel information, to derive aerosol-cloud relations that correctly account for 3D radiative effects.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2006
- Bibcode:
- 2006AGUFM.A32A..01C
- Keywords:
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- 3311 Clouds and aerosols;
- 3359 Radiative processes;
- 3360 Remote sensing