Troposphere penetration of Deep Convective Clouds using AIRS data

We use thermal infared data from NASA's hyperspectral AIRS sounder to study deep convective clouds in the tropical regions. Using cloud top heights obtained where possible from CALIPSO, a parameterized scattering algorithm is used to model the DCC. The comparison of model simulations against AIRS data allows us to quantify the frequency of DCC penetration of the troposphere, and how this affects the transport of water vapor and trace gases in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere.