A Pathway Toward the Retrievals of the Microphysical Properties of Mixed-Phase Clouds Using Airborne Radar-Lidar Observation

Mixed-phase clouds (MPC) pose significant challenges in climate projections due to the complex physical processes involved and the limited understanding of these processes. A combination of radar and lidar measurements is a plausible pathway for the characterization of MPCs. Recent advances in the light-scattering theory enable us to interpret the backscattering signals measured by lidar instruments into physical parameters on a physics basis. A robust optical property model of mixed-phase cloud hydrometeors is developed and incorporated into a radar-lidar remote sensing algorithm. The sensitivity tests revealed that the present radar-lidar algorithm can characterize the ice/liquid fraction, total water content, and ice crystal effective radius with a reasonable accuracy and liquid droplet effective radius with a fair accuracy.