What question did this study set out to answer?

To evaluate how cloud shape, aspect ratio, and fractional sky cover affect reflected solar fluxes in stratocumulus cloud fields while holding cloud liquid water volume constant.

November 1, 1984Journal of the Atmospheric SciencesOpen Access

Stratocumulus Cloud Field Reflected Fluxes: The Effect of Cloud Shape

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark

Authors

RWRonald M. WelchUniversity of Alabama in Huntsville BWBruce A. WielickiLangley Research Center

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Radiative transfer modeling demonstrates substantial flux discrepancies between broken and plane-parallel clouds, highlighting the need for 3D cloud shape parameterizations in climate models.

Key Points

To evaluate how cloud shape, aspect ratio, and fractional sky cover affect reflected solar fluxes in stratocumulus cloud fields while holding cloud liquid water volume constant.
Calculated reflected solar fluxes across varying cloud shapes, aspect ratios, and cloud cover fractions (10% to 90%) while holding cloud liquid water volume invariant.
Assessed flux discrepancies relative to the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) accuracy threshold of 10 W m⁻².
Formulated an empirical relationship for effective cloud cover at a solar zenith angle of θ = 60° to bridge broken and plane-parallel calculations.
Differences in reflected fluxes between plane-parallel and broken cloud models exceeded the 10 W m⁻² ERBE significance limit across 10% to 90% cloud cover.
Cloud shape variations produced large flux discrepancies due to anisotropic radiative escape from cloud sides, inter-cloud gap geometry, and sun-facing cloud area.
The empirical effective cloud cover parameterization at θ = 60° reproduced broken cloud field fluxes from plane-parallel calculations within ΔF = 10–15 W m⁻².

Cite This Study

Welch et al. (1984) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a1c2d3f69a4af5b15a96da1 https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0469(1984)041<3085:scfrft>2.0.co;2

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark

Implication

Radiative transfer modeling demonstrates substantial flux discrepancies between broken and plane-parallel clouds, highlighting the need for 3D cloud shape parameterizations in climate models.

Stratocumulus Cloud Field Reflected Fluxes: The Effect of Cloud Shape

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

Stratocumulus Cloud Field Reflected Fluxes: The Effect of Cloud Shape

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

Also Consider

Also Consider