Exploring the phase partitioning in different cloud types using active
and passive satellite sensors
Abstract
One of the largest uncertainties in numerical weather prediction and
climate models is the representation of mixed-phase clouds, in which
supercooled liquid water and ice can coexist. The aim of our study is to
understand how the supercooled liquid fraction (SLF) in clouds with
temperature from -40°C to 0°C is related to temperature, geographical
location, and cloud type. Our analysis contains a comparison of four
satellite-based datasets, one derived from active and three from passive
satellite sensors, and focuses on SLF distribution near-globally, but
also stratified by hemisphere and continental/maritime regions. Despite
the SLF differences found among the datasets, they commonly indicate an
increase of SLF with COT, and generally larger SLF in the Southern
Hemisphere than in the Northern Hemisphere (up to about 20%
difference), with the exception of continental low-level clouds, for
which the opposite is true.