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A Review of Satellite Cloud Condensation Nuclei Retrieval Methods for Evaluation with In-situ Measurements from Aircraft-Based Observations in the Marine Boundary Layer
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  • Kevin Sanchez,
  • David Painemal,
  • Matthew Brown,
  • Ewan Crosbie,
  • Francesca Gallo,
  • Carolyn Jordan,
  • Claire Robinson,
  • Taylor Shingler,
  • Michael Shook,
  • Kenneth Thornhill,
  • Elizabeth Wiggins,
  • Edward Winstead,
  • Luke Ziemba,
  • Bruce Anderson,
  • Richard Moore
Kevin Sanchez
NASA Langley Research Center

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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David Painemal
Science Systems and Applications, Inc. Hampton
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Matthew Brown
NASA Langley Research Center
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Ewan Crosbie
University of Arizona
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Francesca Gallo
Universities Space Research Association Columbia
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Carolyn Jordan
NASA Langley
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Claire Robinson
Science Systems and Applications, Inc.
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Taylor Shingler
NASA Langley Research Center
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Michael Shook
NASA Langley Research Center
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Kenneth Thornhill
NASA Langley Research Center
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Elizabeth Wiggins
University of California
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Edward Winstead
Science Systems and Applications, Inc.
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Luke Ziemba
NASA Langley Research Center
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Bruce Anderson
NASA Langley Research Center
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Richard Moore
NASA Langley Research Center
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Abstract

Aerosol-cloud interactions are the most uncertain component of the Earth system, due to their major influence on cloud properties, and as a result, Earth’s energy budget. We need to better characterize these interactions, which requires constraining the cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) budget and disentangling the influences of aerosol microphysics from meteorology. Observational data are essential for evaluating and improving climate models, but airborne field campaigns have, until recently, been limited to a few (mostly continental) regions worldwide. CCN measurements over the remote ocean are scarce and only occur during extensive field missions involving airborne or ship-based measurements of limited spatial and temporal extent. Polar-orbiting satellite observations hold great promise for expanding the spatial coverage of observations to remote regions, however, it is currently not well understood to what extent these active and passive remote sensing observations can be considered adequate proxies for CCN. Recent literature make use of column integrated retrievals, such as aerosol optical depth or aerosol index, to characterize aerosol concentration and CCN, and the utility of vertically resolved optical properties from active sensors is only now becoming more fully understood. The NASA ACTIVATE, NAAMES, CAMP2EX and ORACLES field campaigns are particularly well suited for evaluating the skill of advanced satellite aerosol and cloud microphysical retrievals, given the comprehensive suite of airborne aerosol, cloud, and trace gas measurements, combined with airborne High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) and polarimetric imaging instruments that will be the basis for the next generation of space-based remote sensors. Here, we characterize the properties of aerosol and CCN from these NASA field campaigns and critically assess methods for deriving CCN and CCN proxies using visible and infrared satellite remote sensing retrievals.