Relationships between Total Water, Condensed Water, and Cloud Fraction in Stratiform Clouds Examined Using Aircraft Data

Abstract

Relationships among total water, condensed water, and cloud fraction in boundary layer and cold tropospheric stratiform clouds are investigated using a large observational dataset collected by the U.K. Met. Office C-130 aircraft. Values of the above parameters are estimated using horizontal aircraft runs ranging from 40 to 80 km in length. Boundary layer (warm cloud) data were taken from the Atlantic Stratocumulus Transition Experiment (ASTEX) and First International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) Research Experiment (FIRE). Free tropospheric (cold cloud) data were taken from the European Cloud and Radiation Experiment (EUCREX). In both warm and cold cloud a single reasonably well-defined relationship exists between the cloud fraction and the total water content (vapor + condensate) when normalized with the saturation specific humidity. A relationship exists between the condensed water content and the cloud fraction when appropriately scaled with the saturation specific humidity. Functional forms fitted to the data are used as comparators to test three existing diagnostic cloud fraction parameterization schemes.