Evaluation of COAMPS Forecasts of Coastal Stratus Using Satellite Microphysical Retrievals and Aircraft Measurements

Abstract

A field project was carried out offshore of central Oregon during August 1999 to evaluate mesoscale model simulations of coastal stratiform cloud layers. Procedures for mapping cloud physical parameters such as cloud optical depth, droplet effective radius, and liquid water path retrieved from Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) Imager multichannel data were developed and implemented. Aircraft measurements by the University of Wyoming provided in situ verification for the satellite retrieval parameters and for the forecast model simulations of the U.S. Navy's nonhydrostatic mesoscale prediction system, the Coupled Ocean/Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System (COAMPS). Case studies show that the satellite retrieval methods are valid within the range of uncertainty associated with aircraft measurements of the microphysical parameters and demonstrate how the gridded cloud parameters retrieved from satellite data can be utilized for mesoscale model verification. Satellite-derived products with applications to forecasting, such as temporal trends and composites of droplet size and liquid water path, are also discussed.