Satellite Retrieval of Lower-Tropospheric Ice Crystal Clouds in the Polar Regions

Abstract

This paper investigates the satellite detection of low-level ice crystal clouds in the Arctic using a radiative transfer model and aircraft observations for six cases. Brightness temperatures at the top of the atmosphere are calculated for the six cases and for the corresponding clear-sky cases. Sensitivity studies are conducted to determine the sensitivity of brightness temperature at the top of the atmosphere to ice crystal layer optical depth, clear-sky brightness temperature, and height of the top of the ice crystal layer. These results are interpreted in the context of the ISCCP cloud retrieval algorithm.