Satellite Determination of Stratus Cloud Microphysical Properties

Satellite measurements of liquid water path from SSM/I, broadband albedo from ERBE, and cloud characteristics from ISCCP are used to study stratus regions. An average cloud liquid water path of 0.120 ± 0.032 kg m−2 is derived by dividing the average liquid water path for stratus areas by the fractional area coverage of cloud in the region. The diurnal range in this average cloud liquid water path is about 25%. Stratus cloud liquid water is positively correlated with cloud amount and is negatively correlated with low cloud-top temperature. Cloud liquid water path (LWP) and cloud albedo measurements are used to derive an effective droplet radius using the plane-parallel cloud albedo model of Slingo. The 2.5;dg by 2.5;dg grid boxes are first screened for completely overcast scenes in an attempt to justify the plane-parallel assumption. The mean effective droplet radius for this sample is 10.1 ± 4.4 μm. This serves as an upper bound since small-scale LWP variability is estimated to affect the average albedo by up to 0.07, corresponding to an overestimate in the derived droplet size of up to almost 6 μm. The authors find larger droplet sizes in the evening than in the morning, along with smaller LWPs and lower albedos. No correlation is seen between effective radius and liquid water path, reinforcing the independence of these two parameters. Small droplet sizes are only derived in conjunction with high albedos, but this may simply reflect the effect of LWP inhomogeneity on the albedo and hence the derived droplet size. Individual case studies both support the validity of the methodology given high spatial homogeneity and yet demonstrate the common occurrence of nonhomogeneous conditions within stratus regions.