Cloud Composition Determination by Satellite Sensing Using the Nimbus VI High Resolution Infrared Sounder.

Abstract

The emphasis in this study is to detemine cloud compositions from satellites. The radiative transfer model of spectral infrared radiation in cloudy atmospheres is applied to the most complete set of radiance observations currently available from the Nimbus VI HIRS instrument. The radiative properties of clouds in the HIRS channels are investigated using the discrete-ordinate method for approximating the solution of the radiative transfer equation as it is applied to nonisothermal, inhomogeneous cloudy atmospheres. Analysis of the upwelling radiances from the model indicates that cirrus clouds decrease the upwelling radiance more than middle clouds and that multilayered middle and cirrus clouds are indistinguishable from thick cirrus clouds. Upwelling radiances in cirrus or middle cloud conditions for shortwave CO2 channels are decreased by a greater percentage from their clear column values than are the long-wave CO2 channel radiances.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 15, 1977
Accession Number
ADA047527

Entities

People

  • Kuo-nan Liou
  • Robert G. Feddes

Organizations

  • University of Utah

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Absorption Coefficients
  • Air Force
  • Cirrus Clouds
  • Cloud Cover
  • Cloud Physics
  • Clouds
  • Databases
  • High Resolution
  • Infrared Radiation
  • Lake Superior
  • Measurement
  • Meteorology
  • North America
  • North Dakota
  • Refractive Index
  • Scattering
  • United States

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Atmospheric Remote Sensing.
  • Computational Modeling and Simulation

Technology Areas

  • Space