Survey of Ship Tracks Observed by NOAA AVHRR.
Abstract
High resolution, multispectral satellite imagery data from morning and afternoon satellite passes ver the coast of California during June 1994 were analyzed to determine the altitudes, visible optical depths, and cloud droplet effective radii for low-level clouds. Comparisons were made between the properties of clouds within 50 km of the tracks left by underlying ships in the clouds and those farther han 200 km from the tracks in order to deduce whether any special conditions were required for the appearance of ship tracks in satellite images. The results indicated that: 1) ship tracks rarely appeared in low-level clouds having altitudes greater than 1 km; 2) small cloud droplet sizes and large liquid water aths did not seem to restrict the appearance of ship tracks as was suggested by theory, and 3) ship tracks ere more frequent when clouds at altitudes below 1 km were extensive and completely covered large areas, as was more frequently the case in the morning.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 09, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA349880
Entities
People
- James A. Coakley Jr
Organizations
- Oregon State University