Light scattering by absorbing hexagonal ice crystals in cirrus clouds

An improved ray-optics theory for single scattering and polarization of hexagonal columns and plates randomly oriented in space has been developed by considering absorption and by using the Chebyshev solution for diffraction integrals. The vector-tracing method and statistics technique of random sampling are employed. The equivalent forms of Snell's law and Fresnel formulas for absorbing ice crystals are derived, and two equivalent optical constants, m' and m″, are obtained. Comparison is made of the computed results of our model and the Takano and Liou model for asymmetry factors, single-scattering albedos, and scattering phase matrix elements. Some characteristics of our model are discussed, and these analyses demonstrate that our ray-optics model is practical and much improved.     

Influence of crystal tilt on solar irradiance of cirrus clouds

The single and multiple scattering and absorption properties of hexagonal ice columns with different degrees of particle orientation are modeled in the solar spectral range by means of a ray-tracing single-scattering code and a Monte Carlo radiative-transfer code. The scattering properties are most sensitive to particle orientation for the solar zenith angles of 50 degrees (asymmetry parameter) and 90 degrees (single-scattering albedo). Provided that the ice columns are horizontally oriented, the usual assumption of random orientation leads to an overestimation (underestimation) of the reflected (transmitted) solar broadband radiation at high Sun elevation and to an underestimation (overestimation) at medium solar zenith angles. The orientation effect is more (less) pronounced in scattering and transmission (absorption) for smaller ice crystals.     

Improved retrievals of the optical properties of cirrus clouds by a combination of lidar methods

We focus on improvement of the retrieval of optical properties of cirrus clouds by combining two lidar methods. We retrieve the cloud's optical depth by using independently the molecular backscattering profile below and above the cloud [molecular integration (MI) method] and the backscattering profile inside the cloud with an a priori effective lidar ratio [particle integration (PI) method]. When the MI method is reliable, the combined MI-PI method allows us to retrieve the optimal effective lidar ratio. We compare these results with Raman lidar retrievals. We then use the derived optimal effective lidar ratio for retrieval with the PI method for situations in which the MI method cannot be applied.     

Simulation study of the remote sensing of optical and microphysical properties of cirrus clouds from satellite IR measurements

Improved ray-optics theory and Mie theory for single scattering and an adding-doubling method for multiple scattering have been used to study the interaction of radiation in NASA's Visible and Infrared Spin-Scan Radiometer Atmospheric Sounder Satellite (VAS) IR channels and the microphysics of inhomogeneous cirrus clouds. The simulation study shows that crystal shape has remarkable effects on scattering and on the radiative-transfer properties of cirrus clouds in IR spectra. The sensitivity of the brightness temperature, as observed with VAS-IR channels, to the hexagonal columns and plates in cirrus clouds is noticeable. A method that permits one to infer the optical thickness, crystal shape, ice-water content,and emittance of cirrus clouds by using a multi-IR window channel with a scanning observation technique is developed. Detailed error analyses are carried out, and the characteristics of VAS-IR window channels are investigated through the examination of the effects of sea-surface reflection and variations in the temperature and water-vapor profiles on the VAS measurements. It is shown that these effects are large and need to be considered. Some uncertainties that have risen from the theoretical model are studied; they demonstrate that the Mie-scattering theory should not be used to retrieve the microphysical and optical properties of cirrus clouds. A suitable cloud-microphysics model and a suitable scattering model are needed instead.     

Calibration of the 1064 nm lidar channel using water phase and cirrus clouds

Calibration is essential to derive aerosol backscatter coefficients from elastic scattering lidar. Unlike the visible UV wavelengths where calibration is based on a molecular reference, calibration of the 1064 nm lidar channel requires other approaches, which depend on various assumptions. In this paper, we analyze two independent calibration methods which use (i) low-altitude water phase clouds and (ii) high cirrus clouds. In particular, we show that to achieve optimal performance, aerosol attenuation below the cloud base and cloud multiple scattering must be accounted for. When all important processes are considered, we find that these two independent methods can provide a consistent calibration constant with relative differences less than 15%. We apply these calibration techniques to demonstrate the stability of our lidar on a monthly scale, along with a natural reduction of the lidar efficiency on an annual scale. Furthermore, our calibration procedure allows us to derive consistent aerosol backscatter coefficients and angstrom coefficient profiles (532-1064 nm) along with column extinction-to-backscatter ratios which are in good agreement with sky radiometer inversions.     

Use of polarimetric lidar for the study of oriented ice plates in clouds

A polarization lidar operating at 532 nm was converted into an automatic, polarimetric lidar capable of measuring the entire Stokes vector of backscattered light and its derived quantities. Among these quantities, circular and linear depolarizations were studied as tools for investigating the presence of anisotropic scattering media. Isotropic scatterers show a simple relationship between linear and circular depolarization, a relation that we confirm theoretically and experimentally. Deviations from this relation, which are possible in the presence of anisotropic scatterers such as horizontally oriented ice plates when they are observed with a slant lidar, were studied both numerically and experimentally.     

Thermal conductivity of a dendritic ice layer

Measurements of the thermal conductivities of the frozen layer of aqueous binary solutions have been performed using the transient hot-wire method. Solutions of ethylene glycol and sodium chloride were utilized as the testing fluids, and they were frozen up in the test section in which the platinum wires 40 m in diameter and 170 mm in length were strung. Measurements were carried out under equilibrium at a variety of both the initial concentration of the solution and the temperature of the frozen layer. The expressions of the thermal conductivity of the frozen layer were determined. It was found that the thermal conductivity of the dendritic ice layer was favorably assessed with the Lichteneker's model by introducing the solid fraction under an assumption of the equililbrium within the range of parameters examined.Paper presented at the Tenth Symposium on Thermophysical Properties, June 20–23, 1988, Gaithersburg, Maryland, U.S.A.     

Remote sensing of three-dimensional cirrus clouds from satellites: application to continuous-wave laser atmospheric transmission and backscattering

A satellite remote sensing methodology has been developed to retrieve 3D ice water content (IWC) and mean effective ice crystal size of cirrus clouds from satellite data on the basis of a combination of the conventional retrieval of cloud optical depth and particle size in a horizontal plane and a parameterization of the vertical cloud profile involving temperature from sounding and/or analysis. The inferred 3D cloud fields of IWC and mean effective ice crystal size associated with two impressive cirrus clouds that occurred in the vicinity of northern Oklahoma on 18 April 1997 and 9 March 2000, obtained from the Department of Energy's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program, have been validated against the ice crystal size distributions that were collected independently from collocated and coincident aircraft optical probe measurements. The 3D cloud results determined from satellite data have been applied to the simulation of cw laser energy propagation, and we show the significance of 3D cloud geometry and inhomogeneity and spherical atmosphere on the transmitted and backscattered laser powers. Finally, we demonstrate that the 3D cloud fields derived from satellite remote sensing can be used for the 3D laser transmission and backscattering model for tactical application.     

Effects of stratospheric aerosols and thin cirrus clouds on the atmospheric correction of ocean color imagery: simulations

Using simulations, we determine the influence of stratospheric aerosol and thin cirrus clouds on the performance of the proposed atmospheric correction algorithm for the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) data over the oceans. Further, we investigate the possibility of using the radiance exiting the top of the atmosphere in the 1.38-microm water vapor absorption band to remove their effects prior to application of the algorithm. The computations suggest that for moderate optical thicknesses in the stratosphere, i.e., tau(s) < or approximately 0.15, the stratospheric aerosol-cirrus cloud contamination does not seriously degrade the MODIS except for the combination of large (approximately 60 degrees) solar zenith angles and large (approximately 45 degrees) viewing angles, for which multiple-scattering effects can be expected to be particularly severe. The performance of a hierarchy of stratospheric aerosol/cirrus cloud removal procedures for employing the 1.38-microm water vapor absorption band to correct for stratospheric aerosol/cirrus clouds, ranging from simply subtracting the reflectance at 1.38 microm from that in the visible bands, to assuming that their optical properties are known and carrying out multiple-scattering computations of their effect by the use of the 1.38-microm reflectance-derived concentration, are studied for stratospheric aerosol optical thicknesses at 865 nm as large as 0.15 and for cirrus cloud optical thicknesses at 865 nm as large as 1.0. Typically, those procedures requiring the most knowledge concerning the aerosol optical properties (and also the most complex) performed the best; however, for tau(s) < or approximately 0.15, their performance is usually not significantly better than that found by applying the simplest correction procedure. A semiempirical algorithm is presented that permits accurate correction for thin cirrus clouds with tau(s) as large as unity when an accurate estimate of the cirrus cloud scattering phase function is provided, and as large as 0.5 when a coarse approximation to the phase function is used. Given estimates of the stratospheric aerosol optical properties, the implementation of the algorithm by using a set of lookup tables appears to be straightforward.     

Classification of particle effective shape ratios in cirrus clouds based on the lidar depolarization ratio

A shape classification technique for cirrus clouds that could be applied to future spaceborne lidars is presented. A ray-tracing code has been developed to simulate backscattered and depolarized lidar signals from cirrus clouds made of hexagonal-based crystals with various compositions and optical depth, taking into account multiple scattering. This code was used first to study the sensitivity of the linear depolarization rate to cloud optical and microphysical properties, then to classify particle shapes in cirrus clouds based on depolarization ratio measurements. As an example this technique has been applied to lidar measurements from 15 mid-latitude cirrus cloud cases taken in Palaiseau, France. Results show a majority of near-unity shape ratios as well as a strong correlation between shape ratios and temperature: The lowest temperatures lead to high shape ratios. The application of this technique to space-borne measurements would allow a large-scale classification of shape ratios in cirrus clouds, leading to better knowledge of the vertical variability of shapes, their dependence on temperature, and the formation processes of clouds.     

Polarization structure of lidar signals reflected from ice crystal clouds

Polarization characteristics of signals of a monostatic lidar intended for sensing of homogeneous ice crystal clouds are calculated by the Monte Carlo method. Clouds are modeled as monodisperse ensembles of randomly oriented hexagonal ice crystals. The polarization state of multiply scattered lidar signal components is analyzed for different scattering orders depending on the crystal shapes and sizes as well as on the optical and geometrical conditions of observation. Light-scattering phase matrices (SPMs), calculated by the beam splitting method (BSM), are used as input data for solving the vector radiative transfer equation. The principles of the BSM method are briefly described, and the SPM components are given for hexagonal ice plates and columns of different sizes and linearly polarized incident radiation with the wavelength lambda = 0.55 microm.     

Simulation of the optical properties of plate aggregates for application to the remote sensing of cirrus clouds

In regions of deep tropical convection, ice particles often undergo aggregation and form complex chains. To investigate the effect of the representation of aggregates on electromagnetic scattering calculations, we developed an algorithm to efficiently specify the geometries of aggregates and to compute some of their geometric parameters, such as the projected area. Based on in situ observations, ice aggregates are defined as clusters of hexagonal plates with a chainlike overall shape, which may have smooth or roughened surfaces. An aggregate representation is developed with 10 ensemble members, each consisting of between 4-12 hexagonal plates. The scattering properties of an individual aggregate ice particle are computed using either the discrete dipole approximation or an improved geometric optics method, depending upon the size parameters. Subsequently, the aggregate properties are averaged over all geometries. The scattering properties of the aggregate representation closely agree with those computed from 1000 different aggregate geometries. As a result, the aggregate representation provides an accurate and computationally efficient way to represent all aggregates occurring within ice clouds. Furthermore, the aggregate representation can be used to study the influence of these complex ice particles on the satellite-based remote sensing of ice clouds. The computed cloud reflectances for aggregates are different from those associated with randomly oriented individual hexagonal plates. When aggregates are neglected, simulated cloud reflectances are generally lower at visible and shortwave-infrared wavelengths, resulting in smaller effective particle sizes but larger optical thicknesses.     

Experimental and theoretical spectral reflection properties of ice clouds generated in a laboratory chamber

In a preliminary experimental program, the measured bidirectional reflection properties between 1.0 and 3.5 mum from a grating spectrometer with a resolution of approximately 0.1 mum for ice crystal clouds generated in a cold chamber are compared with theoretical results computed from a line-by-line equivalent solar radiative transfer model. The theoretical calculations are based on the measured habits, concentrations, and sizes of the ice particles from replicas of the ice crystals that show a mean maximum size of approximately 7 mum. The experimental design was first tested with transmission measurements in a pure water-vapor environment that compare closely with theoretical expectations. Within the uncertainties and in consideration of the assumptions necessitated by the preliminary nature of this program, there is a close comparison between the experimental and theoretical results.     

Laboratory measurements of spectral reflection from ice clouds of various habits

Spectral light from 550 to 650 nm reflected from the surface of an ice cloud produced in a temperature-controlled column is measured at seven different angles between 16.7 degrees and 29.9 degrees . Cloud optical depth (tau) is determined from the extinction of a 670 nm laser and is corrected for forward scattering using a Monte Carlo ray-tracing algorithm. Reflection measurements are compared to expectations from a plane-parallel radiative transfer model with input parameters based on the measured tau and a phase function for the observed ice crystal types. The plane-parallel radiative transfer model can be used to interpret the measured reflection for tau less than about 0.4 for this particular experiment, ideal for providing a validation data set to assist with the development of satellite bidirectional remote sensing.     

Error analysis of Raman differential absorption lidar ozone measurements in ice clouds

A formalism for the error treatment of lidar ozone measurements with the Raman differential absorption lidar technique is presented. In the presence of clouds wavelength-dependent multiple scattering and cloud-particle extinction are the main sources of systematic errors in ozone measurements and necessitate a correction of the measured ozone profiles. Model calculations are performed to describe the influence of cirrus and polar stratospheric clouds on the ozone. It is found that it is sufficient to account for cloud-particle scattering and Rayleigh scattering in and above the cloud; boundary-layer aerosols and the atmospheric column below the cloud can be neglected for the ozone correction. Furthermore, if the extinction coefficient of the cloud is ?0.1 km(-1), the effect in the cloud is proportional to the effective particle extinction and to a particle correction function determined in the limit of negligible molecular scattering. The particle correction function depends on the scattering behavior of the cloud particles, the cloud geometric structure, and the lidar system parameters. Because of the differential extinction of light that has undergone one or more small-angle scattering processes within the cloud, the cloud effect on ozone extends to altitudes above the cloud. The various influencing parameters imply that the particle-related ozone correction has to be calculated for each individual measurement. Examples of ozone measurements in cirrus clouds are discussed.     

Remote data collection on ice breakup dynamics: Saint John River case study

Dynamic processes that occur during the breakup of river ice covers have important socio-economic and ecological impacts, but development of predictive capability is hampered by the brevity of the event and the ever-changing flow and ice conditions. The spatial and temporal variation of river water levels reflects the evolution of breakup processes and may be used to quantify their characteristics. However, various practical difficulties in measuring such variations have contributed to a scarcity of relevant data. A recently developed technique for remote recording of river levels involves pre-breakup deployment of portable pressure loggers, which are retrieved weeks or months later. Logger memory can accommodate high sampling frequencies, sufficient to capture very rapid water level changes. Application of this technique to document a highly dynamic breakup in the Saint John River, New Brunswick, resulted in an extensive data set. The processed logger output is described in detail and shown to furnish important insights on the chronology of breakup events. Analysis of the water level records that were obtained at different locations resulted in quantification of the hydrodynamic properties of waves generated by ice jam releases, also known as “javes”. Jave-induced amplification of flow and shear stress decreased with traveled distance, being between 2.5 and 3.0 at a distance of 11 km. Extensive mobilization of the riverbed during the passage of javes in the study reach is likely. Application of a numerical model to the measured WL profile of a major ice jam resulted in default-range calibration coefficients, further corroborating current modeling capability.     

Frost formation and heat transfer on a cold surface in ice fog

In this paper a semi-empirical model describing heat and mass transfer on a cold surface in humid air under supersaturated frosting conditions is presented. The lack of psychrometric data in the supersaturated zone of the psychrometric chart has historically impeded the ability of researchers to accurately predict heat and mass transfer in supersaturated air. The work described in this paper has been partially made possible by developing a systematic procedure to compute the properties of supersaturated air, especially in the low temperature zone of the psychrometric chart. Development of such a capability will allow us to predict the amount of frost collected, the frost deposition and heat transfer rates, frost thickness and surface temperature, and other important parameters.     

Fundamental study of adhesion of ice to cooling solid surface (Discussion on influence of copper oxide layer on ice adhesion force)

In many situations, ice often adheres to a cooling solid surface, frequently causing serious accidents. It is critical to clarify the mechanism of ice adhesion to the cooling surface in order to prevent ice adhesion. In a past study, the shearing stresses of two kinds of test plates with a copper surface having the higher thermal conductivity were measured. The shearing stress corresponds to ice adhesion force. Both shearing stresses were significantly different; however, the cause remains unclear.Therefore, the present study focuses on an oxide layer as the main factor causing the difference of both shearing stresses; the influence of the oxide layer formed on shearing stress was discussed. And in the removal and reformation processes of the oxide layer, the time variation of the shearing stress was clarified. Moreover, the relationship between the state of the copper surface and the shearing stress was also clarified by surface analysis.     

Light-scattering properties of plate and column ice crystals generated in a laboratory cold chamber

Angular scattering properties of ice crystal particles generated in a laboratory cloud chamber are measured with a lightweight polar nephelometer with a diode laser beam. This cloud chamber produces distinct plate and hollow column ice crystal types for light-scattering experiments and provides a controlled test bed for comparison with results computed from theory. Ice clouds composed predominantly of plates and hollow columns generated noticeable 22 degrees and 46 degrees halo patterns, which are predicted from geometric ray-tracing calculations. With the measured ice crystal shape and size distribution, the angular scattering patterns computed from geometrical optics with a significant contribution by rough surfaces closely match those observed from the nephelometer.