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JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH, VOL. 103, NO. D18, PAGES 23,195–23,197, 1998

On cloud radar and microwave radiometer measurements of stratus cloud liquid water profiles

A. S. Frisch

Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere, Colorado State University/NOAA, Environmental Technology Laboratory, Boulder


G. Feingold

Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere, Colorado State University/NOAA, Environmental Technology Laboratory, Boulder


C. W. Fairall

NOAA/ERL/Environmental Technology Laboratory, Boulder, Colorado


T. Uttal

NOAA/ERL/Environmental Technology Laboratory, Boulder, Colorado


J. B. Snider

Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado/NOAA, Environmental Technology Laboratory, Boulder


Abstract

We show a method for determining stratus cloud liquid water profiles using a microwave radiometer and cloud radar. This method is independent of the radar calibration and the cloud-droplet size distribution provided that the sixth moment of the size distribution can be related to the square of the third moment. We have calculated these moments with a wide variety of in situ measurements and show that this is a reasonable assumption. Examples of droplet distributions that meet this requirement are the lognormal and gamma distributions.

Received 13 October 1997; accepted 8 May 1998.

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Citation: Frisch, A. S., G. Feingold, C. W. Fairall, T. Uttal, and J. B. Snider (1998), On cloud radar and microwave radiometer measurements of stratus cloud liquid water profiles, J. Geophys. Res., 103(D18), 23,195–23,197.