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GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 29, NO. 23, 2092, doi:10.1029/2002GL015371, 2002

Diurnal cycle of liquid water path over the subtropical and tropical oceans

R. Wood

University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA


C. S. Bretherton

University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA


D. L. Hartmann

University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA


Abstract

The diurnal cycle of liquid water path (LWP) over the subtropical and tropical oceans is examined using two complete years of TMI (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission Microwave Imager) satellite microwave radiometer data. Diurnal amplitudes are a considerable fraction of the mean, especially in low cloud regions to the west of continents, where values of 15–35% are typical. Early morning maxima occur throughout most of the subtropics, consistent with a diurnal cycle driven largely by cloud solar absorption. In deep convective regions of the west Pacific the diurnal cycle is also strong and peaks slightly later. Interestingly, the diurnal amplitude in the SE Pacific and Atlantic stratus regions is considerably larger than in their northern hemisphere counterparts, suggesting differences in the dynamics and structure of low clouds may exist from region to region. The data provide important constraints for models simulating the diurnal cycle of clouds.

Published 4 December 2002.

Index Terms: 0320 Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Cloud physics and chemistry; 3309 Meteorology and Atmospheric Dynamics: Climatology (1620); 3359 Meteorology and Atmospheric Dynamics: Radiative processes; 3307 Meteorology and Atmospheric Dynamics: Boundary layer processes; 3360 Meteorology and Atmospheric Dynamics: Remote sensing.

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Citation: Wood, R., C. S. Bretherton, and D. L. Hartmann (2002), Diurnal cycle of liquid water path over the subtropical and tropical oceans, Geophys. Res. Lett., 29(23), 2092, doi:10.1029/2002GL015371.