Cloud vertical structure over a tropical station obtained using long-term high-resolution radiosonde measurements
<p>Cloud vertical structure, including top and base altitudes, thickness of cloud layers, and the vertical distribution of multilayer clouds, affects large-scale atmosphere circulation by altering gradients in the total diabatic heating and cooling and latent heat release. In this study, l...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2018-08-01
|
| Series: | Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics |
| Online Access: | https://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/18/11709/2018/acp-18-11709-2018.pdf |
| Summary: | <p>Cloud vertical structure, including top and base altitudes,
thickness of cloud layers, and the vertical distribution of multilayer
clouds, affects large-scale atmosphere circulation by altering gradients
in the total diabatic heating and cooling and latent heat release. In this study,
long-term (11 years) observations of high-vertical-resolution radiosondes are
used to obtain the cloud vertical structure over a tropical station at Gadanki
(13.5° N, 79.2° E), India. The detected cloud layers are
verified with independent observations using cloud particle sensor (CPS)
sonde launched from the same station. High-level clouds account for
69.05 %, 58.49 %, 55.5 %, and 58.6 % of all clouds during
the pre-monsoon, monsoon, post-monsoon, and winter seasons, respectively. The
average cloud base (cloud top) altitudes for low-level, middle-level,
high-level, and deep convective clouds are 1.74 km (3.16 km), 3.59 km (5.55 km), 8.79 km
(10.49 km), and 1.22 km (11.45 km), respectively. Single-layer, two-layer, and
three-layer clouds account for 40.80 %, 30.71 %, and 19.68 % of
all cloud configurations, respectively. Multilayer clouds occurred more
frequently during the monsoon with 34.58 %. Maximum cloud top altitude
and cloud thickness occurred during the monsoon season for single-layer
clouds and the uppermost layer of multiple-layer cloud configurations. In
multilayer cloud configurations, diurnal variations in the thickness of
upper-layer clouds are larger than those of lower-layer clouds.
Heating and cooling in the troposphere and lower stratosphere due to these cloud
layers are also investigated and peak cooling (peak warming) is found below
(above) the cold-point tropopause (CPT) altitude. The magnitude of cooling
(warming) increases from single-layer to four- or more-layer cloud occurrence.
Further, the vertical structure of clouds is also studied with respect to the
arrival date of the Indian summer monsoon over Gadanki.</p> |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1680-7316 1680-7324 |