A critical look at spatial scale choices in satellite-based aerosol indirect effect studies

Analysing satellite datasets over large regions may introduce spurious relationships between aerosol and cloud properties due to spatial variations in aerosol type, cloud regime and synoptic regime climatologies. Using MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer data, we calculate relationships be...

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Asıl Yazarlar: Grandey, B, Stier, P
Diğer Yazarlar: European Geosciences Union
Materyal Türü: Journal article
Dil:English
Baskı/Yayın Bilgisi: Copernicus Publications 2010
Konular:
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author Grandey, B
Stier, P
author2 European Geosciences Union
author_facet European Geosciences Union
Grandey, B
Stier, P
author_sort Grandey, B
collection OXFORD
description Analysing satellite datasets over large regions may introduce spurious relationships between aerosol and cloud properties due to spatial variations in aerosol type, cloud regime and synoptic regime climatologies. Using MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer data, we calculate relationships between aerosol optical depth Ta, derived liquid cloud droplet effective number concentration Ne and liquid cloud droplet effective radius re at different spatial scales. Generally, positive values of dlnNe/dlnTa are found for ocean regions, whilst negative values occur for many land regions. The spatial distribution of dlnNe/dlnTa shows approximately the opposite pattern, with generally positive values for land regions and negative values for ocean regions. We find that for region sizes larger than 4°x4°, spurious spatial variations in retrieved cloud and aerosol properties can introduce widespread significant errors to calculations of dlnNe/dlnTa and dlre/dlnTa. For regions on the scale of 60°x60°, these methodological errors may lead to an overestimate in global cloud albedo effect radiative forcing of order 80%.
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spelling oxford-uuid:a6fe30c2-e87f-4bc6-9cef-1c4c73d159e72022-03-27T02:51:24ZA critical look at spatial scale choices in satellite-based aerosol indirect effect studiesJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:a6fe30c2-e87f-4bc6-9cef-1c4c73d159e7PhysicsAtmospheric,Oceanic,and Planetary physicsEnglishOxford University Research Archive - ValetCopernicus Publications2010Grandey, BStier, PEuropean Geosciences UnionAnalysing satellite datasets over large regions may introduce spurious relationships between aerosol and cloud properties due to spatial variations in aerosol type, cloud regime and synoptic regime climatologies. Using MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer data, we calculate relationships between aerosol optical depth Ta, derived liquid cloud droplet effective number concentration Ne and liquid cloud droplet effective radius re at different spatial scales. Generally, positive values of dlnNe/dlnTa are found for ocean regions, whilst negative values occur for many land regions. The spatial distribution of dlnNe/dlnTa shows approximately the opposite pattern, with generally positive values for land regions and negative values for ocean regions. We find that for region sizes larger than 4°x4°, spurious spatial variations in retrieved cloud and aerosol properties can introduce widespread significant errors to calculations of dlnNe/dlnTa and dlre/dlnTa. For regions on the scale of 60°x60°, these methodological errors may lead to an overestimate in global cloud albedo effect radiative forcing of order 80%.
spellingShingle Physics
Atmospheric,Oceanic,and Planetary physics
Grandey, B
Stier, P
A critical look at spatial scale choices in satellite-based aerosol indirect effect studies
title A critical look at spatial scale choices in satellite-based aerosol indirect effect studies
title_full A critical look at spatial scale choices in satellite-based aerosol indirect effect studies
title_fullStr A critical look at spatial scale choices in satellite-based aerosol indirect effect studies
title_full_unstemmed A critical look at spatial scale choices in satellite-based aerosol indirect effect studies
title_short A critical look at spatial scale choices in satellite-based aerosol indirect effect studies
title_sort critical look at spatial scale choices in satellite based aerosol indirect effect studies
topic Physics
Atmospheric,Oceanic,and Planetary physics
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