Editorial Type:
Article
Article Type:
Research Article

Probability Density Functions of Liquid Water Path and Cloud Amount of Marine Boundary Layer Clouds: Geographical and Seasonal Variations and Controlling Meteorological Factors

Hideaki Kawai Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, and Numerical Prediction Division, Japan Meteorological Agency, Tokyo, Japan

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João Teixeira Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California

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Print Publication:
15 Apr 2010
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1175/2009JCLI3070.1
Page(s):
2079–2092
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Abstract

The subgrid-scale variability of the liquid water path (LWP) of marine boundary layer clouds in areas that correspond to the typical grid size of large-scale (global climate and weather prediction) atmospheric models (200 km × 200 km) is investigated using geostationary satellite visible data. Geographical and seasonal variations of homogeneity, skewness, and kurtosis of probability density functions (PDFs) of LWP are discussed, in addition to cloud amount. It is clear that not only cloud amount but also these subgrid-scale statistics have well-defined geographical patterns and seasonal variations.

Furthermore, the meteorological factors that control subgrid-scale statistics of LWP that are related to boundary layer clouds are investigated using reanalysis data and PDFs of LWP data from satellites. Meteorological factors related to stability between 850 and 1000 hPa show high correlations with cloud amount and with the homogeneity, skewness, and kurtosis of PDFs of LWP of marine boundary layer clouds. The corrected gap of low-level moist static energy (CGLMSE) index, which is related to cloud-top entrainment instability, shows the highest correlation with the shape of LWP PDFs.

Corresponding author address: Hideaki Kawai, Numerical Prediction Division, Japan Meteorological Agency, 1-3-4 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 100-8122, Japan. Email: h-kawai@met.kishou.go.jp

Abstract

The subgrid-scale variability of the liquid water path (LWP) of marine boundary layer clouds in areas that correspond to the typical grid size of large-scale (global climate and weather prediction) atmospheric models (200 km × 200 km) is investigated using geostationary satellite visible data. Geographical and seasonal variations of homogeneity, skewness, and kurtosis of probability density functions (PDFs) of LWP are discussed, in addition to cloud amount. It is clear that not only cloud amount but also these subgrid-scale statistics have well-defined geographical patterns and seasonal variations.

Furthermore, the meteorological factors that control subgrid-scale statistics of LWP that are related to boundary layer clouds are investigated using reanalysis data and PDFs of LWP data from satellites. Meteorological factors related to stability between 850 and 1000 hPa show high correlations with cloud amount and with the homogeneity, skewness, and kurtosis of PDFs of LWP of marine boundary layer clouds. The corrected gap of low-level moist static energy (CGLMSE) index, which is related to cloud-top entrainment instability, shows the highest correlation with the shape of LWP PDFs.

Corresponding author address: Hideaki Kawai, Numerical Prediction Division, Japan Meteorological Agency, 1-3-4 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 100-8122, Japan. Email: h-kawai@met.kishou.go.jp

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