Articles | Volume 16, issue 14
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3531-2023
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3531-2023
Research article
 | 
25 Jul 2023
Research article |  | 25 Jul 2023

What CloudSat cannot see: liquid water content profiles inferred from MODIS and CALIOP observations

Richard M. Schulte, Matthew D. Lebsock, and John M. Haynes

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Cited articles

Boers, R., Acarreta, J. R., and Gras, J. L.: Satellite monitoring of the first indirect aerosol effect: Retrieval of the droplet concentration of water clouds, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 111, D22208, https://doi.org/10.1029/2005JD006838, 2006. 
Brenguier, J.-L., Pawlowska, H., Schüller, L., Preusker, R., Fischer, J., and Fouquart, Y.: Radiative Properties of Boundary Layer Clouds: Droplet Effective Radius versus Number Concentration, J. Atmos. Sci., 57, 803–821, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0469(2000)057<0803:RPOBLC>2.0.CO;2, 2000. 
Brenguier, J.-L., Pawlowska, H., and Schüller, L.: Cloud microphysical and radiative properties for parameterization and satellite monitoring of the indirect effect of aerosol on climate, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 108, D158632, https://doi.org/10.1029/2002JD002682, 2003. 
Christensen, M. W., Stephens, G. L., and Lebsock, M. D.: Exposing biases in retrieved low cloud properties from CloudSat: A guide for evaluating observations and climate data, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 118, 12120–12131, https://doi.org/10.1002/2013JD020224, 2013. 
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Short summary
In order to constrain climate models and better understand how clouds might change in future climates, accurate satellite estimates of cloud liquid water content are important. The satellite currently best suited to this purpose, CloudSat, is not sensitive enough to detect some non-raining low clouds. In this study we show that information from two other satellite instruments, MODIS and CALIOP, can be combined to provide cloud water estimates for many of the clouds that are missed by CloudSat.
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