High-spatial-resolution retrieval of cloud droplet size distribution from polarized observations of the cloudbow

Pörtge, Veronika; Kölling, Tobias; Weber, Anna; Volkmer, Lea; Emde, Claudia; Zinner, Tobias; Forster, Linda; Mayer, Bernhard

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-645-2023

Articles | Volume 16, issue 3

https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-645-2023

© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-645-2023

© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 16, issue 3

Research article

|

03 Feb 2023

Research article |

| 03 Feb 2023

High-spatial-resolution retrieval of cloud droplet size distribution from polarized observations of the cloudbow

Veronika Pörtge, Tobias Kölling, Anna Weber, Lea Volkmer, Claudia Emde, Tobias Zinner, Linda Forster, and Bernhard Mayer

Data sets

Cloud top height derived from airborne measurements with the WALES lidar during the EUREC4A field campaign M. Wirth https://doi.org/10.25326/216

Short summary

In this work, we analyze polarized cloudbow observations by the airborne camera system specMACS to retrieve the cloud droplet size distribution defined by the effective radius (r_eff) and the effective variance (v_eff). Two case studies of trade-wind cumulus clouds observed during the EUREC⁴A field campaign are presented. The results are combined into maps of r_eff and v_eff with a very high spatial resolution (100 m × 100 m) that allow new insights into cloud microphysics.