Articles | Volume 19, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-2079-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Long-term cloud characterization at the AGORA ACTRIS-CCRES station using a novel classification algorithm
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- Final revised paper (published on 26 Mar 2026)
- Preprint (discussion started on 11 Dec 2025)
Interactive discussion
Status: closed
Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor
| : Report abuse
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RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2025-5239', Anonymous Referee #2, 03 Jan 2026
- AC2: 'Reply on RC1', Matheus Tolentino da Silva, 27 Feb 2026
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RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2025-5239', Anonymous Referee #3, 05 Jan 2026
- AC3: 'Reply on RC2', Matheus Tolentino da Silva, 27 Feb 2026
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RC3: 'Comment on egusphere-2025-5239', Anonymous Referee #1, 14 Jan 2026
- AC1: 'Reply on RC3', Matheus Tolentino da Silva, 27 Feb 2026
Peer review completion
AR – Author's response | RR – Referee report | ED – Editor decision | EF – Editorial file upload
AR by Matheus Tolentino da Silva on behalf of the Authors (27 Feb 2026)
Author's response
Author's tracked changes
Manuscript
ED: Publish as is (09 Mar 2026) by Alexander Kokhanovsky
AR by Matheus Tolentino da Silva on behalf of the Authors (11 Mar 2026)
Manuscript
The manuscript by Tolentino et al. introduced a new cluster-based algorithm for cloud classification, which reduces spurious correlations found in earlier methods. Great efforts have been devoted to addressing the gap of studies in South of Europe. This study presented a five-year cloud statistical analysis focusing on single-layer clouds, systematically investigating the macro- and micro-physical properties of different phase clouds. The topic is within the scope of Atmospheric Measurement Techniques. The manuscript is well-structured and well-written. However, I have some concerns regarding the validity and reliability of the method proposed. Specific comments are as follows.
Sec 3.2: Here, the authors evaluated the performance of the CBA algorithm by comparison with the PBA algorithm, based on the Pearson correlation coefficients. Only one case is presented. From my perspective, the CBA algorithm tends to preserve the homogeneity of cloud phase or properties, so such variation in the correlation coefficient is predictable. However, is there an issue of over-uniformity? Comparative validation against other products may better illustrate the algorithm's performance and advantages?
Figure 5: “the number of occurrence of a particular cloud, divided by the total number of observations at each month”. According to the definition given by the authors, the sum of Frequency of Occurrence for all conditions (i.e., Single-layer clouds, Multi-layer clouds, Clear-sky, and Not classified) should be 100%, yet the results presented in this figure do not appear to match this expectation. Could the authors clarify this discrepancy? From Figure 5b, could the authors explain the reason for the high occurrence of “precipitating-ice” in Mar and Apr?
Line 35: “asses” change to “assess”
Line 94: “More details can be found in (Cazorla et al., 2017).” Please correct.
Line 188: What’s the definition of “cloud overlap” here?
Figure 3: The “CBT” in part 3) of this figure should be “CTH”. Please correct.