Articles | Volume 19, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-935-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-935-2026
Research article
 | 
10 Feb 2026
Research article |  | 10 Feb 2026

Seeking TOA SW flux closure over semi-synthetic 3D cloud fields: exploring the accuracy of two angular distribution models

Nils Madenach, Florian Tornow, Howard Barker, Rene Preusker, and Jürgen Fischer

Related authors

Optimal estimation retrieval framework for daytime clear-sky total column water vapour from MTG-FCI near-infrared measurements
Jan El Kassar, Cintia Carbajal Henken, Xavier Calbet, Pilar Rípodas, Rene Preusker, and Jürgen Fischer
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 19, 135–155, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-135-2026,https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-135-2026, 2026
Short summary
Radiative closure assessment of retrieved cloud and aerosol properties for the EarthCARE mission: the ACMB-DF product
Howard W. Barker, Jason N. S. Cole, Najda Villefranque, Zhipeng Qu, Almudena Velázquez Blázquez, Carlos Domenech, Shannon L. Mason, and Robin J. Hogan
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 3095–3107, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-3095-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-3095-2025, 2025
Short summary
Can general circulation models (GCMs) represent cloud liquid water path adjustments to aerosol–cloud interactions?
Johannes Mülmenstädt, Andrew S. Ackerman, Ann M. Fridlind, Meng Huang, Po-Lun Ma, Naser Mahfouz, Susanne E. Bauer, Susannah M. Burrows, Matthew W. Christensen, Sudhakar Dipu, Andrew Gettelman, L. Ruby Leung, Florian Tornow, Johannes Quaas, Adam C. Varble, Hailong Wang, Kai Zhang, and Youtong Zheng
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 13633–13652, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13633-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13633-2024, 2024
Short summary
Aerosol size distribution properties associated with cold-air outbreaks in the Norwegian Arctic
Abigail S. Williams, Jeramy L. Dedrick, Lynn M. Russell, Florian Tornow, Israel Silber, Ann M. Fridlind, Benjamin Swanson, Paul J. DeMott, Paul Zieger, and Radovan Krejci
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 11791–11805, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11791-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11791-2024, 2024
Short summary
Evaluation of total column water vapour products from satellite observations and reanalyses within the GEWEX Water Vapor Assessment
Tim Trent, Marc Schröder, Shu-Peng Ho, Steffen Beirle, Ralf Bennartz, Eva Borbas, Christian Borger, Helene Brogniez, Xavier Calbet, Elisa Castelli, Gilbert P. Compo, Wesley Ebisuzaki, Ulrike Falk, Frank Fell, John Forsythe, Hans Hersbach, Misako Kachi, Shinya Kobayashi, Robert E. Kursinski, Diego Loyola, Zhengzao Luo, Johannes K. Nielsen, Enzo Papandrea, Laurence Picon, Rene Preusker, Anthony Reale, Lei Shi, Laura Slivinski, Joao Teixeira, Tom Vonder Haar, and Thomas Wagner
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 9667–9695, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9667-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9667-2024, 2024
Short summary

Cited articles

Barker, H. W., Wiellicki, B. A., and Parker, L.: A Parameterization for Computing Grid-Averaged Solar Fluxes for Inhomogeneous Marine Boundary Layer Clouds. Part II: Validation Using Satellite Data, J. Atmos. Sci., 53, 2304–2316, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0469(1996)053<2304:APFCGA>2.0.CO;2, 1996. a, b
Barker, H. W., Goldstein, R. K., and Stevens, D. E.: Monte Carlo Simulation of Solar Reflectances for Cloudy Atmospheres, J. Atmos. Sci., 60, 1881–1894, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0469(2003)060<1881:MCSOSR>2.0.CO;2, 2003. a, b
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. a
Coakley, J. A. and Chylek, P.: The Two-Stream Approximation in Radiative Transfer: Including the Angle of the Incident Radiation, J. Atmos. Sci., 32, 409–418, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0469(1975)032<0409:ttsair>2.0.co;2, 1975. a
Cole, J. N. S., Barker, H. W., Qu, Z., Villefranque, N., and Shephard, M. W.: Broadband radiative quantities for the EarthCARE mission: the ACM-COM and ACM-RT products, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 4271–4288, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-4271-2023, 2023. a
Download
Short summary
In this study three-dimensional cloud fields with different macro- and microphysical properties are generated and used to simulate the top of atmosphere short wave radiances and fluxes. The simulations are compared to two radiance-to-irradiance conversion approaches. Especially for viewing angles in the backscattering direction the approach that is aware of the cloud microphysics results in better flux estimates.
Share