Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2016-162
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2016-162
13 Jul 2016
 | 13 Jul 2016
Status: this preprint was under review for the journal AMT but the revision was not accepted.

Identification of the cloud base height over the central Himalayan region: Intercomparison of Ceilometer and Doppler Lidar

K. K. Shukla, K. Niranjan Kumar, D. V. Phanikumar, R. K. Newsom, V. R. Kotamarthi, T. B. M. J. Ouarda, and M. V. Ratnam

Abstract. We present the measurement of cloud base height (CBH) derived from the Doppler Lidar (DL), Ceilometer (CM) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite over a high altitude station in the central Himalayan region for the first time. We analyzed six cases of cloud overpass during the daytime convection period by using the cloud images captured by total sky imager. The occurrence of thick clouds (> 50 %) over the site is more frequent than thin clouds (< 40 %). In every case, the CBH indicates less than 1.2 km, above ground level (AGL) observed by both DL and CM instruments. The presence of low level clouds in the height-time variation of signal to noise ratio of DL and backscatter of CM shows a similar diurnal pattern on all days. Cloud fraction is found to be maximum during the convective period. The CBH estimated by the DL and CM showed reasonably good correlation (R2 = 0.76). The DL observed updraft fraction and cloud base vertical velocity also shows good correlation (R2 = 0.66). The inter-comparison between DL and CM will have implications in filling the gap of CBH measurements by the DL, in absence of CM. More deployments of such instruments will be invaluable for the validations of meteorological models over the observationally sparse Indian regions.

K. K. Shukla, K. Niranjan Kumar, D. V. Phanikumar, R. K. Newsom, V. R. Kotamarthi, T. B. M. J. Ouarda, and M. V. Ratnam
 
Status: closed
Status: closed
AC: Author comment | RC: Referee comment | SC: Short comment | EC: Editor comment
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Status: closed
Status: closed
AC: Author comment | RC: Referee comment | SC: Short comment | EC: Editor comment
Printer-friendly Version - Printer-friendly version Supplement - Supplement
K. K. Shukla, K. Niranjan Kumar, D. V. Phanikumar, R. K. Newsom, V. R. Kotamarthi, T. B. M. J. Ouarda, and M. V. Ratnam
K. K. Shukla, K. Niranjan Kumar, D. V. Phanikumar, R. K. Newsom, V. R. Kotamarthi, T. B. M. J. Ouarda, and M. V. Ratnam

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Short summary
Estimation of Cloud base height was carried out by using various ground based instruments (Doppler Lidar and Ceilometer) and satellite datasets (MODIS) over central Himalayan region for the first time. The present study demonstrates the potential of Doppler Lidar in precise estimation of cloud base height and updraft velocities. More such deployments will be invaluable inputs for regional weather prediction models over complex Himalayan terrains.