TWP-ICE/ACTIVE MONSOON CASE STUDY

Cloud optical depth from measurements (white symbols) versus sample case study simulations (colored lines):



Comments:

• Tropical Cloud Properties and Heating Rate Profiles (TCPRHP) retrievals at Darwin are supplied by Sally McFarlane and Jim Mather. Values represent instantaneous profiles over the DOE ARM site reported at 5-min and 45-m resolution when surface precipitation is < thresholds.
• Radiative Flux Analysis (RFA) retrievals of cloud optical depth from ARM surface broadband radiometers are supplied by Chuck Long. Values represent 1-min average visible cloud optical depth over the DOE ARM site reported at 1-min resolution.
• VISST measurements near the Darwin ARM site are provided at 4-km pixel resolution by Pat Minnis, derived from MTSAT measurements. We plot all retrievals centered within one degree latitude and within one degree longitude of the Darwin ARM site.
• All measurement data have been downloaded from the DOE ARM data archive (www.arm.gov) and use in publications is subject to the policies described there. Any errors in plotting or representation shown here should be blamed on Ann Fridlind.
• Model results are domain-mean values reported at 10-min frequency from 1-km resolution over a domain size of about 37,000 km². Only domain-mean values are shown in each plot.

Preliminary summary:

• TCPRHP calculations are for non-precipiting conditions whereas model results and all other data include all conditions. Future comparisons will include model results for precipitating and non-precipitating conditions, will include the range of instantaneous values produced by the model at the relevant resolutions (gridscale and 4-km), and will account for saturation values measured by satellite.