Statistics of cloud heights over the Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding region derived from CloudSat data

Cloud-radiation interaction has a large impact on the Earth＇s weather and climate change, and clouds with different heights cause different radiative forcing. Thus, the information on the statistics of cloud height and its variation in space and time is very important to global climate change studies. In this paper, cloud top height （CTH）, cloud base height （CBH） and cloud thickness over regions of the Tibetan Plateau, south slope of the plateau and South Asian Monsoon are analyzed based on CloudSat data during the period from June 2006 to December 2007. The results show that frequency of CTH and CBH in unit area over the studied regions have certain temporal-spatial continuity. The CTH and CBH of different cloud types have different variation scopes, and their seasonal variations are distinct. Cloud thickness is large （small） in summer （winter）, and the percentages of different cloud types also have certain regularity.

Improving Satellite-Retrieved Cloud Base Height with Ground-Based Cloud Radar Measurements

Cloud base height(CBH) is a crucial parameter for cloud radiative effect estimates, climate change simulations, and aviation guidance. However, due to the limited information on cloud vertical structures included in passive satellite radiometer observations, few operational satellite CBH products are currently available. This study presents a new method for retrieving CBH from satellite radiometers. The method first uses the combined measurements of satellite radiometers and ground-based cloud radars to develop a lookup table(LUT) of effective cloud water content(ECWC), representing the vertically varying cloud water content. This LUT allows for the conversion of cloud water path to cloud geometric thickness(CGT), enabling the estimation of CBH as the difference between cloud top height and CGT. Detailed comparative analysis of CBH estimates from the state-of-the-art ECWC LUT are conducted against four ground-based millimeter-wave cloud radar(MMCR) measurements, and results show that the mean bias(correlation coefficient) is0.18±1.79 km(0.73), which is lower(higher) than 0.23±2.11 km(0.67) as derived from the combined measurements of satellite radiometers and satellite radar-lidar(i.e., Cloud Sat and CALIPSO). Furthermore, the percentages of the CBH biases within 250 m increase by 5% to 10%, which varies by location. This indicates that the CBH estimates from our algorithm are more consistent with ground-based MMCR measurements. Therefore, this algorithm shows great potential for further improvement of the CBH retrievals as ground-based MMCR are being increasingly included in global surface meteorological observing networks, and the improved CBH retrievals will contribute to better cloud radiative effect estimates.

Climatology of Cloud-base Height from Long-term Radiosonde Measurements in China

Clouds are critical to the global radiation budget and hydrological cycle, but knowledge is still poor concerning the observed climatology of cloud-base height （CBH） in China. Based on fine-resolution sounding observations from the China Radiosonde Network （CRN）, the method used to estimate CBH was modified, and uncertainty analyses indicated that the CBH is good enough. The accuracy of CBH estimation is verified by the comparison between the sounding-derived CBHs and those estimated from the micro-pulse lidar and millimeter-wave cloud radar. As such, the CBH climatology was compiled for the period 2006-16. Overall, the CBH exhibits large geographic variability across China, at both 0800 Local Standard Time （LST） and 2000 LST, irrespective of season. In addition, the summertime cloud base tends to be elevated to higher altitudes in dry regions [i.e., Inner Mongolia and the North China Plain （NCP）]. By comparison, the Tibetan Plateau （TP）, Pearl River Delta （PRD） and Sichuan Basin （SCB） have relatively low CBHs （〈 2.4 km above ground level）. In terms of seasonality, the CBH reaches its maximum in summer and minimum in winter. A low cloud base tends to occur frequently （〉 70%） over the TP, PRD and SCB. In contrast, at most sites over the Yangtze River Delta （YRD） and the NCP, about half the cloud belongs to the high-cloud category. The CBH does not exhibit marked diurnal variation in summer, throughout all CRN sites, probably due to the persistent cloud coverage caused by the East Asia Summer Monsson. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first CBH climatology produced from sounding measurements in China, and provides a useful reference for obtaining observational cloud base information.

Assessment of FY-4A and Himawari-8 Cloud Top Height Retrieval through Comparison with Ground-Based Millimeter Radar at Sites in Tibet and Beijing

The accuracy of passive satellite cloud top height (CTH) retrieval shows regional dependence. This paper assesses the CTH derived from the FY-4A and Himawari-8 satellites through comparison with those from the ground-based millimeter radar at two sites: Yangbajing, Tibet, China (YBJ), and the Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP), Beijing, China. The comparison shows that Himawari-8 missed more CTHs at night than FY-4A, especially at YBJ. It is found that the CTH difference (CTHD;radar CTH minus satellite CTH) for FY-4A and Himawari-8 is 0.06 ± 1.90 km and −0.02 ± 2.40 km at YBJ respectively, and that is 0.93 ± 2.24 km and 0.99 ± 2.37 km at IAP respectively. The discrepancy between the satellites and radar at IAP is larger than that at YBJ. Both satellites show better performance for mid-level and low-level clouds than for high-level clouds at the two sites. The retrievals from FY-4A agree well with those from Himawari-8, with a mean difference of 0.08 km at YBJ and 0.06 km at IAP. It is found that the CTHD decreases as the cloud depth increases at both sites. However, the CTHD has no obvious dependence on cloud layers and fractions. Investigations show that aerosol concentration has little impact on the CTHD. For high and thin clouds, the CTHD increases gradually with the increase of the surface temperature, which might be a key factor causing the regional discrepancy between IAP and YBJ.

The Significant Role of Radiosonde-measured Cloud-base Height in the Estimation of Cloud Radiative Forcing

The satellite-based quantification of cloud radiative forcing remains poorly understood,due largely to the limitation or uncertainties in characterizing cloud-base height(CBH).Here,we use the CBH data from radiosonde measurements over China in combination with the collocated cloud-top height(CTH) and cloud properties from MODIS/Aqua to quantify the impact of CBH on shortwave cloud radiative forcing(SWCRF).The climatological mean SWCRF at the surface(SWCRFSUR),at the top of the atmosphere(SWCRFTOA),and in the atmosphere(SWCRFATM) are estimated to be-97.14,-84.35,and 12.79 W m^(-2),respectively for the summers spanning 2010 to 2018 over China.To illustrate the role of the cloud base,we assume four scenarios according to vertical profile patterns of cloud optical depth(COD).Using the CTH and cloud properties from MODIS alone results in large uncertainties for the estimation of SWCRFATM,compared with those under scenarios that consider the CBH.Furthermore,the biases of the CERES estimation of SWCRFATM tend to increase in the presence of thick clouds with low CBH.Additionally,the discrepancy of SWCRFATM relative to that calculated without consideration of CBH varies according to the vertical profile of COD.When a uniform COD vertical profile is assumed,the largest SWCRF discrepancies occur during the early morning or late afternoon.By comparison,the two-point COD vertical distribution assumption has the largest uncertainties occurring at noon when the solar irradiation peaks.These findings justify the urgent need to consider the cloud vertical structures when calculating the SWCRF which is otherwise neglected.

Verification and Correction of Cloud Base and Top Height Retrievals from Ka–band Cloud Radar in Boseong,Korea

In this study,cloud base height（CBH） and cloud top height（CTH） observed by the Ka-band（33.44 GHz） cloud radar at the Boseong National Center for Intensive Observation of Severe Weather during fall 2013（September-November） were verified and corrected.For comparative verification,CBH and CTH were obtained using a ceilometer（CL51） and the Communication,Ocean and Meteorological Satellite（COMS）.During rainfall,the CBH and CTH observed by the cloud radar were lower than observed by the ceilometer and COMS because of signal attenuation due to raindrops,and this difference increased with rainfall intensity.During dry periods,however,the CBH and CTH observed by the cloud radar,ceilometer,and COMS were similar.Thin and low-density clouds were observed more effectively by the cloud radar compared with the ceilometer and COMS.In cases of rainfall or missing cloud radar data,the ceilometer and COMS data were proven effective in correcting or compensating the cloud radar data.These corrected cloud data were used to classify cloud types,which revealed that low clouds occurred most frequently.

A STUDY ON THE APPLICATION OF FY-2E CLOUD DRIFT WIND HEIGHT REASSIGNMENT IN NUMERICAL FORECAST OF TYPHOON CHANTHU(1003) TRACK

In this paper, we first analyzed cloud drift wind(CDW) data distribution in the vertical direction, and then reassigned the height of every CDW in the research domain in terms of background information, and finally, conducted contrast numerical experiments of assimilating the CDW data before and after reassignment to examine the impacts on the forecast of the track of Typhoon Chanthu(1003) from 00:00(Coordinated Universal Time) 21 July to 00:00 UTC23 July, 2010. The analysis results of the CDW data indicate that the number of CDWs is mainly distributed in the midand upper-troposphere above 500 h Pa, with the maximum number at about 300 h Pa. The height reassigning method mentioned in this work may update the height effectively, and the CDW data are distributed reasonably and no obvious contradiction occurs in the horizontal direction after height reassignment. After assimilating the height-reassigned CDW data, especially the water vapor CDW data, the initial wind field around Typhoon Chanthu(1003) became more reasonable, and then the steering current leading the typhoon to move to the correct location became stronger. As a result, the numerical track predictions are improved.

Cloud Base Height and Effective Cloud Emissivity Retrieval with Ground-Based Infrared Interferometer

Based on ground-based Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer (AERI) observations in Shouxian, Anhui province, China, the authors retrieve the cloud base height (CBH) and effective cloud emissivity by using the minimum root-mean-square difference method. This method was originally developed for satellite remote sensing. The high-temporal-resolution retrieval results can depict the trivial variations of the zenith clouds continu-ously. The retrieval results are evaluated by comparing them with observations by the cloud radar. The comparison shows that the retrieval bias is smaller for the middle and low cloud, especially for the opaque cloud. When two layers of clouds exist, the retrieval results reflect the weighting radiative contribution of the multi-layer cloud. The retrieval accuracy is affected by uncertainties of the AERI radiances and sounding profiles, in which the role of uncertainty in the temperature profile is dominant.

Cloud Top Height Retrieval Using Polarizing Remote Sensing Data of POLDER

A retrieval method of cloud top heights using polarizing remote sensing is proposed in this paper. Using the vector radiative transfer model in a coupled atmosphere-ocean system, the factors influencing the upwelling linear polarizing radiance at top-of-atmosphere are analyzed, which show that the upwelling linear polarizing radiance varies remarkably with the cloud top height, but has negligible sensitivity with cloud albedo and aerosol scattering above the cloud layer. Based on this property, a cloud top height retrieval algorithm using polarizing remote sensing was developed. The algorithm has been applied to the polarizing remote sensing data of Polarization and Directionality of the Earth's Reflectances-2 (POLDER-2). The retrieved cloud top height from POLDER-2 compares well with the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) operational product with a bias of 0.83 km and standard deviation of 1.56 km.

三江源地区夏季-10℃层高度变化及云垂直结构特征

利用三江源地区沱沱河、玉树、达日3个探空站的探空资料对1999—2021年-10℃层高度时间变化趋势、突变时间进行了研究,同时对该地区2021年云出现频率和云垂直分布特征进行了研究,并探讨了-10℃层高度、云层垂直结构与降水的关系。结果表明:(1)近20 a来三江源地区夏季08时和20时的-10℃层高度平均值分别为7 014.1、7 201.6 m,并呈显著上升趋势。突变检验分析确定三江源地区夏季08时-10℃层高度出现突变是从2009年开始,20时出现突变是从2012年开始。(2)08时三江源地区夏季云层结构较为复杂,20时三江源地区夏季主要以单层云为主,6—8月平均出现频率分别为35%、42%、39%。从三江源地区夏季云顶高度、云底高度和云层厚度来看,7月云顶高度最低、云底高度最高、云层厚度最小。(3)三江源地区夏季-10℃层位于该地区云层中下部。产生降水时-10℃层高度主要集中在7 200~7 800 m,云层厚度在4 000~11 000 m。三江源地区夏季降水量与-10℃层高度、云顶高、云层厚之间存在显著的正相关,与云底高存在显著的负相关。-10℃层高度与云顶高度、云层厚度间存在显著的正相关;与云底高度间相关性不显著。

利用CloudSat资料分析青藏高原、高原南坡及南亚季风区云高度的统计特征量

云与辐射的相互作用对全球的天气和气候变化过程有着重要的影响,不同高度的云有着不同的辐射强迫,获得云体高度及其在时空上的变化对研究全球气候的变化有着重要意义。本文利用云卫星上的云廓线雷达(CloudSat/CPR)2006年6月—2007年12月期间的资料,对比分析了青藏高原、高原南坡和南亚季风区域不同云类的云顶、云底高度和云厚统计量。结果表明,在所研究区域单位面积上的云顶和云底高度变化具有一定的时空连续性,不同云类的云顶和云底高度存在不同的变化范围,且随着季节的改变均有明显的变化;同时各区域不同云类的云体厚度在夏季较大,冬季较小;各区域不同云类所占的比例(云量)也具有一定的季节变化规律。

FY-4B与FY-4A云顶性质产品精度的一致性评估

风云四号(FY4)气象卫星是我国第二代静止气象卫星,FY4B云顶温度、云顶高度和云顶压强的反演算法与FY4A相同,为了方便用户更好地应用FY4B云顶产品,本文利用美国EOS/MODIS极轨气象卫星和日本第二代静止气象卫星Himawari-8云产品检验FY4A和FY4B反演的云顶产品精度的一致性,结果表明,FY4B云顶产品与FY4A具有很好的一致性,其中B星多层云的较大误差主要是由于云分类将卷云错判成了多层云所致。从全样本的检验结果可以看出FY4B云顶参数产品的精度与FY4A精度大体相当,两者的差异主要来自于通道光谱特征的改变、定标精度及所用的辐射传输模式的不同。

基于CloudSat卫星资料的新疆三大山区不同类型云高特征研究

作为空中水资源的重要组成部分,云在地球水循环过程和气候系统中扮演着重要角色,不同高度的云因其物理特性和动力过程的不同而对人工增水作业具有不同的指示意义.采用2007年1月至2008年12月的美国宇航局(NASA)云卫星(CloudSat)2B-CLDCLASS资料,从不同类型云的高度分布特征分析了新疆阿尔泰山、天山和昆仑山区的云水资源情况.结果表明:各个季节三大山区高层云所占比例均较大,在20%以上,其中,天山山区和昆仑山区雨层云所占比例也较大,在15%以上.三大山区不同云的云顶和云底高度年变化趋势基本一致,昆仑山区各类型云的平均云顶和云底的高度最大,阿尔泰山区的最低.

地基云雷达与FY-4A卫星云顶高度联合反演方法

基于地基毫米波云雷达与FY-4A卫星对云顶同步观测的特点,分析云雷达垂直顶空观测的云顶高度与FY-4A卫星AGRI载荷通道数据之间关系,提出了地基云雷达与FY-4A卫星云顶高度联合反演方法,实现云雷达安装点周边区域卫星云顶高度的融合反演,并对反演结果进行验证分析。结果表明,AGRI载荷的第11~14通道值与云雷达观测云顶高度呈线性相关,且卫星通道值与云雷达观测云顶高度比值呈现冬季最小、春秋季次之、夏季最大的季节性变化特点;星地融合反演云顶高度与云雷达观测云顶高度相关系数0.84,融合后比融合前均方根误差减小了0.7 km,提高了卫星云顶高度的反演精度。

利用地面观测评估ERA5云底高度产品

云底高度对天气预报和飞行保障有着重要作用,但目前十分缺乏高时空分辨率的云底高度资料。本文利用中国东部地区云底高度的地面观测对ERA5再分析资料的云底高度进行评估,基于地面观测和ERA云底高度的小时平均偏差对ERA进行了初步订正和验证,综合分析了中国地区的云底高度分布特征。分析发现,ERA5再分析数据中的云底高度比观测值整体偏低,其中高估了低云的云底高度,低估了中、高云云底高度,且中、高云云底高度的偏差较大。另外,在有降水的条件下,ERA5数据中低云云底高度的准确性比无降水条件下的相对较高,但中、高云云底高度的准确性却更低。综合地面观测和ERA5数据云底高度的日变化和月变化分析发现,在我国东部地区,白天的云底高度整体低于夜间,峰值出现在夜间22:00(北京时间,下同),谷值出现在上午09:00,秋季和冬季的ERA5云底高度月变化与地面观测资料较为一致。基于日变化分析获得的小时平均偏差对ERA5数据的云底高度进行订正和验证,分析发现,2010~2019年间,中国地区的云底高度呈现自西北向东南逐渐降低的分布特征;中国南部、东北地区和青藏高原区域的云底高度相对较低,其中,青藏高原夏季和秋季的云底高度较低,春季和冬季较高,而沙漠地区在四个季节的云底高度都较高。

毫米波雷达在台风外围云系研究中的应用

为评估台风条件下毫米波雷达的探测表现,利用上海2018年和2019年4个台风影响期间的毫米波雷达数据,结合雨滴谱仪、静止卫星、S波段天气雷达等资料,探讨了利用毫米波雷达研究台风外围云系的可能性。结果表明:毫米波雷达探测台风外围区域具有良好的性能,对于云降水结构的垂直探测具有一定应用潜力;在降水强度低于5 mm·h^(-1)时雷达对于云顶高度的探测较为准确;提出一种融化层亮带判别方法,亮带识别结果与探空观测一致。对比毫米波雷达与S波段天气雷达降水强度反演,结果显示利用毫米波雷达衰减特征能够实现降水强度廓线的反演,但需要对存在显著雨滴碰并增长的降水进行识别并订正,可为毫米波雷达探测台风外围云系提供参考依据。

基于移动激光点云的非接触式接触网参数检测方法

针对目前接触网参数检测存在精度低、效率低等问题,提出一种基于移动激光点云的非接触式接触网参数检测方法:基于预处理后的接触网点云实现接触线和接触网支柱要素的分类;基于连通性分析,实现接触网支柱单体化分割,并通过建立kd-tree数据结构提取定位点;最后根据定位点与轨面关系计算接触网导高、拉出值。结果显示,基于本文方法得到的接触网参数检测精度符合《接触网悬挂状态检测监测装置(4C)暂行技术条件》要求,验证了方法的有效性和准确性。

基于云高仪探测数据的湖北省襄阳市云宏观特征分析

利用湖北省襄阳市2019—2021年3a云高仪观测资料,统计云出现频率、云层数和云底高度等指标,对该地区云的宏观特征进行分析,结果表明:(1)襄阳市全年云系覆盖率较高,3a平均云出现频率为61.3%。云出现频率呈现夏季高于冬季的季节变化特征,以及白天低、夜间高的日变化特征。(2)云层数以单层云为主(78.3%),尤其在冬季(80.1%)。多层云分布中,双层云所占比例最大(18.5%),且多层云出现频率随云层数增加而降低;多层云出现频率夏季高、冬季低,主要与夏季水汽相对充足、温度较高使得对流旺盛等因素有关。(3)云底高度在1.0km以下的云,1月份出现频率为26%,云系分布较为分散,7月份达40%,云系相对集中;而云底高度在1.0~3.5km之间的云,1月份出现频率达57%,云系分布较为集中,7月份为24%,云系相对分散。(4)所有的对流性降水云,出现在6—8月的占83.3%,傍晚前后出现对流性降水的概率最大;云底高度上,对流性降水云平均云底高度较所有降水云平均结果更低,低云所占比例更大。

考虑刀具跳动和非对称磨损的微铣削工件表面形貌模型

刀具跳动与非对称刀具磨损对微铣削工件表面形貌具有显著影响,在充分考虑这一影响因素基础上建立包含刀具跳动和非对称磨损的微铣削工件表面形貌模型,以精准预测微铣削工件表面切削形貌。基于余摆线运动方程研究刀具跳动和非对称性磨损对切屑负载的影响,构建切屑负载模型;根据最小切削厚度和弹性恢复理论,探索切屑负载和刀具磨损对工件底面切削残留高度的作用,并结合切屑负载模型建立包含刀具跳动和非对称磨损的底面切削形貌模型;提出底面形貌模型的三维点云仿真算法。实验结果表明,模型的预测误差在10%~15%,证明该模型能够精准预测微铣削工件底面的切削形貌。

基于融合点云数据的马尾松林地单木分割算法研究

激光雷达技术在森林资源调查中具有较大优势,但单平台采集的数据往往存在扫描盲区,难以获取完整的森林结构信息。为此,以马尾松林作为研究对象,探究基于融合点云数据的马尾松林单木分割适宜性算法。首先提出一种针对森林样地点云数据融合的方法,然后采用标记控制分水岭算法、距离判别聚类算法和层堆叠算法对马尾松林进行单木分割,并对3种算法的关键参数的选取进行分析,最后提取树高验证融合点云估测森林结构参数的适用性。得出实验结果如下:1)提出的点云融合方法可以有效融合机载和手持激光雷达点云,配准误差为0.054 m;2)3种单木分割算法中,标记控制分水岭算法分割精度最高,总体精度为0.88,高于距离判别聚类算法和层堆叠算法;3)利用标记控制分水岭算法分割的单木提取树高,基于融合点云数据的R2值为0.983 7,RMSE为0.759 6 m,相较于单一点云数据,精度明显提高。研究结果可为多源激光雷达在林业领域的应用以及马尾松林地森林资源管理提供技术支持。