A Study of Aerosol Effect on Marine Water Clouds with Long-term Satellite Climate Data Records

Abstract:

Cloud microphysical structures and properties provide a critical link between the energy and hydrological cycles of Earth’s climate system. A change of cloud microphysical properties related to anthropogenic activities may result in distressing climate consequence and changes. Since atmospheric aerosol is the major source of cloud condensation nuclei (CNN) that is critical for the formation of cloud microphysical structures and properties, aerosol changes due to anthropogenic emissions will result in the modification of CCN and cloud microphysical properties and eventually cause the changes of Earth’s climate. In this study, we will investigate the effect of aerosol on the microphysical properties, including cloud particle effective radius, cloud water path, and cloud optical depth, of marine stratus clouds by using more than 30-years climate data records (CDRs) of aerosols and clouds derived from NOAA operational AVHRR satellite observations. The correlation between satellite derived cloud and aerosol microphysical parameters will be determined and the statistics significance will be examined using the long-term AVHRR satellite CDRs.