Abstract
Polar Mesospheric Cloud (PMC) observations from the Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) Cloud Imaging and Particle Size (CIPS) experiment are compared to results from the Solar Backscatter UltraViolet (SBUV/2) instrument for two PMC seasons in each hemisphere, from 2007–2009. For these comparisons, a CIPS cloud retrieval algorithm based on a technique similar to that used in the operational SBUV PMC retrievals was developed. CIPS nadir data analyzed this way agree with SBUV data to better than 1% (2%) for PMC occurrence frequency (albedo). Non-nadir, forward scattering CIPS data are also analyzed with the SBUV-type algorithm, enabling an indirect verification of the CIPS operational retrievals. CIPS operational PMC frequencies agree with these CIPS–SBUV-type retrievals to within 0.6% at 80–85° latitude, and are lower by 9.8% at 70–75° latitude. Overall, the comparisons show that the v3.20 CIPS operational cloud retrievals are valid for scientific research.
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