Regional Dependency of the Cloud Droplet Growth Process in Combined Analysis of Aqua MODIS and CloudSat CPR

Abstract

This paper shows the CFODD of the regional dependence of cloud growth processes in low-level clouds obtained by the combined use of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) onboard the Aqua satellite and the Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR) on the CloudSat satellite. This enabled the evaluation of the cloud growth process based on the cloud optical thickness (τ) and the effective radius of cloud particle (Re), similar to previous studies that performed statical analysis on low-level clouds over the globe. Our targets were regions in East Asian, Californian, and Peruvian. In all analysis areas, our results showed that the internal structure of clouds changed as Re increased, indicating cloud growth. In the East Asian region, the maximum τ remained relatively constant even when cloud droplet size grew. In contrast, in the regions of Californian and Peruvian, the maximum τ increased with Re during the condensation growth process and then decreased as drizzle particles transformed into rain. It was also found that Re was smaller in the East Asian region unlike in Californian and Peruvian. This indicates that there are more aerosols in the East Asian region, which is consistent with its geographical characteristics.