Super Greenhouse Effect Detection from Aqua instruments

1
Super Greenhouse Effect Detection from Aqua
instruments

• Dan Feldman
• Notes for DC Trip
• 10/16/05

2
Clear-sky greenhouse parameter

• g increases linearly with SST for SST
• g increases at a much faster rate for SST298 K
  
  
• From Ravel and Ramanathan (1989) using ERBE data

3
g is sensitive to upper tropospheric H2O

• MLS (aboard AURA) sensitive to ice-water content
  and UT H2O
  
• g vs. SST similar for AIRS and MLS
• Super greenhouse effect visible from both
  instruments
  
• What about convection?

4
Radiative forcing due to SST298K

• Do SSTs 298K contribute to increased cloud cover
  and/or cloud reflectivity to counteract
  conventional definition of super greenhouse
  effect?
• Answer may lie with AIRS and CERES data
• AIRS UT H2O, cloud fraction, SST
• CERES Albedo 0.3 um to 5 um

5
Analysis period 08/2004-01/2005

• AIRS UT H2O product agrees well with MLS and
  radiosondes at ARM TWP site (Nauru)
  
• SSTs in western Pacific 300 K
• AIRS cloud fraction well-correlated to SST 298
  K
  
• Low UT H2O correlated with low albedo as measured
  by CERES. The converse statement is not as well
  supported by the data.

6
AIRS vs. TWP radiosondes
7
AIRS SST Product
8
AIRS UT H2O
9
AIRS Cloud Fraction
10
AQUA CERES Albedo