CloudSat-AIRS cloud top height differences as a function of AIRS cloud fraction and CloudSat cloud type

CloudSat-AIRS cloud top height differences as a function of AIRS cloud fraction are shown. Since the ability of AIRS to characterize cloud amount and height is cloud-type dependent, differences in the agreement between AIRS and CloudSat vary depending on the cloud type. (a) For all cloud types. (b) portion of PDF in (a) where the cloud classification indicates Altocumulus (Ac) clouds at the CloudSat cloud top; there is no partitioning of CloudSat profiles that may contain one or more vertically-stacked cloud types. (c) Altostratus (As). (d) Cumulonimbus (Cb). (e) Cirrus (Ci). (f) Cumulus (Cu). (g) Nimbostratus (Ns). (h) Stratocumulus (Sc). The relative frequencies of each cloud type are given by the magnitudes of each PDF.

Citation
Citation: Kahn, B. H., Chahine, M. T., Stephens, G. L., Mace, G. G., Marchand, R. T., Wang, Z., Barnet, C. D., Eldering, A., Holz, R. E., Kuehn, R. E., and Vane, D. G.: Cloud type comparisons of AIRS, CloudSat, and CALIPSO cloud height and amount, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 8, 1231-1248, 2008.