Vol. 37, issue 09, article # 9

Abstract:

The absence of an adequate optical model for cirrus clouds currently poses a significant challenge in interpreting ground-based and space-borne lidar data. This, in turn, leads to a lack of up-to-date information for climate modeling and daily weather forecasting. Existing optical models typically assume that ice crystals in cirrus clouds have an ideal shape, which is often not the case. This article proposes an optical model for clouds which consists of the most common irregularly shaped particles, specifically hollow hexagonal columns. The model takes into account the actual distributions of particles in the cloud over both depth of the cavity and particle size. Additionally, the model considers the scenario of a cloud containing a mixture of ideal hexagonal columns and hollow hexagonal columns, which significantly enhances the model reliability. The resulting model holds great practical importance for laser sounding of the atmosphere.

Keywords:

light scattering, physical optics method, atmospheric ice crystal, cirrus cloud, optical model, hollow column

Figures:

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