Analysis of Three Cases of Stratocumulus-to-Cumulus Cloud Transition Observed During MAGIC

English Abstract:

It has been demonstrated that marine boundary layer clouds account for significant inter-model variability in cloud feedback factors. In order to increase understanding of these clouds, many ship-based measurements of eastern Pacific marine cloud systems were made during the Marine ARM GPCI Investigations of Clouds (MAGIC) field program. This study presents case analyses of three well-defined transitions from marine stratocumulus to cumulus clouds that were observed during three different MAGIC ship transits. For each case, stratocumulus, transition, and cumulus cloud regimes are identified. Ship-based in situ and remote measurements, along with radiative transfer modeling and remote sensing retrievals, are used to provide statistical characterization of cloud boundaries, radiative heating rates, in-cloud vertical air motion, temperature, humidity, and large-scale winds within the three identified regimes. Thus, similarities and differences between the processes occurring within the three regimes can be inspected. This is the beginning of a more involved work aimed at characterizing the stratocumulus-to-cumulus transition in marine boundary layer clouds.