Peggy Achtert, Ian M. Brooks, Matthew D. Shupe, Ola Persson, Michael Tjernström, John Prytherch, Barbara Brooks
This dataset consists of a range of output products from the Cloudnet algorithm. Cloudnet combines cloud radar, ceilometer, microwave radiometer, and radiosonde profiles averaged to a common grid at the cloud radar resolution to derive a set of retrieved cloud properties. These include: (1) macrophysical properties such as cloud base and top heights, liquid and ice water paths, (2) cloud fraction, (3) microphysical particle classifications such as ice, liquid, mixed-phase, and aerosol, (4) estimates of particle effective radii, liquid and ice water contents, and precipitation rates.
The Cloudnet products are designed to be used for evaluation of weather forecast models as well as fundamental process studies of cloud.
This dataset derives from measurements made during the SWERUS-C3 expedition to the Arctic Ocean with Swedish icebreaker Oden during summer 2014 (July 3 – October 5). Data is presented on a 30-second time base, and approximately 31 m vertical resolution.
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Citation
Peggy Achtert, Ian M. Brooks, Matthew D. Shupe, Ola Persson, Michael Tjernström, John Prytherch, Barbara Brooks (2020) Cloudnet remote sensing retrievals of cloud properties from the SWERUS-C3 Arctic Ocean expedition in 2014. Dataset version 1. Bolin Centre Database. https://doi.org/10.17043/oden-swerus-2014-cloudnet-1
References
Achtert P, O’Connor E, Brooks IM, Sotiropoulou G, Shupe MD, Pospichal B, Brooks BJ, Tjernström M (2020) Properties of Arctic liquid and mixed phase clouds from ship-borne Cloudnet observations during ACSE 2014. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2020-56
Data description
Data are provided as the standard set of Cloudnet output files. All data files are netCDF, with one file per day. The data are organized as subsets in seven directories, each containing 77 nc files:
classification — Basic particle type classification for each time/height grid point (liquid, ice, aerosol...), cloud boundary altitudes.
categorize — The various input data and some derived quantities, used by cloudnet (radar reflectivity, lidar backscatter, profiles of temperature, humidity, wind, etc).
lwc-adiabatic-method — Cloud liquid water content derived from an assumption of adiabatic profiles, also liquid water path.
lwc-scaled-adiabatic — Cloud liquid water content derived from an assumption of adiabatic profiles scaled to the total liquid water path (derived from microwave radiometer retrieval), also liquid water path.
iwc-Z-T-method — Ice water content and total ice water path.
drizzle — Drizzle precipitation rate.
lwf-Z-rainrate — Liquid water precipitation rate, and droplet properties.
All files include time and position (latitude, longitude), and descriptions of the variables and methods and assumptions used to derive them. Retrieval uncertainties are given for most variables.
An additional directory contains png image files with various plots of the data.
Total file size: 17.7 GB.
Comments
Please cite the article by Achtert et al. (2020) when using this dataset.
Details of the cloudnet algorithm, including technical reports can be found at Cloudnet.
Information about the SWERUS-C3 expedition is available from the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat. See also SWERUS-C3 program website, managed by the Department of Geological Sciences, Stockholm University.