Effect of invisible clouds on earth radiation energy budget and aerosol product

Studies show that super-thin clouds such as cirrus and other invisible clouds were found in 42-44% of global observations. Passive remote sensing techniques such as the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) (King et al., 1992) generally fail to detect optically thin clouds. The launch of NASA's satellite for the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) (Winker et al. 2003) provides an unprecedented ability to detect thin cloud layers globally. Also, the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) (Wielicki et al 1996) provides accurate measurements of the top-of-atmosphere (TOA) radiation flux, and the Atmospheric InfraRed Sounder (AIRS) (Chahine et al. 2006) measures the water vapor in the atmosphere. By using CERES, MODIS, CALIPSO, and AIRS measurements in a synergistic manner, an assessment of the influence of invisibly thin clouds on the Earth's radiation energy budget is accomplished. The bias errors in MODIS aerosol optical thickness caused by the existence of invisible clouds are also demonstrated.

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