Crystal habit retrievals from MISR and MODIS

A method of retrieving cloud phase and the dominant ice crystal habit from radiances measured by the Multi-angle Imaging Spectro-Radiometer (MISR) and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) has been developed. The retrieval method takes advantage of the differences in the phase function of various particle shapes as a function of scattering angle. Several case studies are presented which illustrate the retrieval method. A comparison with semi-coincident in situ observations for one case study indicates that the retrieved crystal habits are consistent with the observations. Additionally, we illustrate that constraining the particle habit improves ground based radar retrievals of ice cloud particle size and ice water content.