Cloud base heights in Central African Tropical Montane Cloud Forests Biological Hotspots

Tropical Montane Cloud Forests (TMCFs) are fragile ecosystems  which are under great threat in many parts of the world. These ecosystems are characterized by frequent and prolonged immersion with orographic clouds and often lie at the core of biological hotspots.  Central Africa provides habitat for large numbers of endangered and endemic species  in its tropical and tropical montane cloud forests. The elevation of these cloud forests are highly varying and range from 1000– 5900m. Cloud base heights over these forests are retrieved using MOderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) cloud products and National Centers for Environmental Prediction global tropospheric final analysis (FNL) fields for the time period 2003 to 2009. Cloud base heights are computed by subtracting the estimated cloud thickness from the estimated cloud top height. CloudSat liquid water content and CALIPSO cloud top measurements provide detailed knowledge  cloud interior properties, leading to more accurate cloud base height approaches for mapping and monitoring these cloud forests.   Results show that the cloud base heights over the tropical montane cloud forests of Central Africa range from 1800 to 3000m which implies that most of these forests are immersed in clouds. The cloud liquid water content is lowest (~0.01mg/m3) in the outer edges of the cloud and increases as we go towards the interior (>0.09mg/m3) of the cloud.