Marine Cold‐Air Outbreak Snowfall in the North Atlantic: A CloudSat Perspective

Details

• Journal Title:
  Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
• Personal Author:
  Mateling, Marian E. ; Pettersen, Claire ; Kulie, Mark S. ; L’Ecuyer, Tristan S.
• NOAA Program & Office:
  NESDIS (National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service) ; STAR (Center for Satellite Applications and Research)
• Description:
  This study analyzes the influence of marine cold-air outbreaks (MCAO) on snowfall and cloud properties in the North Atlantic Ocean using CloudSat observations. Comparing reanalysis-determined MCAO conditions (low-level instability) against “non-CAO” conditions, we find that MCAO conditions are associated with predominantly light snowfall rates (<2 mm day −1 liquid water equivalent) whereas non-CAO conditions are more frequently associated with higher snowfall rates. Near cold-air sources, such as sea ice or cold continents, MCAO-forced snowfall rates tend to be more frequent and more intense. Additionally, 76% of snowing clouds identified during MCAO conditions are shallow (mean cloud top height <3 km) stratocumulus,
• Keywords:
  Atmospheric Science Earth And Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous) Geophysics Space And Planetary Science Earth And Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous) Space And Planetary Science Earth And Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous) Space And Planetary Science
• Source:
  Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 128(10)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.1029/2022jd038053
• ISSN:
  2169-897X ; 2169-8996
• Format:
  PDF
• Publisher:
  American Geophysical Union (AGU)
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• License:
  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
• Rights Information:
  CC BY-NC-ND
• Compliance:
  Library
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:47b872406e00e294b83f963e1c539b49c0ae32a61b6e80324523587e66f030f1
• Download URL:
  https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/54010/noaa_54010_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 11.89 MB ]