A Simple Algorithm to Find Cloud Optical Depth Applied to Thin Ice Clouds
Download a printable PDF ![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20080916163818im_/http://www.arm.gov/images/pdf_icon.gif)
Barnard, J. C., Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Cloud Distributions/Characterizations
Cloud Properties
Barnard, JC, CN Long, EI Kassianov, SA McFarlane, JM Comstock, M Freer, and GM McFarquhar. 2008. "Development and evaluation of a simple algorithm to find cloud optical depth with emphasis on thin ice clouds ." The Open Atmospheric Science Journal 2, doi: 10.2174/1874282300802010046: 46-55.
Figure 1: Cloud optical depth from: (1) an average of many methods, as described in Comstock et al. (2007), (2) direct beam measurements of the multi-filter rotating shadowband radiometer (MFRSR; Min et al., 2004), and (3) simple algorithm developed by Barnard et al. (2008)
We have developed a simple, semi-empirical algorithm for finding cloud optical depth from surface-ba
Ice cloud properties have been investigated extensively using data from the 2000 ARM Climate Research Facility (ACRF) cloud intensive operating period (IOP) and the ACRF Tropical Warm Pool-International Cloud Experiment (TWP-ICE). In particular, data from these experiments have provided a means to evaluate ground-ba
The simple method described here seems to work as well as other methods, except for the thinest of clouds (optical depth less than about 0.1). The method can be used to estimate cloud optical depth distributions at the diverse, worldwide locations where broadband irradiances are measured.