Some aircraft observations of the scattering properties of ice crystals

Abstract

Aircraft-borne radiometer measurements made within three cirrus cloud layers are presented together with associated in situ cloud microphysical data. The angular variation of the observed shortwave radiances is simulated using a Monte Carlo multiple-scattering model, making use of a number of scattering phase functions, both theoretical and experimental. It is found that, in general, the laboratory-measured phase functions yield the closest agreement with the aircraft radiances. -from Author