Effect of cloud types on the Earth radiation budget calculated with the ISCCP C1 dataset: methodology and initial results

Abstract

A method is introduced to derive cloud effects on the earth radiation budget. The ISCCP C1 cloud data for daylight cases are used in combination with a radiative transfer model to estimate the outgoing broadband radiative fluxes at the top of the atmosphere. Two tests are performed: the modeled narrowband filtered radiances are verified against the ISCCP satellite observation data (internal tests) and the modeled broadband fluxes are compared against ERBE data (external tests). After successful completion of the tests, the reflected solar (OSR) and the outgoing longwave (OLR) radiation for each of the 35 ISCCP cloud classes are determined. Results are shown for a reduced set of nine cloud classes (three bins for cloud top height, three bins for the optical thickness). -from Authors