Cirrus

Cirrus clouds are high, thin, tropospheric clouds composed predominately of ice. In the last ten years, considerable work has shown that cirrus is widespread--more common than previously believed--and has a significant impact on climate and global change. As the next generation weather satellites are being designed, the impact of cirrus on remote sensing and the global energy budget must be recognized and accommodated. This book, the first to be devoted entirely to cirrus clouds, captures the state of knowledge of cirrus and serves as a practical handbook as well. Each chapter is based on an invited review talk presented at Cirrus, a meeting hosted by the Optical Society of America and co-sponsored by the American Geophysical Union and the American Meteorological Society. All aspects of cirrus clouds are covered, an approach that reaches into diverse fields. Topics include: the definition of cirrus, cirrus climatologies, nucleation, evolution and dissipation, mixed-phase thermodynamics, crystallinity, orientation mechanisms, dynamics, scattering, radiative transfer, in situ sampling, processes that produce or influence cirrus (and vice versa), contrails, and the influence of cirrus on climate. Contents......Page 10 First Authors......Page 14 1. Cirrus: History and Definition......Page 22 2. Cirrus: A Modern Perspective......Page 30 3. Ice Crystals in Cirrus......Page 60 4. Mid-latitude and Tropical Cirrus: Microphysical Properties......Page 97 5. Laboratory Studies of Cirrus Cloud Processes......Page 121 6. Cirrus and Weather: A Satellite Perspective......Page 155 7. Satellite Remote Sensing of Cirrus......Page 166 8. Ground-based Remote Sensing of Cirrus Clouds......Page 187 9. Molecular-Backscatter Lidar Profiling of the Volume-Scattering Coefficient in Cirrus......Page 216 10. Structural and Optical Properties of Cirrus from LIRAD-type Observations......Page 230 11. Contrail Cirrus......Page 250 12. Subvisual Cirrus......Page 275 13. Radiative Transfer in Cirrus Clouds: Light Scatting and Spectral Information......Page 284 14. On Cirrus Modeling for General Circulation and Climate Models......Page 316 15. GCM Simulations of Cirrus for Climate Studies......Page 329 16. Ice Clouds in Numerical Weather Prediction Models: Progress, Problems, and Prospects......Page 346 17. Dynamic Processes in Cirrus Clouds: A Review of Observational Results......Page 365 18. Dynamic Processes in Cirrus Clouds: Concepts and Models......Page 394 19. Microphysical Processes in Cirrus and Their Impact on Radiation: A Mesoscale Modeling Perspective......Page 416 20. Cirrus, Climate, and Global Change......Page 452 21. Cirrus: The Future......Page 468 Appendix: Chapter 2 Plates – Cirrus Case Studies......Page 476 A......Page 488 C......Page 489 D......Page 491 F......Page 492 I......Page 493 L......Page 494 M......Page 495 P......Page 496 S......Page 497 T......Page 498 Y......Page 499 First Authors. 1. Cirrus: History and Definition, David K. Lynch. 2. Cirrus Clouds: A Modern Perspective, Kenneth Sassen. 3. Ice Crystals in Cirrus, John Hallett, William P. Arnott, Matthew P. Bailey, and Joan T. Hallett. 4. Mid-latitude and Tropical Cirrus: Microphysical Properties, Andrew J. Heymsfield and Greg M. McFarquhar. 5. Laboratory Studies of Cirrus Cloud Processes, Paul DeMott. 6. Cirrus and Weather: A Satellite Perspective, Donald P. Wylie. 7. Satellite Remote Sensing of Cirrus, Patrick Minnis. 8. Ground-based Remote Sensing of Cirrus Clouds, Kenneth Sassen and Gerald Mace. 9. Mole "This book captures the state of knowledge of cirrus clouds. Each chapter is based on an invited review talk presented at Cirrus, a meeting hosted by the Optical Society of America and co-sponsored by the American Geophysical Union and the American Meteorological Society. Topics includ: the definition of cirrus, cirrus climatologies, nucleation, evolution and dissipation, mixed-phase thermodynamics, crystallinity, orientation mechanisms, dynamics, scattering, radiative transfer, in situ sampling ..." This text, devoted entirely to cirrus clouds, captures the state of knowledge of cirrus clouds and serves as a practical handbook as well The most distinguishing physical property of cirrus (cirrostratus and cirrocumulus) is their composition.