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@ARTICLE{Spang:187218,
author = {Spang, Reinhold and Günther, Gebhard and Müller, Rolf and
Hoffmann, Lars and Griessbach, Sabine and Rolf, Christian
and Riese, Martin},
title = {{O}berservations of cirrus clouds in the lowermost
stratosphere: common feature, rare incident, or
observational artefact ?},
journal = {Geophysical research abstracts},
volume = {16},
issn = {1607-7962},
address = {Katlenburg-Lindau},
publisher = {Soc.},
reportid = {FZJ-2015-00891},
pages = {EGU2014-7297},
year = {2014},
abstract = {Ground based observations by lidar instruments show
evidential occurrence of optically and vertically thin
cirrus clouds in the lowermost stratosphere (LMS). The
knowledge about the potential formation processes of these
clouds, their occurrence and distribution, and their
radiative impact is very limited. Global observations of LMS
cirrus clouds by satellites would be very helpful to better
characterise these clouds. However, this is a difficult task
because the optical thickness of LMS cirrus is usually at
the edge of the detection limit (for space borne
limb-sounders) or even below (for infra red nadir
sounders).In addition, instrument characteristics can make
it difficult to judge if a cloud observation is inside the
LMS of just at or below the tropopause. Consequently it is
not really proven if LMS cirrus clouds are a rare occasion
or a globally common feature. We will give a brief overview
of the history of LMS cirrus observations from ground and
space borne sensors and are highlighting the sometimes
controversial discussion on the observation of clouds in the
LMS. Then we will focus on results from measurements of the
Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometers and Telescopes for the
Atmosphere (CRISTA) satellite instrument. CRISTA made a
number of snapshot measurements of the UT/LS during its two
Space Shuttle missions in 1994 and 1997. The measurements
demonstrate the potential of the IR limb viewing technique
to provide information on several trace constituents and
optically thin cirrus clouds with comparably high spatial
resolution. The CRISTA data are still unique for IR limb
sounders in the sense of vertical (1.5 km) and horizontal
(300-500 km) resolution as well as daily global coverage by
using three telescopes for three different viewing
directions simultaneously. The detection sensitivity for
optically thin cirrus clouds is extremely high. Depending on
the vertical and horizontal extent of a cirrus cloud, the
detection of an ice water content > 10-5g/m3 is achievable.
This detection limit is even better than for the CALIPSO
lidar, the most sensitive instrument currently in space. An
overview of CRISTA-2 water vapour and cirrus observations in
August 1997 will be given, and compared with corresponding
ECMWF reanalyses and simulations by the Chemical Lagrangian
Model of the Stratosphere (CLaMS). The observations indicate
a considerable flux of moisture from the upper tropical
troposphere into the extra-tropical lowermost stratosphere,
accompanied by high cirrus cloud occurrence frequencies even
at rather high northern latitudes (65N) and at altitudes
above the tropopause (around 350 K potential temperature).
The observations are compared with CLaMS simulations, which
include a simple parameterisation for cirrus cloud formation
and sedimentation of ice particles. The results suggest a
connection between isentropic, quasi-horizontal transport of
water vapour from the sub-tropics and the occurrence of
optically thin cirrus clouds in the lowermost stratosphere
well above the tropopause.},
cin = {IEK-7},
ddc = {550},
cid = {I:(DE-Juel1)IEK-7-20101013},
pnm = {234 - Composition and Dynamics of the Upper Troposphere and
Stratosphere (POF2-234)},
pid = {G:(DE-HGF)POF2-234},
typ = {PUB:(DE-HGF)16},
url = {https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/187218},
}