The algorithm to produce the Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) Edition 4.0 (Ed4) Energy Balanced and Filled (EBAF)-surface data product is explained. The algorithm forces computed ...top-of-atmosphere (TOA) irradiances to match with Ed4 EBAF-TOA irradiances by adjusting surface, cloud, and atmospheric properties. Surface irradiances are subsequently adjusted using radiative kernels. The adjustment process is composed of two parts: bias correction and Lagrange multiplier. The bias in temperature and specific humidity between 200 and 500 hPa used for the irradiance computation is corrected based on observations by Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS). Similarly, the bias in the cloud fraction is corrected based on observations by Cloud–Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) and CloudSat. Remaining errors in surface, cloud, and atmospheric properties are corrected in the Lagrange multiplier process. Ed4 global annual mean (January 2005 through December 2014) surface net shortwave (SW) and longwave (LW) irradiances increase by 1.3 W m−2 and decrease by 0.2 W m−2, respectively, compared to EBAF Edition 2.8 (Ed2.8) counterparts (the previous version), resulting in an increase in net SW + LW surface irradiance of 1.1 W m−2. The uncertainty in surface irradiances over ocean, land, and polar regions at various spatial scales are estimated. The uncertainties in all-sky global annual mean upward and downward shortwave irradiance are 3 and 4 W m−2, respectively, and the uncertainties in upward and downward longwave irradiance are 3 and 6 W m−2, respectively. With an assumption of all errors being independent, the uncertainty in the global annual mean surface LW + SW net irradiance is 8 W m−2.
Mass‐diameter (m‐D) and projected area‐diameter (A‐D) relations are often used to describe the shape of nonspherical ice particles. This study analytically investigates how retrieved effective radius ...(reff) and ice water content (IWC) from radar and lidar measurements depend on the assumption of m‐D m(D) = a Db and A‐D A(D) = γ Dδ relationships. We assume that unattenuated reflectivity factor (Z) and visible extinction coefficient (kext) by cloud particles are available from the radar and lidar measurements, respectively. A sensitivity test shows that reff increases with increasing a, decreasing b, decreasing γ, and increasing δ. It also shows that a 10% variation of a, b, γ, and δ induces more than a 100% change of reff. In addition, we consider both gamma and lognormal particle size distributions (PSDs) and examine the sensitivity of reff to the assumption of PSD. It is shown that reff increases by up to 10% with increasing dispersion (μ) of the gamma PSD by 2, when large ice particles are predominant. Moreover, reff decreases by up to 20% with increasing the width parameter (ω) of the lognormal PSD by 0.1. We also derive an analytic conversion equation between two effective radii when different particle shapes and PSD assumptions are used. When applying the conversion equation to nine types of m‐D and A‐D relationships, reff easily changes up to 30%. The proposed reff conversion method can be used to eliminate the inconsistency of assumptions that made in a cloud retrieval algorithm and a forward radiative transfer model.
Key Points
Ice particle shape determines m‐D and A‐D relations, which is used for radar‐lidar retrievals
Effective radius is a function of coefficients in m‐D and A‐D relations
The conversion method of an effective radius is derived when different m‐D and A‐D are used
Abstract Shortwave irradiance biases due to two- and four-stream approximations have been studied for the last couple of decades, but biases in estimating Earth’s radiation budget have not been ...examined in earlier studies. To quantify biases in diurnally averaged irradiances, we integrate the two- and four-stream biases using realistic diurnal variations of cloud properties from Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) synoptic (SYN) hourly product. Three approximations are examined in this study: delta-two-stream-Eddington (D2strEdd), delta-two-stream-quadrature (D2strQuad), and delta-four-stream-quadrature (D4strQuad). Irradiances computed by the Discrete Ordinate Radiative Transfer model (DISORT) and Monte Carlo (MC) methods are used as references. The MC noises are further examined by comparing with DISORT results. When the biases are integrated with one day of solar zenith angle variation, regional biases of D2strEdd and D2strQuad reach up to 8 W m−2, while biases of D4strQuad reach up to 2 W m−2. When the biases are further averaged monthly or annually, regional biases of D2strEdd and D2strQuad can reach −1.5 W m−2 in SW top-of-atmosphere (TOA) upward irradiances and +3 W m−2 in surface downward irradiances. In contrast, regional biases of D4strQuad are within +0.9 for TOA irradiances and −1.2 W m−2 for surface irradiances. Except for polar regions, monthly and annual global mean biases are similar, suggesting that the biases are nearly independent to season. Biases in SW heating rate profiles are up to −0.008 K day−1 for D2strEdd and −0.016 K day−1 for D2strQuad, while the biases of the D4strQuad method are negligible.
Abstract
Cloud vertical profile measurements from the
CALIPSO
and
CloudSat
active sensors are used to improve top-of-atmosphere (TOA) shortwave (SW) broadband (BB) irradiance computations. The active ...sensor measurements, which occasionally miss parts of the cloud columns because of the full attenuation of sensor signals, surface clutter, or insensitivity to a certain range of cloud particle sizes, are adjusted using column-integrated cloud optical depth derived from the passive MODIS sensor. Specifically, we consider two steps in generating cloud profiles from multiple sensors for irradiance computations. First, cloud extinction coefficient and cloud effective radius (CER) profiles are merged using available active and passive measurements. Second, the merged cloud extinction profiles are constrained by the MODIS visible scaled cloud optical depth, defined as a visible cloud optical depth multiplied by (1 − asymmetry parameter), to compensate for missing cloud parts by active sensors. It is shown that the multisensor-combined cloud profiles significantly reduce positive TOA SW BB biases, relative to those with MODIS-derived cloud properties only. The improvement is more pronounced for optically thick clouds, where MODIS ice CER is largely underestimated. Within the SW BB (0.18–4
μ
m), the 1.04–1.90-
μ
m spectral region is mainly affected by the CER, where both the cloud absorption and solar incoming irradiance are considerable.
Significance Statement
The purpose of this study is to improve shortwave irradiance computations at the top of the atmosphere by using combined cloud properties from active and passive sensor measurements. Relative to the simulation results with passive sensor cloud measurements only, the combined cloud profiles provide more accurate shortwave simulation results. This is achieved by more realistic profiles of cloud extinction coefficient and cloud particle effective radius. The benefit is pronounced for optically thick clouds composed of large ice particles.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial resistance and to characterize the implicated genes in
Escherichia coli isolated from commercial fish and seafood. Fish and seafood ...samples (n
=
2663) were collected from wholesale and retail markets in Seoul, Korea between 2005 and 2008. A total of 179
E. coli isolates (6.7%) from those samples were tested for resistance to a range of antimicrobial agents. High rates of resistance to the following drugs were observed: tetracycline (30.7%), streptomycin (12.8%), cephalothin (11.7%), ampicillin (6.7%) and ticarcillin (6.1%). No resistances to amikacin, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid and cefoxitin were observed. Seventy out of 179 isolates which were resistant to one or more drugs were investigated by PCR for the presence of 3 classes of antimicrobial resistance genes (tetracycline, aminoglycosides and beta-lactams), class 1, 2 and 3 integrons. Gene cassettes of classes 1 and 2 integrons were further characterized by amplicon sequencing. The tetracycline resistance genes
tetB and
tetD were found in 29 (41.4%) isolates and 14 (20%) isolates, respectively. The beta-lactam resistance gene,
bla
TEM
was found in 15 (21.4%) isolates. The aminoglycoside resistance gene,
aadA was found in 18 (25.7%) isolates. Class 1 integron was detected in 41.4% (n
=
29) of the isolates, while only 2.9% (n
=
2) of the isolates were positive for the presence of class 2 integron. Two different gene cassettes arrangements were identified in class 1 integron-positive isolates:
dfrA12-
aadA2 (1.8
kb, five isolates) and
aadB-
aadA2 (1.6
kb, four isolates). One isolate containing class 2 integron presented the
dfrA1-sat-aadA1 gene cassette array. These data suggest that commercial fish and seafood may act as the reservoir for multi-resistant bacteria and facilitate the dissemination of the resistance genes.
►
E. coli isolates (n
=
179) were isolated from 2663 fish and seafood samples. ► Seventy out of 179 isolates were resistant to one or more antimicrobial agents. ► Fifty five
E. coli isolates were resistance to tetracycline. ► Fifty three out of 70 resistant isolates had one or more antimicrobial resistance genes. ► Twenty nine isolates carried class 1 integron and two isolates had class 2 integron.
Ice cloud particles exhibit a range of shapes and sizes affecting a cloud’s single-scattering properties. Because they cannot be inferred from passive visible/infrared imager measurements, ...assumptions about the bulk single-scattering properties of ice clouds are fundamental to satellite cloud retrievals and broadband radiative flux calculations. To examine the sensitivity to ice particle model assumptions, three sets of models are used in satellite imager retrievals of ice cloud fraction, thermodynamic phase, optical depth, effective height, and particle size, and in top-of-atmosphere (TOA) and surface broadband radiative flux calculations. The three ice particle models include smooth hexagonal ice columns (SMOOTH), roughened hexagonal ice columns, and a two-habit model (THM) comprising an ensemble of hexagonal columns and 20-element aggregates. While the choice of ice particle model has a negligible impact on daytime cloud fraction and thermodynamic phase, the global mean ice cloud optical depth retrieved from THM is smaller than from SMOOTH by 2.3 (28%), and the regional root-mean-square difference (RMSD) is 2.8 (32%). Effective radii derived from THM are 3.9 μm (16%) smaller than SMOOTH values and the RMSD is 5.2 μm (21%). In contrast, the regionalRMSDin TOA and surface flux between THM and SMOOTH is only 1% in the shortwave and 0.3% in the longwave when a consistent ice particle model is assumed in the cloud property retrievals and forward radiative transfer model calculations. Consequently, radiative fluxes derived using a consistent ice particle model assumption throughout provide a more robust reference for climate model evaluation compared to ice cloud property retrievals.
Abstract
Satellite observations from the Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System show that Earth’s energy imbalance has doubled from 0.5 ± 0.2 Wm
−2
during the first 10 years of this century to ...1.0 ± 0.2 Wm
−
2
during the past decade. The increase is the result of a 0.9 ± 0.3 Wm
−2
increase absorbed solar radiation (ASR) that is partially offset by a 0.4 ± 0.25 Wm
−2
increase in outgoing longwave radiation (OLR). Despite marked differences in ASR and OLR trends during the hiatus (2000–2010), transition-to-El Niño (2010–2016) and post-El Niño (2016–2022) periods, trends in net top-of-atmosphere flux (NET) remain within 0.1 Wm
−2
per decade of one another, implying a steady acceleration of climate warming. Northern and southern hemisphere trends in NET are consistent to 0.06 ± 0.31 Wm
−2
per decade due to a compensation between weak ASR and OLR hemispheric trend differences of opposite sign. We find that large decreases in stratocumulus and middle clouds over the sub-tropics and decreases in low and middle clouds at mid-latitudes are the primary reasons for increasing ASR trends in the northern hemisphere (NH). These changes are especially large over the eastern and northern Pacific Ocean, and coincide with large increases in sea-surface temperature (SST). The decrease in cloud fraction and higher SSTs over the NH sub-tropics lead to a significant increase in OLR from cloud-free regions, which partially compensate for the NH ASR increase. Decreases in middle cloud reflection and a weaker reduction in low-cloud reflection account for the increase in ASR in the southern hemisphere, while OLR changes are weak. Changes in cloud cover in response to SST increases imply a feedback to climate change yet a contribution from radiative forcing or internal variability cannot be ruled out.
Abstract
Because of the limitation of the spatial resolution of satellite sensors, satellite pixels identified as cloudy are often partly cloudy. For the first time, this study demonstrates the bias ...in shortwave (SW) broadband irradiances for partly cloudy pixels when the cloud optical depths are retrieved with an overcast and homogeneous assumption, and subsequently, the retrieved values are used for the irradiance computations. The sign of the SW irradiance bias is mainly a function of viewing geometry of the cloud retrieval. The bias in top-of-atmosphere (TOA) upward SW irradiances is positive for small viewing zenith angles (VZAs) <~60° and negative for large VZAs >~60°. For a given solar zenith angle and viewing geometry, the magnitude of the bias increases with the cloud optical depth and reaches a maximum at the cloud fraction between 0.2 and 0.8. The sign of the SW surface net irradiance bias is opposite of the sign of TOA upward irradiance bias, with a similar magnitude. As a result, the bias in absorbed SW irradiances by the atmosphere is smaller than the biases in both TOA and surface irradiances. The monthly mean biases in SW irradiances due to partly cloudy pixels are <1.5 W m
−2
when cloud properties are derived from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard
Aqua
.
Three‐dimensional (3‐D) effects on broadband shortwave top of atmosphere (TOA) nadir radiance, atmospheric absorption, and surface irradiance are examined using 3‐D cloud fields obtained from one ...hour's worth of A‐train satellite observations and one‐dimensional (1‐D) independent column approximation (ICA) and full 3‐D radiative transfer simulations. The 3‐D minus ICA differences in TOA nadir radiance multiplied by π, atmospheric absorption, and surface downwelling irradiance, denoted as πΔI, ΔA, and ΔT, respectively, are analyzed by cloud type. At the 1 km pixel scale, πΔI, ΔA, and ΔT exhibit poor spatial correlation. Once averaged with a moving window, however, better linear relationships among πΔI, ΔA, and ΔT emerge, especially for moving windows larger than 5 km and large θ0. While cloud properties and solar geometry are shown to influence the relationships amongst πΔI, ΔA, and ΔT, once they are separated by cloud type, their linear relationships become much stronger. This suggests that ICA biases in surface irradiance and atmospheric absorption can be approximated based on ICA biases in nadir radiance as a function of cloud type.
Key Points
The 3‐D minus ICA irradiance is obtained at TOA, atmosphere, and surface level
For larger scale, linear relationships emerge among the three difference terms
Cloud type determines the relationships among the three difference terms
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) aboard the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Aqua satellite has been operating since September 2002. Its information content, superb instrument ...performance, and dense sampling pattern make the AIRS radiances an invaluable data set for climate studies. The trends of global-mean, nadir-view, clear-sky AIRS radiances from 2003 to 2020 are studied here, together with the counterparts of synthetic radiances based on two reanalyzes, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Reanalysis V5 (ECMWF ERA5) and NASA Goddard Earth Observing System V5.4.1 (GEOS-5.4.1; a reanalysis product without assimilation of hyperspectral radiances such as AIRS). The AIRS observation shows statistically significant negative trends in most of its CO2 channels, positive but non-significant trends in the channels over the window regions, and statistically significant positive trends in some of its H2O channels. The best agreements between observed and simulated radiance trends are seen over the CO2 tropospheric channels, while the observed and simulated trends over the CO2 stratospheric channels are opposite. ERA5 results largely agree with the AIRS observation over the H2O channels. The comparison in the H2O channels helps reveal a data continuity issue in the GEOS-5.4.1. Contributions from individual variables to the radiance trends are also assessed by performing separate simulations. This study provides the first synopsis of the global-mean trend of AIRS radiances over all its thermal-IR channels.