Combined Satellite- and Surface-Based Observations of Clouds

A new method for combining satellite and surface-based cloud observations into a self-consistent three-dimensional field is presented. This method derives the probabilities of the cloud states, which are most consistent with all of the observations and assumptions concerning the nature and relative uncertainties of the observations. It is applied to a three-layer atmosphere using monthly satellite- and surface-based cloud observations. The reconstructions of the observed fields usually lead to modifications of the surface-observed low cloud amount of less than 0.008 fractional cloud cover. Over the ocean the satellite-view low cloud amounts are usually decreased by between 0.06 and 0.12 for most of the middle latitudes and southeastern tropical Pacific. Over land the adjustments in the satellite low cloud amounts are generally smaller. The method leads to increases in satellite high cover of between 0.03 and 0.09 over most regions, and increases in middle cloud cover of up to around 0.03 over the subtropical oceans. Comparisons between derived total cloud cover and that calculated with the commonly used random and mixed overlap assumptions suggest that the mixed assumption generally better fits the results. On the whole there is overall fairly good agreement between the percent low cloud relative to total cloud cover in the reconstructed observations and a global climate model, but the model has a far larger percentage of high clouds nearly everywhere, especially in the tropical convective regions and over the Indian subcontinent.