Anish Kumar, M Nair; Dr.Rajeev, K(Cochin University Of Science And Technology, June , 2013)
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Abstract:
Motivation for the present study is to improve the scienti c understanding on the
prominent gap areas in the average three-dimensional distribution of clouds and their
impact on the energetics of the earth-atmosphere system. This study is focused on the
Indian subcontinent and the surrounding oceans bound within the latitude-longitude
bands of 30 S to 30 N and 30 E to 110 E. Main objectives of this study are to : (i) estimate
the monthly and seasonal mean vertical distributions of clouds and their spatial
variations (which provide the monthly and seasonal mean 3-dimensional distributions
of clouds) using multi-year satellite data and investigate their association with the
general circulation of the atmosphere, (ii) investigate the characteristics of the `pool of
inhibited cloudiness' that appear over the southwest Bay of Bengal during the Asian
summer monsoon season (revealed by the 3-dimensional distribution of clouds) and
identify the potential mechanisms for its genesis, (iii) investigate the role of SST and
atmospheric thermo-dynamical parameters in regulating the vertical development and
distribution of clouds, (iv) investigate the vertical distribution of tropical cirrus clouds
and their descending nature using lidar observations at Thiruvananthapuram (8.5 N,
77 E), a tropical coastal station at the southwest Peninsular India, and (v) assessment
of the impact of clouds on the energetics of the earth-atmosphere system, by estimating
the regional seasonal mean cloud radiative forcing at top-of-the-atmosphere (TOA)
and latent heating of the atmosphere by precipitating clouds using satellite data
Description:
Space Physics Laboratory
Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre
Indian Space Research Organisation
Thiruvananthapuram