Intercomparison of deep convective cloud fractions from passive infrared and microwave radiance measurements

The common method to detect deep convective clouds is from satellite infrared (IR) measurements, which is based on thresholds of cloud-top temperatures. However, thick cirrus clouds with high cloud tops are difficult to screen out using IR methods, resulting in an overestimation of deep convective cloud fractions. Two aircraft cases with simultaneous Millimeter-wave Imaging Radiometer, Multispectral Atmospheric Mapping Sensor, and ER-2 Doppler radar measurements during the Convection and Moisture Experiment 3 in August 1998 are analyzed to investigate the influence of high thick cirrus clouds on two previously developed IR methods. In contrast, a microwave method based on the brightness temperature differences between the three water vapor channels around 183.3 GHz of the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-B (AMSU-B) (183.3/spl plusmn/1,183.3/spl plusmn/3, and 183.3/spl plusmn/7 GHz) can screen out high thick cirrus clouds efficiently. The tropical deep convective cloud fractions (30/spl deg/S-30/spl deg/N) estimated by the IR methods and the AMSU-B method are compared. Although their geographical distributions are in well agreement with each other, the total fractions detected by the IR methods are about 2-3.5 times greater than that detected by the AMSU-B method. Moreover, the overestimation of deep convective cloud fractions by the IR method (11-μm brightness temperature less than 215 K) can result in a displacement in the detected location of the deep convective clouds. The average thick cirrus clouds cover 2.5 times the area of the deep convective clouds that generates them.