Relationship Between TOA Albedo and Cloud Optical Depth as Deduced from Models and Collocated AVHRR and ERBE Satellite Observations

It has long been recognized that clouds have a large influence on the earth’s radiation budget and climate. Current cloud and radiation research programs, such as the Clouds and Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) and the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program, play important roles in obtaining an accurate knowledge of clouds and radiation and their interactions. The study of the relationship between radiative fluxes and cloud properties can provide insight into the problem of how clouds interact with the radiation. While such a relationship has been studied extensively by means of radiative transfer modeling, little has been done using observational data. Comparison of the relationship derived from models and observations is also instrumental in understanding the fundamentals of radiative transfer within clouds.