The Arctic region is showing the most intense warming of the globe, because of different regional feedback mechanisms. Both observed and projected warming rates reach a maximum in the autumn and winter seasons (Bintanja and Krikken, 2016), when the Arctic surface energy budget is dominated by longwave radiation. Indeed, due to the seasonal variation of the of shortwave radiation, the longwave radiation plays a key role in the Arctic, where the annual total Downward Longwave Irradiance (DLI) is usually more than twice as large as the annual downward shortwave irradiance. Nevertheless, surface longwave irradiance measurements in the Arctic are particularly scarce, and satellite retrievals of surface radiation budget based on satellite data are notoriously problematic at high latitudes.
High resolution observations of DLI, surface temperature, water vapour surface partial pressure and column amount, zenith sky IR radiance and vertical temperature profile derived by a microwave radiometer are routinely carried out at the Thule High Arctic Atmospheric Observatory (THAAO, 76.5 N, 68.8 W), in North Eastern Greenland (https://ofcsg2dvf1.dwd.de/fmlurlsvc/?fewReq=:B:JVs5MjYzOSV1PjEtMyVqZz4zMjkzMiVwamRtYnd2cWY+MTVnMjJiYmU6ZztgZ2dlYDBiNWVnO2U1NjtiNmE6OjtgNTcwNGBnMSV3PjI1NjEzOjI2NTslcmpnPjE3OkJJUDtOMzI1NDM3LjE3OkJJUDtNMzI1NDM3JXFgc3c+UHdmZWJtLVRiYGhmcUNndGctZ2YlYD43OiVrZ28+Mw==&url=https%3a%2f%2fwww.thuleatmos-it.it%2f ). In the frame of the CLouds And Radiation in the Arctic and Antarctica (CLARA2) project, a celiometer has been installed in November 2019 with the aim of strengthening the cloud observational capability at the Observatory already including, among the other instruments, upward- and downward-looking pyranometers and pyrgeometers operating at THAAO since July 2016.
Preliminary statistical results for cloud base altitude, cloud depth, liquid water path (LWP), temperature profiles and presence/intensity of temperature inversion at THAAO will be shown. Analysis on the relationship between LWP and IR downward irradiance and radiance in cloudy and clear sky is also presented.
References
Bintanja, R., Krikken, F. Magnitude and pattern of Arctic warming governed by the seasonality of radiative forcing. Sci Rep 6, 38287 (2016). https://ofcsg2dvf1.dwd.de/fmlurlsvc/?fewReq=:B:JVs5MjYzOSV1PjEtMyVqZz4zMjkzMiVwamRtYnd2cWY+MjRnOzY0ZjQ3Ojc1ZTAwNDM2NWAxYjE1NTVmNzo3N2YwYDAyNDRnMyV3PjI1NjEzOjI2NTslcmpnPjE3OkJJUDtOMzI1NDM3LjE3OkJJUDtNMzI1NDM3JXFgc3c+UHdmZWJtLVRiYGhmcUNndGctZ2YlYD42MSVrZ28+Mw==&url=https%3a%2f%2fdoi.org%2f10.1038%2fsrep38287
How to cite: Pace, G., Di Iorio, T., Di Sarra, A., Iaccarino, A., Meloni, D., Muscari, G., Cacciani, M., Cimini, D., Larosa, S., and Romano, F.: Preliminary results from the CLouds And Radiation in the Arctic and Antarctica (CLARA2) project, EMS Annual Meeting 2022, Bonn, Germany, 5–9 Sep 2022, EMS2022-711, https://doi.org/10.5194/ems2022-711, 2022.
