SATELLITE OBSERVATIONS OF HIGH CLOUDS IN THE TROPICS AND CLIMATE CHANGE

THREE ASPECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE INVOLVING VERY HIGH TROPICAL CLOUDS ARE: (1) WHETHER CHANGES IN HIGH CLOUD PARAMETERS LEAD TO POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE FEEDBACK IN CO2 EFFECTS ON CLIMATIC TEMPERATURE CHANGES; (2) DO CHANGES IN THE HEIGHTS OF CLOUD TOPS AND CLOUD AMOUNT, OR CLOUDS WHICH REACH TO THE TROPICAL TROPOPAUSE, AFFECT THE AMOUNT OFWATER VAPOR IN THE LOWER STRATOSPHERE AND INDIRECTLY THE ANTARCTIC "OZONE HOLE", AND (3) ARE HIGH CLOUDS IN THE TROPICS, BEING VERY COLD, A SIGNIFICANT ASPECT OF THE RADIATION CLIMATE OF THE EARTH. AN ALGORITHM THAT IS UNIQUELY DESIGNED TO DETECT CLOUDS WHOSE TOPS LIE BETWEEN 100 AND 200 MBS, I.E., JUST BELOW THETROPICAL TROPOPAUSE, WILL BE DEVELOPED WHICH USES SATELLITE RADIANCES FOR CHANNEL 3 (691 CM(-1)) OF THE 15 M BAND. IN PHASE 1, A FEW WEEKS OF SATELLITE DATA WILL BE USED TO DETECT ALL SUCH HIGH CLOUDS IN THE TROPICS. WE SHALL ALSO DEVELOP TABULAR AND GRAPHICAL METHODS TO DISPLAY THE VARIATION OF SUCH CLOUDS BOTH IN TIME AND IN GEOGRAPHIC LOCATIONS. IN PHASE 2, WE SHALL APPLY THESE METHODS TO 10 YEARS OF SATELLITE DATA. THE VARIATIONS IN CLOUD PARAMETERS, BOTH INTIME AND IN GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION WILL BE CORRELATED WITH (1) GLOBAL AND REGIONAL TEMPERATURE CHANGES AS SUGGESTED IN THE CO2 GREENHOUSE CONTROVERSY, AND (2) TO STRATOSPHERIC WATER VAPOR VARIATIONS.