Low Cloud Type over the Ocean from Surface Observations. Part II: Geographical and Seasonal Variations

Abstract Synoptic surface cloud observations primarily made by volunteer observing ships are used to construct global climatologies of the frequency of occurrence of individual low cloud types over the ocean for daytime during summer and winter seasons for the time period 1954–92. This essentially separates the previous S. Warren et al. “stratus,” “cumulus,” and “cumulonimbus” climatologies into their constituent cloud types. The different geographical and seasonal distributions of low cloud types indicate that each type within the Warren et al. categories is associated with different meteorological conditions. Hence, investigations based on individual low cloud types instead of broader categories will best identify the processes and variability in meteorological parameters responsible for observed variability in cloudiness. The present study is intended to provide a foundation for future investigations by documenting the climatological distributions of low cloud type frequency and demonstrating the physi...

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