Seminar Ozean, Eis, Atmosphäre

Date: 10.06.2003

Speaker: N. Courcoux
iup-Bremen, Remote Sensing Group

Supersaturation with respect to ice has been the topic of different recent studies, leading to publication of very high values of supersaturation with respect to ice. In this study, a Monte Carlo method is used to describe the propagation of temperature uncertainties into relative humidity with respect to ice (RHi) calculated from specific humidity. Different approaches have been used, single temperature, flat temperature distribution, and also by computing the RHi from the relative humidity with respect to liquid water (RHw). Results are showing features comparable to RHi distribution measured with the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS), leading to the conclusion that such high supersaturation values measured by remote sensing instruments can be, at least, partly, explained by temperature uncertainties.