The impact of ice crystal shapes, size distributions and spatial structures of cirrus clouds on solar radiative fluxes

The solar radiative properties of cirrus clouds depend on ice particle shape, size, and orientation, as well as on the spatial cloud structure. Radiation schemes in atmospheric circulation models rely on estimates of cloud optical thickness only. In the present work, a Monte Carlo radiative transfer code is applied to various cirrus cloud scenarios to obtain the radiative response of uncertainties in the above-mentioned microphysical and spatial cloud properties (except orientation). First, plane-parallel homogeneous (0D) clouds with different crystal shapes (hexagonal columns, irregular polycrystals) and 114 different size distributions have been considered. The resulting variabilities in the solar radiative fluxes are in the order of a few percent for the reflected and about 1% for the diffusely transmitted fluxes. Largest variabilities in the order of 10% to 30% are found for the solar broadband absorptance. However, these variabilities are smaller than the flux differences caused by the choice of ice particle geometries. The influence of cloud inhomogeneities on the radiative fluxes has been examined with the help of time series of Raman lidar extinction coefficient profiles as input for the radiative transfer calculations. Significant differences between results for inhomogeneous and plane-parallel clouds were found. These differences are in the same order of magnitude as those arising from using extremely different crystal shapes for the radiative transfer calculations. From this sensitivity study, the ranking of cirrus cloud properties according to their importance in solar broadband radiative transfer is optical thickness, ice crystal shape, ice particle size, and spatial structure

Computation of Solar Radiative Fluxes by 1D and 3D Methods Using Cloudy Atmospheres Inferred from A-train Satellite Data

The main point of this study was to use realistic representations of cloudy atmospheres to assess errors in solar flux estimates associated with 1D radiative transfer models. A scene construction algorithm, developed for the EarthCARE satellite mission, was applied to CloudSat, CALIPSO, and MODIS satellite data thus producing 3D cloudy atmospheres measuring 60 km wide by 13,000 km long at 1 km grid-spacing. Broadband solar fluxes and radiances for each (1 km)2 column where then produced by a Monte Carlo photon transfer model run in both full 3D and independent column approximation mode (i.e., a 1D model)

Tripleclouds: an efficient method for representing horizontal cloud inhomogeneity in 1D radiation schemes by using three regions at each height

Radiation schemes in general circulation models currently make a number of simplifications when accounting for clouds, one of the most important being the removal of horizontal inhomogeneity. A new scheme is presented that attempts to account for the neglected inhomogeneity by using two regions of cloud in each vertical level of the model as opposed to one. One of these regions is used to represent the optically thinner cloud in the level, and the other represents the optically thicker cloud. So, along with the clear-sky region, the scheme has three regions in each model level and is referred to as “Tripleclouds.” In addition, the scheme has the capability to represent arbitrary vertical overlap between the three regions in pairs of adjacent levels. This scheme is implemented in the Edwards–Slingo radiation code and tested on 250 h of data from 12 different days. The data are derived from cloud retrievals using radar, lidar, and a microwave radiometer at Chilbolton, southern United Kingdom. When the data are grouped into periods equivalent in size to general circulation model grid boxes, the shortwave plane-parallel albedo bias is found to be 8%, while the corresponding bias is found to be less than 1% using Tripleclouds. Similar results are found for the longwave biases. Tripleclouds is then compared to a more conventional method of accounting for inhomogeneity that multiplies optical depths by a constant scaling factor, and Tripleclouds is seen to improve on this method both in terms of top-of-atmosphere radiative flux biases and internal heating rates

Caractérisation de la capture du VIH-1 (du récepteur DC-SIGN aux extensions trans-épithéliales des cellules dendritiques)

En tant que sentinelles du système immunitaire, les CD expriment une lectine, le DC-SIGN, présentant une forte affinité pour de nombreux pathogènes, incluant le VIH-1. L objectif premier de cette étude est d utiliser cette lectine comme outil de screening d enveloppes issues d isolats primaires de primo-infection afin d identifier une enveloppe d intérêt comme immunogène bloquant l interaction avec le DC-SIGN. Nous avons ainsi pu identifier deux mutations dans la gp41 susceptibles d amplifier l interaction DC-SIGN /gp120. Enfin, nous avons étudié la capacité de prise en charge locale et spécifique d Aspergillus fumigatus par des extensions trans-épithéliales formées par les CD au niveau des villosités de l iléon terminal murin. Notre étude souligne le rôle primordial du DC-SIGN au niveau des muqueuses monostratifiées que ce soit pour la voie de contamination homosexuelle du VIH-1 ou pour l efficacité de capture de pathogènes par les dendrites trans-épithéliales des CDAs the sentinels of the immune system, DC express a lectin DC-SIGN known to bind with high affinity a wide range of pathogens, including HIV-1. The first aim of this study is to use this lectin as a screening tool for envelopes from acute HIV-1 primary isolates in order to identify an envelope of interest that could be used as an immunogen to block the interaction with DC-SIGN. We have identified two point mutations in the gp41 susceptible to increase the DC-SIGN/gp120 interaction. At last, we have studied the local and specific uptake of Aspergillus fumigatus by trans-epithelial dendrites formed by DC in villi of the murine terminal ileum. Our study highlights the crucial role of DC-SIGN in monolayered mucosa, as suggested by the predominance of HIV-1 homosexual contamination or the efficiency of DC trans-epithelial dendrites to capture pathogensLYON1-BU.Sciences (692662101) / SudocSudocFranceF