Profiles of cloud fraction and water content deduced from ground-based solar radiation measurements

Ground-based measured solar radiation fluxes are used to derive simultaneously cloud water content and cloud fraction cover. In this paper we present a new method for prognostically inferring cloud microphysical properties based on previous work of Chou and Suarez. A look up table method combined with simulated annealing process is associated with the Chou and Suarez radiation transfer model called CLIRAD-SW. This model which is of great sensitivity has been validated for several atmospheres. Calculations here are conducted for an equivalent period of one year of measurement realized by the MINREST-LRE program for the Yaoundé meteorological station during the year 1984 and are focused on the previously derived average solar days similar to those proposed by Klein and more representative of the monthly solar radiation profile. In order to reduce computational time, mean values of liquid, mixed phase and ice cloud effective radius are used according to those proposed by Chou M.D. As part of our retrieving method, diffuse and global fluxes calculated for each set of cloud and aerosol microphysical characteristics are compared with the fluxes measured during the corresponding period. The obtained results are in very good agreement with those fluxes with relative errors ranging from 0.001% to 1.9% for diffuse flux and from 0.0009% to 2% for global flux. Mean cloud fraction profile obtained was generally well correlated with seasons whereas the correlation of cloud water content with seasons was not very good. However, the characteristic trend was in good agreement with the change in seasons. The overall agreement observed suggests that the method is capable of characterizing cloud water content and fraction for the given period of the day and the year although the lack of in situ measurements was a limitation for a valuable verification of the accuracy of the method.