Long-Term Global Analysis of Cloud Properties Using Polar Orbit Satellites (Aqua and CloudSat)

Since clouds, which we are all familiar with, affect not only weather but also disasters and global warming, it is important to understand and predict their dynamic mechanisms and radiative effects. In particular, cloud feedbacks have been attracting attention since around the 1980s as an important factor causing uncertainty in climate change prediction (e.g., Somerville and Remer, 1984) [6]. Although the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report reported negative radiative forcing from aerosols, which act as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN), there are still many uncertainties (IPCC, 2021) [1]. The purpose of this study is to observe the cloud growth process using polar-orbiting satellites (e.g. Aqua and CloudSat) and to contribute to the elucidation of the dynamic mechanism.