Spatial statistics of likely convective clouds in CloudSat data

A technique for isolating "mature" convective clouds based on their shape is proposed. When this technique is used to select objects, the comparison with the entraining plume model improves dramatically. Another result from this analysis is power law behavior in the cloud width distribution derived from CloudSat objects.

After accounting for the difference between one-dimensional and two-dimensional sampling, the slope of the CloudSat distribution appears consistent with that found in earlier studies' cloud imagery. However, when clouds are selected using a minimum depth criterion, the resulting population is sharply peaked at widths close to this minimum depth. Finally, a weakly trimodal distribution of convective cloud depths is found, consistent with results from Johnson et al. (1999).