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Ground-based measurements of local cloud cover

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Abstract

Clouds are believed to reflect temporal climate changes through variations in their amounts, characteristics, and occurrence. In addition, they reflect both weather and climate in a region. In this work, a methodology to determine the local cloud cover (LCC) is proposed using sky images obtained from a ground-based instrument. Three years of sky images from an urban, tropical site were obtained and analyzed through that methodology. Monthly average LCC varied from 3 to 96 %, while seasonal average values were 68 % for summer, 54 % for spring, 46 % for fall, and 23 % for winter. LCC results show a clear seasonal dependence and a fair agreement (r 2 = 0.72) with satellite data, which typically underestimate the cloud cover in relation to LCC. Our analysis also suggests the possibility of a measurable link between LCC and natural events like the El Niño Southern Oscillation.

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Acknowledgments

This study was financially supported by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq, Grants 471159/2004-2, 300162/2012-0, and other grants), Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG, CRA APQ 0848-5.02/07), and logistic supported by PUC Minas.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Estudos Avançados, Rod. dos Tamoios km 5.5, Torrão de Ouro II, São José dos Campos, SP, CEP, 12228-001, Brazil

    Abel Antônio Silva

  2. Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais, Av. dos Astronautas 1758, Jd. Granja, São José dos Campos, SP, CEP, 12227-010, Brazil

    Mariza Pereira de Souza Echer

Authors
  1. Abel Antônio Silva
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  2. Mariza Pereira de Souza Echer
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Correspondence to Abel Antônio Silva.

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Responsible editor: C. Simmer.

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Silva, A.A., de Souza Echer, M.P. Ground-based measurements of local cloud cover. Meteorol Atmos Phys 120, 201–212 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00703-013-0245-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00703-013-0245-9

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