The divergence of net radiation in a tropical atmosphere with cirrus clouds has been examined in terms of two bulk radiative properties of the cloud: shortwave thickness and broad-band infrared emissivity.

The results indicate that the presence of extensive low-level decoupled flow does indeed cause part of the orographic lift of the mountain barrier to be experienced upstream of the barrier. This changes the location of condensate production which in turn shifts precipitation upstream.

Evidence has accumulated over the last twenty years that in some clouds the concentration of ice crystals may be a factor of four or five orders of magnitude greater than the concentration of observed ice nuclei apparently available to the cloud.

Theoretical and observational studies are carried out to evaluate the use of cloud near-infrared spectral reflectance to determine cloud droplet size.

The microphysical processes associated with the growth of cloud and precipitation particles during two stable orographic storms are identified.

This paper provides a description of the Colorado State University (CSU) instrumentation and data collected during the Marine Stratocumulus Intensive Field Observations (MStCu IFO) of the first ISCCP (International Satellite Cloud Climate Program) Regional Experiment (FIRE).