We present aircraft measurements of the radiative transfer properties of thin cirrus cloud sampled off the east coast of Scotland on November 9, 1995. Downwelling radiances were measured from below the cirrus at 0.87, 1.61, 3.7, 8.55, and 11.0 mu m, thereby covering a large range of size parameter and ice refractive index and enabling information on cirrus optical thickness, effective crystal size, and scattering phase function to be deduced. The sensitivity of these quantities to the ice crystal shape assumed in the calculations is examined, and the results are compared with in situ data. We find that a randomized polycrystal shape produces effective sizes that are consistent with the in situ data across all wavelengths considered and performs better in this respect than the other crystal shapes analyzed. However, the optical thicknesses retrieved from the 0.87 mu m radiances for this shape are considerably less than those derived from the 11.0 mu m data, implying that the phase function at solar wavelengths is in error for this shape over a significant portion of the full scattering angle range. An empirical phase function derived from laboratory measurements produces optical thicknesses which are more consistent with the 11.0 mu m and in situ data and matches the angular distribution of scattered radiance more accurately than that calculated using any of the model crystal shapes. The anomalous diffraction approximation is found to produce good agreement with the measurements at 8.55 and 11.0 mu m for the crystal sizes relevant to the present case study.
