The source of discrepancies in aerosol–cloud–precipitation interactions between GCM and A-Train retrievals

Michibata, Takuro; Suzuki, Kentaroh; Sato, Yousuke; Takemura, Toshihiko

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-15413-2016

Articles | Volume 16, issue 23

https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-15413-2016

© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-15413-2016

© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Articles | Volume 16, issue 23

Research article

|

13 Dec 2016

Research article |

| 13 Dec 2016

The source of discrepancies in aerosol–cloud–precipitation interactions between GCM and A-Train retrievals

Takuro Michibata, Kentaroh Suzuki, Yousuke Sato, and Toshihiko Takemura

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Final revised paper (published on 13 Dec 2016)
Preprint (discussion started on 21 Sep 2016)

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

AC: Author comment | RC: Referee comment | SC: Short comment | EC: Editor comment

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- Supplement

RC1: 'review', Anonymous Referee #1, 01 Oct 2016
- AC1: 'Reply to Anonymous Referee #1', Takuro Michibata, 18 Nov 2016
RC2: 'Review', Anonymous Referee #2, 11 Oct 2016
- AC2: 'Reply to Anonymous Referee #2', Takuro Michibata, 18 Nov 2016
SC1: 'Cloud response to dN_C as function of cloud subgrid-scale variability?', Karsten Peters, 24 Oct 2016
- AC3: 'Reply to Short Comment', Takuro Michibata, 18 Nov 2016
AC4: 'tracked changes', Takuro Michibata, 18 Nov 2016

Peer-review completion

AR: Author's response | RR: Referee report | ED: Editor decision

AR by Takuro Michibata on behalf of the Authors (18 Nov 2016) Author's response Manuscript

ED: Publish as is (25 Nov 2016) by Philip Stier

AR by Takuro Michibata on behalf of the Authors (26 Nov 2016)

Short summary

This study identifies a fundamental flaw of a GCM in aerosol–cloud–precipitation interactions. The model predicts a monotonic increase in the LWP in response to increased aerosols, which is in stark contrast to satellite retrievals that show a regional variation in the sign of the LWP response. The model also fails to represent the observed dependency of the LWP response on macrophysical regimes. The model biases are attributed to the autoconversion process, with a lack of buffering mechanisms.