Articles | Volume 19, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-2813-2019
© Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-2813-2019
© Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
04 Mar 2019
Research article |
| 04 Mar 2019
| 04 Mar 2019
Evaluating models' response of tropical low clouds to SST forcings using CALIPSO observations
Grégory Cesana
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Columbia University, Center for Climate Systems Research, Earth
Institute, New York, NY, USA
NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, NY, USA
Columbia University, Department of Applied Physics and Applied
Mathematics, New York, NY, USA
Anthony D. Del Genio
NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, NY, USA
Andrew S. Ackerman
NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, NY, USA
Maxwell Kelley
NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, NY, USA
SciSpace LLC, Institute for Space Studies, New York, NY, USA
Gregory Elsaesser
NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, NY, USA
Columbia University, Department of Applied Physics and Applied
Mathematics, New York, NY, USA
Ann M. Fridlind
NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, NY, USA
Ye Cheng
Columbia University, Center for Climate Systems Research, Earth
Institute, New York, NY, USA
NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, NY, USA
Mao-Sung Yao
NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, NY, USA
SciSpace LLC, Institute for Space Studies, New York, NY, USA
Related authors
Grégory V. Cesana, Olivia Pierpaoli, Matteo Ottaviani, Linh Vu, Zhonghai Jin, and Israel Silber
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 7899–7909, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7899-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7899-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Better characterizing the relationship between sea ice and clouds is key to understanding Arctic climate because clouds and sea ice affect surface radiation and modulate Arctic surface warming. Our results indicate that Arctic liquid clouds robustly increase in response to sea ice decrease. This increase has a cooling effect on the surface because more solar radiation is reflected back to space, and it should contribute to dampening future Arctic surface warming.
McKenna W. Stanford, Ann M. Fridlind, Israel Silber, Andrew S. Ackerman, Greg Cesana, Johannes Mülmenstädt, Alain Protat, Simon Alexander, and Adrian McDonald
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 9037–9069, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-9037-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-9037-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Clouds play an important role in the Earth’s climate system as they modulate the amount of radiation that either reaches the surface or is reflected back to space. This study demonstrates an approach to robustly evaluate surface-based observations against a large-scale model. We find that the large-scale model precipitates too infrequently relative to observations, contrary to literature documentation suggesting otherwise based on satellite measurements.
Israel Silber, Ann M. Fridlind, Johannes Verlinde, Andrew S. Ackerman, Grégory V. Cesana, and Daniel A. Knopf
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 3949–3971, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-3949-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-3949-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Long-term ground-based radar and sounding measurements over Alaska (Antarctica) indicate that more than 85 % (75 %) of supercooled clouds are precipitating at cloud base and that 75 % (50 %) are precipitating to the surface. Such high prevalence is reconciled with lesser spaceborne estimates by considering radar sensitivity. Results provide a strong observational constraint for polar cloud processes in large-scale models.
Grégory Cesana, Anthony D. Del Genio, and Hélène Chepfer
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 11, 1745–1764, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-11-1745-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-11-1745-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Low clouds (cloud top below 3 km) drive most of the uncertainty in future climate projections. Here we create a new dataset, the Cumulus And Stratocumulus CloudSat-CALIPSO Dataset (CASCCAD), which identifies the different types of low clouds – stratocumulus and cumulus – based on their morphology. CASCCAD provides a basis to evaluate climate models and potentially improve our understanding of the cloud response to climate warming, as well as reduce the uncertainty in future climate projection.
Johannes Mülmenstädt, Andrew S. Ackerman, Ann M. Fridlind, Meng Huang, Po-Lun Ma, Naser Mahfouz, Susanne E. Bauer, Susannah M. Burrows, Matthew W. Christensen, Sudhakar Dipu, Andrew Gettelman, L. Ruby Leung, Florian Tornow, Johannes Quaas, Adam C. Varble, Hailong Wang, Kai Zhang, and Youtong Zheng
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 13633–13652, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13633-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13633-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Stratocumulus clouds play a large role in Earth's climate by reflecting incoming solar energy back to space. Turbulence at stratocumulus cloud top mixes in dry, warm air, which can lead to cloud dissipation. This process is challenging for coarse-resolution global models to represent. We show that global models nevertheless agree well with our process understanding. Global models also think the process is less important for the climate than other lines of evidence have led us to conclude.
Florian Tornow, Ann Fridlind, George Tselioudis, Brian Cairns, Andrew Ackerman, Seethala Chellappan, David Painemal, Paquita Zuidema, Christiane Voigt, Simon Kirschler, and Armin Sorooshian
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3462, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3462, 2024
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
Short summary
Short summary
The recent NASA campaign ACTIVATE (Aerosol Cloud meTeorology Interactions oVer the western ATlantic Experiment) performed 71 tandem flights in mid-latitude marine cold-air outbreaks off the US Eastern seaboard. We provide meteorological and cloud transition stage context, allowing us to identify days that are most suitable for Lagrangian modeling and analysis. Surveyed cloud properties show signatures of cloud microphysical processes, such as cloud-top entrainment and secondary ice formation.
Trude Eidhammer, Andrew Gettelman, Katherine Thayer-Calder, Duncan Watson-Parris, Gregory Elsaesser, Hugh Morrison, Marcus van Lier-Walqui, Ci Song, and Daniel McCoy
Geosci. Model Dev., 17, 7835–7853, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-7835-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-7835-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We describe a dataset where 45 parameters related to cloud processes in the Community Earth System Model version 2 (CESM2) Community Atmosphere Model version 6 (CAM6) are perturbed. Three sets of perturbed parameter ensembles (263 members) were created: current climate, preindustrial aerosol loading and future climate with sea surface temperature increased by 4 K.
Alexei Korolev, Zhipeng Qu, Jason Milbrandt, Ivan Heckman, Mélissa Cholette, Mengistu Wolde, Cuong Nguyen, Greg M. McFarquhar, Paul Lawson, and Ann M. Fridlind
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 11849–11881, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11849-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11849-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The phenomenon of high ice water content (HIWC) occurs in mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) when a large number of small ice particles with typical sizes of a few hundred micrometers is found at high altitudes. It was found that secondary ice production in the vicinity of the melting layer plays a key role in the formation and maintenance of HIWC. This study presents a conceptual model of the formation of HIWC in tropical MCSs based on in situ observations and numerical simulation.
Abigail S. Williams, Jeramy L. Dedrick, Lynn M. Russell, Florian Tornow, Israel Silber, Ann M. Fridlind, Benjamin Swanson, Paul J. DeMott, Paul Zieger, and Radovan Krejci
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 11791–11805, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11791-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11791-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The measured aerosol size distribution modes reveal distinct properties characteristic of cold-air outbreaks in the Norwegian Arctic. We find higher sea spray number concentrations, smaller Hoppel minima, lower effective supersaturations, and accumulation-mode particle scavenging during cold-air outbreaks. These results advance our understanding of cold-air outbreak aerosol–cloud interactions in order to improve their accurate representation in models.
Toshi Matsui, Daniel Hernandez-Deckers, Scott E. Giangrande, Thiago S. Biscaro, Ann Fridlind, and Scott Braun
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 10793–10814, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10793-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10793-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Using computer simulations and real measurements, we discovered that storms over the Amazon were narrower but more intense during the dry periods, producing heavier rain and more ice particles in the clouds. Our research showed that cumulus bubbles played a key role in creating these intense storms. This study can improve the representation of the effect of continental and ocean environments on tropical regions' rainfall patterns in simulations.
McKenna Stanford, Ann Fridlind, Andrew Ackerman, Bastiaan van Diedenhoven, Qian Xiao, Jian Wang, Toshihisa Matsui, Daniel Hernandez-Deckers, and Paul Lawson
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2413, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2413, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The evolution of cloud droplets, from the point they are activated by atmospheric aerosol to the formation of precipitation, is an important process relevant to understanding cloud-climate feedbacks. This study demonstrates a benchmark framework for using novel airborne measurements and retrievals to constrain high-resolution simulations of moderately deep cumulus clouds and pathways for scaling results to large-scale models and space-based observational platforms.
Grégory V. Cesana, Olivia Pierpaoli, Matteo Ottaviani, Linh Vu, Zhonghai Jin, and Israel Silber
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 7899–7909, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7899-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7899-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Better characterizing the relationship between sea ice and clouds is key to understanding Arctic climate because clouds and sea ice affect surface radiation and modulate Arctic surface warming. Our results indicate that Arctic liquid clouds robustly increase in response to sea ice decrease. This increase has a cooling effect on the surface because more solar radiation is reflected back to space, and it should contribute to dampening future Arctic surface warming.
Johannes Mülmenstädt, Edward Gryspeerdt, Sudhakar Dipu, Johannes Quaas, Andrew S. Ackerman, Ann M. Fridlind, Florian Tornow, Susanne E. Bauer, Andrew Gettelman, Yi Ming, Youtong Zheng, Po-Lun Ma, Hailong Wang, Kai Zhang, Matthew W. Christensen, Adam C. Varble, L. Ruby Leung, Xiaohong Liu, David Neubauer, Daniel G. Partridge, Philip Stier, and Toshihiko Takemura
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 7331–7345, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7331-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7331-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Human activities release copious amounts of small particles called aerosols into the atmosphere. These particles change how much sunlight clouds reflect to space, an important human perturbation of the climate, whose magnitude is highly uncertain. We found that the latest climate models show a negative correlation but a positive causal relationship between aerosols and cloud water. This means we need to be very careful when we interpret observational studies that can only see correlation.
Ming Luo, Helen M. Worden, Robert D. Field, Kostas Tsigaridis, and Gregory S. Elsaesser
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 2611–2624, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2611-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2611-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The TROPESS CrIS single-pixel CO profile retrievals are compared to the MOPITT CO products in steps of adjusting them to the common a priori assumptions. The two data sets are found to agree within 5 %. We also demonstrated and analyzed the proper steps in evaluating GISS ModelE CO simulations using satellite CO retrieval products for the western US wildfire events in September 2020.
Kamil Mroz, Alessandro Battaglia, and Ann M. Fridlind
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 1577–1597, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-1577-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-1577-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we examine the extent to which radar measurements from space can inform us about the properties of clouds and precipitation. Surprisingly, our analysis showed that the amount of ice turning into rain was lower than expected in the current product. To improve on this, we came up with a new way to extract information about the size and concentration of particles from radar data. As long as we use this method in the right conditions, we can even estimate how dense the ice is.
McKenna W. Stanford, Ann M. Fridlind, Israel Silber, Andrew S. Ackerman, Greg Cesana, Johannes Mülmenstädt, Alain Protat, Simon Alexander, and Adrian McDonald
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 9037–9069, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-9037-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-9037-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Clouds play an important role in the Earth’s climate system as they modulate the amount of radiation that either reaches the surface or is reflected back to space. This study demonstrates an approach to robustly evaluate surface-based observations against a large-scale model. We find that the large-scale model precipitates too infrequently relative to observations, contrary to literature documentation suggesting otherwise based on satellite measurements.
Ensheng Weng, Igor Aleinov, Ram Singh, Michael J. Puma, Sonali S. McDermid, Nancy Y. Kiang, Maxwell Kelley, Kevin Wilcox, Ray Dybzinski, Caroline E. Farrior, Stephen W. Pacala, and Benjamin I. Cook
Geosci. Model Dev., 15, 8153–8180, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-8153-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-8153-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We develop a demographic vegetation model to improve the representation of terrestrial vegetation dynamics and ecosystem biogeochemical cycles in the Goddard Institute for Space Studies ModelE. The individual-based competition for light and soil resources makes the modeling of eco-evolutionary optimality possible. This model will enable ModelE to simulate long-term biogeophysical and biogeochemical feedbacks between the climate system and land ecosystems at decadal to centurial temporal scales.
Frederic Tridon, Israel Silber, Alessandro Battaglia, Stefan Kneifel, Ann Fridlind, Petros Kalogeras, and Ranvir Dhillon
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 12467–12491, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-12467-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-12467-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The role of ice precipitation in the Earth water budget is not well known because ice particles are complex, and their formation involves intricate processes. Riming of ice crystals by supercooled water droplets is an efficient process, but little is known about its importance at high latitudes. In this work, by exploiting the deployment of an unprecedented number of remote sensing systems in Antarctica, we find that riming occurs at much lower temperatures compared with the mid-latitudes.
Michael S. Diamond, Pablo E. Saide, Paquita Zuidema, Andrew S. Ackerman, Sarah J. Doherty, Ann M. Fridlind, Hamish Gordon, Calvin Howes, Jan Kazil, Takanobu Yamaguchi, Jianhao Zhang, Graham Feingold, and Robert Wood
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 12113–12151, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-12113-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-12113-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Smoke from southern Africa blankets the southeast Atlantic from June-October, overlying a major transition region between overcast and scattered clouds. The smoke affects Earth's radiation budget by absorbing sunlight and changing cloud properties. We investigate these effects in regional climate and large eddy simulation models based on international field campaigns. We find that large-scale circulation changes more strongly affect cloud transitions than smoke microphysical effects in our case.
Walter Hannah, Kyle Pressel, Mikhail Ovchinnikov, and Gregory Elsaesser
Geosci. Model Dev., 15, 6243–6257, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-6243-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-6243-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
An unphysical checkerboard signal is identified in two configurations of the atmospheric component of E3SM. The signal is very persistent and visible after averaging years of data. The signal is very difficult to study because it is often mixed with realistic weather. A method is presented to detect checkerboard patterns and compare the model with satellite observations. The causes of the signal are identified, and a solution for one configuration is discussed.
Israel Silber, Robert C. Jackson, Ann M. Fridlind, Andrew S. Ackerman, Scott Collis, Johannes Verlinde, and Jiachen Ding
Geosci. Model Dev., 15, 901–927, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-901-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-901-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The Earth Model Column Collaboratory (EMC2) is an open-source ground-based (and air- or space-borne) lidar and radar simulator and subcolumn generator designed for large-scale models, in particular climate models, applicable also for high-resolution models. EMC2 emulates measurements while remaining faithful to large-scale models' physical assumptions implemented in their cloud or radiation schemes. We demonstrate the use of EMC2 to compare AWARE measurements with the NASA GISS ModelE3 and LES.
Daniel Hernandez-Deckers, Toshihisa Matsui, and Ann M. Fridlind
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 711–724, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-711-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-711-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We investigate how the concentration of aerosols (small particles that serve as seeds for cloud droplets) affect the dynamics of simulated clouds using two different frameworks, i.e., the traditional selection of cloudy rising grid points and tracking small-scale coherent rising features (cumulus thermals). By doing so, we find that these cumulus thermals reveal useful information about the coupling between internal cloud circulations and cloud droplet and raindrop formation.
Florian Tornow, Andrew S. Ackerman, and Ann M. Fridlind
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 12049–12067, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-12049-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-12049-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Cold air outbreaks affect the local energy budget by forming bright boundary layer clouds that, once it rains, evolve into dimmer, broken cloud fields that are depleted of condensation nuclei – an evolution consistent with closed-to-open cell transitions. We find that cloud ice accelerates this evolution, primarily via riming prior to rain onset, which (1) reduces liquid water, (2) reduces condensation nuclei, and (3) leads to early precipitation cooling and moistening below cloud.
Israel Silber, Ann M. Fridlind, Johannes Verlinde, Andrew S. Ackerman, Grégory V. Cesana, and Daniel A. Knopf
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 3949–3971, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-3949-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-3949-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Long-term ground-based radar and sounding measurements over Alaska (Antarctica) indicate that more than 85 % (75 %) of supercooled clouds are precipitating at cloud base and that 75 % (50 %) are precipitating to the surface. Such high prevalence is reconciled with lesser spaceborne estimates by considering radar sensitivity. Results provide a strong observational constraint for polar cloud processes in large-scale models.
Jens Redemann, Robert Wood, Paquita Zuidema, Sarah J. Doherty, Bernadette Luna, Samuel E. LeBlanc, Michael S. Diamond, Yohei Shinozuka, Ian Y. Chang, Rei Ueyama, Leonhard Pfister, Ju-Mee Ryoo, Amie N. Dobracki, Arlindo M. da Silva, Karla M. Longo, Meloë S. Kacenelenbogen, Connor J. Flynn, Kristina Pistone, Nichola M. Knox, Stuart J. Piketh, James M. Haywood, Paola Formenti, Marc Mallet, Philip Stier, Andrew S. Ackerman, Susanne E. Bauer, Ann M. Fridlind, Gregory R. Carmichael, Pablo E. Saide, Gonzalo A. Ferrada, Steven G. Howell, Steffen Freitag, Brian Cairns, Brent N. Holben, Kirk D. Knobelspiesse, Simone Tanelli, Tristan S. L'Ecuyer, Andrew M. Dzambo, Ousmane O. Sy, Greg M. McFarquhar, Michael R. Poellot, Siddhant Gupta, Joseph R. O'Brien, Athanasios Nenes, Mary Kacarab, Jenny P. S. Wong, Jennifer D. Small-Griswold, Kenneth L. Thornhill, David Noone, James R. Podolske, K. Sebastian Schmidt, Peter Pilewskie, Hong Chen, Sabrina P. Cochrane, Arthur J. Sedlacek, Timothy J. Lang, Eric Stith, Michal Segal-Rozenhaimer, Richard A. Ferrare, Sharon P. Burton, Chris A. Hostetler, David J. Diner, Felix C. Seidel, Steven E. Platnick, Jeffrey S. Myers, Kerry G. Meyer, Douglas A. Spangenberg, Hal Maring, and Lan Gao
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 1507–1563, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-1507-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-1507-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Southern Africa produces significant biomass burning emissions whose impacts on regional and global climate are poorly understood. ORACLES (ObseRvations of Aerosols above CLouds and their intEractionS) is a 5-year NASA investigation designed to study the key processes that determine these climate impacts. The main purpose of this paper is to familiarize the broader scientific community with the ORACLES project, the dataset it produced, and the most important initial findings.
Johannes Quaas, Antti Arola, Brian Cairns, Matthew Christensen, Hartwig Deneke, Annica M. L. Ekman, Graham Feingold, Ann Fridlind, Edward Gryspeerdt, Otto Hasekamp, Zhanqing Li, Antti Lipponen, Po-Lun Ma, Johannes Mülmenstädt, Athanasios Nenes, Joyce E. Penner, Daniel Rosenfeld, Roland Schrödner, Kenneth Sinclair, Odran Sourdeval, Philip Stier, Matthias Tesche, Bastiaan van Diedenhoven, and Manfred Wendisch
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 15079–15099, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-15079-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-15079-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Anthropogenic pollution particles – aerosols – serve as cloud condensation nuclei and thus increase cloud droplet concentration and the clouds' reflection of sunlight (a cooling effect on climate). This Twomey effect is poorly constrained by models and requires satellite data for better quantification. The review summarizes the challenges in properly doing so and outlines avenues for progress towards a better use of aerosol retrievals and better retrievals of droplet concentrations.
Daniel T. McCoy, Paul Field, Hamish Gordon, Gregory S. Elsaesser, and Daniel P. Grosvenor
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 4085–4103, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-4085-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-4085-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Incomplete understanding of how aerosol affects clouds degrades our ability to predict future climate. In particular, it is unclear how aerosol affects the lifetime of clouds. Does it increase or decrease it? This confusion is partially because causality flows from aerosol to clouds and clouds to aerosol, and it is hard to tell what is happening in observations. Here, we use simulations to tell us about how clouds affect aerosol and use this to interpret observations, showing increased lifetime.
Thomas J. Fauchez, Martin Turbet, Eric T. Wolf, Ian Boutle, Michael J. Way, Anthony D. Del Genio, Nathan J. Mayne, Konstantinos Tsigaridis, Ravi K. Kopparapu, Jun Yang, Francois Forget, Avi Mandell, and Shawn D. Domagal Goldman
Geosci. Model Dev., 13, 707–716, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-13-707-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-13-707-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Atmospheric characterization of rocky exoplanets orbiting within the habitable zone of nearby M dwarf stars is around the corner with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), expected to be launch in 2021.
Global climate models (GCMs) are powerful tools to model exoplanet atmospheres and to predict their habitability. However, intrinsic differences between the models can lead to various predictions. This paper presents an experiment protocol to evaluate these differences.
Alexei Korolev, Ivan Heckman, Mengistu Wolde, Andrew S. Ackerman, Ann M. Fridlind, Luis A. Ladino, R. Paul Lawson, Jason Milbrandt, and Earle Williams
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 1391–1429, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-1391-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-1391-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
This study attempts identification of mechanisms of secondary ice production (SIP) based on the observation of small faceted ice crystals. It was found that in both mesoscale convective systems and frontal clouds, SIP was observed right above the melting layer and extended to the higher altitudes with colder temperatures. A principal conclusion of this work is that the freezing drop shattering mechanism is plausibly accounting for the measured ice concentrations in the observed condition.
Grégory Cesana, Anthony D. Del Genio, and Hélène Chepfer
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 11, 1745–1764, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-11-1745-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-11-1745-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Low clouds (cloud top below 3 km) drive most of the uncertainty in future climate projections. Here we create a new dataset, the Cumulus And Stratocumulus CloudSat-CALIPSO Dataset (CASCCAD), which identifies the different types of low clouds – stratocumulus and cumulus – based on their morphology. CASCCAD provides a basis to evaluate climate models and potentially improve our understanding of the cloud response to climate warming, as well as reduce the uncertainty in future climate projection.
Ann M. Fridlind, Marcus van Lier-Walqui, Scott Collis, Scott E. Giangrande, Robert C. Jackson, Xiaowen Li, Toshihisa Matsui, Richard Orville, Mark H. Picel, Daniel Rosenfeld, Alexander Ryzhkov, Richard Weitz, and Pengfei Zhang
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 12, 2979–3000, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-2979-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-2979-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Weather radars are offering improved capabilities to investigate storm physics, which remain poorly understood. We investigate enhanced use of such data near Houston, Texas, where pollution sources often provide a convenient contrast between polluted and clean air. We conclude that Houston is a favorable location to conduct a future field campaign during June through September because isolated storms are common and tend to last an hour, allowing frequent observations of a full life cycle.
Daniel T. McCoy, Paul R. Field, Gregory S. Elsaesser, Alejandro Bodas-Salcedo, Brian H. Kahn, Mark D. Zelinka, Chihiro Kodama, Thorsten Mauritsen, Benoit Vanniere, Malcolm Roberts, Pier L. Vidale, David Saint-Martin, Aurore Voldoire, Rein Haarsma, Adrian Hill, Ben Shipway, and Jonathan Wilkinson
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 1147–1172, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-1147-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-1147-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
The largest single source of uncertainty in the climate sensitivity predicted by global climate models is how much low-altitude clouds change as the climate warms. Models predict that the amount of liquid within and the brightness of low-altitude clouds increase in the extratropics with warming. We show that increased fluxes of moisture into extratropical storms in the midlatitudes explain the majority of the observed trend and the modeled increase in liquid water within these storms.
Katia Lamer, Ann M. Fridlind, Andrew S. Ackerman, Pavlos Kollias, Eugene E. Clothiaux, and Maxwell Kelley
Geosci. Model Dev., 11, 4195–4214, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-11-4195-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-11-4195-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Weather and climate predictions of cloud, rain, and snow occurrence remain uncertain, in part because guidance from observation is incomplete. We present a tool that transforms predictions into observations from ground-based remote sensors. Liquid water and ice occurrence errors associated with the transformation are below 8 %, with ~ 3 % uncertainty. This (GO)2-SIM forward-simulator tool enables better evaluation of cloud, rain, and snow occurrence predictions using available observations.
Daniel J. Miller, Zhibo Zhang, Steven Platnick, Andrew S. Ackerman, Frank Werner, Celine Cornet, and Kirk Knobelspiesse
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 11, 3689–3715, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-3689-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-3689-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Prior satellite comparisons of bispectral and polarimetric cloud droplet size retrievals exhibited systematic biases. However, similar airborne instrument retrievals have been found to be quite similar to one another. This study explains this discrepancy in terms of differing sensitivity to vertical profile, as well as spatial and angular resolution. This is accomplished by using a satellite retrieval simulator – an LES cloud model coupled to radiative transfer and cloud retrieval algorithms.
Daniel T. McCoy, Paul R. Field, Anja Schmidt, Daniel P. Grosvenor, Frida A.-M. Bender, Ben J. Shipway, Adrian A. Hill, Jonathan M. Wilkinson, and Gregory S. Elsaesser
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 5821–5846, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-5821-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-5821-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Here we use a combination of global convection-permitting models, satellite observations and the Holuhraun volcanic eruption to demonstrate that aerosol enhances the cloud liquid content and brightness of midlatitude cyclones. This is important because the strength of anthropogenic radiative forcing is uncertain, leading to uncertainty in the climate sensitivity consistent with observed temperature record.
Xiaoli Zhou, Andrew S. Ackerman, Ann M. Fridlind, Robert Wood, and Pavlos Kollias
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 12725–12742, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-12725-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-12725-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Shallow maritime clouds make a well-known transition from stratocumulus to trade cumulus with flow from the subtropics equatorward. Three-day large-eddy simulations that investigate the potential influence of overlying African biomass burning plumes during that transition indicate that cloud-related impacts are likely substantially cooling to negligible at the top of the atmosphere, with magnitude sensitive to background and perturbation aerosol and cloud properties.
Gavin A. Schmidt, David Bader, Leo J. Donner, Gregory S. Elsaesser, Jean-Christophe Golaz, Cecile Hannay, Andrea Molod, Richard B. Neale, and Suranjana Saha
Geosci. Model Dev., 10, 3207–3223, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-3207-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-3207-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
The development of coupled ocean atmosphere climate models is a complex process that inevitably includes multiple calibration steps (sometimes called
tuning). Tuning uses degrees of freedom allowed by uncertainties in model approximations to modify parameters to make the simulation better align with some selected observed target(s). We describe how these tuning targets, parameters, and philosophy vary across six US modeling centers in order to increase the transparency of the practice.
Ann M. Fridlind, Xiaowen Li, Di Wu, Marcus van Lier-Walqui, Andrew S. Ackerman, Wei-Kuo Tao, Greg M. McFarquhar, Wei Wu, Xiquan Dong, Jingyu Wang, Alexander Ryzhkov, Pengfei Zhang, Michael R. Poellot, Andrea Neumann, and Jason M. Tomlinson
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 5947–5972, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-5947-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-5947-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding observed storm microphysics via computer simulation requires measurements of aerosol on which most hydrometeors form. We prepare aerosol input data for six storms observed over Oklahoma. We demonstrate their use in simulations of a case with widespread ice outflow well sampled by aircraft. Simulations predict too few ice crystals that are too large. We speculate that microphysics found in tropical storms occurred here, likely associated with poorly understood ice multiplication.
Jonathan M. Gregory, Nathaelle Bouttes, Stephen M. Griffies, Helmuth Haak, William J. Hurlin, Johann Jungclaus, Maxwell Kelley, Warren G. Lee, John Marshall, Anastasia Romanou, Oleg A. Saenko, Detlef Stammer, and Michael Winton
Geosci. Model Dev., 9, 3993–4017, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-9-3993-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-9-3993-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
As a consequence of greenhouse gas emissions, changes in ocean temperature, salinity, circulation and sea level are expected in coming decades. Among the models used for climate projections for the 21st century, there is a large spread in projections of these effects. The Flux-Anomaly-Forced Model Intercomparison Project (FAFMIP) aims to investigate and explain this spread by prescribing a common set of changes in the input of heat, water and wind stress to the ocean in the participating models.
Ann M. Fridlind, Rachel Atlas, Bastiaan van Diedenhoven, Junshik Um, Greg M. McFarquhar, Andrew S. Ackerman, Elisabeth J. Moyer, and R. Paul Lawson
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 7251–7283, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-7251-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-7251-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Images of crystals within mid-latitude cirrus clouds are used to derive consistent ice physical and optical properties for a detailed cloud microphysics model, including size-dependent mass, projected area, and fall speed. Based on habits found, properties are derived for bullet rosettes, their aggregates, and crystals with irregular shapes. Derived bullet rosette fall speeds are substantially greater than reported in past studies, owing to differences in mass, area, or diameter representation.
A. M. Fridlind, A. S. Ackerman, A. Grandin, F. Dezitter, M. Weber, J. W. Strapp, A. V. Korolev, and C. R. Williams
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 11713–11728, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-11713-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-11713-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
Airbus measurements at elevations circa 11 km within large storm systems near Darwin and Santiago indicate ice mass distributed over area-equivalent diameters of 100-500 µm. Profiler-observed radar reflectivity and mean Doppler velocity under similar conditions are found to be consistent with measurements and with 1D simulations of steady-state stratiform rain columns initialized with observed ice size distributions. Results motivate investigation of ice formation pathways in Part II.
A. S. Ackerman, A. M. Fridlind, A. Grandin, F. Dezitter, M. Weber, J. W. Strapp, and A. V. Korolev
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 11729–11751, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-11729-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-11729-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
An updraft parcel model with size-resolved microphysics is used to investigate microphysical pathways leading to ice water content > 2 g m-3 with mass median area-equivalent diameter of 200-300 micron reported at ~11 km in tropical deep convection. Parcel simulations require substantial source of small crystals at temperatures > ~-10 deg C growing by vapor deposition. Warm rain in weaker updrafts surprisingly leads to greater ice mass owing to reduced competition for available water vapor.
Related subject area
Subject: Clouds and Precipitation | Research Activity: Remote Sensing | Altitude Range: Troposphere | Science Focus: Physics (physical properties and processes)
Observing convective activities in complex convective organizations and their contributions to precipitation and anvil cloud amounts
Weak liquid water path response in ship tracks
Air mass history linked to the development of Arctic mixed-phase clouds
Post-Return Stroke VHF Electromagnetic Activity in North-Western Mediterranean Cloud-to-Ground Lightning Flashes
Distinct structure, radiative effects, and precipitation characteristics of deep convection systems in the Tibetan Plateau compared to the tropical Indian Ocean
The correlation between Arctic sea ice, cloud phase and radiation using A-Train satellites
Technical note: Retrieval of the supercooled liquid fraction in mixed-phase clouds from Himawari-8 observations
Characterisation of low-base and mid-base clouds and their thermodynamic phase over the Southern Ocean and Arctic marine regions
A survey of radiative and physical properties of North Atlantic mesoscale cloud morphologies from multiple identification methodologies
Extensive coverage of ultrathin tropical tropopause layer cirrus clouds revealed by balloon-borne lidar observations
The effects of warm-air intrusions in the high Arctic on cirrus clouds
The characteristics of cloud macro-parameters caused by the seeder–feeder process inside clouds measured by millimeter-wave cloud radar in Xi'an, China
Shallow- and deep-convection characteristics in the greater Houston, Texas, area using cell tracking methodology
Observations of the macrophysical properties of cumulus cloud fields over the tropical western Pacific and their connection to meteorological variables
A Lagrangian perspective on the lifecycle and cloud radiative effect of deep convective clouds over Africa
How does the lifetime of detrained cirrus impact the high cloud radiative effect in the tropics?
Daytime variation in the aerosol indirect effect for warm marine boundary layer clouds in the eastern North Atlantic
Technical note: Bimodal parameterizations of in situ ice cloud particle size distributions
Inter-relations of precipitation, aerosols, and clouds over Andalusia, southern Spain, revealed by the Andalusian Global ObseRvatory of the Atmosphere (AGORA)
On the relationship between mesoscale cellular convection and meteorological forcing: comparing the Southern Ocean against the North Pacific
Aerosol-related effects on the occurrence of heterogeneous ice formation over Lauder, New Zealand ∕ Aotearoa
Low-level Arctic clouds: a blind zone in our knowledge of the radiation budget
Climatologically invariant scale invariance seen in distributions of cloud horizontal sizes
Variability and properties of liquid-dominated clouds over the ice-free and sea-ice-covered Arctic Ocean
Asymmetries in cloud microphysical properties ascribed to sea ice leads via water vapour transport in the central Arctic
Quantifying the dependence of drop spectrum width on cloud drop number concentration for cloud remote sensing
The evolution of deep convective systems and their associated cirrus outflows
Wildfire smoke triggers cirrus formation: lidar observations over the eastern Mediterranean
Rapid saturation of cloud water adjustments to shipping emissions
Sensitivities of cloud radiative effects to large-scale meteorology and aerosols from global observations
Distinct secondary ice production processes observed in radar Doppler spectra: insights from a case study
Investigating the development of clouds within marine cold-air outbreaks
Detection of large-scale cloud microphysical changes within a major shipping corridor after implementation of the International Maritime Organization 2020 fuel sulfur regulations
Examining cloud vertical structure and radiative effects from satellite retrievals and evaluation of CMIP6 scenarios
Influence of cloud microphysics schemes on weather model predictions of heavy precipitation
Convective organization and 3D structure of tropical cloud systems deduced from synergistic A-Train observations and machine learning
Seasonal controls on isolated convective storm drafts, precipitation intensity, and life cycle as observed during GoAmazon2014/5
Uncertainty in aerosol–cloud radiative forcing is driven by clean conditions
Surface-based observations of cold-air outbreak clouds during the COMBLE field campaign
Boundary layer moisture variability at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Eastern North Atlantic observatory during marine conditions
Profile-based estimated inversion strength
Characteristics of supersaturation in midlatitude cirrus clouds and their adjacent cloud-free air
Establishment of an analytical model for remote sensing of typical stratocumulus cloud profiles under various precipitation and entrainment conditions
Satellite remote sensing of regional and seasonal Arctic cooling showing a multi-decadal trend towards brighter and more liquid clouds
Microphysical processes of super typhoon Lekima (2019) and their impacts on polarimetric radar remote sensing of precipitation
The impacts of dust aerosol and convective available potential energy on precipitation vertical structure in southeastern China as seen from multisource observations
Heavy snowfall event over the Swiss Alps: did wind shear impact secondary ice production?
On the global relationship between polarimetric radio occultation differential phase shift and ice water content
Observations of microphysical properties and radiative effects of a contrail cirrus outbreak over the North Atlantic
Natural marine cloud brightening in the Southern Ocean
Zhenquan Wang and Jian Yuan
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 13811–13831, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13811-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13811-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Tropical convection organizations are normally connected complexes of many convective activities. In this work, a novel variable-brightness-temperature segment tracking algorithm is established to partition the complex convective organizations into structural components of single cold cores for tracking separately. The duration, precipitation and anvil amount of the tracked organization segments have strong loglinear relationships with brightness temperature structures.
Anna Tippett, Edward Gryspeerdt, Peter Manshausen, Philip Stier, and Tristan W. P. Smith
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 13269–13283, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13269-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13269-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Ship emissions can form artificially brightened clouds, known as ship tracks, and provide us with an opportunity to investigate how aerosols interact with clouds. Previous studies that used ship tracks suggest that clouds can experience large increases in the amount of water (LWP) from aerosols. Here, we show that there is a bias in previous research and that, when we account for this bias, the LWP response to aerosols is much weaker than previously reported.
Rebecca J. Murray-Watson and Edward Gryspeerdt
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 11115–11132, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11115-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11115-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The formation of mixed-phase clouds during marine cold-air outbreaks is not well understood. Our study, using satellite data and Lagrangian trajectories, reveals that the occurrence of these clouds depends on both time and temperature, influenced partly by the presence of biological ice-nucleating particles. This highlights the importance of comprehending local aerosol dynamics for precise modelling of cloud-phase transitions in the Arctic.
Andrea Kolínská, Ivana Kolmašová, Eric Defer, Ondřej Santolík, and Stéphane Pédeboy
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2489, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2489, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We contribute to the knowledge about the differences in lightning flashes of opposite polarity. We found and explained a distinct behaviour of in-cloud processes happening immediately after return strokes of cloud-to-ground lightning flashes, considering a recharging of in-cloud part of bidirectional leader.
Yuxin Zhao, Jiming Li, Deyu Wen, Yarong Li, Yuan Wang, and Jianping Huang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 9435–9457, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9435-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9435-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study identifies deep convection systems (DCSs), including deep convection cores and anvils, over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) and tropical Indian Ocean (TO). The DCSs over the TP are less frequent, showing narrower and thinner cores and anvils compared to those over the TO. TP DCSs show a stronger longwave cloud radiative effect at the surface and in the low-level atmosphere. Distinct aerosol–cloud–precipitation interaction is found in TP DCSs, probably due to the cold cloud bases.
Grégory V. Cesana, Olivia Pierpaoli, Matteo Ottaviani, Linh Vu, Zhonghai Jin, and Israel Silber
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 7899–7909, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7899-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7899-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Better characterizing the relationship between sea ice and clouds is key to understanding Arctic climate because clouds and sea ice affect surface radiation and modulate Arctic surface warming. Our results indicate that Arctic liquid clouds robustly increase in response to sea ice decrease. This increase has a cooling effect on the surface because more solar radiation is reflected back to space, and it should contribute to dampening future Arctic surface warming.
Ziming Wang, Husi Letu, Huazhe Shang, and Luca Bugliaro
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 7559–7574, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7559-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7559-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The supercooled liquid fraction (SLF) in mixed-phase clouds is retrieved for the first time using passive geostationary satellite observations based on differences in liquid droplet and ice particle radiative properties. The retrieved results are comparable to global distributions observed by active instruments, and the feasibility of the retrieval method to analyze the observed trends of the SLF has been validated.
Barbara Dietel, Odran Sourdeval, and Corinna Hoose
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 7359–7383, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7359-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7359-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Uncertainty with respect to cloud phases over the Southern Ocean and Arctic marine regions leads to large uncertainties in the radiation budget of weather and climate models. This study investigates the phases of low-base and mid-base clouds using satellite-based remote sensing data. A comprehensive analysis of the correlation of cloud phase with various parameters, such as temperature, aerosols, sea ice, vertical and horizontal cloud extent, and cloud radiative effect, is presented.
Ryan Eastman, Isabel L. McCoy, Hauke Schulz, and Robert Wood
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 6613–6634, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6613-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6613-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Cloud types are determined using machine learning image classifiers applied to satellite imagery for 1 year in the North Atlantic. This survey of these cloud types shows that the climate impact of a cloud scene is, in part, a function of cloud type. Each type displays a different mix of thick and thin cloud cover, with the fraction of thin cloud cover having the strongest impact on the clouds' radiative effect. Future studies must account for differing properties and processes among cloud types.
Thomas Lesigne, François Ravetta, Aurélien Podglajen, Vincent Mariage, and Jacques Pelon
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 5935–5952, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5935-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5935-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Upper tropical clouds have a strong impact on Earth's climate but are challenging to observe. We report the first long-duration observations of tropical clouds from lidars flying on board stratospheric balloons. Comparisons with spaceborne observations reveal the enhanced sensitivity of balloon-borne lidar to optically thin cirrus. These clouds, which have a significant coverage and lie in the uppermost troposphere, are linked with the dehydration of air masses on their way to the stratosphere.
Georgios Dekoutsidis, Martin Wirth, and Silke Groß
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 5971–5987, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5971-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5971-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
For decades the earth's temperature has been rising. The Arctic regions are warming faster. Cirrus clouds can contribute to this phenomenon. During warm-air intrusions, air masses are transported into the Arctic from the mid-latitudes. The HALO-(AC)3 campaign took place to measure cirrus during intrusion events and under normal conditions. We study the two cloud types based on these measurements and find differences in their geometry, relative humidity distribution and vertical structure.
Huige Di and Yun Yuan
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 5783–5801, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5783-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5783-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We observed the seeder–feeder process among double-layer clouds using a cloud radar and microwave radiometer. By defining the parameters of the seeding depth and seeding time of the upper cloud affecting the lower cloud, we find that the cloud particle terminal velocity is significantly enhanced during the seeder–feeder period, and the lower the height and thinner the thickness of the height difference between double-layer clouds, the lower the height and thicker the thickness of seeding depth.
Kristofer S. Tuftedal, Bernat Puigdomènech Treserras, Mariko Oue, and Pavlos Kollias
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 5637–5657, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5637-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5637-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study analyzed coastal convective cells from June through September 2018–2021. The cells were classified and their lifecycles were analyzed to better understand their characteristics. Features such as convective-core growth, for example, are shown. The study found differences in the initiation location of shallow convection and in the aerosol loading in deep convective environments. This work provides a foundation for future analyses of convection or other tracked events elsewhere.
Michie Vianca De Vera, Larry Di Girolamo, Guangyu Zhao, Robert M. Rauber, Stephen W. Nesbitt, and Greg M. McFarquhar
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 5603–5623, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5603-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5603-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Tropical oceanic low clouds remain a dominant source of uncertainty in cloud feedback in climate models due to their macrophysical properties (fraction, size, height, shape, distribution) being misrepresented. High-resolution satellite imagery over the Philippine oceans is used here to characterize cumulus macrophysical properties and their relationship to meteorological variables. Such information can act as a benchmark for cloud models and can improve low-cloud generation in climate models.
William K. Jones, Martin Stengel, and Philip Stier
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 5165–5180, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5165-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5165-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Storm clouds cover large areas of the tropics. These clouds both reflect incoming sunlight and trap heat from the atmosphere below, regulating the temperature of the tropics. Over land, storm clouds occur in the late afternoon and evening and so exist both during the daytime and at night. Changes in this timing could upset the balance of the respective cooling and heating effects of these clouds. We find that isolated storms have a larger effect on this balance than their small size suggests.
George Horner and Edward Gryspeerdt
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1090, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1090, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This work tracks the lifecycle of thin cirrus clouds that flow out of tropical convective storms. These cirrus clouds are found to have a warming effect on the atmosphere over their whole lifetime. Thin cirrus that originate from land origin convection warm more than those of ocean origin. Moreover, if the lifetime of these cirrus clouds increase, the warming they exert over their whole lifetime also increases. These results help us understand how these clouds might change in a future climate.
Shaoyue Qiu, Xue Zheng, David Painemal, Christopher R. Terai, and Xiaoli Zhou
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 2913–2935, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-2913-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-2913-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The aerosol indirect effect (AIE) depends on cloud states, which exhibit significant diurnal variations in the northeastern Atlantic. Yet the AIE diurnal cycle remains poorly understood. Using satellite retrievals, we find a pronounced “U-shaped” diurnal variation in the AIE, which is contributed to by the transition of cloud states combined with the lagged cloud responses. This suggests that polar-orbiting satellites with overpass times at noon underestimate daytime mean values of the AIE.
Irene Bartolomé García, Odran Sourdeval, Reinhold Spang, and Martina Krämer
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 1699–1716, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-1699-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-1699-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
How many ice crystals of each size are in a cloud is a key parameter for the retrieval of cloud properties. The distribution of ice crystals is obtained from in situ measurements and used to create parameterizations that can be used when analyzing the remote-sensing data. Current parameterizations are based on data sets that do not include reliable measurements of small crystals, but in our study we use a data set that includes very small ice crystals to improve these parameterizations.
Wenyue Wang, Klemens Hocke, Leonardo Nania, Alberto Cazorla, Gloria Titos, Renaud Matthey, Lucas Alados-Arboledas, Agustín Millares, and Francisco Navas-Guzmán
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 1571–1585, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-1571-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-1571-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The south-central interior of Andalusia experiences complex precipitation patterns as a result of the semi-arid Mediterranean climate and the influence of Saharan dust. This study monitored the inter-relations between aerosols, clouds, meteorological variables, and precipitation systems using ground-based remote sensing and in situ instruments.
Francisco Lang, Steven T. Siems, Yi Huang, Tahereh Alinejadtabrizi, and Luis Ackermann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 1451–1466, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-1451-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-1451-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Marine low-level clouds play a crucial role in the Earth's energy balance, trapping heat from the surface and reflecting sunlight back into space. These clouds are distinguishable by their large-scale spatial structures, primarily characterized as hexagonal patterns with either filled (closed) or empty (open) cells. Utilizing satellite observations, these two cloud type patterns have been categorized over the Southern Ocean and North Pacific Ocean through a pattern recognition program.
Julian Hofer, Patric Seifert, J. Ben Liley, Martin Radenz, Osamu Uchino, Isamu Morino, Tetsu Sakai, Tomohiro Nagai, and Albert Ansmann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 1265–1280, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-1265-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-1265-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
An 11-year dataset of polarization lidar observations from Lauder, New Zealand / Aotearoa, was used to distinguish the thermodynamic phase of natural clouds. The cloud dataset was separated to assess the impact of air mass origin on the frequency of heterogeneous ice formation. Ice formation efficiency in clouds above Lauder was found to be lower than in the polluted Northern Hemisphere midlatitudes but higher than in very clean and pristine environments, such as Punta Arenas in southern Chile.
Hannes Jascha Griesche, Carola Barrientos-Velasco, Hartwig Deneke, Anja Hünerbein, Patric Seifert, and Andreas Macke
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 597–612, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-597-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-597-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The Arctic is strongly affected by climate change and the role of clouds therein is not yet completely understood. Measurements from the Arctic expedition PS106 were used to simulate radiative fluxes with and without clouds at very low altitudes (below 165 m), and their radiative effect was calculated to be 54 Wm-2. The low heights of these clouds make them hard to observe. This study shows the importance of accurate measurements and simulations of clouds and gives suggestions for improvements.
Thomas D. DeWitt, Timothy J. Garrett, Karlie N. Rees, Corey Bois, Steven K. Krueger, and Nicolas Ferlay
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 109–122, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-109-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-109-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Viewed from space, a defining feature of Earth's atmosphere is the wide spectrum of cloud sizes. A recent study predicted the distribution of cloud sizes, and this paper compares the prediction to observations. Although there is nuance in viewing perspective, we find robust agreement with theory across different climatological conditions, including land–ocean contrasts, time of year, or latitude, suggesting a minor role for Coriolis forces, aerosol loading, or surface temperature.
Marcus Klingebiel, André Ehrlich, Elena Ruiz-Donoso, Nils Risse, Imke Schirmacher, Evelyn Jäkel, Michael Schäfer, Kevin Wolf, Mario Mech, Manuel Moser, Christiane Voigt, and Manfred Wendisch
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 15289–15304, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-15289-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-15289-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
In this study we explain how we use aircraft measurements from two Arctic research campaigns to identify cloud properties (like droplet size) over sea-ice and ice-free ocean. To make sure that our measurements make sense, we compare them with other observations. Our results show, e.g., larger cloud droplets in early summer than in spring. Moreover, the cloud droplets are also larger over ice-free ocean than compared to sea ice. In the future, our data can be used to improve climate models.
Pablo Saavedra Garfias, Heike Kalesse-Los, Luisa von Albedyll, Hannes Griesche, and Gunnar Spreen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 14521–14546, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-14521-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-14521-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
An important Arctic climate process is the release of heat fluxes from sea ice openings to the atmosphere that influence the clouds. The characterization of this process is the objective of this study. Using synergistic observations from the MOSAiC expedition, we found that single-layer cloud properties show significant differences when clouds are coupled or decoupled to the water vapour transport which is used as physical link between the upwind sea ice openings and the cloud under observation.
Matthew D. Lebsock and Mikael Witte
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 14293–14305, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-14293-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-14293-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This paper evaluates measurements of cloud drop size distributions made from airplanes. We find that as the number of cloud drops increases the distribution of the cloud drop sizes narrows. The data are used to develop a simple equation that relates the drop number to the width of the drop sizes. We then use this equation to demonstrate that existing approaches to observe the drop number from satellites contain errors that can be corrected by including the new relationship.
George Horner and Edward Gryspeerdt
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 14239–14253, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-14239-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-14239-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Tropical deep convective clouds, and the thin cirrus (ice) clouds that flow out from them, are important for modulating the energy budget of the tropical atmosphere. This work uses a new method to track the evolution of the properties of these clouds across their entire lifetimes. We find these clouds cool the atmosphere in the first 6 h before switching to a warming regime after the deep convective core has dissipated, which is sustained beyond 120 h from the initial convective event.
Rodanthi-Elisavet Mamouri, Albert Ansmann, Kevin Ohneiser, Daniel A. Knopf, Argyro Nisantzi, Johannes Bühl, Ronny Engelmann, Annett Skupin, Patric Seifert, Holger Baars, Dragos Ene, Ulla Wandinger, and Diofantos Hadjimitsis
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 14097–14114, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-14097-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-14097-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
For the first time, rather clear evidence is found that wildfire smoke particles can trigger strong cirrus formation. This finding is of importance because intensive and large wildfires may occur increasingly often in the future as climate change proceeds. Based on lidar observations in Cyprus in autumn 2020, we provide detailed insight into the cirrus formation at the tropopause in the presence of aged wildfire smoke (here, 8–9 day old Californian wildfire smoke).
Peter Manshausen, Duncan Watson-Parris, Matthew W. Christensen, Jukka-Pekka Jalkanen, and Philip Stier
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 12545–12555, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-12545-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-12545-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Aerosol from burning fuel changes cloud properties, e.g., the number of droplets and the content of water. Here, we study how clouds respond to different amounts of shipping aerosol. Droplet numbers increase linearly with increasing aerosol over a broad range until they stop increasing, while the amount of liquid water always increases, independently of emission amount. These changes in cloud properties can make them reflect more or less sunlight, which is important for the earth's climate.
Hendrik Andersen, Jan Cermak, Alyson Douglas, Timothy A. Myers, Peer Nowack, Philip Stier, Casey J. Wall, and Sarah Wilson Kemsley
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 10775–10794, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-10775-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-10775-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This study uses an observation-based cloud-controlling factor framework to study near-global sensitivities of cloud radiative effects to a large number of meteorological and aerosol controls. We present near-global sensitivity patterns to selected thermodynamic, dynamic, and aerosol factors and discuss the physical mechanisms underlying the derived sensitivities. Our study hopes to guide future analyses aimed at constraining cloud feedbacks and aerosol–cloud interactions.
Anne-Claire Billault-Roux, Paraskevi Georgakaki, Josué Gehring, Louis Jaffeux, Alfons Schwarzenboeck, Pierre Coutris, Athanasios Nenes, and Alexis Berne
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 10207–10234, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-10207-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-10207-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Secondary ice production plays a key role in clouds and precipitation. In this study, we analyze radar measurements from a snowfall event in the Jura Mountains. Complex signatures are observed, which reveal that ice crystals were formed through various processes. An analysis of multi-sensor data suggests that distinct ice multiplication processes were taking place. Both the methods used and the insights gained through this case study contribute to a better understanding of snowfall microphysics.
Rebecca J. Murray-Watson, Edward Gryspeerdt, and Tom Goren
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 9365–9383, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-9365-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-9365-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Clouds formed in Arctic marine cold air outbreaks undergo a distinct evolution, but the factors controlling their transition from high-coverage to broken cloud fields are poorly understood. We use satellite and reanalysis data to study how these clouds develop in time and the different influences on their evolution. The aerosol concentration is correlated with cloud break-up; more aerosol is linked to prolonged coverage and a stronger cooling effect, with implications for a more polluted Arctic.
Michael S. Diamond
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 8259–8269, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-8259-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-8259-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Fuel sulfur regulations were implemented for ships in 2020 to improve air quality but may also accelerate global warming. We use spatial statistics and satellite retrievals to detect changes in the size of cloud droplets and find evidence for a resulting decrease in cloud brightness within a major shipping corridor after the sulfur limits went into effect. Our results confirm both that the regulations are being followed and that they are having a warming influence via their effect on clouds.
Hao Luo, Johannes Quaas, and Yong Han
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 8169–8186, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-8169-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-8169-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Clouds exhibit a wide range of vertical structures with varying microphysical and radiative properties. We show a global survey of spatial distribution, vertical extent and radiative effect of various classified cloud vertical structures using joint satellite observations from the new CCCM datasets during 2007–2010. Moreover, the long-term trends in CVSs are investigated based on different CMIP6 future scenarios to capture the cloud variations with different, increasing anthropogenic forcings.
Gregor Köcher, Tobias Zinner, and Christoph Knote
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 6255–6269, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-6255-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-6255-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Polarimetric radar observations of 30 d of convective precipitation events are used to statistically analyze 5 state-of-the-art microphysics schemes of varying complexity. The frequency and area of simulated heavy-precipitation events are in some cases significantly different from those observed, depending on the microphysics scheme. Analysis of simulated particle size distributions and reflectivities shows that some schemes have problems reproducing the correct particle size distributions.
Claudia J. Stubenrauch, Giulio Mandorli, and Elisabeth Lemaitre
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 5867–5884, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-5867-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-5867-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Organized convection leads to large convective cloud systems and intense rain and may change with a warming climate. Their complete 3D description, attained by machine learning techniques in combination with various satellite observations, together with a cloud system concept, link convection to anvil properties, while convective organization can be identified by the horizontal structure of intense rain.
Scott E. Giangrande, Thiago S. Biscaro, and John M. Peters
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 5297–5316, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-5297-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-5297-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Our study tracks thunderstorms observed during the wet and dry seasons of the Amazon Basin using weather radar. We couple this precipitation tracking with opportunistic overpasses of a wind profiler and other ground observations to add unique insights into the upwards and downwards air motions within these clouds at various stages in the storm life cycle. The results of a simple updraft model are provided to give physical explanations for observed seasonal differences.
Edward Gryspeerdt, Adam C. Povey, Roy G. Grainger, Otto Hasekamp, N. Christina Hsu, Jane P. Mulcahy, Andrew M. Sayer, and Armin Sorooshian
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 4115–4122, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-4115-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-4115-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The impact of aerosols on clouds is one of the largest uncertainties in the human forcing of the climate. Aerosol can increase the concentrations of droplets in clouds, but observational and model studies produce widely varying estimates of this effect. We show that these estimates can be reconciled if only polluted clouds are studied, but this is insufficient to constrain the climate impact of aerosol. The uncertainty in aerosol impact on clouds is currently driven by cases with little aerosol.
Zackary Mages, Pavlos Kollias, Zeen Zhu, and Edward P. Luke
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 3561–3574, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-3561-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-3561-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Cold-air outbreaks (when cold air is advected over warm water and creates low-level convection) are a dominant cloud regime in the Arctic, and we capitalized on ground-based observations, which did not previously exist, from the COMBLE field campaign to study them. We characterized the extent and strength of the convection and turbulence and found evidence of secondary ice production. This information is useful for model intercomparison studies that will represent cold-air outbreak processes.
Maria P. Cadeddu, Virendra P. Ghate, David D. Turner, and Thomas E. Surleta
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 3453–3470, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-3453-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-3453-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We analyze the variability in marine boundary layer moisture at the Eastern North Atlantic site on a monthly and daily temporal scale and examine its fundamental role in the control of boundary layer cloudiness and precipitation. The study also highlights the complex interaction between large-scale and local processes controlling the boundary layer moisture and the importance of the mesoscale spatial distribution of vapor to support convection and precipitation.
Zhenquan Wang, Jian Yuan, Robert Wood, Yifan Chen, and Tiancheng Tong
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 3247–3266, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-3247-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-3247-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This study develops a novel profile-based algorithm based on the ERA5 to estimate the inversion strength in the planetary boundary layer better than the previous inversion index, which is a key low-cloud-controlling factor. This improved measure is more effective at representing the meteorological influence on low-cloud variations. It can better constrain the meteorological influence on low clouds to better isolate cloud responses to aerosols or to estimate low cloud feedbacks in climate models.
Georgios Dekoutsidis, Silke Groß, Martin Wirth, Martina Krämer, and Christian Rolf
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 3103–3117, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-3103-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-3103-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Cirrus clouds affect Earth's atmosphere, deeming our study important. Here we use water vapor measurements by lidar and study the relative humidity (RHi) within and around midlatitude cirrus clouds. We find high supersaturations in the cloud-free air and within the clouds, especially near the cloud top. We study two cloud types with different formation processes. Finally, we conclude that the shape of the distribution of RHi can be used as an indicator of different cloud evolutionary stages.
Huazhe Shang, Souichiro Hioki, Guillaume Penide, Céline Cornet, Husi Letu, and Jérôme Riedi
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 2729–2746, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-2729-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-2729-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We find that cloud profiles can be divided into four prominent patterns, and the frequency of these four patterns is related to intensities of cloud-top entrainment and precipitation. Based on these analyses, we further propose a cloud profile parameterization scheme allowing us to represent these patterns. Our results shed light on how to facilitate the representation of cloud profiles and how to link them to cloud entrainment or precipitating status in future remote-sensing applications.
Luca Lelli, Marco Vountas, Narges Khosravi, and John Philipp Burrows
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 2579–2611, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-2579-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-2579-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Arctic amplification describes the recent period in which temperatures have been rising twice as fast as or more than the global average and sea ice and the Greenland ice shelf are approaching a tipping point. Hence, the Arctic ability to reflect solar energy decreases and absorption by the surface increases. Using 2 decades of complementary satellite data, we discover that clouds unexpectedly increase the pan-Arctic reflectance by increasing their liquid water content, thus cooling the Arctic.
Yabin Gou, Haonan Chen, Hong Zhu, and Lulin Xue
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 2439–2463, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-2439-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-2439-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This article investigates the complex precipitation microphysics associated with super typhoon Lekima using a host of in situ and remote sensing observations, including rain gauge and disdrometer data, as well as polarimetric radar observations. The impacts of precipitation microphysics on multi-source data consistency and radar precipitation estimation are quantified. It is concluded that the dynamical precipitation microphysical processes must be considered in radar precipitation estimation.
Hongxia Zhu, Rui Li, Shuping Yang, Chun Zhao, Zhe Jiang, and Chen Huang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 2421–2437, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-2421-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-2421-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The impacts of atmospheric dust aerosols and cloud dynamic conditions on precipitation vertical development in southeastern China were studied using multiple satellite observations. It was found that the precipitating drops under dusty conditions grow faster in the middle layer but slower in the upper and lower layers compared with their pristine counterparts. Quantitative estimation of the sensitivity of the precipitation top temperature to the dust aerosol optical depth is also provided.
Zane Dedekind, Jacopo Grazioli, Philip H. Austin, and Ulrike Lohmann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 2345–2364, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-2345-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-2345-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Simulations allowing ice particles to collide with one another producing more ice particles represented surface observations of ice particles accurately. An increase in ice particles formed through collisions was related to sharp changes in the wind direction and speed with height. Changes in wind speed and direction can therefore cause more enhanced collisions between ice particles and alter how fast and how much precipitation forms. Simulations were conducted with the atmospheric model COSMO.
Ramon Padullés, Estel Cardellach, and F. Joseph Turk
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 2199–2214, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-2199-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-2199-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The results of comparing the polarimetric radio occultation observables and the ice water content retrieved from the CloudSat radar in a global and statistical way show a strong correlation between the geographical patterns of both quantities for a wide range of heights. This implies that horizontally oriented hydrometeors are systematically present through the whole globe and through all vertical levels, which could provide insights on the physical processes leading to precipitation.
Ziming Wang, Luca Bugliaro, Tina Jurkat-Witschas, Romy Heller, Ulrike Burkhardt, Helmut Ziereis, Georgios Dekoutsidis, Martin Wirth, Silke Groß, Simon Kirschler, Stefan Kaufmann, and Christiane Voigt
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 1941–1961, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-1941-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-1941-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Differences in the microphysical properties of contrail cirrus and natural cirrus in a contrail outbreak situation during the ML-CIRRUS campaign over the North Atlantic flight corridor can be observed from in situ measurements. The cirrus radiative effect in the area of the outbreak, derived from satellite observation-based radiative transfer modeling, is warming in the early morning and cooling during the day.
Gerald G. Mace, Sally Benson, Ruhi Humphries, Peter M. Gombert, and Elizabeth Sterner
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 1677–1685, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-1677-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-1677-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The number of cloud droplets per unit volume is a significantly important property of clouds that controls their reflective properties. Computer models of the Earth's atmosphere and climate have low skill at predicting the reflective properties of Southern Ocean clouds. Here we investigate the properties of those clouds using satellite data and find that the cloud droplet number and cloud albedo in the Southern Ocean are related to the oceanic phytoplankton abundance near Antarctica.
Cited articles
Abdella, K. and McFarlane, N. A.: Parameterization of the surface-layer
exchange coefficients for atmospheric models, Bound.-Lay. Meteorol., 80,
223–248, https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00119544, 1996.
Andrews, T., Gregory, J. M., Webb, M. J., and Taylor, K. E.: Forcing,
feedbacks and climate sensitivity in CMIP5 coupled atmosphere-ocean climate
models: Climate sensitivity in CMIP5 models, Geophys. Res. Lett.,
39, L09712, https://doi.org/10.1029/2012GL051607, 2012.
Anon: The New GFDL Global Atmosphere and Land Model AM2-LM2: Evaluation with
Prescribed SST Simulations, J. Climate, 17, 4641–4673,
https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-3223.1, 2004.
Bodas-Salcedo, A., Webb, M. J., Bony, S., Chepfer, H., Dufresne, J.-L.,
Klein, S. A., Zhang, Y., Marchand, R., Haynes, J. M., Pincus, R., and John,
V. O.: COSP: Satellite simulation software for model assessment, B. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 92, 1023–1043, https://doi.org/10.1175/2011BAMS2856.1, 2011.
Bony, S. and Dufresne, J.-L.: Marine boundary layer clouds at the heart of
tropical cloud feedback uncertainties in climate models, Geophys. Res. Lett.,
32, L20806, https://doi.org/10.1029/2005GL023851, 2005.
Bretherton, C. S.: Insights into low-latitude cloud feedbacks from
high-resolution models, Philos. T. R. Soc. A., 373, 20140415,
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2014.0415, 2015.
Bretherton, C. S. and Park, S.: A New Moist Turbulence Parameterization in
the Community Atmosphere Model, J. Climate, 22, 3422–3448,
https://doi.org/10.1175/2008JCLI2556.1, 2009.
Bretherton, C. S., Blossey, P. N., and Jones, C. R.: Mechanisms of marine low
cloud sensitivity to idealized climate perturbations: A single-LES
exploration extending the CGILS cases: Les of boundary-layer cloud feedback,
J. Adv. Model Earth Sy., 5, 316–337,
https://doi.org/10.1002/jame.20019, 2013.
Brient, F. and Bony, S.: How may low-cloud radiative properties simulated in
the current climate influence low-cloud feedbacks under global warming?: Low
cloud feedback, Geophys. Res. Lett., 39, L20807, https://doi.org/10.1029/2012GL053265, 2012.
Brient, F. and Schneider, T.: Constraints on Climate Sensitivity from
Space-Based Measurements of Low-Cloud Reflection, J. Climate,
29, 5821–5835, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-15-0897.1, 2016.
Brient, F., Schneider, T., Tan, Z., Bony, S., Qu, X., and Hall, A.:
Shallowness of tropical low clouds as a predictor of climate models'
response to warming, Clim. Dynam., 47, 433–449, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-015-2846-0, 2016.
Brinkop, S. and Roeckner, E.: Sensitivity of a general circulation model to
parameterizations of cloud-turbulence interactions in the atmospheric
boundary layer, Tellus A, 47, 197–220,
https://doi.org/10.1034/j.1600-0870.1995.t01-1-00004.x, 1995.
Brown, A. R., Beare, R. J., Edwards, J. M., Lock, A. P., Keogh, S. J.,
Milton, S. F., and Walters, D. N.: Upgrades to the Boundary-Layer Scheme in
the Met Office Numerical Weather Prediction Model, Bound.-Lay. Meteorol., 128, 117–132, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-008-9275-0, 2008.
Caldwell, P. M., Zelinka, M. D., and Klein, S. A.: Evaluating Emergent
Constraints on Equilibrium Climate Sensitivity, J. Climate, 31,
3921–3942, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-17-0631.1, 2018.
Cesana, G. and Chepfer, H.: How well do climate models simulate cloud
vertical structure? A comparison between CALIPSO-GOCCP satellite
observations and CMIP5 models: Evaluation of clouds in cmip5 models,
Geophys. Res. Lett., 39, L20803, https://doi.org/10.1029/2012GL053153,
2012.
Cesana, G. and Waliser, D. E.: Characterizing and understanding systematic
biases in the vertical structure of clouds in CMIP5/CFMIP2 models: Vertical
Structure of Clouds, Geophys. Res. Lett., 43, 10538–10546,
https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL070515, 2016.
Cesana, G., Chepfer, H., Winker, D., Getzewich, B., Cai, X., Jourdan, O.,
Mioche, G., Okamoto, H., Hagihara, Y., Noel, V., and Reverdy, M.: Using in
situ airborne measurements to evaluate three cloud phase products derived
from CALIPSO: CALIPSO Cloud Phase Validation, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 121, 5788–5808, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JD024334, 2016.
Cesana, G., Suselj, K., and Brient, F.: On the Dependence of Cloud Feedbacks
on Physical Parameterizations in WRF Aquaplanet Simulations: WRF Aquaplanet
Cloud Feedbacks, Geophys. Res. Lett., 44, 10762–10771,
https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL074820, 2017.
Chen, Y. and Del Genio, A. D.: Evaluation of tropical cloud regimes in
observations and a general circulation model, Clim. Dynam., 32,
355–369, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-008-0386-6, 2009.
Chepfer, H., Bony, S., Winker, D., Chiriaco, M., Dufresne, J.-L., and
Sèze, G.: Use of CALIPSO lidar observations to evaluate the cloudiness
simulated by a climate model, Geophys. Res. Lett., 35, L15704, https://doi.org/10.1029/2008GL034207, 2008.
Chepfer, H., Cesana, G., Winker, D., Getzewich, B., Vaughan, M., and Liu, Z.:
Comparison of Two Different Cloud Climatologies Derived from
CALIOP-Attenuated Backscattered Measurements (Level 1): The CALIPSO-ST and
the CALIPSO-GOCCP, J. Atmos. Ocean. Tech., 30,
725–744, https://doi.org/10.1175/JTECH-D-12-00057.1, 2013.
Dee, D. P., Uppala, S. M., Simmons, A. J., Berrisford, P., Poli, P.,
Kobayashi, S., Andrae, U., Balmaseda, M. A., Balsamo, G., Bauer, P.,
Bechtold, P., Beljaars, A. C. M., van de Berg, L., Bidlot, J., Bormann, N.,
Delsol, C., Dragani, R., Fuentes, M., Geer, A. J., Haimberger, L., Healy, S.
B., Hersbach, H., Hólm, E. V., Isaksen, L., Kållberg, P.,
Köhler, M., Matricardi, M., McNally, A. P., Monge-Sanz, B. M.,
Morcrette, J.-J., Park, B.-K., Peubey, C., de Rosnay, P., Tavolato, C.,
Thépaut, J.-N., and Vitart, F.: The ERA-Interim reanalysis: configuration
and performance of the data assimilation system, Q. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 137, 553–597, https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.828, 2011.
Del Genio, A. D., Yao, M.-S., Kovari, W., and Lo, K. K.-W.: A Prognostic
Cloud Water Parameterization for Global Climate Models, J. Climate,
9, 270–304, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0442(1996)009<0270:APCWPF>2.0.CO;2, 1996.
Del Genio, A. D., Kovari, W., Yao, M.-S., and Jonas, J.: Cumulus Microphysics
and Climate Sensitivity, J. Climate, 18, 2376–2387,
https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI3413.1, 2005.
Del Genio, A. D., Wu, J., Wolf, A. B., Chen, Y., Yao, M.-S., and Kim, D.:
Constraints on Cumulus Parameterization from Simulations of Observed MJO
Events, J. Climate, 28, 6419–6442, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-14-00832.1, 2015.
de Szoeke, S. P., Verlinden, K. L., Yuter, S. E., and Mechem, D. B.: The Time
Scales of Variability of Marine Low Clouds, J. Climate, 29,
6463–6481, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-15-0460.1, 2016.
Donner, L. J., Wyman, B. L., Hemler, R. S., Horowitz, L. W., Ming, Y., Zhao,
M., Golaz, J.-C., Ginoux, P., Lin, S.-J., Schwarzkopf, M. D., Austin, J.,
Alaka, G., Cooke, W. F., Delworth, T. L., Freidenreich, S. M., Gordon, C. T.,
Griffies, S. M., Held, I. M., Hurlin, W. J., Klein, S. A., Knutson, T. R.,
Langenhorst, A. R., Lee, H.-C., Lin, Y., Magi, B. I., Malyshev, S. L., Milly,
P. C. D., Naik, V., Nath, M. J., Pincus, R., Ploshay, J. J., Ramaswamy, V.,
Seman, C. J., Shevliakova, E., Sirutis, J. J., Stern, W. F., Stouffer, R. J.,
Wilson, R. J., Winton, M., Wittenberg, A. T., and Zeng, F.: The Dynamical
Core, Physical Parameterizations, and Basic Simulation Characteristics of the
Atmospheric Component AM3 of the GFDL Global Coupled Model CM3, J. Climate,
24, 3484–3519, https://doi.org/10.1175/2011JCLI3955.1, 2011.
Elsaesser, G. S., Del Genio, A. D., Jiang, J. H., and van Lier-Walqui, M.: An
Improved Convective Ice Parameterization for the NASA GISS Global Climate
Model and Impacts on Cloud Ice Simulation, J. Climate, 30,
317–336, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-16-0346.1, 2017.
Galperin, B., Kantha, L. H., Hassid, S., and Rosati, A.: A Quasi-equilibrium
Turbulent Energy Model for Geophysical Flows, J. Atmos. Sci., 45, 55–62,
https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0469(1988)045<0055:AQETEM>2.0.CO;2, 1988.
Geoffroy, M.-C., Côté, S. M., Giguère, C.-É., Dionne, G., Zelazo,
P. D., Tremblay, R. E., Boivin, M., and Séguin, J. R.: Closing the gap in
academic readiness and achievement: the role of early childcare: Childcare,
socioeconomic background, and academic readiness and achievement, J. Child
Psychol. Psyc., 51, 1359–1367, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2010.02316.x, 2010.
Gettelman, A. and Morrison, H.: Advanced Two-Moment Bulk Microphysics for
Global Models. Part I: Off-Line Tests and Comparison with Other Schemes,
J. Climate, 28, 1268–1287, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-14-00102.1, 2015.
Guzman, R., Chepfer, H., Noel, V., Vaillant de Guélis, T., Kay, J. E.,
Raberanto, P., Cesana, G., Vaughan, M. A., and Winker, D. M.: Direct
atmosphere opacity observations from CALIPSO provide new constraints on
cloud-radiation interactions: GOCCP v3.0 OPAQ Algorithm, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 122, 1066–1085, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016JD025946, 2017.
Ham, S.-H., Kato, S., Barker, H. W., Rose, F. G., and Sun-Mack, S.: Improving
the modelling of short-wave radiation through the use of a 3-D scene
construction algorithm: Improving Short-Wave Radiation Modelling by SCA, Q.
J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 141, 1870–1883, https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.2491, 2015.
Hirahara, S., Ishii, M., and Fukuda, Y.: Centennial-Scale Sea Surface
Temperature Analysis and Its Uncertainty, J. Climate, 27, 57–75,
https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-12-00837.1, 2014.
Holtslag, A. A. M. and Boville, B. A.: Local Versus Nonlocal Boundary-Layer
Diffusion in a Global Climate Model, J. Climate, 6, 1825–1842,
https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0442(1993)006<1825:LVNBLD>2.0.CO;2, 1993.
Hourdin, F., Musat, I., Bony, S., Braconnot, P., Codron, F., Dufresne, J.-L.,
Fairhead, L., Filiberti, M.-A., Friedlingstein, P., Grandpeix, J.-Y.,
Krinner, G., LeVan, P., Li, Z.-X., and Lott, F.: The LMDZ4 general
circulation model: climate performance and sensitivity to parametrized
physics with emphasis on tropical convection, Clim. Dynam., 27, 787–813,
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-006-0158-0, 2006.
Hourdin, F., Grandpeix, J.-Y., Rio, C., Bony, S., Jam, A., Cheruy, F.,
Rochetin, N., Fairhead, L., Idelkadi, A., Musat, I., Dufresne, J.-L.,
Lahellec, A., Lefebvre, M.-P., and Roehrig, R.: LMDZ5B: the atmospheric
component of the IPSL climate model with revisited parameterizations for
clouds and convection, Clim. Dynam., 40, 2193–2222,
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-012-1343-y, 2013.
Huang, B., Thorne, P. W., Banzon, V. F., Boyer, T., Chepurin, G., Lawrimore,
J. H., Menne, M. J., Smith, T. M., Vose, R. S., and Zhang, H.-M.: Extended
Reconstructed Sea Surface Temperature, Version 5 (ERSSTv5): Upgrades,
Validations, and Intercomparisons, J. Climate, 30, 8179–8205,
https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-16-0836.1, 2017.
Kärcher, B.: A parameterization of cirrus cloud formation: Homogeneous
freezing of supercooled aerosols, J. Geophys. Res., 107,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2001JD000470, 2002.
Klein, S. A. and Hartmann, D. L.: The Seasonal Cycle of Low Stratiform
Clouds, J. Climate, 6, 1587–1606, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0442(1993)006<1587:TSCOLS>2.0.CO;2,
1993.
Klein, S. A. and Jakob, C.: Validation and Sensitivities of Frontal Clouds
Simulated by the ECMWF Model, Mon. Weather Rev., 127, 2514–2531,
https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0493(1999)127<2514:VASOFC>2.0.CO;2, 1999.
Klein, S. A. and Hall, A.: Emergent Constraints for Cloud Feedbacks, Current
Climate Change Reports, 1, 276–287, https://doi.org/10.1007/s40641-015-0027-1, 2015.
Klein, S. A., Hall, A., Norris, J. R., and Pincus, R.: Low-Cloud Feedbacks
from Cloud-Controlling Factors: A Review, Surv. Geophys., 38,
1307–1329, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10712-017-9433-3, 2017.
Lacour, A., Chepfer, H., Shupe, M. D., Miller, N. B., Noel, V., Kay, J.,
Turner, D. D., and Guzman, R.: Greenland Clouds Observed in CALIPSO-GOCCP:
Comparison with Ground-Based Summit Observations, J. Climate,
30, 6065–6083, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-16-0552.1, 2017.
Laval, K., Sadourny, R., and Serafini, Y.: Land surface processes in a
simplified general circulation model, Geophys. Astro. Fluid, 17, 129–150,
https://doi.org/10.1080/03091928108243677, 1981.
Lock, A. P., Brown, A. R., Bush, M. R., Martin, G. M., and Smith, R. N. B.: A
New Boundary Layer Mixing Scheme. Part I: Scheme Description and
Single-Column Model Tests, Mon. Weather Rev., 128, 3187–3199,
https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0493(2000)128<3187:ANBLMS>2.0.CO;2, 2000.
Lock, A. P.: The Numerical Representation of Entrainment in Parameterizations
of Boundary Layer Turbulent Mixing, Mon. Weather Rev., 129, 1148–1163,
https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0493(2001)129<1148:TNROEI>2.0.CO;2, 2001.
Loeb, N. G., Doelling, D. R., Wang, H., Su, W., Nguyen, C., Corbett, J. G.,
Liang, L., Mitrescu, C., Rose, F. G., and Kato, S.: Clouds and the Earth's
Radiant Energy System (CERES) Energy Balanced and Filled (EBAF)
Top-of-Atmosphere (TOA) Edition-4.0 Data Product, J. Climate, 31,
895–918, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-17-0208.1, 2018.
Louis, J.-F.: A parametric model of vertical eddy fluxes in the atmosphere,
Bound.-Lay. Meteorol., 17, 187–202, https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00117978, 1979.
Mace, G. G. and Zhang, Q.: The CloudSat radar-lidar geometrical profile
product (RL-GeoProf): Updates, improvements, and selected results: Cloudsat
radar-lidar geometrical profile, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 119, 9441–9462, https://doi.org/10.1002/2013JD021374,
2014.
Marchand, R. and Ackerman, T.: An analysis of cloud cover in multiscale
modeling framework global climate model simulations using 4 and 1 km horizontal grids, J. Geophys. Res., 115, D16207, https://doi.org/10.1029/2009JD013423, 2010.
Marchand, R., Ackerman, T., Smyth, M., and Rossow, W. B.: A review of cloud
top height and optical depth histograms from MISR, ISCCP, and MODIS, J. Geophys. Res., 115, D16206, https://doi.org/10.1029/2009JD013422,
2010.
Marvel, K., Pincus, R., Schmidt, G. A., and Miller, R. L.: Internal
Variability and Disequilibrium Confound Estimates of Climate Sensitivity
From Observations, Geophys. Res. Lett., 45, 1595–1601,
https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL076468, 2018.
McCoy, D. T., Eastman, R., Hartmann, D. L., and Wood, R.: The Change in Low
Cloud Cover in a Warmed Climate Inferred from AIRS, MODIS, and ERA-Interim,
J. Climate, 30, 3609–3620, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-15-0734.1, 2017.
McGill, M. J., Vaughan, M. A., Trepte, C. R., Hart, W. D., Hlavka, D. L.,
Winker, D. M., and Kuehn, R.: Airborne validation of spatial properties
measured by the CALIPSO lidar, J. Geophys. Res., 112, D20201, https://doi.org/10.1029/2007JD008768, 2007.
Mellor, G. L. and Yamada, T.: Development of a turbulence closure model for
geophysical fluid problems, Rev. Geophys., 20, 851,
https://doi.org/10.1029/RG020i004p00851, 1982.
Medeiros, B., Stevens, B., and Bony, S.: Using aquaplanets to understand the
robust responses of comprehensive climate models to forcing, Clim. Dynam., 44, 1957–1977, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-014-2138-0,
2015.
Meyers, M. P., DeMott, P. J., and Cotton, W. R.: New Primary Ice-Nucleation
Parameterizations in an Explicit Cloud Model, J. Appl. Meteorol., 31,
708–721, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0450(1992)031<0708:NPINPI>2.0.CO;2, 1992.
Myers, T. A. and Norris, J. R.: On the Relationships between Subtropical
Clouds and Meteorology in Observations and CMIP3 and CMIP5 Models, J.
Climate, 28, 2945–2967, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-14-00475.1, 2015.
Myers, T. A. and Norris, J. R.: Reducing the uncertainty in subtropical
cloud feedback: Reducing uncertainty of cloud feedback, Geophys. Res. Lett., 43, 2144–2148, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015GL067416, 2016.
Nam, C., Bony, S., Dufresne, J.-L., and Chepfer, H.: The “too few, too
bright” tropical low-cloud problem in CMIP5 models: Too few too bright
low-clouds, Geophys. Res. Lett., 39, L21801, https://doi.org/10.1029/2012GL053421, 2012.
Neale, R. B. and Coauthors: Description of the NCAR Community Atmosphere
Model (CAM 5.0), NCAR Tech. Note TN-486, 274 pp., 2012.
Neale, R. B., Richter, J., Park, S., Lauritzen, P. H., Vavrus, S. J., Rasch, P. J., and Zhang, M.: The mean climate
of the Community Atmosphere Model (CAM4) in forced SST and fully coupled experiments, J. Climate, 26, 5150–5168, 2013.
Nuijens, L., Medeiros, B., Sandu, I., and Ahlgrimm, M.: Observed and modeled
patterns of covariability between low-level cloudiness and the structure of
the trade-wind layer: Patterns of covariability, J. Adv. Model. Earth Sy., 7, 1741–1764, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015MS000483, 2015.
Ogura, T., Shiogama, H., Watanabe, M., Yoshimori, M., Yokohata, T., Annan, J.
D., Hargreaves, J. C., Ushigami, N., Hirota, K., Someya, Y., Kamae, Y.,
Tatebe, H., and Kimoto, M.: Effectiveness and limitations of parameter tuning
in reducing biases of top-of-atmosphere radiation and clouds in MIROC version
5, Geosci. Model Dev., 10, 4647–4664,
https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-4647-2017, 2017.
Pincus, R., Platnick, S., Ackerman, S. A., Hemler, R. S., and Patrick
Hofmann, R. J.: Reconciling Simulated and Observed Views of Clouds: MODIS,
ISCCP, and the Limits of Instrument Simulators, J. Climate, 25, 4699–4720,
https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-11-00267.1, 2012.
Platnick, S., King, M. D., Ackerman, S. A., Menzel, W. P., Baum, B. A.,
Riedi, J. C., and Frey, R. A.: The MODIS cloud products: algorithms and
examples from terra, IEEE T. Geosci. Remote, 41, 459–473,
https://doi.org/10.1109/TGRS.2002.808301, 2003.
Qu, X., Hall, A., Klein, S. A., and DeAngelis, A. M.: Positive tropical
marine low-cloud cover feedback inferred from cloud-controlling factors:
Positive Tropical Low-Cloud Feedback, Geophys. Res. Lett., 42, 7767–7775,
https://doi.org/10.1002/2015GL065627, 2015.
Reynolds, R. W., Rayner, N. A., Smith, T. M., Stokes, D. C., and Wang, W.: An
Improved In Situ and Satellite SST Analysis for Climate, J. Climate, 15,
1609–1625, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0442(2002)015<1609:AIISAS>2.0.CO;2, 2002.
Rio, C. and Hourdin, F.: A Thermal Plume Model for the Convective Boundary
Layer: Representation of Cumulus Clouds, J. Atmos. Sci., 65, 407–425,
https://doi.org/10.1175/2007JAS2256.1, 2008.
Rio, C., Hourdin, F., and Chédin, A.: Numerical simulation of tropospheric
injection of biomass burning products by pyro-thermal plumes, Atmos. Chem.
Phys., 10, 3463–3478, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-10-3463-2010, 2010.
Rossow, W. B. and Schiffer, R. A.: Advances in Understanding Clouds from
ISCCP, B. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 80, 2261–2287,
https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0477(1999)080<2261:AIUCFI>2.0.CO;2, 1999.
Schmidt, G. A., Ruedy, R., Hansen, J. E., Aleinov, I., Bell, N., Bauer, M.,
Bauer, S., Cairns, B., Canuto, V., Cheng, Y., Del Genio, A., Faluvegi, G.,
Friend, A. D., Hall, T. M., Hu, Y., Kelley, M., Kiang, N. Y., Koch, D.,
Lacis, A. A., Lerner, J., Lo, K. K., Miller, R. L., Nazarenko, L., Oinas, V.,
Perlwitz, J., Perlwitz, J., Rind, D., Romanou, A., Russell, G. L., Sato, M.,
Shindell, D. T., Stone, P. H., Sun, S., Tausnev, N., Thresher, D., and Yao,
M.-S.: Present-Day Atmospheric Simulations Using GISS ModelE: Comparison to
In Situ, Satellite, and Reanalysis Data, J. Climate, 19, 153–192,
https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI3612.1, 2006.
Schmidt, G. A., Kelley, M., Nazarenko, L., Ruedy, R., Russell, G. L.,
Aleinov, I., Bauer, M., Bauer, S. E., Bhat, M. K., Bleck, R., Canuto, V.,
Chen, Y.-H., Cheng, Y., Clune, T. L., Del Genio, A., de Fainchtein, R.,
Faluvegi, G., Hansen, J. E., Healy, R. J., Kiang, N. Y., Koch, D., Lacis, A.
A., LeGrande, A. N., Lerner, J., Lo, K. K., Matthews, E. E., Menon, S.,
Miller, R. L., Oinas, V., Oloso, A. O., Perlwitz, J. P., Puma, M. J., Putman,
W. M., Rind, D., Romanou, A., Sato, M., Shindell, D. T., Sun, S., Syed, R.
A., Tausnev, N., Tsigaridis, K., Unger, N., Voulgarakis, A., Yao, M.-S., and
Zhang, J.: Configuration and assessment of the GISS ModelE2 contributions to
the CMIP5 archive: GISS MODEL-E2 CMIP5 Simulations, J. Adv. Model. Earth Sy.,
6, 141–184, https://doi.org/10.1002/2013MS000265, 2014.
Seethala, C., Norris, J. R., and Myers, T. A.: How Has Subtropical
Stratocumulus and Associated Meteorology Changed since the 1980s?, J.
Climate, 28, 8396–8410, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-15-0120.1, 2015.
Seifert, A.: On the Parameterization of Evaporation of Raindrops as Simulated
by a One-Dimensional Rainshaft Model, J. Atmos. Sci., 65, 3608–3619,
https://doi.org/10.1175/2008JAS2586.1, 2008.
Sherwood, S. C., Bony, S., and Dufresne, J.-L.: Spread in model climate
sensitivity traced to atmospheric convective mixing, Nature, 505, 37–42,
https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12829, 2014.
Shipway, B. J. and Hill, A. A.: Diagnosis of systematic differences between
multiple parametrizations of warm rain microphysics using a kinematic
framework, Q. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 138, 2196–2211, https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.1913,
2012.
Smith, R. N. B.: A scheme for predicting layer clouds and their water content
in a general circulation model, Q. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 116, 435–460,
https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.49711649210, 1990.
Stevens, B., Giorgetta, M., Esch, M., Mauritsen, T., Crueger, T., Rast, S.,
Salzmann, M., Schmidt, H., Bader, J., Block, K., Brokopf, R., Fast, I.,
Kinne, S., Kornblueh, L., Lohmann, U., Pincus, R., Reichler, T., and
Roeckner, E.: Atmospheric component of the MPI-M Earth System Model: ECHAM6:
ECHAM6, J. Adv. Model. Earth Sy., 5, 146–172, https://doi.org/10.1002/jame.20015,
2013.
Su, H., Jiang, J. H., Zhai, C., Perun, V. S., Shen, J. T., Del Genio, A.,
Nazarenko, L. S., Donner, L. J., Horowitz, L., Seman, C., Morcrette, C.,
Petch, J., Ringer, M., Cole, J., von Salzen, K., d S. Mesquita, M., Iversen,
T., Kristjansson, J. E., Gettelman, A., Rotstayn, L., Jeffrey, S., Dufresne,
J.-L., Watanabe, M., Kawai, H., Koshiro, T., Wu, T., Volodin, E. M.,
L'Ecuyer, T., Teixeira, J., and Stephens, G. L.: Diagnosis of regime-dependent
cloud simulation errors in CMIP5 models using “A-Train” satellite
observations and reanalysis data: Diagnosis of cloud errors for CMIP5, J.
Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 118, 2762–2780, https://doi.org/10.1029/2012JD018575, 2013.
Tatebe, H., Ogura, T., Nitta, T., Komuro, Y., Ogochi, K., Takemura, T., Sudo,
K., Sekiguchi, M., Abe, M., Saito, F., Chikira, M., Watanabe, S., Mori, M.,
Hirota, N., Kawatani, Y., Mochizuki, T., Yoshimura, K., Takata, K., O'ishi,
R., Yamazaki, D., Suzuki, T., Kurogi, M., Kataoka, T., Watanabe, M., and
Kimoto, M.: Description and basic evaluation of simulated mean state,
internal variability, and climate sensitivity in MIROC6, Geosci. Model Dev.
Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-2018-155, in review, 2018.
The HadGEM2 Development Team: G. M. Martin, Bellouin, N., Collins, W. J.,
Culverwell, I. D., Halloran, P. R., Hardiman, S. C., Hinton, T. J., Jones, C.
D., McDonald, R. E., McLaren, A. J., O'Connor, F. M., Roberts, M. J.,
Rodriguez, J. M., Woodward, S., Best, M. J., Brooks, M. E., Brown, A. R.,
Butchart, N., Dearden, C., Derbyshire, S. H., Dharssi, I., Doutriaux-Boucher,
M., Edwards, J. M., Falloon, P. D., Gedney, N., Gray, L. J., Hewitt, H. T.,
Hobson, M., Huddleston, M. R., Hughes, J., Ineson, S., Ingram, W. J., James,
P. M., Johns, T. C., Johnson, C. E., Jones, A., Jones, C. P., Joshi, M. M.,
Keen, A. B., Liddicoat, S., Lock, A. P., Maidens, A. V., Manners, J. C.,
Milton, S. F., Rae, J. G. L., Ridley, J. K., Sellar, A., Senior, C. A.,
Totterdell, I. J., Verhoef, A., Vidale, P. L., and Wiltshire, A.: The HadGEM2
family of Met Office Unified Model climate configurations, Geosci. Model
Dev., 4, 723–757, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-4-723-2011, 2011.
Thompson, G., Field, P. R., Rasmussen, R. M., and Hall, W. D.: Explicit
Forecasts of Winter Precipitation Using an Improved Bulk Microphysics Scheme.
Part II: Implementation of a New Snow Parameterization, Mon. Weather Rev.,
136, 5095–5115, https://doi.org/10.1175/2008MWR2387.1, 2008.
Voldoire, A., Sanchez-Gomez, E., Salas y Mélia, D., Decharme, B., Cassou,
C., Sénési, S., Valcke, S., Beau, I., Alias, A., Chevallier, M.,
Déqué, M., Deshayes, J., Douville, H., Fernandez, E., Madec, G.,
Maisonnave, E., Moine, M.-P., Planton, S., Saint-Martin, D., Szopa, S.,
Tyteca, S., Alkama, R., Belamari, S., Braun, A., Coquart, L., and Chauvin,
F.: The CNRM-CM5.1 global climate model: description and basic evaluation,
Clim. Dynam., 40, 2091–2121, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-011-1259-y, 2013.
von Salzen, K., Scinocca, J. F., McFarlane, N. A., Li, J., Cole, J. N. S.,
Plummer, D., Verseghy, D., Reader, M. C., Ma, X., Lazare, M., and Solheim,
L.: The Canadian Fourth Generation Atmospheric Global Climate Model (CanAM4).
Part I: Representation of Physical Processes, Atmos. Ocean., 51, 104–125,
https://doi.org/10.1080/07055900.2012.755610, 2013.
Watanabe, M., Suzuki, T., O'ishi, R., Komuro, Y., Watanabe, S., Emori, S.,
Takemura, T., Chikira, M., Ogura, T., Sekiguchi, M., Takata, K., Yamazaki,
D., Yokohata, T., Nozawa, T., Hasumi, H., Tatebe, H., and Kimoto, M.:
Improved Climate Simulation by MIROC5: Mean States, Variability, and Climate
Sensitivity, J. Climate, 23, 6312–6335, https://doi.org/10.1175/2010JCLI3679.1, 2010.
Webb, M. J., Lock, A. P., Bodas-Salcedo, A., Bony, S., Cole, J. N. S.,
Koshiro, T., Kawai, H., Lacagnina, C., Selten, F. M., Roehrig, R., and
Stevens, B.: The diurnal cycle of marine cloud feedback in climate models,
Clim. Dynam., 44, 1419–1436, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-014-2234-1, 2015.
Wilson, D. R. and Ballard, S. P.: A microphysically based precipitation
scheme for the UK meteorological office unified model, Q. J. Roy. Meteor.
Soc., 125, 1607–1636, https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.49712555707, 1999.
Winker, D. M., Pelon, J., Coakley, J. A., Ackerman, S. A., Charlson, R. J.,
Colarco, P. R., Flamant, P., Fu, Q., Hoff, R. M., Kittaka, C., Kubar, T. L.,
Le Treut, H., Mccormick, M. P., Mégie, G., Poole, L., Powell, K., Trepte,
C., Vaughan, M. A., and Wielicki, B. A.: The CALIPSO Mission: A Global 3D
View of Aerosols and Clouds, B. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 91, 1211–1230,
https://doi.org/10.1175/2010BAMS3009.1, 2010.
Wood, R. and Bretherton, C. S.: On the Relationship between Stratiform Low
Cloud Cover and Lower-Tropospheric Stability, J. Climate, 19,
6425–6432, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI3988.1, 2006.
Wu, T., Song, L., Li, W., Wang, Z., Zhang, H., Xin, X., Zhang, Y., Zhang,
L., Li, J., Wu, F., Liu, Y., Zhang, F., Shi, X., Chu, M., Zhang, J., Fang,
Y., Wang, F., Lu, Y., Liu, X., Wei, M., Liu, Q., Zhou, W., Dong, M., Zhao,
Q., Ji, J., Li, L., and Zhou, M.: An overview of BCC climate system model
development and application for climate change studies, Acta Meteorol. Sin., 28, 34–56, https://doi.org/10.1007/s13351-014-3041-7, 2014.
Yamada, T.: Simulations of Nocturnal Drainage Flows by a q2l Turbulence
Closure Model, J. Atmos. Sci., 40, 91–106,
https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0469(1983)040<0091:SONDFB>2.0.CO;2, 1983.
Yao, M.-S. and Cheng, Y.: Cloud Simulations in Response to Turbulence
Parameterizations in the GISS Model E GCM, J. Climate, 25,
4963–4974, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-11-00399.1, 2012.
Yukimoto, S., Adachi, Y., Hosaka, M., Sakami, T., Yoshimura, H., Hirabara,
M., Tanaka, T. Y., Shindo, E., Tsujino, H., Deushi, M., Mizuta, R., Yabu, S.,
Obata, A., Nakano, H., Koshiro, T., Ose, T., and Kitoh, A.: A New Global
Climate Model of the Meteorological Research Institute: MRI-CGCM3 – Model
Description and Basic Performance –, J. Meteorol. Soc. Jpn., 90, 23–64,
https://doi.org/10.2151/jmsj.2012-A02, 2012.
Zhang, M. H.: Comparing clouds and their seasonal variations in 10
atmospheric general circulation models with satellite measurements, J. Geophys. Res., 110, D15S02, https://doi.org/10.1029/2004JD005021,
2005.
Short summary
The response of low clouds to climate change (i.e., cloud feedbacks) is still pointed out as being the largest source of uncertainty in climate models. Here we use CALIPSO observations to discriminate climate models that reproduce observed interannual change of cloud fraction with SST forcings, referred to as a present-day cloud feedback. Modeling moist processes in the planetary boundary layer is crucial to produce large stratocumulus decks and realistic present-day cloud feedbacks.
The response of low clouds to climate change (i.e., cloud feedbacks) is still pointed out as...
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint