Articles | Volume 26, issue 11
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-7949-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-7949-2026
Research article
 | 
10 Jun 2026
Research article |  | 10 Jun 2026

Prognostic modeling of total specific humidity variance induced by shallow convective clouds in a GCM

Louis d'Alençon, Frédéric Hourdin, and Catherine Rio

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Cited articles

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Brown, A. R., Cederwall, R. T., Chlond, A., Duynkerke, P. G., Golaz, J.-C., Khairoutdinov, M., Lewellen, D. C., Lock, A. P., MacVean, M. K., Moeng, C.-H., Neggers, R. A. J., Siebesma, A. P., and Stevens, B.: Large-eddy simulation of the diurnal cycle of shallow cumulus convection over land, Q. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 128, 1075–1093, https://doi.org/10.1256/003590002320373210, 2002. a
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Short summary
We develop and implement a prognostic model of the atmospheric humidity variance in a global climate model to improve cloud prediction. Results are systematically compared with a high-resolution model using automatic tuning tools. We show consistency with earlier work performed with a diagnostic model while providing significant improvements in the description and understanding of the atmospheric humidity distribution by highlighting the role of the air detrained from thermals.
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