Erroneous relationships among humidity and cloud forcing variables in three global climate models

Journal of Climate

Volumn 21, Issue 17, 2008, Pages 4190-4206

  Bennhold, Florian ^a   Sherwood, Steven ^a  

^a YALE UNIVERSITY   (United States)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

ERRORS; IMAGE SEGMENTATION; METEOROLOGY; MOISTURE; ROOM AND PILLAR MINING; TROPOSPHERE;

AMBIENT HUMIDITY; ATMOSPHERIC SOUNDINGS; CLOUD FORCING; CLOUD PROPERTIES; CLOUD RADIATIVE FORCING; CLOUD RADIATIVE PROPERTIES; COUPLED CLIMATE MODELS; FORCINGS; GLOBAL CLIMATE MODELING; JOINT DISTRIBUTIONS; LONG WAVES; MARINE STRATOCUMULUS; MODEL TESTING; PRECIPITABLE WATER; SATELLITE OBSERVATIONS; STANDARD MODEL; STATIC STABILITY; SURFACE TEMPERATURES; TIME-AVERAGED; TROPOSPHERIC HUMIDITY; VERTICAL VELOCITIES;

ATMOSPHERIC HUMIDITY;

BOUNDARY LAYER; CARBON DIOXIDE; CLIMATE MODELING; GLOBAL CLIMATE; HUMIDITY; MOISTURE; RADIATIVE FORCING; STRATOCUMULUS;

EID: 53649107313     PISSN: 08948755     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1175/2008JCLI1969.1     Document Type: Article

References (56)

1. Arakawa, A., 2004: The cumulus parameterization problem: Past, present, and future. J. Climate, 17, 2493-2525.
2. Barkstrom, B. R., 1984: The Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE). Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 65, 1170-1185.
3. Bates, J. J., D. L. Jackson, F.-M. Bréon, and Z. D. Bergen, 2001: Variability of tropical upper tropospheric humidity 1979-1998. J. Geophys. Res., 106, 32 271-32 282.
4. Boer, G. J., and B. Yu, 2003: Climate sensitivity and climate state. Climate Dyn., 21, 167-176, doi:10.1007/s00382-003-0323-7.
5. Bony, S., and J. L. Dufresne, 2005: Marine boundary layer clouds at the heart of tropical cloud feedback uncertainties in climate models. Geophys. Res. Lett., 32, L20806, doi:10.1029/ 2005GL023851.
6. Bony, S., J. L. Dufresne, H. Le Treut, J.-J. Morcrette, and C. Senior, 2004: On dynamic and thermodynamic components of cloud changes. Climate Dyn., 22, 71-86, doi:10.1007/s00382-003-0369-6.
7. Bony, S., and Coauthors, 2006: How well do we understand and evaluate climate change feedback processes? J. Climate, 19, 3445-3482.
8. Cess, R. D., and Coauthors, 1996: Cloud feedback in atmospheric general circulation models: An update. J. Geophys. Res., 101, 12 791-12 794.
9. Chen, C. T., E. Roeckner, and B. J. Soden, 1996: A comparison of satellite observations and model simulations of column-integrated moisture and upper-tropospheric humidity. J. Climate, 9, 1561-1585.
10. Christy, J. R., R. W. Spencer, W. B. Norris, W. D. Braswell, and D. E. Parker, 2003: Error estimates of version 5.0 of MSUAMSU bulk atmospheric temperatures. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 20, 613-629.
11. Collins, W. D., and Coauthors, 2006: The Community Climate System Model: CCSM3. J. Climate, 19, 2122-2143.
12. Colman, R., 2003: A comparison of climate feedbacks in general circulation models. Climate Dyn., 20, 865-873, doi:10.1007/ s00382-003-0310-z.
13. Eliseev, A. V., H. Le Treut, I. I. Mokhov, M. Doutriaux-Boucher, and A. V. Chernokulsky, 2003: Validation of TOA radiation and clouds simulated by different versions of the LMD general circulation model in comparison to satellite and groundbased data. Izv. Atmos. Oceanic Phys., 39, S15-S26.
14. Emanuel, K. A., J. D. Neelin, and C. S. Bretherton, 1994: On large-scale circulations in convecting atmospheres. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 120, 1111-1143.
15. Flato, G. M., and G. J. Boer, 2001: Warming asymmetry in climate change simulations. Geophys. Res. Lett., 28, 195-198.
16. Gettelman, A., W. D. Collins, E. J. Fetzer, A. Eldering, F. W. Irion, P. B. Duffy, and G. Bala, 2006: Climatology of upper-tropospheric relative humidity from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder and implications for climate. J. Climate, 19, 6104-6121.
17. Gordon, C., C. Cooper, C. A. Senior, H. Banks, J. M. Gregory, T. C. Johns, J. F. B. Mitchell, and R. A. Wood, 2000: The simulation of SST, sea ice extents and ocean heat transports in a version of the Hadley Centre coupled model without flux adjustments. Climate Dyn., 16, 147-168.
18. Grabowski, W. W., and M. W. Moncrieff, 2004: Moisture-convection feedback in the tropics. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 130, 3081-3104.
19. Hanson, H. P., 1991: Marine stratocumulus climatologies. Int. J. Climatol., 11, 147-161.
20. Iacono, M. J., J. S. Delamere, E. J. Mlawer, and S. A. Clough, 2003: Evaluation of upper tropospheric water vapor in the NCAR Community Climate Model (CCM3) using modeled and observed HIRS radiances. J. Geophys. Res., 108, 4037, doi:10.1029/2002JD002539.
21. Jackson, D. L., and J. J. Bates, 2001: Upper tropospheric humidity algorithm assessment. J. Geophys. Res., 106, 32 259-32 270.
22. Jensen, M. P., and A. D. Del Genio, 2006: Factors limiting convective cloud-top height at the ARM Nauru Island climate research facility. J. Climate, 19, 2105-2117.
23. John, V. O., and B. J. Soden, 2006: Does convectively-detrained cloud ice enhance water vapor feedback? Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L20701, doi:10.1029/2006GL027260.
24. Kim, S.-J., G. M. Flato, and G. J. Boer, 2002: A coupled climate model simulation of the Last Glacial Maximum, Part 2: Approach to equilibrium. Climate Dyn., 20, 635-661, doi:10.1007/s00382-002-0292-2.
25. Klein, S. A., and D. L. Hartmann, 1993: The seasonal cycle of low stratiform clouds. J. Climate, 6, 1587-1606.
26. Lanzante, J. R., and G. E. Gahrs, 2000: The "clear-sky bias" of TOVS upper-tropospheric humidity. J. Climate, 13, 4034-4041.
27. Miller, R. L., 1997: Tropical thermostats and low cloud cover. J. Climate, 10, 409-440.
28. Newman, M., P. D. Sardeshmukh, and J. W. Bergman, 2000: An assessment of the NCEP, NASA, and ECMWF reanalyses over the tropical west Pacific warm pool. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 81, 41-48.
29. Norris, J. R., and C. P. Weaver, 2001: Improved techniques for evaluating GCM cloudiness applied to the NCAR CCM3. J. Climate, 14, 2540-2550.
30. Norris, J. R., and S. F. Iacobellis, 2005: North Pacific cloud feedbacks inferred from synoptic-scale dynamic and thermodynamic relationships. J. Climate, 18, 4862-4878.
31. Ramanathan, V., 1987: The role of earth radiation budget studies in climate and general. J. Geophys. Res., 92, 4075-4096.
32. Ramanathan, V., R. D. Cess, E. F. Harrison, P. Minnis, B. R. Barkstrom, E. Ahmad, and D. Hartmann, 1989: Cloud-radiative forcing and climate: Results from the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment. Science, 243, 57-63.
33. Randel, D. L., T. J. Greenwald, T. H. Vonder Haar, G. L. Stephens, M. A. Ringerud, and C. L. Combs, 1996: A new global water vapor dataset. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 77, 1233-1254.
34. Reynolds, R. W., N. A. Rayner, T. M. Smith, D. C. Stokes, and W. Wang, 2002: An improved in situ and satellite SST analysis for climate. J. Climate, 15, 1609-1625.
35. Ringer, M. A., and R. P. Allan, 2004: Evaluating climate model simulations of tropical cloud. Tellus, 56A, 308-327.
36. Salathe, E. P., and D. Chesters, 1995: Variability of moisture in the upper troposphere as inferred from TOVS satellite observations and the ECMWF model analyses in 1989. J. Climate, 8, 120-132.
37. Sherwood, S. C., 1999: Convective precursors and predictability in the tropical western Pacific. Mon. Wea. Rev., 127, 2977-2991.
38. Sherwood, S. C., P. Minnis, M. McGill, and J. Chae, 2004: Underestimation of deep convective cloud tops by thermal imagery. Geophys. Res. Lett., 31, L11102, doi:10.1029/2004GL019699.
39. Soden, B. J., and F. P. Bretherton, 1993: Upper tropospheric relative humidity from the GOES 6.7 μm channel: Method and climatology for July 1987. J. Geophys. Res., 98, 16 669-16 688.
40. Soden, B. J., and F. P. Bretherton, 1996: Interpretation of TOVS water vapor radiances in terms of layer-average relative humidities: Method and climatology for the upper, middle, and lower troposphere. J. Geophys. Res., 101, 9333-9344.
41. Spencer, R. W., and J. R. Christy, 1992: Precision and radiosonde validation of satellite gridpoint temperature anomalies. Part II: A tropospheric retrieval and trends during 1979-90. J. Climate, 5, 858-466.
42. Stephens, G. L., 2005: Cloud feedbacks in the climate system: A critical review. J. Climate, 18, 237-273.
43. Stephens, G. L., D. L. Jackson, and I. Wittmeyer, 1996: Global observations of upper-tropospheric water vapor derived from TOVS radiance data. J. Climate, 9, 305-326.
44. Stowasser, M., and K. Hamilton, 2006: Relationship between shortwave cloud radiative forcing and local meteorological variables compared in observations and several global climate models. J. Climate, 19, 4344-4359.
45. Stubenrauch, C. J., V. Briand, and W. B. Rossow, 2002: The role of clear-sky identification in the study of cloud radiative effects: Combined analysis from ISCCP and the scanner of radiation budget. J. Appl. Meteor., 41, 396-412.
46. Su, H., D. E. Waliser, J. H. Jiang, J. L. Li, W. G. Read, J. W. Waters, and A. M. Tompkins, 2006: Relationships of upper tropospheric water vapor, clouds and SST: MLS observations, ECMWF analyses and GCM simulations. Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L22802, doi:10.1029/ 2006GL027582.
47. Trenberth, K. E., J. Fasullo, and L. Smith, 2005: Trends and variability in column-integrated atmospheric water vapor. Climate Dyn., 24, 741-758, doi:10.1007/s00382-005-0017-4.
48. Weaver, C. P., 1999: The interactions among cyclone dynamics, vertical thermodynamic structure, and cloud radiative forcing in the North Atlantic summertime storm track. J. Climate, 12, 2625-2642.
49. Weaver, C. P., and V. Ramanathan, 1997: Relationships between large-scale vertical velocity, static stability, and cloud radiative forcing over Northern Hemisphere extratropical oceans. J. Climate, 10, 2871-2887.
50. Webb, M. J., and Coauthors, 2006: On the contribution of local feedback mechanisms to the range of climate sensitivity in two GCM ensembles. Climate Dyn., 27, 17-38.
51. Williams, K. D., and G. Tsehoudis, 2007: GCM intercomparison of global cloud regimes: Present-day evaluation and climate change response. Climate Dyn., 29, 231-250, doi:10.1007/s00382-007-0232-2.
52. Williams, K. D., M. A. Ringer, and C. A. Senior, 2003: Evaluating the cloud response to climate change ind current climate variability. Climate Dyn., 20, 705-721, doi:10.1007/s00382-002-0303-3.
53. Williams, K. D., and Coauthors, 2006: Evaluation of a component of the cloud response to climate change in an intercomparison of climate models. Climate Dyn., 26, 145-165, doi:10.1007/ s00382-005-0067-7.
54. Wood, R., and C. S. Bretherton, 2006: On the relationship between stratiform low cloud cover and lower-tropospheric stability. J. Climate, 19, 6425-6432.
55. Wyant, M. C., C. S. Bretherton, J. T. Bacmeister, J. T. Kiehl, I. M. Held, M. Zhao, S. A. Klein, and B. J. Soden, 2006. A comparison of low-latitude cloud properties and their response to climate change in three AGCMs sorted into regimes using mid-tropospheric vertical velocity. Climate Dyn., 27, 261-279.
56. Zhang, M. H., and Coauthors, 2005: Comparing clouds and their seasonal variations in 10 atmospheric general circulation models with satellite measurements. J. Geophys. Res., 110, D15S02, doi:10.1029/ 2004JD005021.