Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Shiv Priyam Raghuraman, David Paynter, Raymond Menzel, V. Ramaswamy
Summary: Satellite observations show a near-zero trend in the top-of-atmosphere global-mean net cloud radiative effect (CRE), suggesting that clouds did not further cool nor heat the planet over the last two decades. The causes of this observed trend are unknown and can range from effective radiative forcing (ERF) to cloud feedbacks, cloud masking, and internal variability. The observed near-zero trend in NetCRE is a result of a significant negative longwave CRE trend and a significant positive shortwave CRE trend, cooling and heating the climate system, respectively.
JOURNAL OF CLIMATE
(2023)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Axel Lauer, Lisa Bock, Birgit Hassler, Marc Schroeder, Martin Stengel
Summary: Simulating clouds in global climate models is challenging due to the complex physics involved. Evaluating cloud performance is crucial for assessing climate projections. Results show that CMIP6 performs slightly better than CMIP5 in terms of cloud parameters, but the intermodel spread remains unchanged. CMIP5/6 models overestimate cloud ice, particularly in the lower and middle troposphere, but this bias is reduced in CMIP6.
JOURNAL OF CLIMATE
(2023)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Yi Qin, Mark D. Zelinka, Stephen A. Klein
Summary: Atmosphere-only experiments are confirmed to be a valid approach for investigating climate feedbacks, especially cloud feedbacks in global climate model simulations. Results from CMIP6 show better agreement between atmosphere-only and coupled simulations for global-mean cloud feedbacks, but longer experiments are needed to reveal regional cloud feedbacks.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-ATMOSPHERES
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Tomoo Ogura, Mark J. Webb, Adrian P. Lock
Summary: This study suggests that the positive sign of low cloud feedback in global warming projections is primarily caused by the increase in upward longwave radiation from the sea surface. Numerical experiments reveal that this increase leads to warming and absolute drying in the boundary layer, resulting in the positive low cloud feedback. This mechanism differs from the previous understanding that positive low cloud feedback is caused by increases in surface evaporation or vertical moisture contrast.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Li-Wei Chao, Jacob C. Muller, Andrew E. Dessler
Summary: This study finds a large unforced pattern effect in CERES data, with significant changes in cloud feedback over different time periods. When compared to models, 27% of CMIP6 control runs show similarities to the observations. The study also reveals similarities between the spatial patterns in the CERES data and climate models.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Chenggong Wang, Brian J. Soden, Wenchang Yang, Gabriel A. Vecchi
Summary: The latest generation of climate models show higher estimates of effective climate sensitivity due to stronger cloud feedback, requiring larger greenhouse gas reductions to meet global warming targets. Additionally, models with more positive cloud feedback also exhibit a stronger cooling effect from aerosol-cloud interactions, offsetting each other during historical periods.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Isabel L. McCoy, Daniel T. McCoy, Robert Wood, Paquita Zuidema, Frida A. -M. Bender
Summary: This study uses a supervised neural network algorithm to categorize global satellite retrievals into three mesoscale cellular convective (MCC) cloud morphology patterns. These patterns differ in brightness associated with the amount of optically thin cloud features. The transitions from closed MCC to other morphology patterns, typically accompanied by more optically thin cloud features, are quantified to understand the contribution of morphology to the optical depth component of the shortwave cloud feedback. The results show that under projected environmental changes, the morphology shifts in optical depth between 65 degrees S and 65 degrees N contribute between 0.04 and 0.07 W m(-2) K-1 (aggregate of 0.06) to the global mean cloud feedback.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
George Tselioudis, William B. Rossow, Christian Jakob, Jasmine Remillard, Derek Tropf, Yuanchong Zhang
Summary: The analysis of CMIP6 models against ISCCP-H weather states shows improvements in simulating the frequency and geographical distribution of weather states compared to CMIP5 models, but biases still exist, especially in the frequency of shallow cumulus clouds and certain weather states.
JOURNAL OF CLIMATE
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Tomoki Ohno, Akira T. Noda, Tatsuya Seiki, Masaki Satoh
Summary: High clouds have significant impacts on the Earth's radiation balance, and understanding their changes in warmer climates is crucial for climate projection science. Local processes within high clouds are found to play a significant role in addition to large-scale circulations, with the pressure level of high clouds affecting their area feedback.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
N. Hirota, T. Ogura, H. Shiogama, P. Caldwell, M. Watanabe, Y. Kamae, K. Suzuki
Summary: Cloud feedback remains a major source of uncertainty in equilibrium climate sensitivity, and studies have attempted to narrow uncertainties by proposing observable metrics known as emergent constraints. A new mechanism relating convection and clouds across multiple climate models has been proposed, finding that models with overly active deep convection in subtropical low cloud regions predict smaller shortwave cloud feedback. Further improvements in understanding and modeling cloud and convective systems are necessary for accurate climate predictions.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Zhun Guo, Kalli Furtado, Tianjun Zhou, Vincent E. Larson, Ling Zhang
Summary: This study suggests that the positive sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTAs) in the East Asian marginal sea (EAMS) during El Nino are maintained by a positive low cloud-SST feedback mechanism. The reduction of low clouds allows more sunlight to strike the ocean surface, leading to enhanced solar heating and reinforcing the positive SSTAs.
JOURNAL OF CLIMATE
(2022)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Ming Zhao
Summary: The new climate model CM4.0 exhibits a substantially increased effective climate sensitivity due to the CO2 fertilization effect on vegetation, enhanced positive feedback from the reduction in Southern Hemisphere sea ice concentration, and the feedback from clouds related to SST warming patterns. Compared to other models, CM4.0's increase in EffCS is largely attributed to dynamic vegetation and SIC changes.
JOURNAL OF CLIMATE
(2022)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
So-Won Park, Jong-Seong Kug, Sang-Yoon Jun, Su-Jong Jeong, Jin-Soo Kim
Summary: The study demonstrates that the continental warming response to CO2 physiological forcing in summer is primarily amplified by cloud feedback, while other climate feedbacks have relatively minor contributions. The significant variation in cloud feedback strength across models plays a primary role in leading to the large diversity of the continental warming response to physiological forcing.
JOURNAL OF CLIMATE
(2021)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Haotian Zhang, Chuanfeng Zhao, Yan Xia, Yikun Yang
Summary: This study investigates the spatial distribution of ice clouds and liquid-bearing clouds over the Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) and their effects on surface radiative forcing. The results show that the spatial and temporal variations in clouds over the GrIS are closely related to the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). Different regions of the GrIS exhibit different responses of clouds to changes in the atmospheric circulation field during the NAO.
JOURNAL OF CLIMATE
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Daniel T. McCoy, Paul Field, Michelle E. Frazer, Mark D. Zelinka, Gregory S. Elsaesser, Johannes Muelmenstaedt, Ivy Tan, Timothy A. Myers, Zachary J. Lebo
Summary: Shortwave cloud feedback (SWFB) is a primary driver of uncertainty in global climate models (GCMs). This study shows that Southern Ocean SWFB can be predicted by the sensitivity of column-integrated liquid water mass to moisture convergence and surface temperature. The response of liquid water mass to moisture convergence and albedo are anti-correlated across GCMs.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Correction
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Yan Xia, Yongyun Hu, Jiping Liu, Yi Huang, Fei Xie, Jintai Lin
ADVANCES IN ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Yan Xia, Yongyun Hu, Jiping Liu, Yi Huang, Fei Xie, Jintai Lin
ADVANCES IN ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES
(2020)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Yi Huang, Yuwei Wang, Han Huang
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2020)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Han Huang, Yi Huang, Yongyun Hu
Summary: Energetic feedbacks are crucial during ENSO, with cloud feedbacks playing a key role in radiative feedbacks. Oceanic energy transport influences oceanic heat content changes in the developing phase. Atmospheric horizontal energy transport helps remove energy surplus in the atmosphere and strengthens SST anomalies.
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Kevin Bloxam, Yi Huang
Summary: The study found that after sudden stratospheric warmings, longwave radiative cooling typically results in strong negative temperature anomalies. The radiative effect decays exponentially over time.
JOURNAL OF THE ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Yan Xia, Yongyun Hu, Yi Huang, Chuanfeng Zhao, Fei Xie, Yikun Yang
Summary: Severe ozone loss and significant surface warming anomalies were observed in the Siberian Arctic in spring 2020. The study suggests that the anomalous surface warming may be related to the ozone loss, as the dispersion of ozone loss in April and May led to an increase in longwave radiation at the surface, contributing to surface warming. Multiple linear regression analysis indicates that ozone loss plays a significant role in surface warming in April, with Arctic Oscillation and ice-albedo feedback playing minor roles, while both ozone loss and ice-albedo feedback contribute to surface warming in May.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Yuwei Wang, Yi Huang
Summary: An atmospheric global climate model and its single-column counterpart were used to study tropical upper-tropospheric warming, revealing that radiation, convection, and circulation adjustment play key roles, with their importance varying by region. Single-column simulations showed a significant increase in relative humidity in response to surface warming, underscoring the importance of circulation adjustment in maintaining constant relative humidity. The study also found that the warming in tropical upper troposphere was weaker than predicted by reference moist adiabats, indicating sub-moist-adiabatic warming even without the dilution effect of large-scale circulation adjustment.
JOURNAL OF CLIMATE
(2021)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Han Huang, Yi Huang
Summary: This study quantifies the coupling effects between different longwave radiative feedbacks using a radiative transfer model, finding that the coupling effect between water vapor and cloud is most significant and can exceed 50% of the univariate cloud feedback. This significant coupling effect is due to the masking effect of the two feedbacks on each other and can be well explained by a simple analytic model.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-ATMOSPHERES
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yan Xia, Yongyun Hu, Yi Huang, Jianchun Bian, Chuanfeng Zhao
Summary: Arctic ozone loss may lead to a decrease in surface UV radiation over the Siberian Arctic in spring, while an increase in high clouds allows more UV radiation to reach the surface. The masking effect of high clouds is found to be stronger than that of stratospheric ozone loss over the Siberian Arctic in spring.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Yan Xia, Yuwei Wang, Yi Huang, Yongyun Hu, Jianchun Bian, Chuanfeng Zhao, Cheng Sun
Summary: Research has shown that the poleward expansion of the Hadley circulation exhibits seasonality and peaks in autumn. This expansion is closely related to an increase in stratospheric water vapor, which radiatively cools the stratosphere and widens the Hadley cell in autumn. The increase in stratospheric water vapor contributes about 30% to the total expansion due to quadrupling CO2 in autumn in both Hemispheres.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Yan Xia, Yi Huang, Yongyun Hu, Jun Yang
Summary: The study investigates the variation in stratospheric water vapor using observations and simulations, finding differences in annual mean stratospheric water vapor among datasets partly caused by vertical transport variations. Upward transport of water vapor in specific regions of tropical areas, with temperature being a better indicator of interannual variability in tropical mean stratospheric water vapor. The radiative effects of long-term changes in water vapor in the lowermost stratosphere may be underestimated in ERAI and WACCM simulations.
JOURNAL OF METEOROLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Yi Huang, Han Huang, Aliia Shakirova
Summary: The analysis of radiative feedbacks involves separating and quantifying the radiative contributions of different feedback variables, which may exhibit nonlinear dependencies and coupling effects. Using brute-force radiation model calculations, significant nonlinear effects were identified in the CO2-driven Arctic climate change, highlighting the need for nonlinear methods in feedback quantification.
FRONTIERS IN EARTH SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Aliia Shakirova, Leonid Nichman, Nabil Belacel, Cuong Nguyen, Natalia Bliankinshtein, Mengistu Wolde, Stephanie DiVito, Ben Bernstein, Yi Huang
Summary: The ICICLE flight campaign led by the FAA aimed to collect atmospheric data and study aircraft icing hazard. Using machine learning and clustering techniques, the study characterized the flight environment and identified different types of clouds and hazardous icing conditions.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jing Feng, Yi Huang
Summary: The study found that tropical cyclone events significantly increase the occurrence frequency of TTL clouds, mainly contributed by overshooting deep convection. Using a synergistic method with satellite observations, a vertically oscillating pattern of temperature anomalies above tropical cyclones was discovered.
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2021)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Jing Feng, Yi Huang, Zhipeng Qu
Summary: Measuring atmospheric conditions above convective storms using spaceborne instruments is challenging. The operational retrieval framework of current hyperspectral infrared sounders adopts a cloud-clearing scheme that is unreliable in overcast conditions. To overcome this issue, previous studies have developed an optimal estimation method that retrieves the temperature and humidity above high thick clouds by assuming a slab of cloud. In this study, we find that variations in the effective radius and density of cloud ice near the tops of convective clouds lead to non-negligible spectral uncertainties in simulated infrared radiance spectra. These uncertainties cannot be fully eliminated by the slab-cloud assumption. To address this problem, a synergistic retrieval method is developed here. This method retrieves temperature, water vapor, and cloud properties simultaneously by incorporating observations from active sensors in synergy with infrared radiance spectra. A simulation experiment is conducted to evaluate the performance of different retrieval strategies using synthetic radiance data from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) and cloud data from CloudSat/CALIPSO. In this experiment, we simulate infrared radiance spectra from convective storms through a combination of a numerical weather prediction model and a radiative transfer model. The simulation experiment shows that the synergistic method is advantageous, as it shows high retrieval sensitivity to the temperature and ice water content near the cloud top. The synergistic method more than halves the root-mean-square errors in temperature and column integrated water vapor compared to prior knowledge based on the climatology. It can also improve the quantification of the ice water content and effective radius compared to prior knowledge based on retrievals from active sensors. Our results suggest that existing infrared hyperspectral sounders can detect the spatial distributions of temperature and humidity anomalies above convective storms.
ATMOSPHERIC MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUES
(2021)
