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Title: Sensitivity of CAM5-Simulated Arctic Clouds and Radiation to Ice Nucleation Parameterization

Abstract

Sensitivity of Arctic clouds and radiation in the Community Atmospheric Model version 5 to the ice nucleation process is examined by testing a new physically based ice nucleation scheme that links the variation of ice nuclei (IN) number concentration to aerosol properties. The default scheme parameterizes the IN concentration simply as a function of ice supersaturation. The new scheme leads to a significant reduction in simulated IN number concentrations at all latitudes while changes in cloud amount and cloud properties are mainly seen in high latitudes and middle latitude storm tracks. In the Arctic, there is a considerable increase in mid-level clouds and a decrease in low clouds, which result from the complex interaction among the cloud macrophysics, microphysics, and the large-scale environment. The smaller IN concentrations result in an increase in liquid water path and a decrease in ice water path due to the slow-down of the Bergeron-Findeisen process in mixed-phase clouds. Overall, there is an increase in the optical depth of Arctic clouds, which leads to a stronger cloud radiative forcing (net cooling) at the top of the atmosphere. The comparison with satellite data shows that the new scheme slightly improves low cloud simulations over most of themore » Arctic, but produces too many mid-level clouds. Considerable improvements are seen in the simulated low clouds and their properties when compared to Arctic ground-based measurements. Issues with the observations and the model-observation comparison in the Arctic region are discussed.« less

Authors:
; ; ;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1194341
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-93894
KP1703020
DOE Contract Number:  
AC05-76RL01830
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Journal of Climate, 26(16):5981-5999
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Name: Journal of Climate, 26(16):5981-5999
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
sensitivity; CAM5; arctic; clouds; radiation; ice; nucleation; parameterization

Citation Formats

Xie, Shaocheng, Liu, Xiaohong, Zhao, Chuanfeng, and Zhang, Yuying. Sensitivity of CAM5-Simulated Arctic Clouds and Radiation to Ice Nucleation Parameterization. United States: N. p., 2013. Web. doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-12-00517.1.
Xie, Shaocheng, Liu, Xiaohong, Zhao, Chuanfeng, & Zhang, Yuying. Sensitivity of CAM5-Simulated Arctic Clouds and Radiation to Ice Nucleation Parameterization. United States. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-12-00517.1
Xie, Shaocheng, Liu, Xiaohong, Zhao, Chuanfeng, and Zhang, Yuying. 2013. "Sensitivity of CAM5-Simulated Arctic Clouds and Radiation to Ice Nucleation Parameterization". United States. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-12-00517.1.
@article{osti_1194341,
title = {Sensitivity of CAM5-Simulated Arctic Clouds and Radiation to Ice Nucleation Parameterization},
author = {Xie, Shaocheng and Liu, Xiaohong and Zhao, Chuanfeng and Zhang, Yuying},
abstractNote = {Sensitivity of Arctic clouds and radiation in the Community Atmospheric Model version 5 to the ice nucleation process is examined by testing a new physically based ice nucleation scheme that links the variation of ice nuclei (IN) number concentration to aerosol properties. The default scheme parameterizes the IN concentration simply as a function of ice supersaturation. The new scheme leads to a significant reduction in simulated IN number concentrations at all latitudes while changes in cloud amount and cloud properties are mainly seen in high latitudes and middle latitude storm tracks. In the Arctic, there is a considerable increase in mid-level clouds and a decrease in low clouds, which result from the complex interaction among the cloud macrophysics, microphysics, and the large-scale environment. The smaller IN concentrations result in an increase in liquid water path and a decrease in ice water path due to the slow-down of the Bergeron-Findeisen process in mixed-phase clouds. Overall, there is an increase in the optical depth of Arctic clouds, which leads to a stronger cloud radiative forcing (net cooling) at the top of the atmosphere. The comparison with satellite data shows that the new scheme slightly improves low cloud simulations over most of the Arctic, but produces too many mid-level clouds. Considerable improvements are seen in the simulated low clouds and their properties when compared to Arctic ground-based measurements. Issues with the observations and the model-observation comparison in the Arctic region are discussed.},
doi = {10.1175/JCLI-D-12-00517.1},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1194341}, journal = {Journal of Climate, 26(16):5981-5999},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 2013},
month = {Thu Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 2013}
}

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Works referencing / citing this record:

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