skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Low-cloud characteristics over the tropical western Pacific from ARM observations and CAM5 simulations

Journal Article · · Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JD023369· OSTI ID:1409983
 [1];  [1];  [2];  [2]
  1. University of Miami, FL (United States). Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences
  2. Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States). Atmospheric, Earth and Energy Division
+ Show Author Affiliations

Here, this study evaluates the ability of the Community Atmospheric Model version 5 (CAM5) to reproduce low clouds observed by the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) cloud radar at Manus Island of the tropical western Pacific during the Years of Tropical Convection. Here low clouds are defined as clouds with their tops below the freezing level and bases within the boundary layer. Low-cloud statistics in CAM5 simulations and ARM observations are compared in terms of their general occurrence, mean vertical profiles, fraction of precipitating versus nonprecipitating events, diurnal cycle, and monthly time series. Other types of clouds are included to put the comparison in a broader context. The comparison shows that the model overproduces total clouds and their precipitation fraction but underestimates low clouds in general. The model, however, produces excessive low clouds in a thin layer between 954 and 930 hPa, which coincides with excessive humidity near the top of the mixed layer. This suggests that the erroneously excessive low clouds stem from parameterization of both cloud and turbulence mixing. The model also fails to produce the observed diurnal cycle in low clouds, not exclusively due to the model coarse grid spacing that does not resolve Manus Island. Lastly, this study demonstrates the utility of ARM long-term cloud observations in the tropical western Pacific in verifying low clouds simulated by global climate models, illustrates issues of using ARM observations in model validation, and provides an example of severe model biases in producing observed low clouds in the tropical western Pacific.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
AC52-07NA27344; SC0006808
OSTI ID:
1409983
Report Number(s):
LLNL-JRNL-741121
Journal Information:
Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Vol. 120, Issue 17; ISSN 2169-897X
Publisher:
American Geophysical UnionCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 6 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (49)

Land Effect on the Diurnal Cycle of Clouds over the TOGA COARE Area, as Observed from GMS IR Data journal June 2001
Marine boundary layer clouds at the heart of tropical cloud feedback uncertainties in climate models journal January 2005
Use of cloud radar observations for model evaluation: A probabilistic approach: PROBABILISTIC MODEL EVALUATION USING CLOUD RADAR journal February 2004
Evaluation of the Multiscale Modeling Framework Using Data from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program journal May 2006
Revealing differences in GCM representations of low clouds journal November 2009
Interaction of deep and shallow convection is key to Madden-Julian Oscillation simulation journal January 2009
Combining ERBE and ISCCP data to assess clouds in the Hadley Centre, ECMWF and LMD atmospheric climate models journal September 2001
Evaluation of the NCEP Global Forecast System at the ARM SGP Site journal December 2006
Cloud Feedbacks in the Climate System: A Critical Review journal January 2005
How may low‐cloud radiative properties simulated in the current climate influence low‐cloud feedbacks under global warming? journal October 2012
A Simulation Study of Shallow Moist Convection and Its Impact on the Atmospheric Boundary Layer journal October 2004
Evaluation of cloud fraction and its radiative effect simulated by IPCC AR4 global models against ARM surface observations journal January 2012
Sensitivity of climate simulations to the parameterization of cumulus convection in the Canadian climate centre general circulation model journal September 1995
Evaluation of tropical cirrus cloud properties derived from ECMWF model output and ground based measurements over Nauru Island: TROPICAL CIRRUS CLOUD PROPERTIES journal May 2004
TRMM Radar Observations of Shallow Precipitation over the Tropical Oceans journal December 2000
Comparison of ECMWF Winter-Season Cloud Fraction with Radar-Derived Values journal March 2001
The TRMM Precipitation Radar's View of Shallow, Isolated Rain journal October 2003
Bi-modal Structure and Variability of Large-Scale Diabatic Heating in the Tropics journal December 2009
Integrating Cloud Processes in the Community Atmosphere Model, Version 5 journal September 2014
Diagnosis of Community Atmospheric Model 2 (CAM2) in numerical weather forecast configuration at Atmospheric Radiation Measurement sites journal January 2005
Climate sensitivity and cloud response of a GCM with a superparameterization journal January 2006
Cloud radiative forcing of subtropical low level clouds in global models journal October 2007
Evaluating cloud systems in the Met Office global forecast model using simulated CloudSat radar reflectivities journal January 2008
Sampling Errors of Tipping-Bucket Rain Gauge Measurements journal April 2001
The MJO Transition from Shallow to Deep Convection in CloudSat /CALIPSO Data and GISS GCM Simulations journal June 2012
Validation of hydrometeor occurrence predicted by the ECMWF Model using millimeter wave radar data journal May 1998
Seasonal Variability in Clouds and Radiation at the Manus ARM Site journal July 2005
Evaluation of Cloud Fraction Simulated by Seven SCMs against the ARM Observations at the SGP Site journal September 2014
CLOUDS AND MORE: ARM Climate Modeling Best Estimate Data: A New Data Product for Climate Studies journal January 2010
Analysis of tropical radiative heating profiles: A comparison of models and observations journal January 2007
Using Continuous Ground-Based Radar and Lidar Measurements for Evaluating the Representation of Clouds in Four Operational Models journal September 2010
Assessment of the ECMWF Model Cloudiness and Surface Radiation Fields at the ARM SGP Site journal February 2002
Climatology and Formation of Tropical Midlevel Clouds at the Darwin ARM Site journal October 2012
A comparison of multiscale variations of decade-long cloud fractions from six different platforms over the Southern Great Plains in the United States: observationally based cloud fractions journal March 2014
Objective identification of cloud regimes in the Tropical Western Pacific journal January 2003
Tracking Pulses of the Madden–Julian Oscillation journal December 2013
Forcing, feedbacks and climate sensitivity in CMIP5 coupled atmosphere-ocean climate models: CLIMATE SENSITIVITY IN CMIP5 MODELS journal May 2012
Detection of a 40–50 Day Oscillation in the Zonal Wind in the Tropical Pacific journal July 1971
ARM Research In The Equatorial Western Pacific: A Decade And Counting journal May 2013
Description of Global-Scale Circulation Cells in the Tropics with a 40–50 Day Period journal September 1972
The “Year” of Tropical Convection (May 2008–April 2010): Climate Variability and Weather Highlights journal August 2012
Comparing clouds and their seasonal variations in 10 atmospheric general circulation models with satellite measurements journal January 2005
How Well Do We Understand and Evaluate Climate Change Feedback Processes? journal August 2006
Convective Inhibition, Subgrid-Scale Triggering Energy, and Stratiform Instability in a Toy Tropical Wave Model journal May 2000
The University of Washington Shallow Convection and Moist Turbulence Schemes and Their Impact on Climate Simulations with the Community Atmosphere Model journal June 2009
Metrics and Diagnostics for Precipitation-Related Processes in Climate Model Short-Range Hindcasts journal March 2013
The Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program Cloud Profiling Radars: Second-Generation Sampling Strategies, Processing, and Cloud Data Products journal July 2007
Evaluation of tropical cloud and precipitation statistics of Community Atmosphere Model version 3 using CloudSat and CALIPSO data journal January 2010
The behavior of trade-wind cloudiness in observations and models: The major cloud components and their variability: Observed and modeled trade-wind clouds journal April 2015

Similar Records

Clouds and Shortwave Fluxes at Nauru. Part I: Retrieved Cloud Properties
Journal Article · Mon Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 2004 · Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 61(6):733-744 · OSTI ID:1409983
Cloud Properties and Associated Radiative Heating Rates in the Tropical Western Pacific
Journal Article · Thu Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 2007 · Journal of Geophysical Research. D. (Atmospheres), 112:D05201 · OSTI ID:1409983
+1 more
Full-Time, Eye-Safe Cloud and Aerosol Lidar Observation at Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program Sites: Instruments and Data Processing
Journal Article · Mon Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 2002 · Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology · OSTI ID:1409983
+4 more

Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES