Cloud transition across the daily cycle illuminates model responses of trade cumuli to warming
Résumé
The response of trade-wind clouds to warming has long been a major source of uncertainty for climate change projections. By analyzing a set of climate models, we identify two contrasting types of model behaviors, which are evident both at the daily timescale and under global warming. These opposing behaviors depend on whether models can simulate cloud transitions—between very shallow and deeper cumuli—in response to changes in the convective mass flux. We show that the daily cycle can be used as a laboratory for assessing the physical credibility of trade cumulus responses to warming as simulated by climate models relative to observed cloud variations and processes. Our findings can also help guide future model development using observational benchmarking.
Domaines
Planète et Univers [physics]Origine | Fichiers éditeurs autorisés sur une archive ouverte |
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