National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Publication Abstracts

Cesana and Storelvmo 2017

Cesana, G., and T. Storelvmo, 2017: Improving climate projections by understanding how cloud phase affects radiation. J. Geophys. Res. Atmos., 122, no. 8, 4594-4599, doi:10.1002/2017JD026927.

Whether a cloud is predominantly water or ice strongly influences interactions between clouds and radiation coming down from the Sun or up from the Earth. Being able to simulate cloud phase transitions accurately in climate models based on observational data sets is critical in order to improve confidence in climate projections, because this uncertainty contributes greatly to the overall uncertainty associated with cloud-climate feedbacks. Ultimately, it translates into uncertainties in Earth's sensitivity to higher CO₂ levels. While a lot of effort has recently been made toward constraining cloud phase in climate models, more remains to be done to document the radiative properties of clouds according to their phase. Here we discuss the added value of a new satellite data set that advances the field by providing estimates of the cloud radiative effect as a function of cloud phase and the implications for climate projections.

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@article{ce00100k,
  author={Cesana, G. and Storelvmo, T.},
  title={Improving climate projections by understanding how cloud phase affects radiation},
  year={2017},
  journal={Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres},
  volume={122},
  number={8},
  pages={4594--4599},
  doi={10.1002/2017JD026927},
}

TY  - JOUR
ID  - ce00100k
AU  - Cesana, G.
AU  - Storelvmo, T.
PY  - 2017
TI  - Improving climate projections by understanding how cloud phase affects radiation
JA  - J. Geophys. Res. Atmos.
JO  - Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
VL  - 122
IS  - 8
SP  - 4594
EP  - 4599
DO  - 10.1002/2017JD026927
ER  -

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