Publication Abstracts
Naud et al. 2010
, , , and , 2010: Cloud vertical distribution across warm and cold fronts in CloudSat-CALIPSO data and a general circulation model. J. Climate, 23, 3397-3415, doi:10.1175/2010JCLI3282.1.
Cloud vertical distributions across extratropical warm and cold fronts are obtained using two consecutive winters of CloudSat-CALIPSO observations and NCEP-2 reanalysis atmospheric state parameters over the northern and southern hemisphere oceans (30°-70° N/S) between November 2006 and September 2008. These distributions generally resemble those from the original model introduced by the Bergen School in the 1920s, with the following exceptions: (1) Substantial low cloudiness which is present behind and ahead of the warm and cold fronts; (2) Ubiquitous high cloudiness, some of it very thin, throughout the warm-frontal region; (3) Upright convective cloudiness near and behind some warm fronts. One winter of GISS general circulation model simulations of northern and southern hemisphere warm and cold fronts at 2°×2.5°×32L resolution gives similar cloud distributions but with much lower cloud fraction, a shallower depth of cloudiness, and a shorter extent of tilted warm-frontal cloud cover on the cold air side of the surface front position. A close examination of the relationship between the cloudiness and relative humidity fields indicates that the water vapor is not lifted enough in modeled midlatitude cyclones and this is related to weak vertical velocities in the model. The model also produces too little cloudiness for a given value of vertical velocity or relative humidity. For global climate models run at scales coarser than tens of kilometers, we suggest that the current underestimate of modeled cloud cover in the storm track regions, and in particular the 50°-60°S band of the southern oceans, could be reduced with the implementation of a slantwise convection parameterization.
- Get PDF (2.8 MB)
- PDF documents require the free Adobe Reader or compatible viewing software to be viewed.
- Go to journal's article webpage
Export citation: [ BibTeX ] [ RIS ]
BibTeX Citation
@article{na01200l,
author={Naud, C. M. and Del Genio, A. D. and Bauer, M. and Kovari, W.},
title={Cloud vertical distribution across warm and cold fronts in CloudSat-CALIPSO data and a general circulation model},
year={2010},
journal={Journal of Climate},
volume={23},
pages={3397--3415},
doi={10.1175/2010JCLI3282.1},
}
[ Close ]
RIS Citation
TY - JOUR ID - na01200l AU - Naud, C. M. AU - Del Genio, A. D. AU - Bauer, M. AU - Kovari, W. PY - 2010 TI - Cloud vertical distribution across warm and cold fronts in CloudSat-CALIPSO data and a general circulation model JA - J. Climate JO - Journal of Climate VL - 23 SP - 3397 EP - 3415 DO - 10.1175/2010JCLI3282.1 ER -
[ Close ]
