Publication Abstracts

Naud et al. 2016

Naud, C.M., J.F. Booth, and A.D. Del Genio, 2016: The relationship between boundary layer stability and cloud cover in the post-cold frontal region. J. Climate, 29, no. 22, 8129-8149, doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-15-0700.1.

Using NASA Aqua MODIS and AIRS data, the relationship between low-level cloud cover (cloud top below the 700-hPa level) and boundary layer stability is explored in post-cold-frontal conditions. A linear relationship is found between seasonal cloud cover and two separate measures of inversion strength, the lower-tropospheric stability (LTS) and the estimated inversion strength (EIS), for two specific regions in the North Atlantic and Pacific in quiescent and weakly subsiding conditions. The relationship barely changes when considering dynamically active and subsiding post-cold-frontal conditions for the same regions. To explore the generality of this result and increase sample size, cold-front-centered composites of cloud cover and stability are constructed. The Northern and Southern Hemisphere seasonal cloud cover and stability distributions in the post-cold-frontal regions are then compared. A fairly good correlation between cloud cover and EIS is found in both hemispheres across all seasons, suggesting that a linear relationship between cloud cover and inversion strength proposed for quiescent conditions exists also in more dynamically active subsiding post-cold-frontal conditions. However, for a given season and hemisphere, the correlation between cloud cover and EIS degrades in post-cold-frontal regions, especially in the Northern Hemisphere. At these scales, other large-scale factors tend to correlate better with cloud cover.

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BibTeX Citation

@article{na04300i,
  author={Naud, C. M. and Booth, J. F. and Del Genio, A. D.},
  title={The relationship between boundary layer stability and cloud cover in the post-cold frontal region},
  year={2016},
  journal={Journal of Climate},
  volume={29},
  number={22},
  pages={8129--8149},
  doi={10.1175/JCLI-D-15-0700.1},
}

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RIS Citation

TY  - JOUR
ID  - na04300i
AU  - Naud, C. M.
AU  - Booth, J. F.
AU  - Del Genio, A. D.
PY  - 2016
TI  - The relationship between boundary layer stability and cloud cover in the post-cold frontal region
JA  - J. Climate
JO  - Journal of Climate
VL  - 29
IS  - 22
SP  - 8129
EP  - 8149
DO  - 10.1175/JCLI-D-15-0700.1
ER  -

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