Publication Abstracts
Werapitiya et al. 2025
Werapitiya, G., D.T. McCoy, , A. Gettelman, T. Eidhammer, T. Aerenson, C. Song, and , 2025: Climate model extratropical cloud feedback constrained by cloud sources and sinks in cyclones. J. Climate, 38, no. 24, 7285-7300, doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-24-0607.1.
Constraining cloud feedback in global climate models (GCMs) using observations is important for establishing accurate predictions of future climate. Uncertainty in shortwave (SW) cloud feedback (SWFB) dominates uncertainty in total cloud feedback. Recent studies show a shift toward more positive extratropical SWFB in the latest generations of GCMs leading to the emergence of very high effective climate sensitivity (ECS). In this study, we use precipitation efficiency and albedo susceptibility to constrain liquid water path (LWP) response to warming and SWFB in the Southern Ocean (SO; 50°S-80°S). We analyze precipitation in extratropical cyclones (ECs) to learn about extratropical condensed water sink processes, combined with observations of clouds and moisture convergence, and use the analysis to better understand and constrain SWFB. We utilize a perturbed parameter ensemble (PPE) hosted in the the sixth Community Atmosphere Model (CAM6) to provide a constraint on SWFB based on observations from Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) and Multi-Sensor Advanced Climatology of Liquid Water Path (MAC-LWP). Confronting the CAM6 PPE with observations results in a reduction of 64-70% in the SO LWP response to uniform +4 K sea surface temperature increase and a 27-35% reduction in the response of SW cloud radiative effect. Observations suggest a more positive SO SWFB than the Community Earth System Model version 2 (CESM2) and consequently does not reject the high climate sensitivity GCMs emerging from CMIP6.
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BibTeX Citation
@article{we04400s,
author={Werapitiya, G. and McCoy, D. T. and Elsaesser, G. S. and Gettelman, A. and Eidhammer, T. and Aerenson, T. and Song, C. and Wu, J.},
title={Climate model extratropical cloud feedback constrained by cloud sources and sinks in cyclones},
year={2025},
journal={Journal of Climate},
volume={38},
number={24},
pages={7285--7300},
doi={10.1175/JCLI-D-24-0607.1},
}
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RIS Citation
TY - JOUR ID - we04400s AU - Werapitiya, G. AU - McCoy, D. T. AU - Elsaesser, G. S. AU - Gettelman, A. AU - Eidhammer, T. AU - Aerenson, T. AU - Song, C. AU - Wu, J. PY - 2025 TI - Climate model extratropical cloud feedback constrained by cloud sources and sinks in cyclones JA - J. Climate JO - Journal of Climate VL - 38 IS - 24 SP - 7285 EP - 7300 DO - 10.1175/JCLI-D-24-0607.1 ER -
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