Open AccessParametrization of area cloud fraction
Author(s) -
Boutle I. A.,
Morcrette C. J.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
atmospheric science letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.951
H-Index - 45
ISSN - 1530-261X
DOI - 10.1002/asl.293
Subject(s) - parametrization (atmospheric modeling) , radiosonde , cloud cover , cloud computing , environmental science , meteorology , climatology , northern hemisphere , climate model , lead (geology) , computer science , climate change , geology , geography , physics , quantum mechanics , radiative transfer , operating system , oceanography , geomorphology
Comparisons of radiosonde data to model profiles show that the relative coarseness of the vertical grid can lead to poorly resolved changes in thermodynamic properties. This can lead to the model underestimating cloud cover. A parametrization for area cloud fraction, compatible with a prognostic cloud scheme, is developed and tested. The parametrization is then implemented in a general circulation model and used to produce a weather forecast and a climate simulation. The simulated cloud cover is improved in both models, whilst feedbacks within the climate model lead to an improvement in the surface temperature, particularly in the Northern‐Hemisphere winter. © Crown Copyright 2010. Published with the permission of the Controller of HMSO and the Queen's Printer for Scotland