Open AccessAn assessment of the cloud signals simulated by NICAM using ISCCP, CALIPSO, and CloudSat satellite simulators
Author(s) -
Kodama C.,
Noda A. T.,
Satoh M.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: atmospheres
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.67
H-Index - 298
eISSN - 2156-2202
pISSN - 0148-0227
DOI - 10.1029/2011jd017317
Subject(s) - cirrus , international satellite cloud climatology project , environmental science , satellite , cloud height , atmospheric model , meteorology , cloud feedback , remote sensing , cloud top , longwave , precipitation , climate model , cloud computing , cloud cover , computer science , climate sensitivity , climate change , radiative transfer , geology , physics , oceanography , astronomy , operating system , quantum mechanics
This study presents an assessment of three‐dimensional structures of hydrometeors simulated by the NICAM, global nonhydrostatic atmospheric model without cumulus parameterization, using multiple satellite data sets. A satellite simulator package (COSP: the CFMIP Observation Simulator Package) is employed to consistently compare model output with ISCCP, CALIPSO, and CloudSat satellite observations. Special focus is placed on high thin clouds, which are not observable in the conventional ISCCP data set, but can be detected by the CALIPSO observations. For the control run, the NICAM simulation qualitatively captures the geographical distributions of the high, middle, and low clouds, even though the horizontal mesh spacing is as coarse as 14 km. The simulated low cloud is very close to that of the CALIPSO low cloud. Both the CloudSat observations and NICAM simulation show a boomerang‐type pattern in the radar reflectivity‐height histogram, suggesting that NICAM realistically simulates the deep cloud development process. A striking difference was found in the comparisons of high thin cirrus, showing overestimated cloud and higher cloud top in the model simulation. Several model sensitivity experiments are conducted with different cloud microphysical parameters to reduce the model‐observation discrepancies in high thin cirrus. In addition, relationships among clouds, Hadley circulation, outgoing longwave radiation and precipitation are discussed through the sensitivity experiments.