A statistical and process-oriented evaluation of cloud radiative effects in high-resolution global models
This study evaluates the impact of atmospheric horizontal resolution on the representation of cloud radiative effects (CREs) in an ensemble of global climate model simulations following the protocols of the High Resolution Model Intercomparison Project (HighResMIP). We compare results from four Euro...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:1b6998564aa741f484881c41e1a1230e 2023-05-15T17:36:14+02:00 A statistical and process-oriented evaluation of cloud radiative effects in high-resolution global models M. A. Thomas A. Devasthale T. Koenigk K. Wyser M. Roberts C. Roberts K. Lohmann 2019-04-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-12-1679-2019 https://doaj.org/article/1b6998564aa741f484881c41e1a1230e EN eng Copernicus Publications https://www.geosci-model-dev.net/12/1679/2019/gmd-12-1679-2019.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1991-959X https://doaj.org/toc/1991-9603 doi:10.5194/gmd-12-1679-2019 1991-959X 1991-9603 https://doaj.org/article/1b6998564aa741f484881c41e1a1230e Geoscientific Model Development, Vol 12, Pp 1679-1702 (2019) Geology QE1-996.5 article 2019 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-12-1679-2019 2022-12-31T05:08:15Z This study evaluates the impact of atmospheric horizontal resolution on the representation of cloud radiative effects (CREs) in an ensemble of global climate model simulations following the protocols of the High Resolution Model Intercomparison Project (HighResMIP). We compare results from four European modelling centres, each of which provides data from “standard”- and “high”-resolution model configurations. Simulated radiative fluxes are compared with observation-based estimates derived from the Clouds and Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) dataset. Model CRE biases are evaluated using both conventional statistics (e.g. time and spatial averages) and after conditioning on the phase of two modes of internal climate variability, namely the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). Simulated top-of-atmosphere (TOA) and surface CREs show large biases over the polar regions, particularly over regions where seasonal sea-ice variability is strongest. Increasing atmospheric resolution does not significantly improve these biases. The spatial structure of the cloud radiative response to ENSO and NAO variability is simulated reasonably well by all model configurations considered in this study. However, it is difficult to identify a systematic impact of atmospheric resolution on the associated CRE errors. Mean absolute CRE errors conditioned on the ENSO phase are relatively large (5–10 W m −2 ) and show differences between models. We suggest this is a consequence of differences in the parameterization of SW radiative transfer and the treatment of cloud optical properties rather than a result of differences in resolution. In contrast, mean absolute CRE errors conditioned on the NAO phase are generally smaller (0–2 W m −2 ) and more similar across models. Although the regional details of CRE biases show some sensitivity to atmospheric resolution within a particular model, it is difficult to identify patterns that hold across all models. This apparent insensitivity to increased ... Article in Journal/Newspaper North Atlantic North Atlantic oscillation Sea ice Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Geoscientific Model Development 12 4 1679 1702 |
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Geology QE1-996.5 |
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Geology QE1-996.5 M. A. Thomas A. Devasthale T. Koenigk K. Wyser M. Roberts C. Roberts K. Lohmann A statistical and process-oriented evaluation of cloud radiative effects in high-resolution global models |
topic_facet |
Geology QE1-996.5 |
description |
This study evaluates the impact of atmospheric horizontal resolution on the representation of cloud radiative effects (CREs) in an ensemble of global climate model simulations following the protocols of the High Resolution Model Intercomparison Project (HighResMIP). We compare results from four European modelling centres, each of which provides data from “standard”- and “high”-resolution model configurations. Simulated radiative fluxes are compared with observation-based estimates derived from the Clouds and Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) dataset. Model CRE biases are evaluated using both conventional statistics (e.g. time and spatial averages) and after conditioning on the phase of two modes of internal climate variability, namely the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). Simulated top-of-atmosphere (TOA) and surface CREs show large biases over the polar regions, particularly over regions where seasonal sea-ice variability is strongest. Increasing atmospheric resolution does not significantly improve these biases. The spatial structure of the cloud radiative response to ENSO and NAO variability is simulated reasonably well by all model configurations considered in this study. However, it is difficult to identify a systematic impact of atmospheric resolution on the associated CRE errors. Mean absolute CRE errors conditioned on the ENSO phase are relatively large (5–10 W m −2 ) and show differences between models. We suggest this is a consequence of differences in the parameterization of SW radiative transfer and the treatment of cloud optical properties rather than a result of differences in resolution. In contrast, mean absolute CRE errors conditioned on the NAO phase are generally smaller (0–2 W m −2 ) and more similar across models. Although the regional details of CRE biases show some sensitivity to atmospheric resolution within a particular model, it is difficult to identify patterns that hold across all models. This apparent insensitivity to increased ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
M. A. Thomas A. Devasthale T. Koenigk K. Wyser M. Roberts C. Roberts K. Lohmann |
author_facet |
M. A. Thomas A. Devasthale T. Koenigk K. Wyser M. Roberts C. Roberts K. Lohmann |
author_sort |
M. A. Thomas |
title |
A statistical and process-oriented evaluation of cloud radiative effects in high-resolution global models |
title_short |
A statistical and process-oriented evaluation of cloud radiative effects in high-resolution global models |
title_full |
A statistical and process-oriented evaluation of cloud radiative effects in high-resolution global models |
title_fullStr |
A statistical and process-oriented evaluation of cloud radiative effects in high-resolution global models |
title_full_unstemmed |
A statistical and process-oriented evaluation of cloud radiative effects in high-resolution global models |
title_sort |
statistical and process-oriented evaluation of cloud radiative effects in high-resolution global models |
publisher |
Copernicus Publications |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-12-1679-2019 https://doaj.org/article/1b6998564aa741f484881c41e1a1230e |
genre |
North Atlantic North Atlantic oscillation Sea ice |
genre_facet |
North Atlantic North Atlantic oscillation Sea ice |
op_source |
Geoscientific Model Development, Vol 12, Pp 1679-1702 (2019) |
op_relation |
https://www.geosci-model-dev.net/12/1679/2019/gmd-12-1679-2019.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1991-959X https://doaj.org/toc/1991-9603 doi:10.5194/gmd-12-1679-2019 1991-959X 1991-9603 https://doaj.org/article/1b6998564aa741f484881c41e1a1230e |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-12-1679-2019 |
container_title |
Geoscientific Model Development |
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12 |
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4 |
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1679 |
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1702 |
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