Simulations of Winter Arctic Clouds and Associated Radiation Fluxes Using Different Cloud Microphysics Schemes in the Polar WRF: Comparisons With CloudSat, CALIPSO, and CERES

• Published in: Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
• Main Authors: Cho, Heeje, Jun, Sang‐Yoon, Ho, Chang‐Hoi, McFarquhar, Greg
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2021
• Subjects: 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; Arctic
• Online Access: http://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1803430; https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1803430; https://doi.org/10.1029/2019jd031413

Clouds are important for the Arctic climate, but simulating such clouds with numerical models is still challenging. The accuracy of model clouds has not been sufficiently examined due to the harsh Arctic environment obstructing cloud observations, especially during Arctic winters experiencing polar nights. This study compares the Arctic winter clouds simulated by a weather forecast model to cloud observations from active (lidar and radar) satellite instruments. The model successfully produced cloud patterns similar to the satellite observations. However, the choice of the cloud physics module in the model can modify the amount of cloud water significantly enough to affect the simulated surface climate.