Relationships Between Tropical Ascent and High Cloud Fraction Changes With Warming Revealed by Perturbation Physics Experiments in CAM5

Abstract Tropical ascent area (Aa) and high cloud fraction (HCF) are projected to decrease with surface warming in most Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) models. Perturbing deep convective parameters in the Community Atmosphere Model (CAM5) results in a similar spread and correla...

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Main Authors: Kathleen A. Schiro, Hui Su, Yuan Wang, Baird Langenbrunner, Jonathan H. Jiang, J. David Neelin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2019-08-01
Series:Geophysical Research Letters
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL083026
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author Kathleen A. Schiro
Hui Su
Yuan Wang
Baird Langenbrunner
Jonathan H. Jiang
J. David Neelin
author_facet Kathleen A. Schiro
Hui Su
Yuan Wang
Baird Langenbrunner
Jonathan H. Jiang
J. David Neelin
author_sort Kathleen A. Schiro
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Tropical ascent area (Aa) and high cloud fraction (HCF) are projected to decrease with surface warming in most Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) models. Perturbing deep convective parameters in the Community Atmosphere Model (CAM5) results in a similar spread and correlation between HCF and Aa responses to interannual warming compared to the CMIP5 ensemble, with a narrower Aa corresponding to greater HCF reduction. Perturbing cloud physics parameters produces a comparatively smaller range of Aa responses to warming and a dissimilar HCF‐Aa relation to that in CMIP5; a narrower Aa corresponds to less HCF reduction, likely due to cloud radiative effects. A narrowing of Aa corresponds to a regime shift toward stronger precipitation in both experiments. We infer that model differences in deep convection parameterization likely play a greater role than differing cloud physics in determining the diverse responses of Aa and HCF to warming in CMIP5.
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series Geophysical Research Letters
spelling doaj-art-fa99479ede4b423ea6c846b4a040385f2025-08-20T03:14:54ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072019-08-014616101121012110.1029/2019GL083026Relationships Between Tropical Ascent and High Cloud Fraction Changes With Warming Revealed by Perturbation Physics Experiments in CAM5Kathleen A. Schiro0Hui Su1Yuan Wang2Baird Langenbrunner3Jonathan H. Jiang4J. David Neelin5Jet Propulsion Laboratory California Institute of Technology Pasadena CA USAJet Propulsion Laboratory California Institute of Technology Pasadena CA USAJet Propulsion Laboratory California Institute of Technology Pasadena CA USADepartment of Earth System Science University of California Irvine CA USAJet Propulsion Laboratory California Institute of Technology Pasadena CA USADepartment of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences University of California Los Angeles CA USAAbstract Tropical ascent area (Aa) and high cloud fraction (HCF) are projected to decrease with surface warming in most Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) models. Perturbing deep convective parameters in the Community Atmosphere Model (CAM5) results in a similar spread and correlation between HCF and Aa responses to interannual warming compared to the CMIP5 ensemble, with a narrower Aa corresponding to greater HCF reduction. Perturbing cloud physics parameters produces a comparatively smaller range of Aa responses to warming and a dissimilar HCF‐Aa relation to that in CMIP5; a narrower Aa corresponds to less HCF reduction, likely due to cloud radiative effects. A narrowing of Aa corresponds to a regime shift toward stronger precipitation in both experiments. We infer that model differences in deep convection parameterization likely play a greater role than differing cloud physics in determining the diverse responses of Aa and HCF to warming in CMIP5.https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL083026tropical circulationmoist convectioncloud microphysicsdeep convection parameterizationcloud feedbacks
spellingShingle Kathleen A. Schiro
Hui Su
Yuan Wang
Baird Langenbrunner
Jonathan H. Jiang
J. David Neelin
Relationships Between Tropical Ascent and High Cloud Fraction Changes With Warming Revealed by Perturbation Physics Experiments in CAM5
Geophysical Research Letters
tropical circulation
moist convection
cloud microphysics
deep convection parameterization
cloud feedbacks
title Relationships Between Tropical Ascent and High Cloud Fraction Changes With Warming Revealed by Perturbation Physics Experiments in CAM5
title_full Relationships Between Tropical Ascent and High Cloud Fraction Changes With Warming Revealed by Perturbation Physics Experiments in CAM5
title_fullStr Relationships Between Tropical Ascent and High Cloud Fraction Changes With Warming Revealed by Perturbation Physics Experiments in CAM5
title_full_unstemmed Relationships Between Tropical Ascent and High Cloud Fraction Changes With Warming Revealed by Perturbation Physics Experiments in CAM5
title_short Relationships Between Tropical Ascent and High Cloud Fraction Changes With Warming Revealed by Perturbation Physics Experiments in CAM5
title_sort relationships between tropical ascent and high cloud fraction changes with warming revealed by perturbation physics experiments in cam5
topic tropical circulation
moist convection
cloud microphysics
deep convection parameterization
cloud feedbacks
url https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL083026
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