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The Role of Cloud-Radiative Interactions in the Sensitivity of the E.C.M.W.F. Model Climate to Variations in Sea Surface Temperature

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Climate Sensitivity to Radiative Perturbations

Part of the book series: NATO ASI Series ((ASII,volume 34))

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Summary

In a series of modified experiments with the ECMWF model, we explore how the sensitivity parameter λ depends on the horizontal and vertical resolution, on the cloud generation scheme, and on details of the treatment of the cloud-radiation interactions (overlap assmption, representation of mixed phase clouds). We conclude that, although the ECMWF prognostic cloud scheme is more physically based and gives better representation of clouds and related radiation fields than the diagnosed cloud scheme does, some of the uncertainties in the representation of the cloud-radiative processes, as presently included in the ECMWF model, preclude any definite model estimation of the sensitivity parameter. Energy budgets over the west Pacific are also presented.

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© 1996 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Morcrette, JJ. (1996). The Role of Cloud-Radiative Interactions in the Sensitivity of the E.C.M.W.F. Model Climate to Variations in Sea Surface Temperature. In: Treut, H.L. (eds) Climate Sensitivity to Radiative Perturbations. NATO ASI Series, vol 34. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-61053-0_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-61053-0_12

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-64673-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-61053-0

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