Air-sea interactions and cirrus cloud-radiation feedbacks on climate

A single cloud-radiation feedback mechanism, which may play a role in the climate changes expected from increased atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and other trace greenhouse gases, is described. An improved radiative-convective model was developed and used to study the role of cirrus clouds in the optical thickness feedback mechanism. The model includes prescribed relative humidity and ozone profiles and a surface energy balance. The results suggest that the cloud optical thickness feedback mechanism can cause a substantial reduction in the surface warming due to doubling CO2, even in the presence of cirrus clouds.