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Comparison of the Seasonal Change in Cloud-Radiative Forcing from Atmospheric General Circulation Models and Satellite ObservationsWe compare seasonal changes in cloud-radiative forcing (CRF) at the top of the atmosphere from 18 atmospheric general circulation models, and observations from the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE). To enhance the CRF signal and suppress interannual variability, we consider only zonal mean quantities for which the extreme months (January and July), as well as the northern and southern hemispheres, have been differenced. Since seasonal variations of the shortwave component of CRF are caused by seasonal changes in both cloudiness and solar irradiance, the latter was removed. In the ERBE data, seasonal changes in CRF are driven primarily by changes in cloud amount. The same conclusion applies to the models. The shortwave component of seasonal CRF is a measure of changes in cloud amount at all altitudes, while the longwave component is more a measure of upper level clouds. Thus important insights into seasonal cloud amount variations of the models have been obtained by comparing both components, as generated by the models, with the satellite data. For example, in 10 of the 18 models the seasonal oscillations of zonal cloud patterns extend too far poleward by one latitudinal grid.
Document ID
19990041049
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
External Source(s)
Authors
Cess, R. D.
(State Univ. of New York Stony Brook, NY United States)
Zhang, M. H.
(State Univ. of New York Stony Brook, NY United States)
Potter, G. L.
(Lawrence Livermore National Lab. Livermore, CA United States)
Alekseev, V.
(Academy of Sciences (USSR) Moscow, USSR)
Barker, H. W.
(Canadian Climate Centre Downsview, Ontario Canada)
Bony, S.
(Laboratoire de Meteorologie Dynamique Paris, France)
Colman, R. A.
(Bureau of Meteorology Melbourne, Australia)
Dazlich, D. A.
(Colorado State Univ. Fort Collins, CO United States)
DelGenio, A. D.
(NASA Goddard Inst. for Space Studies New York, NY United States)
Deque, M.
(Centre National de Recherches Meteorologiques Toulouse, France)
Dix, M. R.
(Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization Aspendale, Australia)
Dymnikov, V.
(Academy of Sciences (USSR) Moscow, USSR)
Esch, M.
(Max-Planck-Inst. fuer Meteorologie Hamburg, Germany)
Fowler, L. D.
(Colorado State Univ. Fort Collins, CO United States)
Fraser, J. R.
(Bureau of Meteorology Melbourne, Australia)
Galin, V.
(Academy of Sciences (USSR) Moscow, USSR)
Gates, W. L.
(Lawrence Livermore National Lab. Livermore, CA United States)
Hack, J. J.
(National Center for Atmospheric Research Boulder, CO United States)
Ingram, W. J.
(Meteorological Office Bracknell, United Kingdom)
Kiehl, J. T.
(National Center for Atmospheric Research Boulder, CO United States)
Date Acquired
August 19, 2013
Publication Date
July 27, 1997
Publication Information
Publication: Journal of Geophysical Research
Publisher: American Geophysical Union
Volume: 102
Issue: D14
ISSN: 0148-0227
Subject Category
Meteorology And Climatology
Report/Patent Number
Paper-97JD00927
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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