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Key research themes
1. How do radiative convective equilibrium models explain the variability of tropical sea surface temperature contrasts and atmospheric circulation under warming?
This theme explores the use of radiative convective equilibrium (RCE) experiments with slab ocean models to understand the fundamental thermodynamic controls on tropical sea surface temperature (SST) contrasts and the associated atmospheric circulation responses to warming. It matters because tropical SST contrasts influence climate sensitivity and large-scale phenomena like the Walker Circulation, which have far-reaching climatic impacts.
Global Radiative Convective Equilibrium With a Slab Ocean: SST Contrast, Sensitivity and Circulation
Key finding: This study used a uniformly insolated, non-rotating GCM with slab ocean to identify transitions in SST contrasts as global mean temperatures increase. The SST contrast decreases up to about 298 K due to enhanced shortwave... Read more
Key finding: This paper reviews evidence from one-dimensional radiative-convective models with parameterized convection that RCE need not be steady but can exhibit spontaneous oscillations on timescales from days to weeks. The feedback... Read more
Key finding: Through theory, 1D radiative transfer calculations, and radiative-convective equilibrium simulations, this work demonstrated that upper tropospheric radiative cooling rates increase with surface warming if relative humidity... Read more
2. What are the impacts of aerosol radiative effects on atmospheric convective boundary layer turbulence and entrainment as revealed by large-eddy simulations?
This research theme focuses on quantifying aerosol shortwave radiative heating impacts within the convective boundary layer (CBL), emphasizing the changes in turbulence statistics, flux profiles, and entrainment dynamics. Understanding these aerosol-radiation-turbulence interactions is essential for improving regional weather and climate model predictions in polluted environments.
Key finding: Using LES coupled to aerosol radiative transfer, this study found aerosol radiative heating reduces horizontal and vertical velocity variances and potential temperature variance in the CBL, leading to altered turbulence... Read more
Key finding: This LES study coupled with an aerosol radiation transfer model showed increasing aerosol optical depth causes nonlinear entrainment heat flux profiles and decreased entrainment rates in the CBL. An entrainment equation... Read more
Key finding: Synthesizing satellite and field campaign data from natural and anthropogenic aerosol perturbations, this review concluded that aerosol-cloud interactions increase cloud droplet number but liquid water path increases are... Read more
3. How do advances in radiative transfer modeling and observational analysis improve understanding and quantification of aerosol, cloud, and atmospheric radiation interactions?
This theme centers on model developments and observational synergy for accurately simulating radiative fluxes in the atmosphere, accounting for aerosol radiative effects, cloud radiative forcing, and spectral radiance in clear-sky conditions. Such work underpins climate model evaluation, aerosol radiative forcing uncertainty quantification, and satellite data assimilation.
Sensitivity of Radiative Fluxes to Aerosols in the ALADIN-HIRLAM Numerical Weather Prediction System
Key finding: Sensitivity tests using the ALADIN-HIRLAM single-column model with integrated aerosol optical properties revealed that variations in aerosol loadings dominate radiative flux and heating rate differences under clear sky. For... Read more
Key finding: By prescribing aerosol optical properties across twelve models, this study isolated host model uncertainties in clear-sky aerosol radiative forcing. Despite identical aerosol inputs, inter-model variability in forcing reached... Read more
Key finding: This work used simulated and observed spectrally resolved longwave radiances from IASI to evaluate EC-Earth climate model temperature and water vapor profiles under clear skies. Systematic brightness temperature biases in CO2... Read more