Gregarious convection and radiative feedbacks in idealized worlds
Abstract
What role does convection play in cloud feedbacks? What role does convective aggregation play in climate? A flurry of recent studies explores “self‐aggregation” of moist convection in diverse simulations using explicit convection and interactive radiation. The implications involve upper level dry areas acting as infrared windows—the climate system's “radiator fins.” A positive feedback maintains these: dry columns undergo radiative cooling which drives descent and further drying. If the resulting clumpiness of vapor and cloud fields depends systematically on global temperature, then convective organization could be a climate system feedback. How reconcilable and how relevant are these interesting but idealized studies?
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- May 18, 2016
- Source ID
- 10.1002/2016ms000651
Entities
People
- Brian Mapes
Organizations
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Department of Energy
- University of Miami