Publication Abstracts
McGraw et al. 2023
, T. Storelvmo, L.M. Polvani, S. Hofer, J.K. Shaw, and A. Gettelman, 2023: On the links between ice nucleation, cloud phase, and climate sensitivity in CESM2. Geophys. Res. Lett., 50, no. 17, e2023GL105053, doi:10.1029/2023GL105053.
Ice nucleation in mixed-phase clouds has been identified as a critical factor in projections of future climate. Here we explore how this process influences climate sensitivity using the Community Earth System Model 2 (CESM2). We find that ice nucleation affects simulated cloud feedbacks over most regions and levels of the troposphere, not just extratropical low clouds. However, with present-day global mean cloud phase adjusted to replicate satellite retrievals, similar total cloud feedback is attained whether ice nucleation is simulated as aerosol-sensitive, insensitive, or absent. These model experiments all result in a strongly positive total cloud feedback, as in the default CESM2. A microphysics update from CESM1 to CESM2 had substantially weakened ice nucleation, due partly to a model issue. Our findings indicate that this update reduced global cloud phase bias, with CESM2's high climate sensitivity reflecting improved mixed-phase cloud representation.
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BibTeX Citation
@article{mc09200d,
author={McGraw, Z. and Storelvmo, T. and Polvani, L. M. and Hofer, S. and Shaw, J. K. and Gettelman, A.},
title={On the links between ice nucleation, cloud phase, and climate sensitivity in CESM2},
year={2023},
journal={Geophysical Research Letters},
volume={50},
number={17},
pages={e2023GL105053},
doi={10.1029/2023GL105053},
}
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RIS Citation
TY - JOUR ID - mc09200d AU - McGraw, Z. AU - Storelvmo, T. AU - Polvani, L. M. AU - Hofer, S. AU - Shaw, J. K. AU - Gettelman, A. PY - 2023 TI - On the links between ice nucleation, cloud phase, and climate sensitivity in CESM2 JA - Geophys. Res. Lett. JO - Geophysical Research Letters VL - 50 IS - 17 SP - e2023GL105053 DO - 10.1029/2023GL105053 ER -
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