Publication Abstracts

Ramos et al. 2022

Ramos, R., A.N. LeGrande, M.L. Griffiths, G.S. Elsaesser, D.T Litchmore, J.F. Tierney, F.S.R. Pausata, and J Nusbaumer, 2022: Constraining clouds and convective parameterizations in a climate model using paleoclimate data. J. Adv. Model. Earth Syst., 14, no. 8, e2021MS002893, doi:10.1029/2021MS002893.

Cloud and convective parameterizations strongly influence uncertainties in equilibrium climate sensitivity (ECS). We provide a proof-of-concept study to constrain these parameterizations in a perturbed parameter ensemble of the atmosphere-only version of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) Model E2.1 simulations by evaluating model biases in the present-day runs using multiple satellite climatologies and by comparing simulated δ18O of precipitation (δ18Op), known to be sensitive to parameterization schemes, with a global database of speleothem δ18O records covering the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), mid-Holocene (MH) and pre-industrial (PI) periods. Relative to modern interannual variability, paleoclimate simulations show greater sensitivity to parameter changes, allowing for an evaluation of model uncertainties over a broader range of climate forcing and the identification of parts of the world that are parameter sensitive. Certain simulations reproduced absolute δ18Op values across all time periods, along with LGM and MH δ18Op anomalies relative to the PI, better than the default parameterization. No single set of parameterizations worked well in all climate states, likely due to the non-stationarity of cloud feedbacks under varying boundary conditions. Future work that involves varying multiple parameter sets simultaneously with coupled ocean feedbacks will likely provide improved constraints on cloud and convective parameterizations.

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BibTeX Citation

@article{ra04010a,
  author={Ramos, R. and LeGrande, A. N. and Griffiths, M. L. and Elsaesser, G. S. and Litchmore, D. T and Tierney, J. F. and Pausata, F. S. R. and Nusbaumer, J},
  title={Constraining clouds and convective parameterizations in a climate model using paleoclimate data},
  year={2022},
  journal={Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems},
  volume={14},
  number={8},
  pages={e2021MS002893},
  doi={10.1029/2021MS002893},
}

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RIS Citation

TY  - JOUR
ID  - ra04010a
AU  - Ramos, R.
AU  - LeGrande, A. N.
AU  - Griffiths, M. L.
AU  - Elsaesser, G. S.
AU  - Litchmore, D. T
AU  - Tierney, J. F.
AU  - Pausata, F. S. R.
AU  - Nusbaumer, J
PY  - 2022
TI  - Constraining clouds and convective parameterizations in a climate model using paleoclimate data
JA  - J. Adv. Model. Earth Syst.
JO  - Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems
VL  - 14
IS  - 8
SP  - e2021MS002893
DO  - 10.1029/2021MS002893
ER  -

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