The Quasi-Global Distribution of the Sensitivity of the Earth-Atmosphere Radiation Budget to Clouds

Ohring, George; Clapp, Philip F.; Heddinghaus, Thomas R.; Krueger, Arthur F.

doi:10.1175/1520-0469(1981)038<2539:tqgdot>2.0.co;2

Cited by 32 publications

(14 citation statements)

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“…For cirrus clouds, therefore, the 'greenhouse' effect dominates, whereas the albedo effect is dominant for middle and low level clouds. The largest net effect of clouds on climate occurs in the eastern subtropical oceans (Figure 2), where low clouds predominate and the sun is high (Ohring et al, 1981). Similar effects are also noted by Stephens and Webster (1981).…”

Section: (B) Results Of Climate Modellingsupporting

confidence: 54%

The influence of clouds on climate with A focus on high latitude interactions

Crane

Barry

1984

J. Climatol.

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The global cloud distribution is recognized as forming a major component of the Earth's climate through its influence on both the energy and moisture exchanges in the earth-atmosphere system. This review concentrates on the radiative effects of clouds and examines a number of modelling and empirical studies that have addressed the possible significance of the role of cloud cover in climate change. This question is still not fully resolved. One reason for this is inadequate data and, therefore, some of the cloud climatologies available and the associated problems of data collection and interpretation are discussed. The review focuses specifically on interactions at high latitudes and describes recent studies which suggest that there may be a relationship between sea ice extent and cloud cover. Some possible consequences of this are discussed in the context of a high latitude response to climate change. KEY WORDS Clouds and climate High latitude climate-cloud interactions

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Section: (B) Results Of Climate Modellingsupporting

confidence: 54%

The influence of clouds on climate with A focus on high latitude interactions

Crane

Barry

1984

J. Climatol.

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“…Except for a few northern latitudinal zones for January, the sensitivity of the net flux change due to the cloud cover variation is controlled by the reflected solar flux. The average global, IR, and net radiation sensitivity values computed using the actual cloud amounts are close to the values determined indirectly by Hartmann and Short [1980] and Ohring et al [1981], even though the satellites involved in these investigations have different equatorcrossing times and spectral intervals.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An investigation of cloud/radiation interactions using three‐dimensional nephanalysis and earth radiation budget data bases

Koenig¹,

Liou²,

Griffin³

1987

J. Geophys. Res.

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The cloud climatology data obtained from the analysis of the Air Force three‐dimensional nephanalysis (3DNEPH) cloud data base and the broadband radiation budget data derived from the Nimbus 7 earth radiation budget (ERB) measurements, are compared on regional, zonally averaged, and hemispheric scales for January and July 1979. The analyzed cloud climatologies are also compared with existing cloud climatologies and general circulation features. In addition, they are used as input to an IR parameterization model to calculate the emitted IR flux at the top of the atmosphere. These model fluxes are subsequently compared with the ERB flux climatologies. An investigation of the sensitivity, at 1200 and 2400 local time, of the reflected solar, emitted IR, and net radiation to changes in cloud amount on a regional, zonal, and hemispherical basis is then carried out employing the 3DNEPH and ERB data. The daily net radiation sensitivity factors for the northern hemisphere for January and July, with values of −8.1 and −50.9 W m−2, respectively, compare reasonably well with those obtained by other investigators.

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“…Ohring [1980] on the essential point that the effect of clouds on solar radiation was substantially larger than the long-wave effect, so that the result of an increase in cloud amount would be a reduction in net radiation. Ohring et al [1981] were presented in map form so that the geographical variability resulting from different cloud types and surface conditions could be seen. These maps emphasize very strongly the important effect of oceanic stratus clouds on the net radiation balance.…”

Section: Oc-so R3c •C 79+42=-37wm-2 (18)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Earth Radiation Budget data and climate research

Hartmann¹,

Ramanathan²,

Berroir³

et al. 1986

Reviews of Geophysics

143

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An overview is presented of the uses of top of the atmosphere radiation budget measurements in studies of climate. The net radiative energy flux at the top of the atmosphere must be balanced by local heat storage in the earth-atmosphere column or by horizontal transport in the atmosphere and ocean. Regional variations in the components of the radiation balance are significant and place important constraints on regional and global climate. If suitable time averaging is applied, regional net radiation can be used to infer horizontal transport of energy in the atmosphere and ocean. Estimates of equatorto-pole transport in the atmosphere and ocean based upon currently available top-of-atmosphere radiation budget measurements contain unacceptably large uncertainties associated with uncertainties in the radiation budget measurements themselves. Diurnal and interannual variations in regional radiation balances are large and important but have not yet been properly sampled with broadband instruments. Both have the potential for providing important insights into climate. The role of cloudiness in climate sensitivity remains one of the major uncertainties in quantitative estimates of climate changes associated with particular perturbing influences. Radiation budget data can be used to estimate the effects of actual cloudiness on the top-of-atmosphere heat balance and the dependence of these effects on location and season. The observational studies of the effect of cloudiness on the radiation balance at the top of the atmosphere that have been completed to date all suffer from one or more of three fundamental problems. These are that the parameters of the cloudiness are not accurately known, the radiation budget data are not based on measurements whose frequency response is unbiased in relation to the emissions of the sun and the earth, and the diurnal sampling of the measurements is not complete. The uncertainties associated with each of these problems are expected to be reduced as a result of analyses based on data from the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment. In order that quantitative estimates of climate change be as accurate as possible the general circulation models (GCMs) which produce these forecasts must be critically evaluated with observed data. Many of the most important mechanisms for perturbing climate (e.g., CO 2, volcanic aerosols, surface albedo changes) and many of the most important feedback processes (e.g., relative humidity feedback, cloud feedback, ice-albedo feedback) directly involve the radiation balance at the top of the atmosphere and its relation to surface climate. Since the radiation balance at the top of the atmosphere can, in principle, be measured very accurately from space, it is natural that the simulation of top-of-atmosphere energy fluxes by GCMs should be carefully validated against observations. Because of the complexities introduced by clouds, a complete validation of the radiation budget of a GCM is a long and difficult task. A strategy is suggested here in which the clear-sky fluxes ...

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The Quasi-Global Distribution of the Sensitivity of the Earth-Atmosphere Radiation Budget to Clouds

Cited by 32 publications

References 0 publications

The influence of clouds on climate with A focus on high latitude interactions

The influence of clouds on climate with A focus on high latitude interactions

An investigation of cloud/radiation interactions using three‐dimensional nephanalysis and earth radiation budget data bases

Earth Radiation Budget data and climate research

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