Shortwave cloud radiative forcing on major stratus cloud regions in AMIP-type simulations of CMIP3 and CMIP5 models

Cloud and its radiative effects are major sources of uncertainty that lead to simulation discrepancies in climate models. In this study, shortwave cloud radiative forcing (SWCF) over major stratus regions is evaluated for Atmospheric Models Intercomparison Project (AMIP)-type simulations of models involved in the third and fifth phases of the Coupled Models Intercomparison Project (CMIP3 and CMIP5). Over stratus regions, large deviations in both climatological mean and seasonal cycle of SWCF are found among the models. An ambient field sorted by dynamic (vertical motion) and thermodynamic (inversion strength or stability) regimes is constructed and used to measure the response of SWCF to large-scale controls. In marine boundary layer regions, despite both CMIP3 and CMIP5 models being able to capture well the center and range of occurrence frequency for the ambient field, most of the models fail to simulate the dependence of SWCF on boundary layer inversion and the insensitivity of SWCF to vertical motion. For eastern China, there are large differences even in the simulated ambient fields. Moreover, almost no model can reproduce intense SWCF in rising motion and high stability regimes. It is also found that models with a finer grid resolution have no evident superiority than their lower resolution versions. The uncertainties relating to SWCF in state-of-the-art models may limit their performance in IPCC experiments.     

Remote effects of tropical cyclone wind forcing over the western Pacific on the eastern equatorial ocean

An ocean general circulation model （OGCM） is used to demonstrate remote effects of tropical cyclone wind （TCW） forcing in the tropical Pacific. The signature of TCW forcing is explicitly extracted using a locally weighted quadratic least=squares regression （called as LOESS） method from six-hour satellite surface wind data; the extracted TCW component can then be additionally taken into account or not in ocean modeling, allowing isolation of its effects on the ocean in a clean and clear way. In this paper, seasonally varying TCW fields in year 2008 are extracted from satellite data which are prescribed as a repeated annual cycle over the western Pacific regions off the equator （poleward of 10°N/S）; two long-term OGCM experiments are performed and compared, one with the TCW forcing part included additionally and the other not. Large, persistent thermal perturbations （cooling in the mixed layer （ML） and warming in the thermocline） are induced locally in the western tropical Pacific, which are seen to spread with the mean ocean circulation pathways around the tropical basin. In particular, a remote ocean response emerges in the eastern equatorial Pacific to the prescribed off-equatorial TCW forcing, characterized by a cooling in the mixed layer and a warming in the thermocline. Heat budget analyses indicate that the vertical mixing is a dominant process responsible for the SST cooling in the eastern equatorial Pacific. Further studies are clearly needed to demonstrate the significance of these results in a coupled ocean-atmosphere modeling context.     

ANALYSES OF THE DYNAMIC EFFECTS ON WINTER CIRCULATION OF THE TWO MAIN MOUNTAINS IN THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE——Ⅱ.VERTICAL PROPAGATION OF PLANETARY WAVES

A linear,hemispheric and stationary spectral model with multilayers in the vertical was employed to simulate thevertical propagation of waves triggered by mountains.Results show that,in cooperation with the East Asia zonal meanflow,Tibetan Plateau can excite a strong wavenumber 1 perturbation in the stratosphere with its ridge and trough lo-cated over the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans respectively.On the other hand,the stratospheric wavenumber 1 perturbationcaused by the mechanical forcing of the Rocky Mountains in cooperation with the North America zonal mean flow isvery weak.Calculations from observational data of the vertical profile of critical wavenumber for vertically propagatingwaves imply that the tropospheric wavenumber 1 perturbation can hardly penetrate the North America tropopause up-wards,whereas it can freely propagate through the East Asia tropopause into the stratosphere.Two-dimensional E-Pcross-sections obtained from both observational data and simulated results also demonstrate that waves excited by theRocky Mountains are refracted towards low latitudes in the troposphere during their upward propagation:whereas,inaddition to the above mentioned equatorward leaning branch,the wavenumber 1 and 2 planetary waves excited by theTibetan Plateau possess another branch which is refracted to high latitudes during upward propagation and penetratesthe tropopause into the stratosphere.It is therefore concluded that the difference in the horizontal and vertical wavepropagations in the two hemispheres is a result of the different dynamical forcing induced by the two main mountains inthe Northern Hemisphere.     

Climatological distribution of lightning density observed by satellites in China and its circumjacent regions

The 0.5°×0.5°grid resolution distribution of lightning density in China and its circumjacent regions have been analyzed by using the satellite-borne OTD (Apr 1995-Mar 2000) and LIS (Dec 1997-Mar 2003) databases. It is shown that: (i) Firstly, the variability of the lightning density (LD) is particularly pronounced over the different subareas, 9 times greater over the south than the north side of Himalayas Mountains, 2.5 times greater over the eastern than the western area of China. While the maximum and minimum LD are respectively 31.4fl/km2/a (in Guangzhou region) and less than 0.2fl/km2/a (in the desert of western China). Secondly, the LD of China's continent regularly varies with latitude and distance off coast, which is consistent with annual mean precipitation in varying trend. In conclusion, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the China's three-step staircase topography and the latitude are three important factors affecting macro-scale characteristics of the LD distribution, (ii) The regional differences     

The effect of transient eddy on interannual meridional displacement of summer East Asian subtropical jet

Using ERA-40 reanalysis daily data for the period 1958-2002,this study investigated the effect of transient eddy(TE) on the interannual meridional displacement of summer East Asian subtropical jet(EASJ) by conducting a detailed dynamical diagnosis.The summer EASJ axis features a significant interannual coherent meridional displacement.Associated with such a meridional displacement,the TE vorticity forcing anomalies are characterized by a meridional dipole pattern asymmetric about the climatological EASJ axis.The TE vorticity forcing anomalies yield barotropic zonal wind tendencies with a phase meridionally leading the zonal wind anomalies,suggesting that they act to reinforce further meridional displacement of the EASJ and favor a positive feedback in the TE and time-mean flow interaction.However,The TE thermal forcing anomalies induce baroclinic zonal wind tendencies that reduce the vertical shear of zonal wind and atmospheric baroclinicity and eventually suppress the TE activity,favoring a negative feedback in the TE and time-mean flow interaction.Although the two types of TE forcing tend to have opposite feedback roles,the TE vorticity forcing appears to be dominant in the TE effect on the time-mean flow.     

基于美国AMF寿县观测的云特性研究

美国能源部大气辐射观测计划移动观测ARMAMF（atmospheric radiation measurement mobile facility）2008年首次在我国寿县开展综合观测,为研究云特性提供了很好的资料平台。本文在此次云雷达等观测资料基础上,研究了寿县秋末冬初云高、云厚、云量及其辐射特性,结果发现,寿县有76．3％的观测日有云出现,54．0％的观测时间有云覆盖,中云（以下简称M云）和高云（以下简称H云）出现频率占全部云系的76．7％,天气系统对寿县云系形成有较大影响;云底高度大于3km的降水性云（以下简称P云）出现频率占全部P云的67．7％,是云底高度小于3kmP云的5．3倍,发生在下午的降水占全部P云的47．8％,气溶胶可能对P云的这种分布有较大影响;云和气溶胶减少地面短波辐射的日均值达一99．1W／m。,其中气溶胶减少约占25．1％。不同高度和厚度云对地面辐射通量的影响有较大差异,P云产生最大的冷却效应（一201．9W／m。）,厚度小于2km的H云对地面辐射通量的减少量最少（一32．9w／m。）。另外,用地面单点云辐射观测与中分辨率成像光谱仪MODIS（moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer）资料估计结果对比发现,两种资料有较大差异,差异可达-1．9～-36．9W／m。     

RegCM3引入气溶胶间接气候效应模拟效果对比

利用2006年区域气候模式RegCM3和Streets气溶胶排放源清单,在原模式中引入间接气候效应模块,改进云降水方案,对硫酸盐气溶胶的时空分布、辐射强迫效应进行了模拟研究。结果表明：硫酸盐气溶胶辐射强迫有明显季节变化;直接效应使地表温度降低,冬春季大值区出现在四川盆地,夏季大值区出现在华北平原。对降水的影响,主要表现在西南—东北水汽输送带上降水减少;其间接气候效应主要表现在使南方地区温度上升、北方地区温度下降;珠江流域和黄河流域降水减少,长江流域和东北地区降水增加。总的来说,直接效应大于间接效应。     

Model Analysis of the Anthropogenic Aerosol Effect on Clouds over East Asia

A coupled meteorology and aerosol/chemistry model WRF-Chem(Weather Research and Forecast model coupled with Chemistry) was used to conduct a pair of simulations with present-day(PD) and preindustrial(PI) emissions over East Asia to examine the aerosol indirect effect on clouds.As a result of an increase in aerosols in January,the cloud droplet number increased by 650 cm-3 over the ocean and East China,400 cm-3 over Central and Southwest China,and less than 200 cm-3 over North China.The cloud liquid water path(LWP) increased by 40-60 g m-2 over the ocean and Southeast China and 30 g m-2 over Central China;the LWP increased less than 5 g m-2 or decreased by 5 g m-2 over North China.The effective radius(Re) decreased by more than 4 μm over Southwest,Central,and Southeast China and 2μm over North China.In July,variations in cloud properties were more uniform;the cloud droplet number increased by approximately 250-400 cm-3,the LWP increased by approximately 30-50 g m-2,and Re decreased by approximately 3 ?m over most regions of China.In response to cloud property changes from PI to PD,shortwave(SW) cloud radiative forcing strengthened by 30 W m-2 over the ocean and 10 W m-2 over Southeast China,and it weakened slightly by approximately 2-10 W m-2 over Central and Southwest China in January.In July,SW cloud radiative forcing strengthened by 15 W m-2 over Southeast and North China and weakened by 10 W m-2 over Central China.The different responses of SW cloud radiative forcing in different regions was related to cloud feedbacks and natural variability.     

Characteristics of cirrus clouds and its radiative properties based on lidar observation over Chung-Li, Taiwan

In this paper, characterization of cirrus clouds are made by using data from ground based polarization lidar and radiosonde measurements over Chung-Li (24.58°N, 121.10°E), Taiwan for a period of 1999–2006. During this period, the occurrence of cirrus clouds is about 37% of the total measurement nights over the lidar site. Analysis of the measurement gives the statistical characteristics about the macrophysical properties such as occurrence height, ambient temperature, and its geometrical thickness while the microphysical properties are interpreted in terms of extinction coefficient, optical depth, effective lidar ratio and depolarization ratio. The effective lidar ratio has been retrieved by using the simulation technique of backscattered lidar signals. The effect of multiple scattering has been taken into the account by a model calculation. Summer (Jun–Aug) shows the maximum appearances of cirrus due to its formation mechanism. It is shown that tropopause cirrus clouds may occur with a probability of about 24%. These clouds are usually optically thin and having laminar in structure with some cases resembling the characteristics similar to that of polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs). The radiative properties of the cirrus clouds are also discussed in detail by the empirical equations with results show a positive feedback on any climate change.