| Abstract |
The extratropics are the cloudiest region on Earth. Changes in clouds in this region in response to warming have the potential to substantially affect global mean cloud feedback and by extension climate sensitivity. Global climate models (GCMs) predict a relatively small, but consistent positive longwave (LW) cloud feedback throughout much of the extratropics. The bulk of GCMs transition from positive subtropical shortwave (SW) cloud feedback to negative extratropical SW cloud feedback is driven by increasing cloud optical depth. However, the strength of the negative feedback in the extratropics is not agreed upon by GCMs. Recent shifts in extratropical SW cloud feedback toward more positive values in the most recent generation of GCMs have led to the emergence of several high ECS (
K) GCMs. Thus, understanding and constraining the processes that drive extratropical cloud feedback has global implications and constraint of the SW extratropical cloud feedback has garnered significant attention in the literature. In this chapter, we summarize recent literature and present the processes important for extratropical cloud feedback in the context of meteorological regimes and global climate. |
| Authors |
Daniel McCoy   , Michelle E. Frazer , J. Mülmenstädt , Ivy Tan , Christopher R. Terai , Mark D. Zelinka
|
| Journal Info |
American Geophysical Union | Clouds and Their Climatic Impacts: Radiation, Circulation, and Precipitation , pages: 133 - 157
|
| Publication Date |
12/15/2023 |
| ISSN |
0065-8448 |
Type |
other |
| Open Access |
closed
|
| DOI |
https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119700357.ch6 |
| Keywords |
Climate Modeling (Score: 0.529803) , Clouds (Score: 0.523237)
|
