Detailed Record



The Role of Mesoscale Cloud Morphology in the Shortwave Cloud Feedback


Abstract A supervised neural network algorithm is used to categorize near‐global satellite retrievals into three mesoscale cellular convective (MCC) cloud morphology patterns. At constant cloud amount, morphology patterns differ in brightness associated with the amount of optically thin cloud features. Environmentally driven transitions from closed MCC to other morphology patterns, typically accompanied by more optically thin cloud features, are used as a framework to quantify the morphology contribution to the optical depth component of the shortwave cloud feedback. A marine heat wave is used as an out‐of‐sample test of closed MCC occurrence predictions. Morphology shifts in optical depth between 65°S and 65°N under projected environmental changes (i.e., from an abrupt quadrupling of CO 2 ) assuming constant cloud cover contributes between 0.04 and 0.07 W m −2 K −1 (aggregate of 0.06) to the global mean cloud feedback.
Authors Isabel L. McCoy ORCID , Daniel McCoy University of WyomingORCID , Robert Wood ORCID , Paquita Zuidema ORCID , Frida A.‐M. Bender ORCID
Journal Info American Geophysical Union | Geophysical Research Letters , vol: 50 , iss: 2
Publication Date 1/23/2023
ISSN 0094-8276
TypeKeyword Image article
Open Access hybrid Hybrid Access
DOI https://doi.org/10.1029/2022gl101042
KeywordsKeyword Image Emission Modeling (Score: 0.495416)