| NSF Org: |
AGS Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | March 17, 2016 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | June 28, 2016 |
| Award Number: | 1547003 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Varavut (Var) Limpasuvan
AGS Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences GEO Directorate for Geosciences |
| Start Date: | August 15, 2016 |
| End Date: | July 31, 2020 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $635,603.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $635,603.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
601 S HOWES ST FORT COLLINS CO US 80521-2807 (970)491-6355 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
200 W. Lake St Fort Collins CO US 80521-4593 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | Climate & Large-Scale Dynamics |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): | |
| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.050 |
ABSTRACT
The goal of the proposed research is to improve understanding of the two-way coupling between clouds and the large-scale atmospheric circulation at extratropical latitudes. The work includes two components. In the first component, the influence of largescale extratropical climate variability on clouds and cloud radiative effects will be analyzed. The research will include analyses of both climate model output and observations, including various CloudSat products, multiple reanalyses products, and remotely sensed estimates of atmospheric cloud radiative effects. The analyses will explore and interpret the changes in vertical cloud structure and radiative heating rates associated with variations in a range of patterns of extratropical variability.
In the second component, the response of the large-scale extratropical circulation
to atmospheric cloud radiative effects will be examined. In the process, the impact of atmospheric cloud radiative effects on the structure, amplitude, and timescale of patterns of large-scale extratropical atmospheric variability will be explored. The analyses will exploit output from the Clouds On/Off Klima Intercomparsion Experiments (COOKIE), which include numerical simulations run with and without atmospheric cloud radiative effects. They will also include numerical experiments run on the dry dynamical core of a general circulation model forced with heatings that mimic atmospheric cloud radiative effects.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
The goal of the proposed research was to improve our understanding of the role of two-way interactions between clouds and their radiative effects in the atmospheric circulation. The work included two primary components. In the first component, we analyzed and diagnosed the influence of the large-scale atmospheric circulation on clouds and cloud radiative effects. In the second component, we explored the influence of cloud radiative effects on the large-scale atmospheric circulation.
The findings led to numerous key discoveries of the role of clouds in the atmospheric circulation. The key findings include quantification of the observed signatures of climate variability in clouds in the Southern Hemisphere, and of the influence of cloud radiative effects on the long-term mean circulation. They include the discovery of the role of clear and cloudy-sky radiative processes in governing the depth of the troposphere under current and future climate, and of the role of atmospheric cloud radiative effects in governing circulation trends under climate change. They include quantification of biases in Arctic clouds in climate models, and the discovery of biases in observations of decadal variability. The findings provide new insights into the role of shortwave cloud radiative effects in decadal variability. And they provide new insights into the role of regional cloud radiative effects on the circulation response to climate change.
The project provided mentoring and career development for three graduate students and one research scientist at CSU.
Last Modified: 11/24/2020
Modified by: David W Thompson
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