The Impact of Cloud Feedbacks on Arctic Climate under Greenhouse Forcing

• Published in: Journal of climate 2004-02, Vol.17 (3), p.603-615
• Main Author: Vavrus, Steve
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anvil clouds; Atmosphere; Atmospheric models; Boundary conditions; Carbon dioxide; Cirrus clouds; Climate; Climate change; Climate models; Climatology. Bioclimatology. Climate change; Cloud cover; Clouds; Earth, ocean, space; Exact sciences and technology; External geophysics; Global warming; Greenhouse effect; Latitude; Meteorology; Modeling; Oceanic climates; Sea ice; Simulations
• ISSN: 0894-8755; 1520-0442
• DOI: 10.1175/1520-0442(2004)017<0603:tiocfo>2.0.co;2

The simulation of Arctic cloud cover and the sensitivity of Arctic climate to cloud changes are investigated using an atmosphere–mixed-layer ocean GCM (GENESIS2). The model is run with and without changes in three-dimensional cloud fraction under 2 × CO₂ radiative forcing. This model was chosen in part because of its relatively successful representation of modern Arctic cloud cover, a trait attributable to the parameterized treatment of mixed-phase microphysics. Simulated modern Arctic cloud fraction is insensitive to model biases in surface boundary conditions (SSTs and sea ice distribution), but the modeled Arctic climate is sensitive to high-frequency cloud variability. When forced with increased CO₂ the model generally simulates more (less) vertically integrated cloudiness in high (low) latitudes. In the simulation without cloud feedbacks, cloud fraction is fixed at its modern control value at all grid points and all levels while CO₂ is doubled. Compared with this fixed-cloud experiment, the simulated cloud changes enhance greenhouse warming at all latitudes, accounting for one-third of the global warming signal. This positive feedback is most pronounced in the Arctic, where approximately 40% of the warming is due to cloud changes. The strong cloud feedback in the Arctic is caused not only by local processes but also by cloud changes in lower latitudes, where positive top-of-the-atmosphere cloud radiative forcing anomalies are larger. The extra radiative energy gained in lower latitudes is transported dynamically to the Arctic via moist static energy flux convergence. The results presented here demonstrate the importance of remote impacts from low and midlatitudes for Arctic climate change.