Exploratory studies of cloud radiative forcing with a general circulation model

Abstract

Cloud radiative forcing constitutes the radiative impact of clouds upon the earth's present climate, while cloud radiative feedback is the change in this forcing associated with climatic change. The present study addresses two issues concerning cloud radiative forcing. The first is that an intercomparison of cloud radiative forcing, as predicted by six different general circulation models, shows a considerable lack of agreement, underscoring the need for an improved understanding of cloud/radiation interactions within such models. The second issue pertains to an examination of strategies by which model-predicted cloud/radiation interactions should be compared with satellite-derived data sets.