@article{Ceppi:2017:10.1002/wcc.465,
author = {Ceppi, P and Brient, F and Zelinka, MD and Hartmann, DL},
doi = {10.1002/wcc.465},
journal = {Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: WIREs Climate Change},
title = {Cloud feedback mechanisms and their representation in global climate models},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/wcc.465},
volume = {8},
year = {2017}
}

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TY  - JOUR
AB  - Cloud feedback—the change in topofatmosphere radiative flux resulting from the cloud response to warming—constitutes by far the largest source of uncertainty in the climate response to CO2 forcing simulated by global climate models (GCMs). We review the main mechanisms for cloud feedbacks, and discuss their representation in climate models and the sources of intermodel spread. Globalmean cloud feedback in GCMs results from three main effects: (1) rising freetropospheric clouds (a positive longwave effect); (2) decreasing tropical low cloud amount (a positive shortwave [SW] effect); (3) increasing highlatitude low cloud optical depth (a negative SW effect). These cloud responses simulated by GCMs are qualitatively supported by theory, highresolution modeling, and observations. Rising high clouds are consistent with the fixed anvil temperature (FAT) hypothesis, whereby enhanced uppertropospheric radiative cooling causes anvil cloud tops to remain at a nearly fixed temperature as the atmosphere warms. Tropical low cloud amount decreases are driven by a delicate balance between the effects of vertical turbulent fluxes, radiative cooling, largescale subsidence, and lowertropospheric stability on the boundarylayer moisture budget. Highlatitude low cloud optical depth increases are dominated by phase changes in mixedphase clouds. The causes of intermodel spread in cloud feedback are discussed, focusing particularly on the role of unresolved parameterized processes such as cloud microphysics, turbulence, and convection.
AU  - Ceppi,P
AU  - Brient,F
AU  - Zelinka,MD
AU  - Hartmann,DL
DO  - 10.1002/wcc.465
PY  - 2017///
SN  - 1757-7780
TI  - Cloud feedback mechanisms and their representation in global climate models
T2  - Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: WIREs Climate Change
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/wcc.465
UR  - http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000403479500006&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=1ba7043ffcc86c417c072aa74d649202
UR  - http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/74422
VL  - 8
ER  - 

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