Special Climate Seminar

Speaker: Prof. Christopher S. Bretherton

Title: "Convective aggregation and cloud feedbacks in a near-global aquaplanet cloud-resolving model"

Abstract:   Near-global aquaplanet simulations of 100 or more days with 4 km horizontal resolution and no cumulus or boundary-layer parameterization are now computationally affordable for academic research. They are attractive for problems for which the multiscale organization of cloud systems plays an essential role and specified zonally-symmetric sea-surface temperature is a useful simplification. Two interesting applications that challenge conventional global climate models are presented. The first is feedbacks of atmospheric radiative heating and surface fluxes on the growth of large-scale tropical weather systems.  The second is cloud feedbacks on climate.  Other potential applications such as the dependence of extreme precipitation on climate change are also noted.