← Search

Data · dataset · 2026

Assessment of marine boundary layer cloud simulations in the CAM with CLUBB and updated microphysics scheme based on ARM observations from the Azores

Listed in National Center for Atmospheric Research

To assess marine boundary layer (MBL) cloud simulations in three versions of the Community Atmosphere Model (CAM), three sets of short-term global hindcasts are performed and compared to Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program (ARM) observations on Graciosa Island in the Azores from June 2009 to December 2010.

Description

The three versions consist of CAM5.3 with default schemes (CAM5.3), CAM5.3 with Cloud Layers Unified By Binormals (CLUBB-MG1), and CAM5.3 with CLUBB and updated microphysics scheme (CLUBB-MG2).

Our results show that relative to CAM5.3 default schemes, simulations with CLUBB better represent MBL cloud base height, the height of the major cloud layer, and the daily cloud cover variability. CLUBB also better simulates the relationship of cloud fraction to cloud liquid water path (LWP) most likely due to CLUBB's consistent treatment of these variables through a probability distribution function (PDF) approach. Subcloud evaporation of precipitation is substantially enhanced in simulations with CLUBB-MG2 and is more realistic based on the limited observational estimate.

Read the rest (1 more)

Despite these improvements, all model versions underestimate MBL cloud cover. CLUBB-MG2 reduces biases in in-cloud LWP (clouds are not too bright) but there are still too few of MBL clouds due to an underestimate in the frequency of overcast scenes. Thus, combining CLUBB with MG2 scheme better simulates MBL cloud processes, but because biases remain in MBL cloud cover CLUBB-MG2 does not improve the simulation of the surface shortwave cloud radiative effect (CRESW).

Links

Get the data

Where it is published

Catalogue records · 1

Topics

Inferred from text
Atmospheric sciences 71% · Simulation 75%
Provenance · 1 source records, 9 field assertions
SourceKeyLast seenRaw
National Center for Atmospheric Research1ec7d10c-0d9a-48cd-a7a6-38ea7473985a13 d agoJSON v1
FieldAssertionExtractorEvidence
concepts[field].anzsrc:group:3701enrichment · data ucar edutaxonomy-embedding@1.1.0title+keywords+description (71%)
concepts[field].local:field:earth-environmentalmapping · data ucar educonnector:data_ucar_edu@1.0.0
concepts[field].local:field:ocean-atmosphericmapping · data ucar educonnector:data_ucar_edu@1.0.0
concepts[method].local:method:simulationenrichment · data ucar edukeyword-concept-rules@1.0.0title+description (75%)
created_datesource · data ucar educonnector:data_ucar_edu@1.0.0
descriptionsource · data ucar educonnector:data_ucar_edu@1.0.0/notes
publication_datesource · data ucar educonnector:data_ucar_edu@1.0.0
titlesource · data ucar educonnector:data_ucar_edu@1.0.0/title
updated_datesource · data ucar educonnector:data_ucar_edu@1.0.0