Intercomparison of model simulations of mixed-phase clouds observed during the ARM Mixed-Phase Arctic Cloud Experiment. Part I: Single layer cloud. Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society

摘要

The treatment of clouds continues to be a highly challenging aspect of climate and weather modeling. The parameterization of Arctic clouds has been especially difficult, given the paucity of observations in the region. However, several field programs in recent years have begun to address this deficiency, including the 1994 Beaufort and Arctic Storms Experiment, 1997-1998 Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic Ocean Experiment, the 1998 First International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project Regional Experiment Arctic Clouds Experiment, and the ongoing ARM program site operating near Barrow, Alaska. A major finding from these experiments was the observed frequency and persistence of 12 supercooled liquid water and mixed-phase stratiform clouds throughout the year. In contrast to 14 mid-latitude cloud systems, there is little temperature dependence for the amount of 15 liquid versus ice in Arctic mixed-phase clouds. These clouds may contain one or more thin liquid layers embedded within a deep cloud that extends from near the surface into the middle and upper troposphere.