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Boundary conditions representation can determine simulated aerosol effects on convective cloud fields

Abstract:
Anthropogenic aerosols effect on clouds remains a persistent source of uncertainty in future climate predictions. The evolution of the environmental conditions controlling cloud properties is affected by the clouds themselves. Hence, aerosol-driven modifications of cloud properties can affect the evolution of the environmental thermodynamic conditions, which in turn could feed back to the cloud development. Here, by comparing many different cloud resolving simulations conducted with different models and under different environmental condition, we show that this feedback loop is strongly affected by the representation of the boundary conditions in the model. Specifically, we show that the representation of boundary conditions strongly impacts the magnitude of the simulated response of the environment to aerosol perturbations, both in shallow and deep convective clouds. Our results raise doubts about the significance of previous conclusions of aerosol-cloud feedbacks made based on simulations with idealised boundary conditions.
Publication status:
Published
Peer review status:
Peer reviewed

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Publisher copy:
10.1038/s43247-022-00399-5

Authors


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Role:
Author
ORCID:
0000-0002-8391-6334
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Institution:
University of Oxford
Division:
MPLS
Department:
Physics
Sub department:
Atmos Ocean & Planet Physics
Oxford college:
Oriel College
Role:
Author
ORCID:
0000-0002-1191-0128
More by this author
Institution:
University of Oxford
Division:
MPLS
Department:
Physics
Sub department:
Atmos Ocean & Planet Physics
Role:
Author
ORCID:
0000-0002-2188-7136


Publisher:
Springer Nature
Journal:
Communications Earth and Environment More from this journal
Volume:
3
Issue:
1
Article number:
71
Publication date:
2022-03-28
Acceptance date:
2022-03-02
DOI:
EISSN:
2662-4435


Language:
English
Keywords:
Pubs id:
1248672
Local pid:
pubs:1248672
Deposit date:
2022-03-28

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