An analytic radiative-equilibrium model is formulated where both shortand longwave radiation are treated as two-stream (downand upward) fluxes. An equilibrium state is defined in the model by the vertical temperature profile. The sensitivity of any such state to the model atmosphere’s optical properties is formulated analytically. As an example, this general formulation is applied to a single-c...

[1] The amount of solar irradiance reaching the surface is a key parameter in the hydrological and energy cycles of the Earth’s climate. We analyze 20th Century simulations using nine state-of-the-art climate models and show that all models estimate a global annual mean reduction in downward surface solar radiation of 1–4 W/m at the same time that the globe warms by 0.4–0.7 C. In single forcing...

[1] Model results and observations both indicate warming of the world ocean from 1955 to 2003. Forced by reanalysis data, the model also shows that the warming of the arctic ice–ocean system is faster than the global average since the 1960s; there is a small but widespread increase in heat content of the Arctic Ocean’s waters and a larger increase of latent heat embodied in the ocean’s decreasi...

[1] The rate at which the outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) responds to perturbations in temperature and moisture plays a fundamental role in determining climate sensitivity. This study examines the clear-sky OLR sensitivities to temperature and water vapor, as quantified by its partial derivatives (radiative Jacobians). The Jacobians, as computed by the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (G...

Abstract. We investigate the ways in which marine biologically mediated heating increases surface atmospheric temperature. While effects of phytoplankton light absorption on ocean have gained attention over past years, impact this biogeophysical mechanism atmosphere is still unclear. Phytoplankton warms ocean, turn affects air–sea heat and CO2 exchanges. However, contribution versus fluxes phyt...

The formation of low stratus cloud over idealized hills is investigated using numerical model simulations. main driver for the radiative cooling due to outgoing longwave radiation. Despite a purely horizontal flow, advection terms in prognostic equations heat and moisture produce vertical mixing across upper edge, leading loss water content. This behavior depicted via budget analysis. More prec...

[1] We first present an algorithm for deriving cloudy sky outgoing spectral flux through the entire longwave spectrum from the collocated Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) and Cloud and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) measurements over the tropical oceans. The algorithm is similar to the one described in part 1 of this series of studies: spectral angular dependent models are develop...

Several current problems in atmospheric radiation over the tropical oceans may have at least partial solutions as effects of diurnal variations of outgoing longwave radiation (OLR). At issue are explanations for the following: a) excessively large amplitudes (in relation to theory) of the diurnal thermal tides over the tropical oceans (Braswell and Lindzen 1998); b) reported observations of exc...

The equation is deceptively simple, but there are significant problems associated with the calculation of F 0' F c' and N*. Our research program is directed at problems associated with each of the three terms. Nevertheless, we have focused our initial research on the clear-sky problem. Research on homogeneous and broken clouds problems will occupy more of our efforts during the next few years. ...