Linking large-scale circulation patterns to low-cloud properties

Timothy W. Juliano, Zachary J. Lebo

Atmospheric chemistry and physics · 17 June 2020 · NSF NCAR / UCAR

In one sentence. Unsupervised clustering of 850-hPa circulation over the NE Pacific links synoptic regimes to marine boundary-layer cloud droplet properties and cloud radiative forcing.

Abstract

Abstract. The North Pacific High (NPH) is a fundamental meteorological feature present during the boreal warm season. Marine boundary layer (MBL) clouds, which are persistent in this oceanic region, are influenced directly by the NPH. In this study, we combine 11 years of reanalysis and an unsupervised machine learning technique to examine the gamut of 850-hPa synoptic-scale circulation patterns. This approach, which yields the frequency at which these regimes occur, reveals two distinguishable patterns – a dominant NPH setup and a land-falling cyclone – and in between a spectrum of regimes. We then use satellite retrievals to elucidate for the first time the explicit dependence of MBL cloud properties (namely cloud droplet number concentration and cloud droplet effective radius) on 850-hPa circulation patterns over the northeast Pacific Ocean. Moreover, we find that shortwave cloud radiative forcing ranges from − 144.0 to − 117.5 W/m2, indicating that the range of MBL cloud properties must be accounted for in global and regional climate models. Our results demonstrate the value of combining reanalysis and satellite observations to help clarify the relationship between synoptic-scale dynamics and cloud microphysics.

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