Observations of diurnal and spatial variability of radiative forcing by equatorial deep convective clouds

S. Nowicki, C. J. Merchant

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

From geostationary satellite observations of equatorial Africa and the equatorial east Atlantic during May and June 2000 we explore the radiative forcing by deep convective cloud systems in these regions. Deep convective clouds (DCCs) are associated with a mean radiative forcing relative to non–deep convective areas of −39 W m−2 over the Atlantic Ocean and of +13 W m−2 over equatorial Africa (±10 W m−2 in both cases). We show that over land the timing of the daily cycle of convection relative to the daily cycle in solar illumination and surface temperature significantly affects the mean radiative forcing by DCCs. Displacement of the daily cycle of DCC coverage by 2 hours changes their overall radiative effect by ∼10 W m−2, with implications for the simulation of the radiative balance in this region. The timing of the minimum DCC cover over land, close to noon local time, means that the mean radiative forcing is nearly maximized.
Original languageEnglish
Article numberD11202
Pages (from-to)1-6
Number of pages6
JournalJournal of Geophysical Research
Volume109
Issue numberD11
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 16 Jun 2004

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