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Article: Radiative sensitivity to water vapor under all-sky conditions
- Article from:
- Journal of Climate
- Article date:
- June 15, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright American Meteorological Society Jun 15, 2001. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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ABSTRACT
Using the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Climate Model, version 3, radiation transfer model and a realistic tropospheric environment including the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project cloud fields, all-sky radiative sensitivity to water vapor is assessed. The analysis improves upon previous clearsky and model-based studies by using observed clouds, assessing realistic vertically varying perturbations, and considering spatial gradients in sensitivity through the Tropics and subtropics. The linearity of sensitivity is also explored. The dry zones of the subtropics and the eastern Pacific Ocean are found to be particularly sensitive to the water vapor ...