Change search
Refine search result
1 - 23 of 23
CiteExportLink to result list
Permanent link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf
Rows per page
  • 5
  • 10
  • 20
  • 50
  • 100
  • 250
Sort
  • Standard (Relevance)
  • Author A-Ö
  • Author Ö-A
  • Title A-Ö
  • Title Ö-A
  • Publication type A-Ö
  • Publication type Ö-A
  • Issued (Oldest first)
  • Issued (Newest first)
  • Created (Oldest first)
  • Created (Newest first)
  • Last updated (Oldest first)
  • Last updated (Newest first)
  • Disputation date (earliest first)
  • Disputation date (latest first)
  • Standard (Relevance)
  • Author A-Ö
  • Author Ö-A
  • Title A-Ö
  • Title Ö-A
  • Publication type A-Ö
  • Publication type Ö-A
  • Issued (Oldest first)
  • Issued (Newest first)
  • Created (Oldest first)
  • Created (Newest first)
  • Last updated (Oldest first)
  • Last updated (Newest first)
  • Disputation date (earliest first)
  • Disputation date (latest first)
Select
The maximal number of hits you can export is 250. When you want to export more records please use the Create feeds function.
  • 1. Devasthale, Abhay
    et al.
    Tjernström, Michael
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Karlsson, Karl-Goran
    Thomas, Manu Anna
    Jones, Colin
    Sedlar, Joseph
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Omar, Ali H.
    The vertical distribution of thin features over the Arctic analysed from CALIPSO observations: Part 1: Optically thin clouds2011In: Tellus. Series B, Chemical and physical meteorology, ISSN 0280-6509, E-ISSN 1600-0889, Vol. 63, no 1, p. 77-85Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    Clouds play a crucial role in the Arctic climate system. Therefore, it is essential to accurately and reliably quantify and understand cloud properties over the Arctic. It is also important to monitor and attribute changes in Arctic clouds. Here, we exploit the capability of the CALIPSO-CALIOP instrument and provide comprehensive statistics of tropospheric thin clouds, otherwise extremely difficult to monitor from passive satellite sensors. We use 4 yr of data (June 2006-May 2010) over the circumpolar Arctic, here defined as 67-82 degrees N, and characterize probability density functions of cloud base and top heights, geometrical thickness and zonal distribution of such cloud layers, separately for water and ice phases, and discuss seasonal variability of these properties. When computed for the entire study area, probability density functions of cloud base and top heights and geometrical thickness peak at 200-400, 1000-2000 and 400-800 m, respectively, for thin water clouds, while for ice clouds they peak at 6-8, 7-9 and 400-1000 m, respectively. In general, liquid clouds were often identified below 2 km during all seasons, whereas ice clouds were sensed throughout the majority of the upper troposphere and also, but to a smaller extent, below 2 km for all seasons.

    Download full text (pdf)
    fulltext
  • 2. Igel, Adele L.
    et al.
    Ekman, Annica M. L.
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Leck, Caroline
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Tjernström, Michael
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Savre, Julien
    Sedlar, Joseph
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    The free troposphere as a potential source of arctic boundary layer aerosol particles2017In: Geophysical Research Letters, ISSN 0094-8276, E-ISSN 1944-8007, Vol. 44, no 13, p. 7053-7060Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    This study investigates aerosol particle transport from the free troposphere to the boundary layer in the summertime high Arctic. Observations from the Arctic Summer Cloud Ocean Study field campaign show several occurrences of high aerosol particle concentrations above the boundary layer top. Large-eddy simulations suggest that when these enhanced aerosol concentrations are present, they can be an important source of aerosol particles for the boundary layer. Most particles are transported to the boundary layer by entrainment. However, it is found that mixed-phase stratocumulus clouds, which often extend into the inversion layer, also can mediate the transport of particles into the boundary layer by activation at cloud top and evaporation below cloud base. Finally, the simulations also suggest that aerosol properties at the surface sometimes may not be good indicators of aerosol properties in the cloud layer.

  • 3. Mauritsen, T.
    et al.
    Sedlar, J.
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Tjernström, M.
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Leck, C.
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Martin, M.
    Shupe, M.
    Sjögren, S.
    Sierau, B.
    Persson, P.O.G.
    Brooks, I.M.
    Swietlicki, E.
    Aerosols indirectly warm the Arctic2010Manuscript (preprint) (Other academic)
    Abstract [en]

    On average, airborne aerosol particles cool the Earth's surface directly by absorbing and scattering sunlight and indirectly by influencing cloud reflectivity, life time, thickness or extent. Here we show that over the central Arctic Ocean, where there is frequently a lack of aerosol particles upon which clouds may form, a small increase in aerosol loading may enhance cloudiness thereby likely causing a climatologically significant warming at the ice-covered Arctic surface. Under these low concentration conditions cloud droplets grow to drizzle sizes and fall, even in the absence of collisions and coalescence, thereby diminishing cloud water. Evidence from a case study suggests that interactions between aerosol, clouds and precipitation could be responsible for attaining the observed low aerosol concentrations.

  • 4. Mauritsen, T.
    et al.
    Sedlar, Joseph
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Tjernström, Michael
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Leck, Caroline
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Martin, M.
    Shupe, M.
    Sjogren, S.
    Sierau, B.
    Persson, P. O. G.
    Brooks, I. M.
    Swietlicki, E.
    An Arctic CCN-limited cloud-aerosol regime2011In: Atmospheric Chemistry And Physics, ISSN 1680-7316, E-ISSN 1680-7324, Vol. 11, no 1, p. 165-173Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    On average, airborne aerosol particles cool the Earth's surface directly by absorbing and scattering sunlight and indirectly by influencing cloud reflectivity, life time, thickness or extent. Here we show that over the central Arctic Ocean, where there is frequently a lack of aerosol particles upon which clouds may form, a small increase in aerosol loading may enhance cloudiness thereby likely causing a climatologically significant warming at the ice-covered Arctic surface. Under these low concentration conditions cloud droplets grow to drizzle sizes and fall, even in the absence of collisions and coalescence, thereby diminishing cloud water. Evidence from a case study suggests that interactions between aerosol, clouds and precipitation could be responsible for attaining the observed low aerosol concentrations.

  • 5. Naakka, Tuomas
    et al.
    Nygård, Tiina
    Vihma, Timo
    Sedlar, Joseph
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology . University of Colorado Boulder, USA.
    Graversen, Rune
    Atmospheric moisture transport between mid-latitudes and the Arctic: Regional, seasonal and vertical distributions2019In: International Journal of Climatology, ISSN 0899-8418, E-ISSN 1097-0088, Vol. 39, no 6, p. 2862-2879Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    Horizontal moisture transport has a manifold role in the Arctic climate system as it distributes atmospheric water vapour and thereby shapes the radiative and hydrological conditions. Moisture transport between the Arctic and the mid-latitudes was examined based on ERA-Interim reanalysis. The meridional net transport is only a small part of the water vapour exchange between the Arctic and mid-latitudes and does not give a complete view of temporal and spatial variations in the transport. Especially near the surface, most of the northwards moisture transport is balanced by the southwards transport, and therefore the meridional net moisture transport at 60 degrees-70 degrees N peaks approximately at 100 hPa higher altitude than the northwards and southwards moisture transports. The total moisture transport (sum of absolute northwards and southwards moisture transports) has a much larger seasonal variation than the net transport (mean meridional transport), and the strength of the total transport is related to atmospheric humidity rather than the wind field. Strong individual moisture transport events contribute to a large part of the northwards moisture transport. This is consistent with the result that the net moisture transport is essentially generated by temporal variations of moisture fluxes. The moisture transport due to stationary zonal variation in the mass flux mostly defines the spatial distribution of the meridional moisture transport. The seasonal cycle of the net moisture transport is related to the seasonal cycle of transient eddy moisture transport but inter-annual variations of the net moisture transport are largely influenced by the stationary eddy moisture transport.

  • 6.
    Sedlar, J.
    et al.
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Shupe, M.D.
    Tjernström, M.
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    On the relationship between thermodynamic structure and cloud top, and its climate significance in the ArcticManuscript (preprint) (Other academic)
  • 7.
    Sedlar, Joseph
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Arctic clouds - interactions with radiation and thermodynamic structure2010Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
    Abstract [en]

    Clouds play in important role in the climate system through their interaction with radiation. Globally, clouds tend to cool the Earth by reflecting solar radiation and shading the surface. Over the Arctic, clouds tend to have the opposite impact, where they instead warm the surface through the cloud greenhouse effect because the surface is generally quite reflective. The magnitude and overall effect of clouds on the surface varies significantly with the surface, cloud and thermodynamic characteristics and can have large impacts on the energy budget at the surface.

    Low-level central-Arctic stratus clouds interact with the thermodynamics in a manner differently than sub-tropical stratus. Observations from several Arctic observatories indicate that these clouds penetrate and persist within stable temperature inversion structures, rather than being limited to the base of the stable layer as observed in the subtropics. It is hypothesized that such interactions with the thermodynamics can impact for example the cloud phase, lifetime, and their relationship with the sub-cloud layer and surface. Analysis indicates both the thermodynamic setting and the cloud properties affect the vertical location of the cloud top relative to inversion base. Hypothetical longwave radiative impacts resulting from liquid water redistributions are identified and discussed.

    Clouds primarily influence the energy at the surface via interactions with radiation. Measurements from the central Arctic suggest that the transition of season from melting to freezing was largely determined by the presence, or absence, of liquid-containing clouds and the incumbent cloud longwave warming effect. The components affecting the cloud-radiative forcing are described with relation to the energy budget and the change of season. Additionally, the influence of altering cloud condensation nuclei as a mechanism for limiting cloud liquid water is shown to have strong influences on surface temperature and lower atmospheric stability.

    Finally, regional climate models, RCMs, are evaluated against an annual dataset to assess the ability of RCMs to represent cloud and radiation processes in the Arctic. It is shown that both inter-model and model-observation spread are rather significant. Biases in the cloud representations yield distinct biases in the radiative fluxes, and can result in significant local climate variations solely through these parameters.

  • 8.
    Sedlar, Joseph
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Implications of Limited Liquid Water Path on Static Mixing within Arctic Low-Level Clouds2014In: Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology, ISSN 1558-8424, E-ISSN 1558-8432, Vol. 53, no 12, p. 2775-2789Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    Observations of cloud properties and thermodynamics from two Arctic locations, Barrow, Alaska, and Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic (SHEBA), are examined. A comparison of in-cloud thermodynamic mixing characteristics for low-level, single-layer clouds from nearly a decade of data at Barrow and one full annual cycle over the sea ice at SHEBA is performed. These cloud types occur relatively frequently, evident in 27%-30% of all cloudy cases. To understand the role of liquid water path (LWP), or lack thereof, on static in-cloud mixing, cloud layers are separated into optically thin and optically thick LWP subclasses. Clouds with larger LWPs tend to have a deeper in-cloud mixed layer relative to optically thinner clouds. However, both cloud LWP subclasses are frequently characterized by an in-cloud stable layer above the mixed layer top. The depth of the stable layer generally correlates with an increased temperature gradient across the layer. This layer often contains a specific humidity inversion, but it is more frequently present when cloud LWP is optically thinner (LWP, 50 gm(-2)). It is suggested that horizontal thermodynamic advection plays a key role modifying the vertical extent of in-cloud mixing and likewise the depth of in-cloud stable layers. Furthermore, longwave atmospheric opacity above the cloud top is generally enhanced during cases with optically thinner clouds. Thermodynamic advection, cloud condensate distribution within the stable layer, and enhanced atmospheric radiation above the cloud are found to introduce a thermodynamic-radiative feedback that potentially modifies the extent of LWP and subsequent in-cloud mixing.

  • 9.
    Sedlar, Joseph
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology . University of Colorado Boulder, USA.
    Spring Arctic Atmospheric Preconditioning: Do Not Rule Out Shortwave Radiation Just Yet2018In: Journal of Climate, ISSN 0894-8755, E-ISSN 1520-0442, Vol. 31, no 11, p. 4225-4240Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    Springtime atmospheric preconditioning of Arctic sea ice for enhanced or buffered sea ice melt during the subsequent melt year has received considerable research focus. Studies have identified enhanced poleward atmospheric transport of moisture and heat during spring, leading to increased emission of longwave radiation to the surface. Simultaneously, these studies ruled out the role of shortwave radiation as an effective preconditioning mechanism because of relatively weak incident solar radiation, high surface albedo from sea ice and snow, and increased clouds during spring. These conclusions are derived primarily from atmospheric reanalysis, which may not always accurately represent the Arctic climate system. Here, top-of-atmosphere shortwave radiation observations from a state-of-the-art satellite sensor are compared with ERA-Interim reanalysis to examine similarities and differences in the springtime absorbed shortwave radiation (ASR) over the Arctic Ocean. Distinct biases in regional location and absolute magnitude of ASR anomalies are found between satellite-based measurements and reanalysis. Observations indicate separability between ASR anomalies in spring corresponding to anomalously low and high ice extents in September; the reanalysis fails to capture the full extent of this separability. The causes for the difference in ASR anomalies between observations and reanalysis are considered in terms of the variability in surface albedo and cloud presence. Additionally, biases in reanalysis cloud water during spring are presented and are considered for their impact on overestimating spring downwelling longwave anomalies. Taken together, shortwave radiation should not be overlooked as a contributing mechanism to springtime Arctic atmospheric preconditioning.

  • 10.
    Sedlar, Joseph
    et al.
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Hock, R.
    Testing longwave radiation parameterizations under clear and overcast skies at Storglaciären, Sweden2009In: CRYOSPHERE, ISSN 1994-0416, Vol. 3, no 1, p. 75-84Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    Energy balance based glacier melt models require accurate estimates of incoming longwave radiation but direct measurements are often not available. Multi-year near-surface meteorological data from Storglaciaren, Northern Sweden, were used to evaluate commonly used longwave radiation parameterizations in a glacier environment under clear-sky and all-sky conditions. Parameterizations depending solely on air temperature performed worse than those which include water vapor pressure. All models tended to overestimate incoming longwave radiation during periods of low longwave radiation, while incoming longwave was underestimated when radiation was high. Under all-sky conditions root mean square error (RMSE) and mean bias error (MBE) were 17 to 20W m(-2) and -5 to 1 W m(-2), respectively. Two attempts were made to circumvent the need of cloud cover data. First cloud fraction was parameterized as a function of the ratio, tau, of measured incoming shortwave radiation and calculated top of atmosphere radiation. Second, tau was related directly to the cloud factor (i.e. the increase in sky emissivity due to clouds). Despite large scatter between tau and both cloud fraction and the cloud factor, resulting calculations of hourly incoming longwave radiation for both approaches were only slightly more variable with RMSE roughly 3 W m(-2) larger compared to using cloud observations as input. This is promising for longwave radiation modeling in areas where shortwave radiation data are available but cloud observations are not.

  • 11.
    Sedlar, Joseph
    et al.
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Shupe, Matthew D.
    Tjernström, Michael
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    On the Relationship between Thermodynamic Structure and Cloud Top, and Its Climate Significance in the Arctic2012In: Journal of Climate, ISSN 0894-8755, E-ISSN 1520-0442, Vol. 25, no 7, p. 2374-2393Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    Cloud and thermodynamic characteristics from three Arctic observation sites are investigated to understand the collocation between low-level clouds and temperature inversions. A regime where cloud top was 100-200 m above the inversion base [cloud inside inversion (CII)] was frequently observed at central Arctic Ocean sites, while observations from Barrow, Alaska, indicate that cloud tops were more frequently constrained to inversion base height [cloud capped by inversion (CCI)]. Cloud base and top heights were lower, and temperature inversions were also stronger and deeper, during CII cases. Both cloud regimes were often decoupled from the surface except for CCI over Barrow. In-cloud lapse rates differ and suggest increased cloud-mixing potential for CII cases. Specific humidity inversions were collocated with temperature inversions for more than 60% of the CCI and more than 85% of the CII regimes. Horizontal advection of heat and moisture is hypothesized as an important process controlling thermodynamic structure and efficiency of cloud-generated motions. The portion of CII clouds above the inversion contains cloud radar signatures consistent with cloud droplets. The authors test the longwave radiative impact of cloud liquid above the inversion through hypothetical liquid water distributions. Optically thin CII clouds alter the effective cloud emission temperature and can lead to an increase in surface flux on the order of 1.5 W m(-2) relative to the same cloud but whose top does not extend above the inversion base. The top of atmosphere impact is even larger, increasing outgoing longwave radiation up to 10 W m(-2). These results suggest a potentially significant longwave radiative forcing via simple liquid redistributions for a distinctly dominant cloud regime over sea ice.

  • 12.
    Sedlar, Joseph
    et al.
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Shurpe, M. D.
    Characteristic nature of vertical motions observed in Arctic mixed-phase stratocumulus2014In: Atmospheric Chemistry And Physics, ISSN 1680-7316, E-ISSN 1680-7324, Vol. 14, p. 3461-3478Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    Over the Arctic Ocean, little is known on cloud-generated buoyant overturning vertical motions within mixed-phase stratocumulus clouds. Characteristics of such motions are important for understanding the diabatic processes associated with the vertical motions, the lifetime of the cloud layer and its micro- and macrophysical characteristics.

    In this study, we exploit a suite of surface-based remote sensors over the high Arctic sea ice during a week-long period of persistent stratocumulus in August 2008 to derive the in-cloud vertical motion characteristics. In-cloud vertical velocity skewness and variance profiles are found to be strikingly different from observations within lower-latitude stratocumulus, suggesting these Arctic mixed-phase clouds interact differently with the atmospheric thermodynamics (cloud tops extending above a stable temperature inversion base) and with a different coupling state between surface and cloud. We find evidence of cloud-generated vertical mixing below cloud base, regardless of surface-cloud coupling state, although a decoupled surface-cloud state occurred most frequently. Detailed case studies are examined focusing on 3 levels within the cloud layer, where wavelet and power spectral analyses are applied to characterize the dominant temporal and horizontal scales associated with cloud-generated vertical motions. In general, we find a positively-correlated vertical motion signal amongst vertical levels within the cloud and across the full cloud layer depth. The coherency is dependent upon other non-cloud controlled factors, such as larger, mesoscale weather passages and radiative shielding of low-level stratocumulus by one or more cloud layers above. Despite the coherency in vertical velocity across the cloud, the velocity variances were always weaker near cloud top, relative to cloud mid and base. Taken in combination with the skewness, variance and thermodynamic profile characteristics, we observe vertical motions near cloud-top that behave differently than those from lower within the cloud layer. Spectral analysis indicates peak cloud-generated w variance timescales slowed only modestly during decoupled cases relative to coupled; horizontal wavelengths only slightly increased when transitioning from coupling to decoupling. The similarities in scales suggests that perhaps the dominant forcing for all cases is generated from the cloud layer, and it is not the surface forcing that characterizes the time and space scales of in-cloud vertical velocity variance. This points toward the resilient nature of Arctic mixed-phase clouds to persist when characterized by thermodynamic regimes unique to the Arctic.

  • 13.
    Sedlar, Joseph
    et al.
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Tjernström, Michael
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Stratiform Cloud—Inversion Characterization During the Arctic Melt Season2009In: Boundary-layer Meteorology, ISSN 0006-8314, E-ISSN 1573-1472, Vol. 132, no 3, p. 455-474Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    Data collected during July and August from the Arctic Ocean Experiment 2001illustrated a common occurrence of specific-humidity (q) inversions, where moistureincreases with height, coinciding with temperature inversions in the central Arctic boundarylayer and lower troposphere. Low-level stratiform clouds and their relationship to temperatureinversions are examined using radiosonde data and data from a suite of remote sensinginstrumentation. Two low-level cloud regimes are identified: the canonical case of stratiformclouds, where the cloud tops are capped by the temperature inversion base (CCI—CloudsCapped by Inversion) and clouds where the cloud tops were found well inside the inversion(CII—Clouds Inside Inversion). The latter case was found to occur more than twiceas frequently than the former. The characteristic of the temperature inversion is shown tohave an influence on the cloud regime that was supported. Statistical analyses of the cloudregimes using remote sensing instruments suggest that CCI cases tend to be dominated bysingle-phase liquid cloud droplets; radiative cooling at the cloud top limits the vertical extentof such clouds to the inversion base height. The CII cases, on the other hand, display characteristicsthat can be divided into two situations—(1) clouds that only slightly penetrate thetemperature inversion and exhibit a microphysical signal similar to CCI cases, or (2) cloudsthat extend higher into the inversion and show evidence of a mixed-phase cloud structure.An important interplay between the mixed-phase structure and an increased potential for turbulentmixing across the inversion base appears to support the lifetime of CII cases existingwithin the inversion layer.

  • 14.
    Sedlar, Joseph
    et al.
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Tjernström, Michael
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Mauritsen, T.
    Shupe, M.D.
    Brooks, I.M.
    Persson, P.O.G.
    Birch, C.E.
    Leck, Caroline
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Sirevaag, A.
    Nicolaus, M.
    A transitioning Arctic surface energy budget: the impacts of solar zenith angle, surface albedo and cloud radiative forcing2011In: Climate Dynamics, ISSN 0930-7575, E-ISSN 1432-0894, Vol. 37, no 7-8, p. 1643-1660Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    Snow surface and sea-ice energy budgets were measured near 87.5A degrees N during the Arctic Summer Cloud Ocean Study (ASCOS), from August to early September 2008. Surface temperature indicated four distinct temperature regimes, characterized by varying cloud, thermodynamic and solar properties. An initial warm, melt-season regime was interrupted by a 3-day cold regime where temperatures dropped from near zero to -7A degrees C. Subsequently mean energy budget residuals remained small and near zero for 1 week until once again temperatures dropped rapidly and the energy budget residuals became negative. Energy budget transitions were dominated by the net radiative fluxes, largely controlled by the cloudiness. Variable heat, moisture and cloud distributions were associated with changing air-masses. Surface cloud radiative forcing, the net radiative effect of clouds on the surface relative to clear skies, is estimated. Shortwave cloud forcing ranged between -50 W m(-2) and zero and varied significantly with surface albedo, solar zenith angle and cloud liquid water. Longwave cloud forcing was larger and generally ranged between 65 and 85 W m(-2), except when the cloud fraction was tenuous or contained little liquid water; thus the net effect of the clouds was to warm the surface. Both cold periods occurred under tenuous, or altogether absent, low-level clouds containing little liquid water, effectively reducing the cloud greenhouse effect. Freeze-up progression was enhanced by a combination of increasing solar zenith angles and surface albedo, while inhibited by a large, positive surface cloud forcing until a new air-mass with considerably less cloudiness advected over the experiment area.

  • 15.
    Sotiropoulou, Georgia
    et al.
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Sedlar, Joseph
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Forbes, Richard
    Tjernström, Michael
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Late Summer Arctic clouds in the ECMWF forecast model: an evaluation of cloud parameterization scheme2016In: Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, ISSN 0035-9009, E-ISSN 1477-870X, Vol. 142, no 694, p. 387-400Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    Mixed-phase clouds are an integral part of the Arctic climate system, for precipitation and for their interactions with radiation and thermodynamics. Mixed-phase processes are often poorly represented in global models and many use an empirically based diagnostic partition between the liquid and ice phases that is dependent solely on temperature. However, increasingly more complex microphysical parametrizations are being implemented allowing a more physical representation of mixed-phase clouds.

    This study uses in situ observations from the Arctic Summer Cloud Ocean Study (ASCOS) field campaign in the central Arctic to assess the impact of a change from a diagnostic to a prognostic parametrization of mixed-phase clouds and increased vertical resolution in the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Integrated Forecast System (IFS). The newer cloud scheme improves the representation of the vertical structure of mixed-phase clouds, with supercooled liquid water at cloud top and ice precipitating below, improved further with higher vertical resolution. Increased supercooled liquid water and decreased ice content are both in closer agreement with observations. However, these changes do not result in any substantial improvement in surface radiation, and a warm and moist bias in the lowest part of the atmosphere remains. Both schemes also fail to capture the transitions from overcast to cloud-free conditions. Moreover, whereas the observed cloud layer is frequently decoupled from the surface, the modelled clouds remain coupled to the surface most of the time. The changes implemented to the cloud scheme are an important step forward in improving the representation of Arctic clouds, but improvements in other aspects such as boundary-layer turbulence, cloud radiative properties, sensitivity to low aerosol concentrations and representation of the sea-ice surface may also need to be addressed.

  • 16.
    Sotiropoulou, Georgia
    et al.
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Sedlar, Joseph
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Tjernström, Michael
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Shupe, Matthew D.
    Brooks, Ian M.
    Persson, P. O. G.
    The thermodynamic structure of summer Arctic stratocumulus and the dynamic coupling to the surface2014In: Atmospheric Chemistry And Physics, ISSN 1680-7316, E-ISSN 1680-7324, Vol. 14, no 22, p. 12573-12592Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    The vertical structure of Arctic low-level clouds and Arctic boundary layer is studied, using observations from ASCOS (Arctic Summer Cloud Ocean Study), in the central Arctic, in late summer 2008. Two general types of cloud structures are examined: the "neutrally stratified" and "stably stratified" clouds. Neutrally stratified are mixed-phase clouds where radiative-cooling near cloud top produces turbulence that generates a cloud-driven mixed layer. When this layer mixes with the surface-generated turbulence, the cloud layer is coupled to the surface, whereas when such an interaction does not occur, it remains decoupled; the latter state is most frequently observed. The decoupled clouds are usually higher compared to the coupled; differences in thickness or cloud water properties between the two cases are however not found. The surface fluxes are also very similar for both states. The decoupled clouds exhibit a bimodal thermodynamic structure, depending on the depth of the sub-cloud mixed layer (SCML): clouds with shallower SCMLs are disconnected from the surface by weak inversions, whereas those that lay over a deeper SCML are associated with stronger inversions at the decoupling height. Neutrally stratified clouds generally precipitate; the evaporation/sublimation of precipitation often enhances the decoupling state. Finally, stably stratified clouds are usually lower, geometrically and optically thinner, non-precipitating liquid-water clouds, not containing enough liquid to drive efficient mixing through cloud-top cooling.

  • 17.
    Sotiropoulou, Georgia
    et al.
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Tjernström, Michael
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Savre, Julien
    Ekman, Annica M. L.
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Hartung, Kerstin
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Sedlar, Joseph
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Large-eddy simulation of a warm-air advection episode in the summer Arctic2018In: Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, ISSN 0035-9009, E-ISSN 1477-870X, Vol. 144, no 717, p. 2449-2462Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    While there is an increasing scientific interest in the role of advection of warm and moist air into the Arctic, there is little understanding of the interactive processes between the advected air, boundary-layer clouds and turbulence during such events and almost all studies refer to winter conditions. We use large-eddy simulation (LES) to investigate these processes for an extreme warm-air advection episode observed during summer 2014. The results indicate that moisture advection is the critical factor for cloud formation; shutting off this supply resulted in cloud dissipation, regardless of heat advection being present or not. The dissipation of the cloud reduced the surface energy budget by up to 37W/m(2). Advection of heat suppresses cloud-driven mixing through enhancement of the atmospheric stability. Turning off the large-scale heat transport therefore resulted in a somewhat optically thicker cloud, on average increasing the liquid water path by approximate to 10g/m(2). The results showed little sensitivity to a number of assumptions and simplifications in the LES set-up, such as the prescribed cloud condensation nuclei concentration, friction velocity, surface albedo and the available moisture above the cloud layer.

  • 18.
    Sotiropoulou, Georgia
    et al.
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Tjernström, Michael
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Sedlar, Joseph
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Achtert, Peggy
    Brooks, Barbara J.
    Brooks, Ian M.
    Persson, P. Ola G.
    Prytherch, John
    Salisbury, Dominic J.
    Shupe, Matthew D.
    Johnston, Paul E.
    Wolfe, Dan
    Atmospheric conditions during the Arctic Clouds in Summer Experiment (ACSE): Contrasting open-water and sea-ice surfaces during melt and freeze-up seasons2016In: Journal of Climate, ISSN 0894-8755, E-ISSN 1520-0442, Vol. 29, no 24, p. 8721-8744Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    The Arctic Clouds in Summer Experiment (ACSE) was conducted during summer and early autumn 2014, providing a detailed view of the seasonal transition from ice melt into freeze-up. Measurements were taken over both ice-free and ice-covered surfaces, near the ice edge, offering insight to the role of the surface state in shaping the atmospheric conditions. The initiation of the autumn freeze-up was related to a change in air mass, rather than to changes in solar radiation alone; the lower atmosphere cooled abruptly leading to a surface heat loss. During melt season, strong surface inversions persisted over the ice, while elevated inversions were more frequent over open water. These differences disappeared during autumn freeze-up, when elevated inversions persisted over both ice-free and ice-covered conditions. These results are in contrast to previous studies that found a well-mixed boundary layer persisting in summer and an increased frequency of surface-based inversions in autumn, suggesting that our knowledge derived from measurements taken within the pan-Arctic area and on the central ice-pack does not necessarily apply closer to the ice-edge. This study offers an insight to the atmospheric processes that occur during a crucial period of the year; understanding and accurately modeling these processes is essential for the improvement of ice-extent predictions and future Arctic climate projections.

  • 19.
    Tjernström, Michael
    et al.
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Leck, Caroline
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Birch, C. E.
    Bottenheim, J. W.
    Brooks, B. J.
    Brooks, I. M.
    Backlin, L.
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Chang, Y. -W
    de Leeuw, G.
    Di Liberto, L.
    de la Rosa, S.
    Granath, E.
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Graus, M.
    Hansel, A.
    Heintzenberg, J.
    Held, A.
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Hind, A.
    Johnston, P.
    Knulst, J.
    Martin, M.
    Matrai, P. A.
    Mauritsen, T.
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Mueller, M.
    Norris, S. J.
    Orellana, M. V.
    Orsini, D. A.
    Paatero, J.
    Persson, P. O. G.
    Gao, Q.
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Rauschenberg, C.
    Ristovski, Z.
    Sedlar, Joseph
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Shupe, M. D.
    Sierau, B.
    Sirevaag, A.
    Sjögren, S.
    Stetzer, O.
    Swietlicki, E.
    Szczodrak, M.
    Vaattovaara, P.
    Wahlberg, N.
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Westberg, M.
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Wheeler, C. R.
    The Arctic Summer Cloud Ocean Study (ASCOS): overview and experimental design2014In: Atmospheric Chemistry And Physics, ISSN 1680-7316, E-ISSN 1680-7324, Vol. 14, no 6, p. 2823-2869Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    The climate in the Arctic is changing faster than anywhere else on earth. Poorly understood feedback processes relating to Arctic clouds and aerosol-cloud interactions contribute to a poor understanding of the present changes in the Arctic climate system, and also to a large spread in projections of future climate in the Arctic. The problem is exacerbated by the paucity of research-quality observations in the central Arctic. Improved formulations in climate models require such observations, which can only come from measurements in situ in this difficult-to-reach region with logistically demanding environmental conditions. The Arctic Summer Cloud Ocean Study (ASCOS) was the most extensive central Arctic Ocean expedition with an atmospheric focus during the International Polar Year (IPY) 2007-2008. ASCOS focused on the study of the formation and life cycle of low-level Arctic clouds. ASCOS departed from Longyearbyen on Svalbard on 2 August and returned on 9 September 2008. In transit into and out of the pack ice, four short research stations were undertaken in the Fram Strait: two in open water and two in the marginal ice zone. After traversing the pack ice northward, an ice camp was set up on 12 August at 87 degrees 21' N, 01 degrees 29' W and remained in operation through 1 September, drifting with the ice. During this time, extensive measurements were taken of atmospheric gas and particle chemistry and physics, mesoscale and boundary-layer meteorology, marine biology and chemistry, and upper ocean physics. ASCOS provides a unique interdisciplinary data set for development and testing of new hypotheses on cloud processes, their interactions with the sea ice and ocean and associated physical, chemical, and biological processes and interactions. For example, the first-ever quantitative observation of bubbles in Arctic leads, combined with the unique discovery of marine organic material, polymer gels with an origin in the ocean, inside cloud droplets suggests the possibility of primary marine organically derived cloud condensation nuclei in Arctic stratocumulus clouds. Direct observations of surface fluxes of aerosols could, however, not explain observed variability in aerosol concentrations, and the balance between local and remote aerosols sources remains open. Lack of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) was at times a controlling factor in low-level cloud formation, and hence for the impact of clouds on the surface energy budget. ASCOS provided detailed measurements of the surface energy balance from late summer melt into the initial autumn freeze-up, and documented the effects of clouds and storms on the surface energy balance during this transition. In addition to such process-level studies, the unique, independent ASCOS data set can and is being used for validation of satellite retrievals, operational models, and reanalysis data sets.

  • 20.
    Tjernström, Michael
    et al.
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Sedlar, Joseph
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Shupe, Matthew D.
    How well do regional climate models reproduce radiation and clouds in the Arctic?: An evolution of ARCMIP simulations2008In: Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology, ISSN 1558-8424, E-ISSN 1558-8432, Vol. 47, no 9, p. 2405-2422Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    Downwelling radiation in six regional models from the Arctic Regional Climate Model Intercomparison (ARCMIP) project is systematically biased negative in comparison with observations from the Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic Ocean (SHEBA) experiment, although the correlations with observations are relatively good. In this paper, links between model errors and the representation of clouds in these models are investigated. Although some modeled cloud properties, such as the cloud water paths, are reasonable in a climatological sense, the temporal correlation of model cloud properties with observations is poor. The vertical distribution of cloud water is distinctly different among the different models; some common features also appear. Most models underestimate the presence of high clouds, and, although the observed preference for low clouds in the Arctic is present in most of the models, the modeled low clouds are too thin and are displaced downward. Practically all models show a preference to locate the lowest cloud base at the lowest model grid point. In some models this happens also to be where the observations show the highest occurrence of the lowest cloud base; it is not possible to determine if this result is just a coincidence. Different factors contribute to model surface radiation errors. For longwave radiation in summer, a negative bias is present both for cloudy and clear conditions, and intermodel differences are smaller when clouds are present. There is a clear relationship between errors in cloud-base temperature and radiation errors. In winter, in contrast, clear-sky cases are modeled reasonably well, but cloudy cases show a very large intermodel scatter with a significant bias in all models. This bias likely results from a complete failure in all of the models to retain liquid water in cold winter clouds. All models overestimate the cloud attenuation of summer solar radiation for thin and intermediate clouds, and some models maintain this behavior also for thick clouds.

  • 21.
    Tjernström, Michael
    et al.
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology . National Centre for Atmospheric Research, Mesoscale and Microscale Laboratory, USA.
    Shupe, Matthew D.
    Brooks, Ian M.
    Achtert, Peggy
    Prytherch, John
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Sedlar, Joseph
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology . University of Colorado Boulder, USA.
    Arctic Summer Airmass Transformation, Surface Inversions, and the Surface Energy Budget2019In: Journal of Climate, ISSN 0894-8755, E-ISSN 1520-0442, Vol. 32, no 3, p. 769-789Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    During the Arctic Clouds in Summer Experiment (ACSE) in summer 2014 a weeklong period of warm-air advection over melting sea ice, with the formation of a strong surface temperature inversion and dense fog, was observed. Based on an analysis of the surface energy budget, we formulated the hypothesis that, because of the airmass transformation, additional surface heating occurs during warm-air intrusions in a zone near the ice edge. To test this hypothesis, we explore all cases with surface inversions occurring during ACSE and then characterize the inversions in detail. We find that they always occur with advection from the south and are associated with subsidence. Analyzing only inversion cases over sea ice, we find two categories: one with increasing moisture in the inversion and one with constant or decreasing moisture with height. During surface inversions with increasing moisture with height, an extra 10-25 W m(-2) of surface heating was observed, compared to cases without surface inversions; the surface turbulent heat flux was the largest single term. Cases with less moisture in the inversion were often cloud free and the extra solar radiation plus the turbulent surface heat flux caused by the inversion was roughly balanced by the loss of net longwave radiation.

  • 22.
    Tjernström, Michael
    et al.
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Shupe, Matthew D.
    Brooks, Ian M.
    Persson, P. Ola G.
    Prytherch, John
    Salisbury, Dominic J.
    Sedlar, Joseph
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Achtert, Peggy
    Brooks, Barbara J.
    Johnston, Paul E.
    Sotiropoulou, Georgia
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Wolfe, Dan
    Warm-air advection, air mass transformation and fog causes rapid ice melt2015In: Geophysical Research Letters, ISSN 0094-8276, E-ISSN 1944-8007, Vol. 42, no 13, p. 5594-5602Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    Direct observations during intense warm-air advection over the East Siberian Sea reveal a period of rapid sea-ice melt. A semistationary, high-pressure system north of the Bering Strait forced northward advection of warm, moist air from the continent. Air-mass transformation over melting sea ice formed a strong, surface-based temperature inversion in which dense fog formed. This induced a positive net longwave radiation at the surface while reducing net solar radiation only marginally; the inversion also resulted in downward turbulent heat flux. The sum of these processes enhanced the surface energy flux by an average of similar to 15Wm(-2) for a week. Satellite images before and after the episode show sea-ice concentrations decreasing from > 90% to similar to 50% over a large area affected by the air-mass transformation. We argue that this rapid melt was triggered by the increased heat flux from the atmosphere due to the warm-air advection.

  • 23. Vihma, T.
    et al.
    Pirazzini, R.
    Fer, I.
    Renfrew, I. A.
    Sedlar, Joseph
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Tjernström, Michael
    Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Meteorology .
    Luepkes, C.
    Nygard, T.
    Notz, D.
    Weiss, J.
    Marsan, D.
    Cheng, B.
    Birnbaum, G.
    Gerland, S.
    Chechin, D.
    Gascard, J. C.
    Advances in understanding and parameterization of small-scale physical processes in the marine Arctic climate system: a review2014In: Atmospheric Chemistry And Physics, ISSN 1680-7316, E-ISSN 1680-7324, Vol. 14, no 17, p. 9403-9450Article, review/survey (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    The Arctic climate system includes numerous highly interactive small-scale physical processes in the atmosphere, sea ice, and ocean. During and since the International Polar Year 2007-2009, significant advances have been made in understanding these processes. Here, these recent advances are reviewed, synthesized, and discussed. In atmospheric physics, the primary advances have been in cloud physics, radiative transfer, mesoscale cyclones, coastal, and fjordic processes as well as in boundary layer processes and surface fluxes. In sea ice and its snow cover, advances have been made in understanding of the surface albedo and its relationships with snow properties, the internal structure of sea ice, the heat and salt transfer in ice, the formation of superimposed ice and snow ice, and the small-scale dynamics of sea ice. For the ocean, significant advances have been related to exchange processes at the ice-ocean interface, diapycnal mixing, double-diffusive convection, tidal currents and diurnal resonance. Despite this recent progress, some of these small-scale physical processes are still not sufficiently understood: these include wave-turbulence interactions in the atmosphere and ocean, the exchange of heat and salt at the ice-ocean interface, and the mechanical weakening of sea ice. Many other processes are reasonably well understood as stand-alone processes but the challenge is to understand their interactions with and impacts and feedbacks on other processes. Uncertainty in the parameterization of small-scale processes continues to be among the greatest challenges facing climate modelling, particularly in high latitudes. Further improvements in parameterization require new year-round field campaigns on the Arctic sea ice, closely combined with satellite remote sensing studies and numerical model experiments.

1 - 23 of 23
CiteExportLink to result list
Permanent link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf