@article{dd7fcebd7fd14e68b9045f7975bc63a9,
title = "Observational Evidence for Two Modes of Coupling Between Sea Surface Temperatures, Tropospheric Temperature Profile, and Shortwave Cloud Radiative Effect in the Tropics",
abstract = "Tropical average shortwave cloud radiative effect (SWCRE) anomalies observed by CERES/EBAF v4 are explained by observed average sea surface temperature ((Formula presented.)) and the difference between the warmest 30% where deep convection occurs and (Formula presented.)). Observed tropospheric temperatures show variations in boundary layer capping strength over time consistent with the evolution of SST#. The CERES/EBAF v4 data confirm that associated cloud fraction changes over the colder waters dominate SWCRE. This observational evidence for the “pattern effect” noted in General Circulation Model simulations suggests that SST# captures much of this effect. The observed sensitivities (dSWCRE/d (Formula presented.) W·m−2·K−1, dSWCRE/dSST#≈−4.8W·m−2·K−1) largely reflect El Ni{\~n}o–Southern Oscillation. As El Ni{\~n}o develops, (Formula presented.) increases and SST# decreases (both increasing SWCRE). Only after the El Ni{\~n}o peak, SST# increases and SWCRE decreases. SST# is also relevant for the tropical temperature trend profile controversy and the discrepancy between observed and modeled equatorial Pacific SST trends. Causality and implications for future climates are discussed.",
keywords = "ENSO, climate sensitivity, cloud albedo, sea surface temperatures, tropical convection",
author = "Fueglistaler, {Stephan Andreas}",
note = "Funding Information: S. F. would like to thank the constructive reviews from anonymous reviewers and Marcia Baker and Levi Silvers for helpful feedback on an early version of this paper. S. F. acknowledges support from the National Science Fund Awards AGS-1417659 and AGS-1743753. S. F. thanks the following agencies for generously providing free access to their data: the European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecast (ECMWF) for providing the ERA-Interim reanalysis data, the data used here were downloaded online (https://www.ecmwf.int/en/forecasts/datasets/archive-datasets/reanalysis-datasets/era-interim); the U.K. Met Office and the Hadley Centre for providing the HadISST data, downloaded online (https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/hadobs/hadisst); NASA for providing the MERRA-2 reanalysis data, the data used here were downloaded online (https://disc.gsfc.nasa.gov); and NASA for providing the CERES/EBAF v4 data, which was downloaded online (https://ceres.larc.nasa.gov/compare_products.php). The GPCP data were provided by the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center's Mesoscale Atmospheric Processes Laboratory, which develops and computes the 1DD as a contribution to the GEWEX Global Precipitation Climatology Project. Data set accessed online (ftp://meso.gsfc.nasa.gov/pub/). Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright}2019. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.",
year = "2019",
month = aug,
day = "28",
doi = "10.1029/2019GL083990",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "46",
pages = "9890--9898",
journal = "Geophysical Research Letters",
issn = "0094-8276",
publisher = "American Geophysical Union",
number = "16",
}