When
Where
Available in person and via zoom (see email for link)
Abstract
Clouds are an important component of the Earth system; because most clouds reflect incoming sunlight, they have a net cooling effect. Some of the most reflective clouds are those that exist in the atmospheric boundary layer. Such clouds impact that layer through entrainment from cloud top cooling. Despite their importance, clouds have long been poorly simulated in Earth system models. In this seminar, I will review three studies in which I evaluated clouds and cloudy boundary layers in Earth system models. The first is an evaluation of model cloud characteristics using field campaign observations over the Southeast Pacific Ocean. The second is an assessment of simulated stratocumulus cloud deck spatial errors. Finally, I will discuss my recent evaluation of model simulation of cloudy boundary layers over the Western North Atlantic Ocean. Beyond simple evaluations, these studies provide valuable insights into the mechanisms leading to model errors.
Bio
Dr. Michael Brunke is a research scientist here at the UA Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences. He received his B.S. in Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences from the University of Michigan in 1998 and a M.S. and Ph.D in Atmospheric Sciences from here in 2000 and 2015, respectively. He has been part of the research staff in Professor Xubin Zeng’s research group since 2000 investigating boundary layer and atmosphere-surface interaction processes and improving them in Earth system models. Over those 25 years, he has published 13 first-authored papers with nearly 800 total citations.
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