Naud et al. (2025) A Map of Dominant Cloud‐Controlling Factors for Cloud Fraction and Total Liquid Water Path can Identify Marine Low‐Level Cloud Types

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres
• Year: 2025
• Date: 2025-11-26
• Authors: Catherine M. Naud, Gregory S. Elsaesser, James F. Booth
• DOI: 10.1029/2025jd044503

Research Groups

Not specified in the abstract.

Short Summary

This study analyzes daily Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) cloud fraction and multi-sensor total liquid water path (TLWP) over open oceans for a 5-year period to identify dominant cloud-controlling factors (DCCF). It presents the first global map of DCCF for TLWP and shows that pairing DCCF for cloud fraction and TLWP reveals known low-level cloud type regimes, aiding in understanding cloud feedbacks.

Objective

• To analyze daily cloud fraction and total liquid water path (TLWP) over open ocean regions with respect to environmental metrics (cloud-controlling factors).
• To identify and map the dominant cloud-controlling factors (DCCF) for TLWP globally.
• To investigate how pairing DCCF for cloud fraction and TLWP reveals known low-level cloud type regimes.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Global open ocean regions, analyzed in 1° × 1° oceanic boxes.
• Temporal Scale: Daily means over a 5-year period.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Spearman's rank correlation coefficients for statistical analysis.
• Data sources:
  • Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) cloud fraction product.
  • Multi-sensor advanced climatology total liquid water path (TLWP) product.
  • Environmental metrics (cloud-controlling factors) including surface wind, column water vapor, and a lower-troposphere stability metric.
• Data processing: Cloud data filtered to retain days with low-level clouds, subsidence, and surface sensible heat fluxes out of the ocean.

Main Results

• The first global map of dominant cloud-controlling factors (DCCF) for total liquid water path (TLWP) is presented.
• Surface wind, column water vapor, and a lower-troposphere stability metric are identified as dominating most of the global oceans for TLWP.
• Pairing the dominant environmental metrics for cloud fraction with those for TLWP reveals known cloud type regimes, including stratocumulus, stratocumulus-to-cumulus transition, and trade wind cumulus regimes.
• In the extratropics, eight specific metric pairs characterize most oceanic locations, with some coinciding with storm tracks and others highlighting the influence of western boundary currents.
• Near the 30th parallels, metric pairs align with characteristic subtropical controlling factors on clouds.

Contributions

• Provides the first global map of dominant cloud-controlling factors (DCCF) specifically for total liquid water path (TLWP).
• Demonstrates that combining DCCF for cloud fraction and TLWP effectively delineates known low-level cloud type regimes globally.
• Offers a novel framework for isolating regions with distinct cloud characteristics, which is crucial for improving the understanding and representation of low-level cloud feedbacks in climate models.

Funding

Not specified in the abstract.

Citation

@article{Naud2025Map,
  author = {Naud, Catherine M. and Elsaesser, Gregory S. and Booth, James F.},
  title = {A Map of Dominant Cloud‐Controlling Factors for Cloud Fraction and Total Liquid Water Path can Identify Marine Low‐Level Cloud Types},
  journal = {Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres},
  year = {2025},
  doi = {10.1029/2025jd044503},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1029/2025jd044503}
}