Manzo et al. (2026) Improved Representation of Surface Emissivity Effects on Longwave Radiation in a Coupled Earth System Model

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

Identification

• Journal: Geophysical Research Letters
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-07-30
• Authors: Lili Manzo, Charles Sutton Zender, Erin Emily Thomas, Andrew Frank Roberts
• DOI: 10.1029/2025gl120504

Research Groups

• Energy Exascale Earth System model development team
• Atmospheric and Oceanic Science department

Short Summary

This study proposes a novel "Full Greybody" method to improve the representation of longwave flux in Earth System Models, reducing bias in atmospheric heating rates and effective temperatures.

Objective

• To develop an improved method for representing surface emissivity in Earth System Models, specifically focusing on the treatment of longwave flux in the atmosphere component.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Global scale, with a focus on ocean-atmosphere interactions.
• Temporal Scale: Instantaneous and diurnal scales, examining the impact of the proposed method on short-term climate processes.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Energy Exascale Earth System model (E3SM)
• Data sources: Model output data, comparing results with default blackbody approximation and Effective Greybody method.

Main Results

• The Full Greybody method reduces the bias in effective temperature by 0.24 K compared to the Effective Greybody method.
• Instantaneous mean upwelling longwave surface flux is overestimated by 1.38±0.05 W/m² when using the ocean blackbody approximation, while the Full Greybody method provides a more physically realistic representation.

Contributions

• This study contributes an improved method for representing surface emissivity in Earth System Models, enhancing the accuracy of atmospheric heating rates and effective temperatures.
• The proposed Full Greybody method has implications for climate modeling and prediction, particularly in regions with significant ocean-atmosphere interactions.

Funding

• Supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under grant number [insert grant number]
• Funded as part of the Energy Exascale Earth System model development project.

Citation

@article{Manzo2026Improved,
  author = {Manzo, Lili and Zender, Charles Sutton and Thomas, Erin Emily and Roberts, Andrew Frank},
  title = {Improved Representation of Surface Emissivity Effects on Longwave Radiation in a Coupled Earth System Model},
  journal = {Geophysical Research Letters},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1029/2025gl120504},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1029/2025gl120504}
}