Using radar and lidar instrument simulators to evaluate moist processes in the Community Atmosphere Model

Global vertically-profiling active satellite observations and instrument simulator packages enable new exposure of moist processes in global climate models. We evaluate the representation of cloud and precipitation processes within two versions of NCAR’s Community Atmosphere Model (CAM) that will be used for IPCC integrations (CAM3.5, CAM4). The two CAM model versions have large differences in cloud water content, cloud particle size, tropospheric humidity, and precipitation frequency and intensity. CloudSat and CALIOP observations and the COSP simulator package are used to produce “apple-to-apple” comparisons between observed and modeled cloud and precipitation properties. We then assess the fidelity of CAM3.5 and CAM4 cloud and precipitation fields to the CloudSat and CALIOP observations in three areas of climatological interest: the Pacific stratocumulus regions, the Tropical Pacific warm pool, and the North Pacific mid-latitude storm track. In addition to observational comparison, the climate implications of the revealed inter-model and observational differences will be discussed.