9320445 Emanuel It is increasingly apparent that many facets of the tropical climate are sensitive to cloud microphysics. Microphysical processes acting within cumulus clouds strongly control the water vapor content of the surrounding atmosphere and so modulate atmospheric temperatures. Cloud microphysical processes also influence the distribution and properties of stratiform clouds in the tropics and elsewhere. These same processes affect the dynamics of large-scale flows in convecting atmospheres. The cloud parameterization schemes used in large-scale and climate models are woefully inadequate and the representation of microphysical processes, or lack thereof, may be responsible in large part for this deficiency. The principal investigator intends to test the sensitivity of climate models to the convective parameterizations, using the NCAR Community Climate Model (CCM2). He will compare the results of simulations done with different parameterizations and further test them against atmospheric observations. This project will contribute to the goals of the Role of Clouds, Energy, and Water in Global Climate Change effort. ***
