Two way interactions between cloud radiative effects and large-scale climate variability over the extratropics

The two-way coupling between clouds and large-scale climate dynamics are examined in observations and numerical simulations. Observational evidence is presented that reveals how large-scale atmospheric dynamics influence the vertical structure of clouds and their attendant radiative effects. Numerical simulations from an atmospheric general circulation model run with and without cloud radiative effects are used to explore how cloud radiative effects, in turn, can influence large-scale climate variability. The possible physical processes by which cloud radiative effects impact the large-scale atmospheric circulation and its variability are investigated. Implications for trends in the large-scale atmospheric circulation in a warmer climate are discussed.