Keynote Talk: Global Shallow Moist Convection

Shallow convection is ubiquitous. Shallow cumuliform convection helps ventilate the boundary layer, thereby enhancing surface evaporation which acts to both cool the surface and charge the atmosphere for the ensuing development of deep convection. Shallow stratiform convection effectively shades and cools the surface and contributes significantly to the net cloud radiative forcing of the planet. Precipitation from both forms of convection can be shown to limit their respective roles as evaporators and reflectors. Although long neglected, precipitation may be critical in determining the organization and distribution of various forms of shallow convection. In this talk we build on recent field studies (DYCOMS-II, EPIC and RICO), emerging satellite climatologies (TRMM, and hopefully CloudSat), theory and simulation, to review the interplay between stratiform and cumuliform shallow convection, and the role of precipitation in determining its local and global structure.