Articles | Volume 14, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-14-5413-2021
https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-14-5413-2021
Development and technical paper
 | 
02 Sep 2021
Development and technical paper |  | 02 Sep 2021

Vertical grid refinement for stratocumulus clouds in the radiation scheme of the global climate model ECHAM6.3-HAM2.3-P3

Paolo Pelucchi, David Neubauer, and Ulrike Lohmann

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Short summary
Stratocumulus are thin clouds whose cloud cover is underestimated in climate models partly due to overly low vertical resolution. We develop a scheme that locally refines the vertical grid based on a physical constraint for the cloud top. Global simulations show that the scheme, implemented only in the radiation routine, can increase stratocumulus cloud cover. However, this effect is poorly propagated to the simulated cloud cover. The scheme's limitations and possible ways forward are discussed.
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