Climate models predict an increase in the Earth’s surface temperature between 2 and 5 K for a doubling of the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration. This uncertainty strongly depends on cloud feedbacks, which suffer from enduring biases affecting the representation of cloud processes in climate models. Reducing these biases is particularity difficult because of the wide range of time and length scales on which clouds interact. To tackle this problem, a more robust physical understanding of the coupling between clouds, convective or turbulent mixing and the large-scale circulation is indeed necessary.

This session focuses on theoretical studies, modelling tools (ranging from Global Circulation Models to Large-Eddy Simulation models) and in-situ and satellite observations relevant to the understanding of cloud processes. In particular, invited and contributing speakers will discuss:

1) Uncertainties in the cloud representation in models and their effect on the cloud responses to perturbations;

2) Interactions between clouds and the large-scale dynamics;

3) Constraints on cloud feedbacks and climate sensitivity from observational analyses