 |
| Titel |
Cloud macroscopic organization: order emerging from randomness |
| VerfasserIn |
T. Yuan |
| Medientyp |
Artikel
|
| Sprache |
Englisch
|
| ISSN |
1680-7316
|
| Digitales Dokument |
URL |
| Erschienen |
In: Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ; 11, no. 15 ; Nr. 11, no. 15 (2011-08-01), S.7483-7490 |
| Datensatznummer |
250009957
|
| Publikation (Nr.) |
 copernicus.org/acp-11-7483-2011.pdf |
|
|
|
|
|
| Zusammenfassung |
| Clouds play a central role in many aspects of the climate system and their
forms and shapes are remarkably diverse. Appropriate representation of
clouds in climate models is a major challenge because cloud processes span
at least eight orders of magnitude in spatial scales. Here we show that
there exists order in cloud size distribution of low-level clouds, and that it
follows a power-law distribution with exponent γ close to 2. γ
is insensitive to yearly variations in environmental conditions, but has
regional variations and land-ocean contrasts. More importantly, we
demonstrate this self-organizing behavior of clouds emerges naturally from a
complex network model with simple, physical organizing principles: random
clumping and merging. We also demonstrate symmetry between clear and cloudy
skies in terms of macroscopic organization because of similar fundamental
underlying organizing principles. The order in the apparently complex
cloud-clear field thus has its root in random local interactions. Studying
cloud organization with complex network models is an attractive new approach
that has wide applications in climate science. We also propose a concept of
cloud statistic mechanics approach. This approach is fully complementary to
deterministic models, and the two approaches provide a powerful framework to
meet the challenge of representing clouds in our climate models when working
in tandem. |
| |
|
| Teil von |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|