Large discrepancies in dominant microphysical processes governing mixed-phase clouds across climate models
Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift, 2026
The balance between liquid and ice in clouds remains a major challenge in climate modeling, largely due to uncertainties in ice-related processes. We investigate the relative importance of four microphysical processes-primary ice nucleation (PIN), secondary ice production (SIP), sedimentation, and transport of ice crystals-for the supercooled liquid fraction (SLF) in mixed-phase clouds using three global climate models: EC-Earth3-AerChem, NorESM2-MM, and ECHAM6.3-HAM2.3. All models identify PIN as the dominant influence on SLF at cold temperatures in high northern latitudes, but diverge elsewhere and for higher temperatures. Implementing a unified SIP parameterization produced varied model responses, revealing fundamental differences in how microphysical processes interact within each model framework. These discrepancies suggest that each model prioritizes different processes in shaping the cloud phase. Such divergence may limit the reliability of conclusions regarding microphysical processes drawn from any single model.
Författare
Hannah Frostenberg
Chalmers, Rymd-, geo- och miljövetenskap, Geovetenskap och fjärranalys
Montserrat Costa-Suros
Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC)
Paraskevi Georgakaki
Universität Leipzig
Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL)
Ulrike Proske
Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich (ETH)
Wageningen University and Research
Georgia Sotiropoulou
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Idryma Technologias kai Erevnas (FORTH)
Eleanor May
Chalmers, Rymd-, geo- och miljövetenskap, Geovetenskap och fjärranalys
David Neubauer
Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich (ETH)
GeoSphere Austria
Patrick Eriksson
Chalmers, Rymd-, geo- och miljövetenskap, Geovetenskap och fjärranalys
Maria Goncalves Ageitos
Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya
Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC)
Athanasios Nenes
Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL)
Idryma Technologias kai Erevnas (FORTH)
Carlos Perez Garcia-Pando
Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC)
Institucio Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avancats
Oyvind Seland
Meteorologisk institutt
Luisa Ickes
Chalmers, Rymd-, geo- och miljövetenskap, Geovetenskap och fjärranalys
NPJ CLIMATE AND ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE
2397-3722 (ISSN)
Vol. 9 1 75De första stegen med ett helt nytt rymdbaserat väderinstrument
Rymdstyrelsen (2021-00077), 2022-01-01 -- 2025-12-31.
Ämneskategorier (SSIF 2025)
Naturgeografi
Meteorologi och atmosfärsvetenskap
DOI
10.1038/s41612-026-01342-7
Relaterade dataset
Model and satellite observational data to analyze microphysical processes in mixed-phase clouds [dataset]
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17266270