Back to search

IS-MOBIL-Mobilitetsprogr.f.utl.Ph.D-stu

Observed Arctic cloudiness in its dependence on essential climate variables

Awarded: NOK 77,999

Project Manager:

Project Number:

210852

Project Period:

2011 - 2012

The proposed joint project between Alexander Chernokulsky and The Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Center aims to improve understanding of climate on regional scale particularly in Arctic region. More specifically, the project addresses cloud cover variability over Arctic in its dependence on essential climate variables such as surface temperature, atmospheric stability and ice fraction by using in situ and remote sensing observations as well as model simulations. We aim to understand the role of t he atmospheric stability, ice fraction, surface temperature and meridional heat and moisture flux variability in cloudiness and radiative characteristics over last decades. Geographically, the primary attention will be given to Svalbard, Barents and Beauf ort Seas where the major changes have been observed. The understanding will be built up through comparison of the cloud-temperature-ice feedbacks during periods of warming and cooling. The proposed project will take three months and include 5 stages. Firs t stage constitutes of a start up phase and data collection, the main activity of this stage is preparing data for further analysis. Next stage is focused on compilation of cloudiness climatology and statistical analysis of its variability. The third one is aimed to study the dynamical mechanisms on local scales, in particular to search for correlations between the cloudiness and the atmospheric static stability. Fourth stage is aimed to study the dynamical mechanisms on large scales, in particular to sea rch for correlations between cloudiness and cyclonic activity. Fifth stage wraps up the project. The main activity is focused on the work on conclusions. The culprit of this stage is a preparation and submission of an article to a peer-review climate jour nal. The project aims for further collaboration, especially as concerned the analyses of cloud parameterization in single-column model and development of a cloud module for the turbulence-resolving model.

Funding scheme:

IS-MOBIL-Mobilitetsprogr.f.utl.Ph.D-stu