CAREER: Convective Aggregation and the Hydrological Cycle, Cloud Feedbacks, and Climate Sensitivity

热带雷雨云经常聚集成簇，影响湿度、降雨量和云量。这种结块的发生可能是由于海洋表面温度的冷暖模式，或者由于云与周围环境之间的自发相互作用，以及其他因素。这个项目将研究热带云层的聚集如何影响水循环和地球的能量收支——来自太阳的热量和从地球流回太空的能量之间的平衡。拟议的任务将调查在气候变暖的情况下，强降雨事件和云量是如何变化的，以及云的性质变化和它们如何聚集在一起影响地球未来变暖的程度。研究者将使用在简化框架中建立的许多不同天气和气候模型的结果来解决这些问题。这些模式模拟了假想的热带海洋上的热带云。这个模型模拟的数据集是独一无二的，因为它包括以一致的方式建立的广泛的模型类型。这位研究员还将带领世界各地的一组科学家用不同的模型进行新的模拟，这些模型使用一种特定的海洋表面温度的冷暖模式来控制雷暴云聚集在一起的地方。当前的简单模拟和新的模拟将结合使用，以实现了解热带云集群及其对气候的重要性的总体目标。研究者还将为大学生制定一项培训计划，以开展K-12外展活动，并为学校访问制定一套与热带雷暴云、天气和气候研究主题相结合的教育活动。这些活动将被纳入佛罗里达州立大学为高中生开设的暑期课程。这个项目解决了气候科学中一些最重要的问题，关于热带云系统在水循环和气候中的作用，以及云系统如何与风模式和地球的能量预算相互作用。它将提高对热带云层在变暖气候下如何变化的理解，这是不确定地球因温室气体增加而变暖程度的最大来源。该项目支持跨多个人群的科学教学和培训。通过为K-12外展提供一套教育活动和培训，它将降低参与的障碍，并吸引更多、更多样化的人群参与K-12外展，包括大学生促进者和K-12学生和教师参与者。除了K-12学生接触科学家榜样的好处之外，参与将通过提供教学经验和提高沟通技巧来加强对大学生的培训和教育。该项目支持两名气象学研究生，他们将获得气候科学和数据分析方面的培训。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Tropical thunderstorm clouds often clump together into clusters, which affects humidity, rainfall, and cloudiness. This clumping can occur because of patterns of warm and cool ocean surface temperatures or because of spontaneous interactions between the clouds and their surrounding environment, among other factors. This project will study how the clumping of tropical clouds affects the water cycle and Earth’s energy budget – the balance between heating from the sun and the energy that flows from Earth back to space. The proposed tasks will investigate how heavy rainfall events and the amount of cloudiness change in a warming climate, and how changes in the properties of clouds and how they clump together affect how much Earth will warm in the future. The investigator will use results from many different weather and climate models set up in a simplified framework to address these questions. The models simulate tropical clouds over an imaginary tropical ocean. This data set of model simulations is unique because it includes a wide range of model types set up in a consistent manner. The investigator will also lead a group of scientists around the world to perform new simulations with the different models that use a specific pattern of warm and cool ocean surface temperatures to control where the thunderstorm clouds clump together. The current group of simple simulations and the new simulations will be used in combination to achieve the overall goal of understanding tropical cloud clustering and its importance for climate. The investigator will also develop a training program for university students to do K-12 outreach and a suite of educational activities integrated with the research themes of tropical thunderstorm clouds, weather, and climate for school visits. These activities will be incorporated into an established summer program at Florida State University for high school students.This project addresses some of the most important questions in climate science, about the role of tropical cloud systems in the water cycle and climate and how cloud systems interact with wind patterns and Earth’s energy budget. It will improve understanding of how tropical clouds change in a warmer climate, which is the biggest source of uncertainty in how much Earth warms in response to an increase in greenhouse gases. The project supports teaching and training in science across multiple populations. By providing a suite of educational activities and training for K-12 outreach, it will lower barriers to participation and engage a larger, more diverse population in K-12 outreach, including both university student facilitators and K-12 student and teacher participants. Beyond the benefits to K-12 students of encountering scientist role models, participation will enhance the training and education of the university students by providing teaching experience and improved communication skills. The project supports two Meteorology graduate students, who will gain training in climate science and data analysis.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.