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GEWEX-CLIVAR Coordination of U.S. Activities (1998) / Chapter Skim
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Attachment D
Pages 15-19

The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.


From page 15...
... The importance of water, whether vapor, liquid, or solid, in climate and weather processes is self-evident, but there are weaknesses in the current ability to specify the atmospheric water cycle. Among these are poor characterization of upper-troposphere water vapor, uncertainties in surface fluxes and precipitation efficiency, poor representation of ensemble effects of cumulus convection on the transport of water and the characterization of precipitation over oceans, and the absence of a comprehensive understanding of the links between the atmospheric water cycle and other components of the hydrological cycle." (pas.
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From page 16...
... If climate models are to represent radiative transfer properly, they must incorporate improved representations of the hydrologic cycle on scales ranging from cloud-scale and mesoscale processes to the large-scale circulation. The horizontal and vertical distributions of water vapor play critical roles In determining the radiation fluxes and heating rates, often producing preferred regions for cloud development by their dominating influence on the radiation budget.
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From page 17...
... Thus, we cannot understand weather and climate without a good understanding of the distribution of water substance in the atmosphere. Weaknesses in current specifications of the atmospheric water cycle include poor characterization of upper-tropospheric water vapor, uncertainties In surface fluxes, poor understanding of the factors controlling precipitation efficiency, inability to represent the ensemble effects of cumulus convection on the transport of water, poor characterization of rainfall over the oceans, and the absence of a comprehensive understanding of the links between the atmospheric cycle and other components of the hydrological cycle...
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From page 18...
... ~ . The fundamental physics of land-air interaction: Basic understanding of the nature of the interaction between atmospheric and land surface processes is at the threshold of major advances and has the potential, when coupled with greatly improved routine measurements of land surface properties, to lead to substantial improvements in understanding and forecasting convection, boundary-layer cloud cover, and regional climate anomalies.
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From page 19...
... Develop focused process studies with the objective of addressing key uncertainties associated with boundary-layer processes and vertical convection; improved linkages coupling the atmosphere, oceans, and land surface; and more explicit representation of land surface processes, including vegetation and soil characteristics." (pg.
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Key Terms

  • water vapor
  • land surface
  • climate models
  • atmospheric water
  • water cycle

  • boundary layer
  • radiative transfer
  • quantitative precipitation
  • hydrologic cycle
  • surface properties

  • improved understanding
  • poor characterization
  • precipitation formation
  • global energy
  • cloud condensation

  • soil moisture
  • surface fluxes
  • physical processes
  • comprehensive understanding
  • precipitation processes

  • cycle experiment
  • condensation nuclei
  • cloud drop
  • factors determining
  • surface processes

  • cumulus convection
  • precipitation forecasting
  • ensemble effects
  • precipitation efficiency
  • theoretical understanding


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