Research project Storm track intensity and midlatitude cloud feedback

We propose a theory which focuses on cloud-circulation coupling the midlatitude storm tracks. It builds on recent work showing that cloud amount in the storm tracks depends on the intensity of storm activity, which in turn depends on the surface equator-to-pole temperature gradient. As the climate warms, this gradient relaxes, potentially yielding reduced storm track intensity, reduced cloudiness, and positive cloud-radiative feedback. This simple picture is complicated by the increase in temperature gradients higher in the troposphere, and the overall shift of the stormtracks towards higher latitudes as the climate warms.

We will test this theory and its robustness to complicating factors using a combination of observational studies and climate model experiments. We will explore a broad range of warm and cold climates, making the results relevant to paleoclimates and to Earth's long-term future.

The project innovates by combining insights from large-scale atmospheric dynamics with progress made in understanding local-scale cloud processes, two strands of research that have often remained separate.