Solar radiative fluxes for stochastic, scale-invariant broken cloud fields

Abstract

Solar radiative fluxes for broken cumuloform cloud fields are examined from the point of view of subgrid parameterization for general circulation models (GCMs). A simple stochastic scaling model is used to simulate extensive broken cloud fields having horizontal variation of optical depth τ characterized by power-law wave-number spectra and power-law area/perimeter and cloud-size distribution properties. Fluxes are computed with the Monte Carlo method of photon transport. -from Authors