1. The NEWS Atmospheric Diabatic Heating Profile Product  A ten year dataset of clouds, rainfall, and atmospheric heating between 40°N and 40°S has been produced based on measurements from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite.  These quantities represent two central components of the Earth’s energy and water cycle. Clouds and rainfall are at the root of the intimate coupling between the energy and water cycles, acting as the dominant source of atmospheric latent heating and exerting strong impacts on atmospheric radiative heating.  This new product provides the first direct observations of heating associated with the large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns that drive weather in the tropics and extra-tropics (next slides).  These data are also shedding new light on the role of atmospheric heating in the tropics in reinforcing flood/drought periods in the southern Great Plains region of the United States (Dong et al, 2009).  Finally, the dataset is leading to a better understanding of the role of atmospheric heating in tropical intra-seasonal oscillations that play an important role in modulating rainfall in the tropics (Jiang et al, 2009).  In all cases the analysis provides valuable information that can be used to evaluate energy and water cycle processes that are important for climate prediction but tend to be poorly represented in numerical models.

2. 1998-2007 Mean Annual Cycle of Precip & Atmospheric Heating The panels above show the progression of surface precipitation and total atmospheric diabatic heating through the annual cycle. Total atmospheric heating was created by combining satellite estimates of Q 1 - Q R (latent + eddy) and Q R (radiative) heating. from Olson, L’Ecuyer, Grecu (NEWS) Surface Rain Rate Zonal-Mean Atmospheric Diabatic Heating

3. Latent/Eddy and Radiative Contributions to Atmospheric Heating The panels above show the progression of latent + eddy and radiative heating through the annual cycle. Latent heating is produced by net condensation in the production of clouds & precipitation; eddies transport sensible heat. Gases and clouds produce a net flux divergence/convergence of radiation in atmospheric layers to produce cooling/heating. from Olson, L’Ecuyer, Grecu (NEWS) Zonal Mean Latent + Eddy Heating Zonal-Mean Radiative Heating