Turbulence, Clouds and Climate Interactions from a Global Perspective: Theories, Models and Satellite Observations

Small scale physical processes such as turbulence and clouds play a fundamental role in the physics of climate change. The way clouds will respond to, and influence, climate change strongly depends on these interactions and will likely be a decisive factor in determining how much our planet will warm in the next few decades. In this presentation, we will (i) highlight how simple physics models of moist turbulence and convection can play a significant role in improving the ability to simulate how climate is changing, and (ii) illustrate how satellite observations of global atmospheric thermodynamics can elucidate how and why climate is changing.