Evaluation of radiative heating rate profiles in eight GCMs using A-train satellite observations

In this study, we take advantage of two modeling experiments and A-train satellite observations to characterize the impact of cloud biases in the vertical distribution of radiative heating rates in eight general circulation models General Circulation Models (GCMs). We compare the modeled vertical distribution of clouds against the GCM-Oriented Cloud-Aerosols Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations Cloud Product (CALIPSO-GOCCP) using a simulator approach. Although the overall pattern of modeled zonal cloud frequency profiles is relatively good (r=0.92 for the multi-model mean), we show two main systematic biases in the cloud frequency profiles: a positive bias above 7km (up to 10%), particularly in the tropics; and a negative bias below 3km (up to −10%), which reaches a maximum over the stratocumulus cloud regions. Using radiative heating rate profiles calculated with constraints from CloudSat, CALIPSO and other satellite observations, we show that the excess of clouds in the upper troposphere...