In 2013, WCRP initiated Grand Challenges which target several science issues to be solved within ten years in climate research area. Read more about GCs ...

Among seven GC themes, Grand Challenge on Clouds, Circulation and Climate Sensitivity is particularly relevant to the CFMIP. In this "cloud GC", four important questions have been identified;

• What role does convection play in cloud feedbacks?

• What controls the position, strength and variability of storm tracks?

• What controls the position, strength and variability of the tropical rain belts?

• What role does convective aggregation play in climate?

For more details, please see the cloud GC position paper in Nature Geoscience:

Bony, S., B. Stevens, D. Frierson, C. Jakob, M. Kageyama, R. Pincus, T. Shepherd, S. Sherwood, P. Siebesma, A. Sobel, M. Watanabe, and M. Webb, 2015: Clouds, circulation and climate sensitivity. Nature Geoscience, 8, 261-268, doi:10.1038/ngeo2398.

The cloud GC has opened a number of new opportunities including workshops, summer schools model intercomparison, and observational campaign. An initial accomplishment of this GC activity has been summarized by Sandrine Bony and Bjorn Stevens.