Characteristics of cloud radiative forcing over East Asia

We use observations to examine the cloud radiative forcing (CRF) over East Asia. Specifically, the observational based parameters, longwave (LW) and shortwave (SW) CRF and cloud cover, are used to illustrate their spatial and temporal patterns. The analyses indicate that the CRF is dominated by the SW-CRF, in particular for the latitudinal zones 20-34degreesN, covering Southern China and the Yangtze River valley during May and June, while the LW-CRF shows a weak dependence on the latitudes and seasons. There is a close association between LW-CRF and high cloud cover and between SW-CRF and total cloud cover. Different characteristics are shown for Northern China. The East Asia CRF is discussed in the context of Northern Hemisphere CRF.