The Longwave Cloud‐Radiative Feedback in Tropical Waves Derived by Different Precipitation Data Sets

Anomalous tropical longwave cloud‐radiative heating of the atmosphere is generated when convective precipitation occurs, which plays an important role in the dynamics of tropical disturbances. Defining the observed cloud‐radiative feedback as the reduction of top‐of‐atmosphere longwave radiative cooling per unit precipitation, the feedback magnitudes are sensitive to the observed precipitation data set used when comparing two versions of Global Precipitation Climatology Project, version 1.3 (GPCPv1.3) and the newer version 3.2 (GPCPv3.2). GPCPv3.2 contains larger magnitudes and variance of daily precipitation, which yields a weaker cloud‐radiative feedback in tropical disturbances at all frequencies and zonal wavenumbers. Weaker cloud‐radiative feedbacks occur in GPCPv3.2 at shorter zonal lengths on intraseasonal timescales, which implies a preferential growth at planetary scales for the Madden‐Julian oscillation. Phase relationships between precipitation, radiative heating, and other thermodynamic variables in eastward‐propagating gravity waves also change with the updated GPCPv3.2. Plain Language Summary High‐altitude, widespread anvil clouds are generated when heavy convective precipitation occurs in the tropics. These clouds are not only a passive product produced by convection, but they also can subsequently enhance convection by trapping upward infrared radiative flux emitted by the Earth, effectively heating the atmosphere. This additional radiative heating effect can induce upward motion in the tropics, supporting the convective systems by transporting more humid air from below. However, the strength of this cloud‐radiative feedback is hard to estimate because global, continuous observations of surface precipitation are difficult to derive. In this study, the strength of the radiative feedback is calculated using the same product of observed radiative heating against two different observational precipitation products. A newer improved precipitation product yields much weaker radiative feedback strengths for all types of tropical weather systems. In addition, cloud‐radiative heating is found to substantially lag behind precipitation in certain fast, eastward‐propagating tropical rainfall systems in the newer precipitation product, unlike the older one. Why such a lag exists is unclear. The discrepancy of the estimation of cloud‐radiative feedback strengths and properties in the older versus the newer precipitation products indicates that our underst