%0 journal article %@ 0894-8755 %A Teixeira, J., Cardoso, S., Bonazzola, M., Cole, J., DelGenio, A., DeMott, C., Franklin, C., Hannay, C., Jakob, C., Jiao, Y., Karlsson, J., Kitagawa, H., Koehler, M., Kuwano-Yoshida, A., LeDrian, C., Li, J., Lock, A., Miller, M.J., Marquet, P., Martins, J., Mechoso, C.R., Meijgaard, E.v., Meinke, I., Miranda, P.M.A., Mironov, D., Neggers, R., Pan, H.L., Randall, D.A., Rasch, P.J., Rockel, B., Rossow, W.B., Ritter, B., Siebesma, A.P., Soares, P.M.M., Turk, F.J., Vaillancourt, P.A., Engeln, A.v., Zhao, M. %D 2011 %J Journal of Climate %N 20 %P 5223-5256 %R doi:10.1175/2011JCLI3672.1 %T Tropical and Subtropical Cloud Transitions in Weather and Climate Prediction Models: The GCSS/WGNE Pacific Cross-Section Intercomparison (GPCI) %U https://doi.org/10.1175/2011JCLI3672.1 20 %X An alternative analysis of cloud cover mean statistics is proposed where sharp gradients in cloud cover along the GPCI transect are taken into account. This analysis shows that the negative cloud bias of some models and ERA40 in the stratocumulus regions (as compared to ISCCP) is associated not only with lower values of cloud cover in these regimes, but also with a stratocumulus-to-cumulus transition that occurs too early along the trade-wind Lagrangian trajectory. Histograms of cloud cover along the cross-section differ significantly between models. Some models exhibit a quasi-bimodal structure with cloud cover being either very large (close to 100%) or very small, while other models show a more continuous transition. The ISCCP observations suggest that reality is in-between these two extreme examples. These different patterns reflect the diverse nature of the cloud, boundary layer, and convection parameterizations in the participating weather and climate prediction models.