No evidence for Iris

Careful analysis of data reveals no shrinkage of tropical cloud anvil area with increasing SST

Lindzen et al. (2001, hereafter LCH) present observational analysis suggesting that the area coverage of anvil clouds associated with tropical convection is less extensive when sea surface temperatures (SSTs) are higher. This conclusion is based on a negative correlation between the fractional area coverage by high clouds and the average SST under the clouds. LCH observe this correlation in about 20 months of Geostationary Meteorological Satellite (GMS) radiance data for the oceanic regions in the domain between 30 deg S-30 deg N and 130 deg E-170 deg W. LCH then used this correlation to …