This volume presents a series of overview articles arising from a workshop exploring the links among shallow clouds, water vapor, circulation, and climate sensitivity. It provides a state-of-the art synthesis of understanding about the coupling of clouds and water vapor to the large-scale circulation. The emphasis is on two phenomena, namely the self-aggregation of deep convection and interactions between low clouds and the large-scale environment, with direct links to the sensitivity of climate to radiative perturbations. Each subject is approached using simulations, observations, and synthesizing theory; particular attention is paid to opportunities offered by new remote-sensing technologies, some still prospective. The collection provides a thorough grounding in topics representing one of the World Climate Research Program’s Grand Challenges. Previously published in Surveys in Geophysics, Volume 38, Issue 6, 2017The aritcles Observing Convective Aggregation , An Observational View of Relationships Between Moisture Aggregation, Cloud, and Radiative Heating Profiles , Implications of Warm Rain in Shallow Cumulus and Congestus Clouds for Large-Scale Circulations , A Survey of Precipitation-Induced Atmospheric Cold Pools over Oceans and Their Interactions with the Larger-Scale Environment , Low-Cloud Feedbacks from Cloud-Controlling Factors: A Review , Mechanisms and Model Diversity of Trade-Wind Shallow Cumulus Cloud Feedbacks: A Review , Structure and Dynamical Influence of Water Vapor in the Lower Tropical Troposphere , Emerging Technologies and Synergies for Airborne and Space-Based Measurements of Water Vapor Profiles , Observational Constraints on Cloud Feedbacks: The Role of Active Satellite Sensors , and EUREC4A: A Field Campaign to Elucidate the Couplings Between Clouds, Convection and Circulation are available as open access articles under a CC BY 4.0 license at link.springer.com.
