Significant Latitude‐Dependent Sensitivity of Cloud Vertical Distribution to Surface Temperature Anomalies

Abstract Changes in the vertical distributions of cloud fraction (CF) and cloud phase (CP) are robust signatures of climate change and directly influence atmospheric heating rates, planetary energy budget and hydrological cycle. However, the global sensitivities of CF and CP profiles to surface temperature (ST) change remain poorly understood, contributing to major uncertainties in climate projections. Using DARDAR‐MASK observations, we show that clouds in low latitudes exhibit predominantly negative sensitivities, largely associated with a weakened Walker circulation. In the subtropical to mid‐latitude regions, low clouds decrease significantly with increasing STs. Over oceans, this reduction is associated with ST, estimated inversion strength, and horizontal ST advection, whereas over land, 850‐hPa relative humidity (RH) accounts for ∼45.6% of the total sensitivity. In contrast, high clouds increase in mid‐latitudes, mainly associated with enhanced upper‐tropospheric relative humidity and intensified ascent. Land–sea contrast further contributes to hemispheric asymmetry in mid‐latitude sensitivities. In polar regions, CF exhibits positive sensitivities with rising atmospheric RH. Regarding CP sensitivity, the ratios of ice clouds to all clouds exhibit positive sensitivities at mid‐to‐high latitudes but negative sensitivities at low latitudes within the mixed‐phase temperature range (−40 to 0°C), reflecting the combined influences of dynamical conditions and ice‐nucleating particles. These results provide an observation‐based understanding of the sensitivity of global cloud vertical distribution to ST variations, with implications for radiative feedbacks and constraints on climate models.