The relationship between sea surface temperature anomalies and atmospheric circulation in GCM experiments

Several 19-year integrations of the Hamburg version of the ECMWF/T21 general circulation model driven by the monthly mean sea surface temperature (SST) observed in 1970–1988 were examined to study extratropical response of the atmospheric circulation to SST anomalies in the Northern Hemisphere in winter. In the first 19-years run SST anomalies were prescribed globally (GAGO run), and in two others SST monthly variability was limited to extratropical regions (MOGA run) and to tropics (TOGA run), respectively. A canonical correlation analysis (CCA), which select from two time-dependent fields optimally correlated pairs of patterns, was applied to monthly anomalies of SST in the North Alantic and Pacific Oceans and monthly anomalies of sea level pressure and 500 hPa geopotential height in the Northern Hemisphere. In the GAGO run the best correlated atmospheric pattern is global and is characterized by north-south dipole structures of the same polarity in the North Atlantic and the North Pacific sectors. In the MOGA and TOGA experiments the atmospehric response is more local than in the GAGO run with main centers in the North Atlantic and North Pacific, respectively. The extratropical response in the GAGO run is not equal to the sum of the responses in the MOGA and TOGA runs. The artificial meridional SST gradients at 25°–30°N probably influence the results of the MOGA and TOGA runs. The atmopsheric modes found by the CCA were compared with the normal modes of the barotropic vorticity equation linearized about the 500 hPa. winter climate. The normal modes with smallest eigenvalues are similar to the model leading variability modes and canonical patterns of 500 hPa geopotential height. The corresponding eigenvectors of the adjoint operator, which represent an external forcing optimal for exciting normal modes, have a longitudinal structure with maxima in regions characterized by enhanced high frequency baroclinic activity over both oceans.     

Sensitivity to prescribed changes in sea surface temperature and sea ice in doubled carbon dioxide experiments

Time sclice experiments are performed with the atmospheric GCM ARPEGE, developed at Météo-France, to study the impact to increases in the atmospheric carbon dioxide. This spectral model runs at T42 horizontal resolution with 30 vertical layers including a comprehensive tropospheric and stratospheric resolution and a prognostic parameterization of the ozone mixing ratio. The model is forced in a 5-year control run by climatological SSTs and sea-ice extents in order to obtain an accurate simulation of the present-day climate. Two perturbed runs are performed using SSTs and sea-ice extents for doubled CO₂ concentration, obtained from transient runs performed by two coupled atmospheric-oceanic models run at the Max Planck Institute (MPI) in Hamburg and the Hadley Centre (HC). A global surface temperature warming of 1.6 K is obtained with the MPI SST anomalies and 1.9 K with the HC SST anomalies. The precipitation rate increases by 4.2% (and 4.7%). The features obtained in the stratosphere (a cooling increasing with the altitude and an increase in the ozone mixing ratio) are not sensitive to the oceanic forcing. On the contrary, the anomalies in the troposphere such as a warming increasing with altitude, an acceleration of westerly jets and a raised cloud height, depend on the oceanic forcing imposed in the two perturbed runs. Special attention is given to continental areas where the impact of the oceanic forcing is studied over eight regions around the globe. Regions sensitive to oceanic forcing such as Europe are identified in contrast with areas where the patterns are driven by land-surface physical processes, such as over continental Asia. Finally, the Köppen classification is applied to the climate simulated in the three experiments. Both doubled CO₂ runs show the same predominance of global warming over precipitation changes in the Kbppen analyses.     

Amplified winter Arctic tropospheric warming and its link to atmospheric circulation changes

本文讨论了20世纪以来冬季极地巴伦支-喀拉海(BKS)区域对流层增暖放大的物理原因。提出了大气环流结构的改变对极地深对流层增暖有重要影响。通过合成阻塞,排除阻塞影响等分析发现北极涛动负位相产生的负的北大西洋涛动与一起产生的西退的乌拉尔阻塞不利于BKS区域增暖,因为这种环流配置下水汽不能持续大量的进入BKS区域;相反,北大西洋涛动正位相与一起产生的准定常且持续时间长的乌拉尔阻塞,给BKS地区带来持续大量暖而湿的水汽通过增加感热能有利于极地对流层增暖放大。     

我国中部地区夏季干旱的多时间尺度特征及其环流、海温异常

基于CRU逐月降水和NCEP/NCAR再分析等资料,利用集合经验模态分解(Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition,EEMD)方法,分析1948—2016年中国中部地区夏季降水变化的多时间尺度特征及其对应的环流、海温异常,进而解释不同时期影响干旱发生的背景场有何不同。结果表明,中部地区夏季降水以年际变化为主,周期长度为3.8 a和6.9 a,年代际和多年代际变化的方差贡献不足20%。然而,各时间尺度降水变化对不同时期干旱事件的贡献存在较大差异,1960s、1970s,降水年际变化偏弱,相反地,多年代际变化正处于负位相的极小值期;1980s、1990s,多年代际变化位相转正;2000s初,年际变化明显增强。此外,通过分析不同时间尺度降水变化对应的环流、海温背景场,发现热带印度洋海温异常及其引起的西北太平洋副热带高压的变化、大西洋北部海温异常激发的纬向波列以及贝加尔湖地区的阻塞活动、1970s末PDO位相转变伴随的东亚夏季风突变是分别解释降水年际、年代际和多年代际变化的主要原因,进而揭示影响中部地区夏季干旱发生的关键因子及其相对重要性。     

A link between winter precipitation in Europe and the Arctic Sea ice,sea surface temperature,and atmospheric circulation

The spatial and temporal pattern of the link between the winter precipitation variability and variations in the North Atlantic sea surface temperature, the Arctic sea ice concentration, and 500 hPa geopotential height in the Northern Hemisphere is analyzed for the period of 1952-2012. The analysis reveals two principal modes of covariability in the analyzed characteristics. The first mode which explains the most part of covariability, is related to the impact of the North Atlantic Oscillation. The second mode indicates the significant contribution of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation associated with winter precipitation anomalies of the same sign in Europe with the maxima on the East European Plain and in the Balkan region during the positive phase of AMO.     

Contribution of the tropical sea surface temperature in the Arctic tropospheric warming during 1979-2013

本文通过CAM6-Nor大气环流模式模拟实验研究热带海表温度在1979-2013年北极对流层增温中的贡献.分析结果表明热带海表温度变化可以解释历史模拟实验中的秋季和1月增温的30%-40%.这意味着热带海表温度可能是1979年至2013年间北极冬季对流层变暖的主要驱动因素之一.除了1月份850 hPa以下的北极增温,热带海表温度的影响通常来自热带中东部太平洋,热带印度-西太平洋和热带大西洋的联合作用.对1月份850 hPa以下的北极增温的影响主要来自热带印度-西太平洋.     

海温强迫下的东亚夏季大气环流潜在可预报性特征

利用大气环流模式NCARCAM3,进行22a（1979—2000年）、每年8个初值的集合试验,并采用方差分析方法,研究了观测海温强迫下东亚夏季大气环流的潜在可预报性。结果表明,夏季东亚地区海平面气压场的潜在可预报性总体偏低,在中国区域呈东南高、西北低的分布特征;850hPa纬向风场、对流层500～200hPa平均温度场和500hPa位势高度场在低纬度地区的潜在可预报性明显高于中高纬度地区。500hPa位势高度场的潜在可预报性较高,东亚大部分地区大于0.5,尤其华南地区大于0.7。夏季东亚500hPa位势高度场的潜在可预报性具有明显的年际变化特征,并与夏季南海海温异常关系密切。与正常年份相比,在夏季南海海温偏暖或者偏冷年,东亚500hPa位势高度场的潜在可预报性较高     

Possible contribution of Arctic sea ice decline to intense warming over Siberia in June

西伯利亚地区异常的升温可能会给生态系统带来灾难性的影响.本文从气候角度分析西伯利亚地区初夏升温的特征以及北极海冰减小的可能贡献.观测和再分析资料表明,1979-2020年间西伯利亚地区6月地表气温有很强的升温趋势(0.9℃/10年),明显高于同纬度地区平均的升温趋势(0.46℃/10年).升温从地表延伸至300hPa左...     

The impact of sub-grid scale sea-ice inhomogeneities on the performance of the atmospheric general circulation model ECHAM3

Leads and polynyas have a great impact on the energy budget of the polar ocean and atmosphere. Since atmospheric general circulation models are not able to resolve the spatial scales of these inhomogeneities, it is necessary to include the effect of fractional sub-grid scale sea-ice inhomogeneities on climate by a suitable parametrization. In order to do this we have divided each model grid-cell into an ice-covered and an ice-free part. Nevertheless, a numerical model requires effective transports representative for the whole grid-box. A simple procedure would be to use grid averages of the surface parameters for the calculation of the surface fluxes. However, as the surface fluxes are non-linearly dependent on the surface properties, the fluxes over ice and open water should be calculated separately according to the individual surface-layer structure of each surface type. Then these local fluxes should be averaged to obtain representative fluxes. Sensitivity experiments with the Hamburg atmospheric general circulation model ECHAM3 clearly show that a subgrid scale distribution of sea ice is a dominant factor controlling the exchange processes between ocean and atmosphere in the Arctic. The heat and water vapour transports are strongly enhanced leading to a significant warming and moistening of the polar troposphere. This affects the atmospheric circulation in high- and mid-latitudes; e.g. the stationary lows are modified and the transient cyclonic activity over the subpolar oceans is reduced. A pronounced impact of sub-grid scale sea-ice distribution on the model climate can only be obtained when the non-linear behaviour of the surface exchange processes is considered by a proper, physically based, averaging of the surface fluxes. A simple linear averaging of surface parameters is not sufficient. Received: 13 September 1994 / Accepted: 25 July 1995     

Design and Numerical Simulation of an Arctic Ocean Circulation and Thermodynamic Sea－Ice Model

In this paper, the first version of a new Arctic Ocean circulation and thermodynamic sea-ice model is presented by the authors based on the framework of a twenty-layer World Oceanic general circulation model developed by Zhang et al. in 1994, The model’s domain covers the Arctic Ocean and Greenland-Norwegian Seas with the horizon-tal resolution of 200 km × 200 km on a stereographic projection plane. In vertical, the model uses the Eta-coordinate (Sigma modified to have quasi-horizontal coordinate surfaces) and has ten unevenly-spaced layers to cover the deep-est water column of 3000 m. Two 150-year integrations of coupling the ocean circulation model with the sea-ice model have been performed with seasonally cyclic surface boundary conditions. The only difference between the two experiments is in the model’s geography. Some preliminary analyses of the experimental results have been done fo-cused on the following aspects: (1) surface layer temperature, salinity and current; (2) the "Atlantic Layer"; (3) sea-ice cover and its seasonal variation. In comparison with the available observational data, these results are accept-able with reasonable accuracy.     

Coupling an ocean wave model to an atmospheric general circulation model

A coupled model, consisting of an ocean wave model and an atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM), is integrated under permanent July conditions. The wave model is forced by the AGCM wind stress, whereas the wind waves modify the AGCM surface fluxes of momentum, sensible and latent heat. We investigate the following aspects of the coupled model: how realistic are the wave fields, how strong is the coupling, and how sensitive is the atmospheric circulation to the spatially and temporally varying wave field. The wave climatology of the coupled model compares favorably with observational data. The interaction between the two models is largest (although weak) in the storm track in the Southern Hemisphere. Young windsea, which is associated with enhanced surface fluxes is generated mostly in the equatorward frontal area of an individual cyclone. However, the enhancement of the surface fluxes is too small to significantly modify the climatological mean atmospheric circulation.This paper was presented at the Second International Conference on Modelling of Global Climate Variability, held in Hamburg 7–11 September 1992 under the auspices of the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology. Guest Editor for these papers is L. Dümenil     

太平洋海温异常对其上空环流影响的分析及数值试验

本文首先用《逐月全球气候资料》中的实测风资料对80年代的两次El Nino。事件(1982—1983年和1986—1987年)太平洋地区上空环流的变化情况进行了分析研究,然后用一个九层原始方程模式对其进行数值模拟试验. 观测资料分析及数值模拟结果皆表明,赤道东太平洋的这两次海温异常都使其上空的环流发生明显的变化,但由于两次海温异常的强度、范围和延续时间有所不同,对环流的影响也不相同.本文将简要地介绍这两次El Nio期间太平洋上空环流的演变特征及数值试验的结果.     

Analysis of results of numerical experiments with an atmospheric general circulation model with allowance for peculiarities of the underlying surface in megalopolises

A hypothesis is put forward that underlying surface peculiarities over large cities should be taken into account in the atmospheric circulation modeling, climate change studies, and in the numerical weather forecast. It is demonstrated based on the analysis of satellite images that the scales of changes in the underlying surface properties amount to hundreds of kilometers and that their influence can be studied with a large-scale atmospheric general circulation model. The influence of changes in the underlying surface characteristics in the cities on the surface temperature is analyzed. It is shown that the model atmosphere is sensitive to changes in surface properties in the cities. It is also shown that the surface air temperature approaches the observed climate over most land part of the urban territories, where peculiarities of the urban territories are taken into account. The model of the city should be changed in the areas, where such a result was not obtained. According to the experimental results, the model of the city in the mid- and high latitudes should differ from the model in the southern latitudes, but it should be taken into consideration for all urbanized areas of the world.     

Response of Northern Hemisphere storm tracks to Indian-western Pacific Ocean warming in atmospheric general circulation models

With 40 years integration output of two atmospheric general circulation models (GAMIL/IAP and HadAM3/UKMO) forced with identical prescribed seasonally-varying sea surface temperature, this study examines the effect of the observed Indian-western Pacific Ocean (IWP) warming on the Northern Hemisphere storm tracks. Both models indicate that the observed IWP warming tends to cause both the North Pacific storm track (NPST) and the North Atlantic storm track (NAST) to move northward. Such a consistent effect on the two storm tracks is closely associated with the changes in the low-level atmospheric baroclinicity, high-level jet stream and upper-level geopotential height. The IWP warming can excite a wavelike circum-global teleconnection in the geopotential height that gives rise to an anticyclonic anomaly over the midlatitude North Pacific and a positive-phase NAO anomaly over the North Atlantic. These geopotential height anomalies tend to enhance upper-level zonal westerly winds north of the climatological jet axes and increase low-level baroclinicity and eddy growth rates, thus favoring transient eddy more active north of the climatological storm track axes, responsible for the northward shift of the both storm tracks. The IWP warming-induced northward shift of the NAST is quite similar to the observed, suggesting that the IWP warming can be one of the key factors to cause decadal northward shift of the NAST since the 1980s. However, the IWP warming-induced northward shift of the NPST is completely opposite to the observed, implying that the observed southward shift of the NPST since the 1980s would be primarily attributed to other reasons, although the IWP warming can have a cancelling effect against those reasons.     

Multiple sea-ice states and abrupt MOC transitions in a general circulation ocean model

Sea ice has been suggested, based on simple models, to play an important role in past glacial–interglacial oscillations via the so-called “sea-ice switch” mechanism. An important requirement for this mechanism is that multiple sea-ice extents exist under the same land ice configuration. This hypothesis of multiple sea-ice extents is tested with a state-of-the-art ocean general circulation model coupled to an atmospheric energy–moisture-balance model. The model includes a dynamic-thermodynamic sea-ice module, has a realistic ocean configuration and bathymetry, and is forced by annual mean forcing. Several runs with two different land ice distributions represent present-day and cold-climate conditions. In each case the ocean model is initiated with both ice-free and fully ice-covered states. We find that the present-day runs converge approximately to the same sea-ice state for the northern hemisphere while for the southern hemisphere a difference in sea-ice extent of about three degrees in latitude between the different runs is observed. The cold climate runs lead to meridional sea-ice extents that are different by up to four degrees in latitude in both hemispheres. While approaching the final states, the model exhibits abrupt transitions from extended sea-ice states and weak meridional overturning circulation, to less extended sea ice and stronger meridional overturning circulation, and vice versa. These transitions are linked to temperature changes in the North Atlantic high-latitude deep water. Such abrupt changes may be associated with Dansgaard–Oeschger events, as proposed by previous studies. Although multiple sea ice states have been observed, the difference between these states is not large enough to provide a strong support for the sea-ice-switch mechanism.     

Sensitivity of the thermohaline circulation in coupled oceanic GCM — atmospheric EBM experiments

We analyze the sensitivity of the oceanic thermohaline circulation (THC) regarding perturbations in fresh water flux for a range of coupled oceanic general circulation — atmospheric energy balance models. The energy balance model (EBM) predicts surface air temperature and fresh water flux and contains the feedbacks due to meridional transports of sensible and latent heat. In the coupled system we examine a negative perturbation in run-off into the southern ocean and analyze the role of changed atmospheric heat transports and fresh water flux. With mixed boundary conditions (fixed air temperature and fixed surface fresh water fluxes) the response is characterized by a completely different oceanic heat transport than in the reference case. On the other hand, the surface heat flux remains roughly constant when the air temperature can adjust in a model where no anomalous atmospheric transports are allowed. This gives an artificially stable system with nearly unchanged oceanic heat transport. However, if meridional heat transports in the atmosphere are included, the sensitivity of the system lies between the two extreme cases. We find that changes in fresh water flux are unimportant for the THC in the coupled system.     

协调大集合模拟下全球海表面温度对北极对流层早冬增暖的影响

本文使用六个不同的最新大气模式进行了协调数值集合实验,评估和量化了全球海表面温度(SST)对1982-2014年冬季早期北极变暖的影响.本研究设计了两组实验:在第一组(EXP1)中,将OISSTv2逐日变化的海冰密集度和SST数据作为下边界强迫场;在第二组(EXP2)中,将逐日变化的SST数据替换为逐日气候态.结果表明...     

Quantifying contributions to polar warming amplification in an idealized coupled general circulation model

An idealized coupled general circulation model is used to demonstrate that the surface warming due to the doubling of CO₂ can still be stronger in high latitudes than in low latitudes even without the negative evaporation feedback in low latitudes and positive ice-albedo feedback in high latitudes, as well as without the poleward latent heat transport. The new climate feedback analysis method formulated in Lu and Cai (Clim Dyn 32:873–885, 2009) is used to isolate contributions from both radiative and non-radiative feedback processes to the total temperature change obtained with the coupled GCM. These partial temperature changes are additive and their sum is convergent to the total temperature change. The radiative energy flux perturbations due to the doubling of CO₂ and water vapor feedback lead to a stronger warming in low latitudes than in high latitudes at the surface and throughout the entire troposphere. In the vertical, the temperature changes due to the doubling of CO₂ and water vapor feedback are maximum near the surface and decrease with height at all latitudes. The simultaneous warming reduction in low latitudes and amplification in high latitudes by the enhanced poleward dry static energy transport reverses the poleward decreasing warming pattern at the surface and in the lower troposphere, but it is not able to do so in the upper troposphere. The enhanced vertical moist convection in the tropics acts to amplify the warming in the upper troposphere at an expense of reducing the warming in the lower troposphere and surface warming in the tropics. As a result, the final warming pattern shows the co-existence of a reduction of the meridional temperature gradient at the surface and in the lower troposphere with an increase of the meridional temperature gradient in the upper troposphere. In the tropics, the total warming in the upper troposphere is stronger than the surface warming.     

The effect of sea-ice extent in the North Atlantic on the stability of the thermohaline circulation in global warming experiments

Different climate models simulate different behavior of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (MOC) under the same global warming scenario. We propose a plausible explanation for this and argue that a proper simulation of the present-day climate in the subpolar North Atlantic is important. This is illustrated using results from idealized global warming experiments, in which both the radiative forcing scenario and the model employed are the same, with the only major difference being the initial subpolar North Atlantic climate. The initial conditions are made progressively colder, with more extensive sea-ice cover in the northern North Atlantic.The key result is that starting from conditions which are too cold in the North Atlantic and with sea-ice that is too extensive leads to an MOC that is more stable to the radiative forcing. Furthermore, under considerably underestimated sea surface temperatures in subpolar regions, the MOC can even intensify. A reduction of freshwater flux associated with the reduction of sea-ice melt is shown to be important for such unusual behavior of the MOC. Other mechanisms are also considered, but not deemed as important in explaining published inter-model differences.