Summer dryness in a warmer climate: a process study with a regional climate model

Earlier GCM studies have expressed the concern that an enhancement of greenhouse warming might increase the occurrence of summer droughts in mid-latitudes, especially in southern Europe and central North America. This could represent a severe threat for agriculture in the regions concerned, where summer is the main growing season. These predictions must however be considered as uncertain, since most studies featuring enhanced summer dryness in mid-latitudes use very simple representations of the land-surface processes ("bucket" models), despite their key importance for the issue considered. The current study uses a regional climate model including a land-surface scheme of intermediate complexity to investigate the sensitivity of the summer climate to enhanced greenhouse warming over the American Midwest. A surrogate climate change scenario is used for the simulation of a warmer climate. The control runs are driven at the lateral boundaries and the sea surface by reanalysis data and observations, respectively. The warmer climate experiments are forced by a modified set of initial and lateral boundary conditions. The modifications consist of a uniform 3 K temperature increase and an attendant increase of specific humidity (unchanged relative humidity). This strategy maintains a similar dynamical forcing in the warmer climate experiments, thus allowing to investigate thermodynamical impacts of climate change in comparative isolation. The atmospheric CO ₂ concentration of the sensitivity experiments is set to four times its pre-industrial value. The simulations are conducted from March 15 to October 1st, for 4 years corresponding to drought (1988), normal (1986, 1990) and flood (1993) conditions. The numerical experiments do not present any great enhancement of summer drying under warmer climatic conditions. First, the overall changes in the hydrological cycle (especially evapotranspiration) are of small magnitude despite the strong forcing applied. Second, precipitation increases in spring lead to higher soil water recharge during this season, compensating for the enhanced soil moisture depletion occurring later in the year. Additional simulations replacing the plant control on transpiration with a bucket-type formulation presented increased soil drying in 1988, the drought year. This suggests that vegetation control on transpiration might play an important part in counteracting an enhancement of summer drying when soil water gets limited. Though further aspects of this issue would need investigating, our results underline the importance of land-surface processes in climate integrations and suggest that the risk of enhanced summer dryness in the region studied might be less acute than previously assumed, provided the North American general circulation does not change markedly with global warming.     

Agricultural drought in a future climate: results from 15 global climate models participating in the IPCC 4th assessment

This study examines the impact of greenhouse gas warming on soil moisture based on predictions of 15 global climate models by comparing the after-stabilization climate in the SRESA1b experiment with the pre-industrial control climate. The models are consistent in predicting summer dryness and winter wetness in only part of the northern middle and high latitudes. Slightly over half of the models predict year-round wetness in central Eurasia and/or year-round dryness in Siberia and mid-latitude Northeast Asia. One explanation is offered that relates such lack of seasonality to the carryover effect of soil moisture storage from season to season. In the tropics and subtropics, a decrease of soil moisture is the dominant response. The models are especially consistent in predicting drier soil over the southwest North America, Central America, the Mediterranean, Australia, and the South Africa in all seasons, and over much of the Amazon and West Africa in the June–July–August (JJA) season and the Asian monsoon region in the December–January–February (DJF) season. Since the only major areas of future wetness predicted with a high level of model consistency are part of the northern middle and high latitudes during the non-growing season, it is suggested that greenhouse gas warming will cause a worldwide agricultural drought. Over regions where there is considerable consistency among the analyzed models in predicting the sign of soil moisture changes, there is a wide range of magnitudes of the soil moisture response, indicating a high degree of model dependency in terrestrial hydrological sensitivity. A major part of the inter-model differences in the sensitivity of soil moisture response are attributable to differences in land surface parameterization.     

近50年中国东部夏季降水与贝加尔湖地表气温年代际变化的关系

最近50年全球变暖,陆地增温幅度大于海洋,主要的增温中心位于亚洲北部、欧洲和北美等地区。因此,全球变暖有可能通过改变大尺度季风环流而影响中国气候变化。利用美国国家航空航天局空间研究中心(GISS)的逐月地表气温资料、NCEP/NCAR再分析资料及中国604个站逐月气温和降水观测资料,重点讨论了1951—2007年中国东部夏季降水与同期的北半球大陆地表气温年代际尺度变化关系。结果表明,近50年中国东部夏季降水异常主要表现为南旱北涝与南涝北旱两者年代际异常之间的转换,但在1996年之后,伴随北方干旱区向南发展,呈现出华北和长江中下游地区降水同时减少的特征。研究发现中国华北地区夏季降水与同期的环贝加尔湖地表气温在年代际尺度上存在显著的负相关关系;贝加尔湖地区地表气温增暖可能导致蒙古高原对流层出现异常的暖性反气旋,使得位于蒙古高原的气旋频数减少和强度减弱。由于华北降水与蒙古气旋的活动直接相关,从而导致华北地区夏季降水的持续性减少。自1996年开始贝加尔湖地区的地表气温进一步升高,导致中国北方干旱化加剧。由于环贝加尔湖地区是过去50年全球变暖的最显著地区之一,因此,全球变暖可能是通过关键区域的温度变化对中国的气候变化产...     

Changes in Heat Index Associated with CO2-Induced Global Warming

Changes in Heat Index (a combined measure of temperature and humidity) associated with global warming are evaluated based on the output from four extended integrations of the GFDL coupled ocean-atmosphere climate model. The four integrations are: a control with constant levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂), a second integration in which an estimate of the combined radiative forcing of greenhouse gases and sulfate aerosols over the period 1765–2065 is used to force the model, and a third (fourth) integration in which atmospheric CO₂$ increases at the rate of 1% per year to double (quadruple) its initial value, and is held constant thereafter. While the spatial patterns of the changes in Heat Index are largely determined by the changes in surface air temperature, increases in atmospheric moisture can substantially amplify the changes in Heat Index over regions which are warm and humid in the Control integration. The regions most prone to this effect include humid regions of the Tropics and summer hemisphere extra-tropics, including the southeastern United States, India, southeast Asia and northern Australia.     

Water Resources of the South Asian Region in a Warmer Atmosphere

The global mean surface temperature may rise by about 0.3oC per decade during the next Few decades as a result of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions in the earth’s atmosphere. The data generated in the greenhouse warming simulations (Business-as-Usual scenario of IPCC) with the climate models developed at Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, Hamburg have been used to assess future plausible hydrological scenario for the South Asian region. The model results indicate enhanced surface warming (2.7oC for summer and 3.6oC for winter) over the land regions of South Asia during the next hundred years. While there is no significant change in the precipitation over most of the land regions during winter, substantial increase in precipitation is likely to occur during summer. As a result, an increase in soil moisture is likely over central India, Bangladesh and South China during summer but a statistically sig-nificant decline in soil moisture is expected over central China in winter. A moderate decrease in surface runoff may occur over large areas of central China during winter while the flood prone areas of NE-India. Bangladesh and South China are likely to have an increase in surface runoff during summer by the end of next century.     

Changes of time mean state and variability of hydrology in response to a doubling and quadrupling of CO2

This paper examines the subject of hydrologic variability and its changes in two separate integrations of a coupled ocean-atmosphere general circulation model developed at the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory/NOAA assuming a 1% per year increase to a doubling and quadrupling of CO₂, respectively. Changes in time mean state and variability of precipitation, runoff and soil moisture are evaluated using monthly and seasonal mean data derived from these integrations. Various statistical tests are then performed on the resulting time mean and variability changes. The patterns of hydrologic change for these three quantities are similar to those obtained from previous studies. In northern middle to higher latitudes for the time means, the changes include increases in monthly mean precipitation, increases in monthly mean runoff during the fall, winter and spring seasons and decreases of monthly mean soil moisture during summer. Many of these changes are found to be statistically significant at the 5% significance level for both the time mean and variability especially for the results where CO₂ is quadrupled such as monthly mean precipitation. Significant changes also include increases of runoff variability during spring, winter and spring and increases of soil moisture variability during the summer season. These results support statements made in previous IPCC reports that increasing greenhouse gases can lead to more severe and frequent floods and droughts depending upon season and latitude. This study also indicates that the approaches to equilibrium of these two integrations, and the resulting hydrologic changes, take place over time scales of hundreds of years in agreement with several previous investigations.     

Climate Changes in the 21st Century over the Asia-Pacific Region Simulated by the NCAR CSM and PCM

The Climate System Model (CSM) and the Parallel Climate Model (PCM), two coupled global climate models without flux adjustments recently developed at NCAR, were used to simulate the 20th century climate using historical greenhouse gas and sulfate aerosol forcing. These simulations were extended through the 21st century under two newly developed scenarios, a business-as-usual case (BAU, CO2≈710 ppmv in 2100) and a CO2 stabilization case (STA550, CO2≈540 ppmv in 2100). The simulated changes in temperature, precipitation, and soil moisture over the Asia-Pacific region (10°-60°N, 55°-155°E) are analyzed, with a focus on the East Asian summer monsoon rainfall and climate changes over the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. Under the BAU scenario, both the models produce surface warming of about 3-5℃ in winter and 2-3℃ in summer over most Asia. Under the STA550 scenario, the warming is reduced by 0.5-1.0℃ in winter and by 0.5℃ in summer. The warming is fairly uniform at the low latitudes and does not induce significant changes in the zonal mean Hadley circulation over the Asia-Pacific do main. While the regional precipitation changes from single CSM integrations are noisy, the PCM ensemble mean precipitation shows 10%-30% increases north of ～ 30°N and ～ 10% decreases south of ～ 30°N over the Asia-Pacific region in winter and 10%-20% increases in summer precipitation over most of the region. Soil moisture changes are small over most Asia. The CSM single simulation suggests a 30% increase in river runoff into the Three Gorges Dam, but the PCM ensemble simulations show small changes in the runoff.     

Summer dryness due to an increase of atmospheric CO2 concentration

To investigate the hydrologic changes of climate in response to an increase of CO₂-concentration in the atmosphere, the results from numerical experiments with three climate models are analyzed and compared with each other. All three models consist of an atmospheric general circulation model and a simple mixed layer ocean with a horizontally uniform heat capacity. The first model has a limited computational domain and simple geography with a flat land surface. The second model has a global computational domain with realistic geography. The third model is identical to the second model except that it has a higher computational resolution. In each numerical experiment, the CO₂-induced change of climate is evaluated based upon a comparison between the two climates of a model with normal and four times the normal concentration of carbon dioxide in air. It is noted that the zonal mean value of soil moisture in summer reduces significantly in two separate zones of middle and high latitudes in response to the increase of the CO₂-concentration in air. This CO₂-induced summer dryness results not only from the earlier ending of the snowmelt season, but also from the earlier occurrence of the spring to summer reduction in rainfall rate. The former effect is particularly important in high latitudes, whereas the latter effect becomes important in middle latitudes. Other statistically significant changes include large increases in both soil moisture and runoff rate in high latitudes of a model during most of the annual cycle with the exception of the summer season. The penetration of moisture-rich, warm air into high latitudes is responsible for these increases.     

Abrupt summer warming and changes in temperature extremes over Northeast Asia since the mid-1990s: Drivers and physical processes

This study investigated the drivers and physical processes for the abrupt decadal summer surface warming and increases in hot temperature extremes that occurred over Northeast Asia in the mid-1990 s. Observations indicate an abrupt increase in summer mean surface air temperature(SAT) over Northeast Asia since the mid-1990 s. Accompanying this abrupt surface warming, significant changes in some temperature extremes, characterized by increases in summer mean daily maximum temperature(Tmax), daily minimum temperature(Tmin), annual hottest day temperature(TXx), and annual warmest night temperature(TNx) were observed. There were also increases in the frequency of summer days(SU) and tropical nights(TR).Atmospheric general circulation model experiments forced by changes in sea surface temperature(SST)/ sea ice extent(SIE),anthropogenic greenhouse gas(GHG) concentrations, and anthropogenic aerosol(AA) forcing, relative to the period 1964–93, reproduced the general patterns of observed summer mean SAT changes and associated changes in temperature extremes,although the abrupt decrease in precipitation since the mid-1990 s was not simulated. Additional model experiments with different forcings indicated that changes in SST/SIE explained 76% of the area-averaged summer mean surface warming signal over Northeast Asia, while the direct impact of changes in GHG and AA explained the remaining 24% of the surface warming signal. Analysis of physical processes indicated that the direct impact of the changes in AA(through aerosol–radiation and aerosol–cloud interactions), mainly related to the reduction of AA precursor emissions over Europe, played a dominant role in the increase in TXx and a similarly important role as SST/SIE changes in the increase in the frequency of SU over Northeast Asia via AA-induced coupled atmosphere–land surface and cloud feedbacks, rather than through a direct impact of AA changes on cloud condensation nuclei. The modelling results also imply that the abrupt summer surface warming and increases in hot temperature extremes over Northeast Asia since the mid-1990 s will probably sustain in the next few decades as GHG concentrations continue to increase and AA precursor emissions over both North America and Europe continue to decrease.     

陆面过程对全球变暖的响应及可能机制—基于CMIP3的多模式集合分析

利用“国际耦合模式比较计划” (Phase 3 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project, CMIP3) 12个模式对20世纪 (The Twentieth-Century Climate in Coupled Models, 20C3M) 和21世纪SRES (Special Report on Emissions Scenarios) A1B 情景下的模拟结果, 通过21世纪 (2001～2099年) 与20世纪 (1901～1999年) 陆面能量和水文变量的对比分析, 揭示了陆面过程对全球变暖响应的基本特征, 并探讨了其可能的响应机制。结果表明, 与20世纪相比, 21世纪全球陆面平均的表面温度、 地表净辐射、 潜热通量明显增加; 而感热通量有所减小。降水、 径流、 蒸发等地表水循环分量也表现出不同程度的增加, 而土壤含水量有减小趋势。通过分析近地层主要大气强迫变量与陆面变量之间的联系, 发现陆面能量平衡过程对全球变暖的响应主要受向下长波辐射和气温变化的影响, 而温度的变化对陆面水文过程的影响起决定性的作用。进一步分析表明, 陆面过程对全球变暖的响应存在明显的区域性差异, 陆面温度和感热对全球变暖响应最显著的区域位于北半球中高纬, 而净辐射和潜热对全球变暖的响应在亚洲中部和非洲大陆最显著。相对于20世纪, 21世纪主要是长波辐射和温度对陆面能量平衡过程的贡献重要。对于陆面水文过程, 径流和土壤含水量对全球变暖的响应在亚洲中部以及北美最显著。在全球变暖背景下, 21世纪相对于20世纪, 温度对陆面水循环的影响更加显著, 主要体现在北半球中纬度地区。     

气候变化国家评估报告(Ⅰ):中国气候变化的历史和未来趋势

The climate change in China shows a considerable similarity to the global change, though there still exist some significant differences between them. In the context of the global warming, the annual mean surface air temperature in the country as a whole has significantly increased for the past 50 years and 100 years, with the range of temperature increase slightly greater than that in the globe. The change in precipitation trends for the last 50 and 100 years was not significant, but since 1956 it has assumed a weak increasing trend. The frequency and intensity of main extreme weather and climate events have also undergone a significant change. The researches show that the atmospheric CO2 concentration in China has continuously increased and the sum of positive radiative forcings produced by greenhouse gases is probably responsible for the country-wide climate warming for the past 100 years, especially for the past 50 years. The projections of climate change for the 21st century using global and regional climate models indicate that, in the future 20-100 years, the surface air temperature will continue to increase and the annual precipitation also has an increasing trend for most parts of the country.     

Seasonal variations of the clear-sky greenhouse effect: the role of changes in atmospheric temperatures and humidities

We present an analysis of the factors which control the seasonal variations of the clear-sky greenhouse effect, based on satellite observations and radiative transfer simulations. The satellite observations include the radiation budget at the top of the atmosphere from the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment and the total column moisture content derived from the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager. The simulations were performed with the SAMSON system described in an earlier paper, using atmospheric temperatures and humidities from operational analyses produced by the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts. At low latitudes, the magnitude of the clear-sky greenhouse effect is dominated by the strong thermodynamic link between the total column moisture content of the atmosphere and sea surface temperatures, with minimal seasonal variations. In contrast, at middle to high latitudes there are strong seasonal variations, the clear-sky greenhouse effect being largest in winter and smallest in summer. These variations cannot be explained by the seasonal cycle in the total column moisture content, as this is largest in summer and smallest in winter. The variations are controlled instead by the seasonal changes in atmospheric temperatures. The colder atmosphere in winter enhances the temperature differential between the atmosphere and the sea surface, leading to a larger greenhouse effect despite the lower moisture contents. The magnitude of the clear-sky greenhouse effect is thus controlled by atmospheric humidity at low latitudes, but by atmospheric temperature at middle and high latitudes. These controls are illustrated by results from sensitivity experiments with SAMSON and are interpreted in terms of a simple model.     

An investigation into the mechanisms of changes in mid-latitude mean sea level pressure as greenhouse gases are increased

When greenhouse gases are increased in coupled GCM experiments there is both a direct effect and an indirect effect due to changes in the surface conditions. In this study we carry out experiments with a perpetual winter atmosphere only model in order to investigate the influence of changes to the surface conditions (sea surface temperatures, sea-ice and snow amount) on the Northern Hemisphere winter mid-latitude mean sea level pressure response. The surface conditions for the perpetual winter model experiments are prescribed from time averages of the HadCM2 control and greenhouse gas experiments. Forcing the perpetual winter model with the HadCM2 greenhouse gas surface conditions produces a negative mean sea level pressure (MSLP) response across both Northern Hemisphere ocean basins, as was found in the coupled model HadCM2 experiment. Additional PW model experiments show that the sea surface temperature forcing from the HadCM2 greenhouse gas experiment dominates the snow and soil moisture content forcings. The sea-ice forcing from the HadCM2 greenhouse gas experiment reduces MSLP at high latitudes. In the north Pacific region MSLP decreases when the global mean warming is applied to the sea surface temperature forcing field at all open sea points. In the north Atlantic region the increased tropics to mid-latitude meridional sea surface temperature gradient is required for MSLP to decrease. These experiments show that the MSLP response in the Northern Hemisphere mid-latitude storm track regions is sensitive to the non-local sea surface temperature anomaly pattern.     

The 20th century cooling trend over the southeastern United States

Portions of the southern and southeastern United States, primarily Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia, have experienced century-long (1895–2007) downward air temperature trends that occur in all seasons. Superimposed on them are shifts in mean temperatures on decadal scales characterized by alternating warm (1930s–1940s, 1990s) and cold (1900s; 1960s–1970s) regimes. Regional atmospheric circulation and SST teleconnection indices, station-based cloud cover and soil moisture (Palmer drought severity index) data are used in stepwise multiple linear regression models. These models identify predictors linked to observed winter, summer, and annual Southeastern air temperature variability, the observed variance (r²) they explain, and the resulting prediction and residual time series. Long-term variations and trends in tropical Pacific sea temperatures, cloud cover, soil moisture and the North Atlantic and Arctic oscillations account for much of the air temperature downtrends. Soil moisture and cloud cover are the primary predictors of 59.6 % of the observed summer temperature variance. While the teleconnections, cloud cover and moisture data account for some of the annual and summer Southeastern cooling trend, large significant downward trending residuals remain in winter and summer. Comparison is made to the northeastern United States where large twentieth century upward air temperature trends are driven by cloud cover increases and Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) variability. Differences between the Northeastern warming and the Southeastern cooling trends in summer are attributable in part to the differing roles of cloud cover, soil moisture, the Arctic Oscillation and the AMO on air temperatures of the 2 regions.     

Abnormal Warming of the Summer Surface Air Temperature in Central Asia from 1980 to 2019北大核心CSCD

This work analyzes the abrupt change in summer surface air temperature (SAT) in Central Asia (CA) and its relationship with sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and snow cover in the Qinghai Tibet Plateau between 1980 and 2019 based on NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data, CRU SAT, and snow cover and global SST data. The results reveal a significant summer SAT change in CA in 2005. The standardized regional average temperature index in CA shifts from the previous negative phase to the subsequent positive phase, indicating a significant summer SAT increase in CA. Analysis of the anomalous atmospheric circulations related to interdecadal changes in summer SAT in CA shows the abnormally enhanced anticyclonic circulation system in the west of CA after 2005. The atmospheric subsidence associated with the anomalous anticyclone can cause warming. On the other hand, the reduction in the amount of cloud caused by this anticyclone anomaly enhancement results in the increase in downward short-wave radiation and thus is favorable for the increased summer temperature in CA. Furthermore, the interdecadal summer SAT changes in CA in 2005 are closely related to SST warming in the middle and high latitudes of the North Atlantic and the reduction in snow cover in the west of the Tibet Plateau (TP). The SST increase in the middle and high latitudes of the North Atlantic can stimulate a Rossby wave propagating downstream. The reduction in snow cover in the west of the TP can cause warming to the above atmosphere through the snow albedo effect. The changes in both the North Atlantic SST and the TP snow can strengthen the anticyclone over CA, leading to an abnormally high summer SAT over there. © 2023 Science Press. All rights reserved.     

Individual contribution of insolation and CO2 to the interglacial climates of the past 800,000?years

The individual contributions of insolation and greenhouse gases (GHG) to the interglacial climates of the past 800,000?years are quantified through simulations with a model of intermediate complexity LOVECLIM and using the factor separation technique. The interglacials are compared in terms of their forcings and responses of surface air temperature, vegetation and sea ice. The results show that the relative magnitude of the simulated interglacials is in reasonable agreement with proxy data. GHG plays a dominant role on the variations of the annual mean temperature of both the Globe and the southern high latitudes, whereas, insolation plays a dominant role on the variations of tree fraction, precipitation and of the northern high latitude temperature and sea ice. The Mid-Brunhes Event (MBE) appears to be significant only in GHG and climate variables dominated by it. The results also show that the relative importance of GHG and insolation on the warmth intensity varies from one interglacial to another. For the warmest (MIS-9 and MIS-5) and coolest (MIS-17 and MIS-13) interglacials, GHG and insolation reinforce each other. MIS-11 (MIS-15) is a warm (cool) interglacial due to its high (low) GHG concentration, its insolation contributing to a cooling (warming). MIS-7, although with high GHG concentrations, can not be classified as a warm interglacial due to it large insolation-induced cooling. Related to these two forcings, MIS-19 appears to be the best analogue for MIS-1. In the response to insolation, the annual mean temperatures averaged over the globe and over southern high latitudes are highly linearly correlated with obliquity. However, precession becomes important in the temperature of the northern high latitudes and controls the tree fraction globally. Over the polar oceans, the response during the local winters, although the available energy is small, is larger than during the local summers due to the summer remnant effect. The sensitivity to double CO₂ is the highest for the coolest interglacial.     

Climate change in the 21st century simulated by HadGEM2-AO under representative concentration pathways

We present climate responses of Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) using the coupled climate model HadGEM2-AO for the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 (CMIP5). The RCPs are selected as standard scenarios for the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report and these scenarios include time paths for emissions and concentrations of greenhouse gas and aerosols and land-use/land cover. The global average warming and precipitation increases for the last 20 years of the 21st century relative to the period 1986-2005 are +1.1°C/+2.1% for RCP2.6, +2.4°C/+4.0% for RCP4.5, +2.5°C/+3.3% for RCP6.0 and +4.1°C/+4.6% for RCP8.5, respectively. The climate response on RCP 2.6 scenario meets the UN Copenhagen Accord to limit global warming within two degrees at the end of 21st century, the mitigation effect is about 3°C between RCP2.6 and RCP8.5. The projected precipitation changes over the 21st century are expected to increase in tropical regions and at high latitudes, and decrease in subtropical regions associated with projected poleward expansions of the Hadley cell. Total soil moisture change is projected to decrease in northern hemisphere high latitudes and increase in central Africa and Asia whereas near-surface soil moisture tends to decrease in most areas according to the warming and evaporation increase. The trend and magnitude of future climate extremes are also projected to increase in proportion to radiative forcing of RCPs. For RCP 8.5, at the end of the summer season the Arctic is projected to be free of sea ice.     

Possible Impacts of Climate Change on Soil Moisture Availability in the Southeast Anatolia Development Project Region (GAP): An Analysis from an Agricultural Drought Perspective

This paper presents probable effects of climate change on soil moisture availability in the Southeast Anatolia Development Project (GAP) region of Turkey. A series of hypothetical climate change scenarios and GCM-generated IPCC Business-as-Usual scenario estimates of temperature and precipitation changes were used to examine implications of climate change for seasonal changes in actual evapotranspiration, soil moisture deficit, and soil moisture surplus in 13 subregions of the GAP. Of particular importance are predicted patterns of enhancement in summer soil moisture deficit that are consistent across the region in all scenarios. Least effect of the projected warming on the soil moisture deficit enhancement is observed with the IPCC estimates. The projected temperature changes would be responsible for a great portion of the enhancement in summer deficits in the GAP region. The increase in precipitation had less effect on depletion rate of soil moisture when the temperatures increase. Particularly southern and southeastern parts of the region will suffer severe moisture shortages during summer. Winter surplus decreased in scenarios with increased temperature and decreased precipitation in most cases. Even when precipitation was not changed, total annual surplus decreased by 4 percent to 43 percent for a 2°C warming and by 8 percent to 91 percent for a 4°C warming. These hydrologic results may have significant implications for water availability in the GAP as the present project evaluations lack climate change analysis. Adaptation strategies – such as changes in crop varieties, applying more advanced dry farming methods, improved water management, developing more efficient irrigation systems, and changes in planting – will be important in limiting adverse effects and taking advantage of beneficial changes in climate.     

土壤湿度初始异常对东亚区域气候模拟影响的敏感性试验

利用耦合了CLM3.5陆面模式的区域气候模式RegCM4.0,通过敏感性试验,探讨了人为减小春季初始土壤体积水含量对短期时间尺度东亚夏季气候模拟的可能影响。结果表明:较低的初始土壤湿度场能够明显改变区域的地表能量平衡,引起地表净长波辐射和感热通量的显著增加,进而加强了地表对大气的加热,因而引起东亚大范围地区特别是中国东部、印度北部和中亚地区地表温度、气温的升高。与气温不同,初始土壤湿度场对降水的影响很小而且有较大的不确定性,同时偏暖的下垫面使得对流层中高层出现暖高压异常,但这些影响均不显著。综合来看,土壤湿度初始场的初始异常,对RegCM4.0 模式东亚气候模拟的结果有一定影响,特别是在地表温度、气温和能量平衡方面,应在以后的模拟中加以考虑。     

Mechanisms for the land/sea warming contrast exhibited by simulations of climate change

The land/sea warming contrast is a phenomenon of both equilibrium and transient simulations of climate change: large areas of the land surface at most latitudes undergo temperature changes whose amplitude is more than those of the surrounding oceans. Using idealised GCM experiments with perturbed SSTs, we show that the land/sea contrast in equilibrium simulations is associated with local feedbacks and the hydrological cycle over land, rather than with externally imposed radiative forcing. This mechanism also explains a large component of the land/sea contrast in transient simulations as well. We propose a conceptual model with three elements: (1) there is a spatially variable level in the lower troposphere at which temperature change is the same over land and sea; (2) the dependence of lapse rate on moisture and temperature causes different changes in lapse rate upon warming over land and sea, and hence a surface land/sea temperature contrast; (3) moisture convergence over land predominantly takes place at levels significantly colder than the surface; wherever moisture supply over land is limited, the increase of evaporation over land upon warming is limited, reducing the relative humidity in the boundary layer over land, and hence also enhancing the land/sea contrast. The non-linearity of the Clausius–Clapeyron relationship of saturation specific humidity to temperature is critical in (2) and (3). We examine the sensitivity of the land/sea contrast to model representations of different physical processes using a large ensemble of climate model integrations with perturbed parameters, and find that it is most sensitive to representation of large-scale cloud and stomatal closure. We discuss our results in the context of high-resolution and Earth-system modelling of climate change.