Air temperature trends in Georgia under global warming conditions

Air temperature trends under conditions of global warming are studied using the observational data from 87 meteorological stations of Georgia for the period of 1936–2011. Plotted are the geographic information maps of the spatial structure of temperature variation rate.     

Interpretation of the positive low-cloud feedback predicted by a climate model under global warming

The response of low-level clouds to climate change has been identified as a major contributor to the uncertainty in climate sensitivity estimates among climate models. By analyzing the behaviour of low-level clouds in a hierarchy of models (coupled ocean-atmosphere model, atmospheric general circulation model, aqua-planet model, single-column model) using the same physical parameterizations, this study proposes an interpretation of the strong positive low-cloud feedback predicted by the IPSL-CM5A climate model under climate change. In a warmer climate, the model predicts an enhanced clear-sky radiative cooling, stronger surface turbulent fluxes, a deepening and a drying of the planetary boundary layer, and a decrease of tropical low-clouds in regimes of weak subsidence. We show that the decrease of low-level clouds critically depends on the change in the vertical advection of moist static energy from the free troposphere to the boundary-layer. This change is dominated by variations in the vertical gradient of moist static energy between the surface and the free troposphere just above the boundary-layer. In a warmer climate, the thermodynamical relationship of Clausius-Clapeyron increases this vertical gradient, and then the import by large-scale subsidence of low moist static energy and dry air into the boundary layer. This results in a decrease of the low-level cloudiness and in a weakening of the radiative cooling of the boundary layer by low-level clouds. The energetic framework proposed in this study might help to interpret inter-model differences in low-cloud feedbacks under climate change.     

Spatiotemporal variations in climate moisture indices in Georgia under global warming

Using observational data from 50 weather stations in Georgia for the period of 1936-2013, the following climate indices of moisture regime are studied: maximum 1-day precipitation, maximum 5-day precipitation, the simple daily intensity index, the number of days with precipitation equal to not less than 10, 20, and 50 mm, number of consecutive wet and dry days. Geoinformation maps of the spatial structure are plotted, and the dynamics of these indices is studied for the period of global warming. Expected changes in the moisture regime in different physiographic regions in Georgia are assessed.     

Instability of squall-inducing waves, global sea-surface temperature anomalies and climate change in tropical north Africa

Summary An inviscid form of the hydrodynamical equations is solved with enhanced horizontal shear, which is a synoptic feature consistent with stronger African Easterly Jet (AEJ) in Sahelian dry years, for unstable waves generated along the boundary between the two tropospheric air masses in tropical north Africa (i.e. the moist south-westerlies and the dry north-easterlies). Using a two-layer model of the atmosphere in order to correctly simulate the tropospheric synoptic situation in the sub-region, results show that the mode of the waves which is known to be fundamental to the development of West African squall lines is more unstable in dry years. This instability is found to be most-pronounced when the surface of discontinuity between the south-westerlies and the north-easterlies is at 700 mb level. Further, it is shown that in Sahelian dry years, the zone of these unstable waves shifts slightly southwards. This shift causes a deficit in rainfall in West African isohyet bands north of latitude 12°. The persistence of this deficit is linked with the continuous warming, in July, August and September of the 18-year period 1969–1986, of the three oceans (Indian, Pacific and South Atlantic) whose sea-surface temperature (SST) anomalies influence rainfall in tropical north Africa. It is shown that anytime these oceans warm up anomalously, the strength of the AEJ is enhanced leading to the climate-change process of: SST anomaly, increased AEJ strength, southward shift of the zone of squall-inducing waves and consequent reduction in total annual rainfall north of latitude 12° in tropical north Africa.With 5 Figures     

全球变暖情景下中国气温分区的未来变化

利用SRES A2情景下IPCC AR4的13个模式资料,结合我国月平均温度观测资料对当前和未来我国气温的分区进行对比研究。结果表明：1961-1990、2021-2050年和2071-2097年三个时段年平均气温分区在我国西部变化不大,而在我国东部发生了显著变化。1961-1990年我国东部被华北分区带分为南、北两个区;2021-2050年由于1961-1990年间的华北分区带北移,而在两广以北同时出现另一分区带,使得该时段我国东部分成东北区、华北和华中区以及华南区三个区,在2071-2097年北方分区带消失,而南方的分区带北移至长江一带,使得该时段我国东部仍可分为南、北两区。通过比较三个时段不同分区年平均温度时间变化发现,导致分区变化的原因主要是由于在不同时段各分区年平均温度的变率和增温幅度不一致所致。     

Projected changes in Eurasian and Arctic summer cyclones under global warming in the Bergen climate model

Using the coupled ocean-atmosphere Bergen Climate Model,and a Lagrangian vorticity-based cyclone tracking method,the authors investigate current climate summer cyclones in the Northern Hemisphere and their change by the end of the 21st century,with a focus on Northern Eurasia and the Arctic.The two scenarios A1B and A2 for increasing greenhouse gas concentrations are considered.In the model projections,the total number of cyclones in the Northern Hemisphere is reduced by about 3% 4%,but the Arctic Ocean and adjacent coastal re-gions harbour slightly more and slightly stronger summer storms,compared to the model current climate.This in-crease occurs in conjunction with an increase in the high-latitude zonal winds and in the meridional tempera-ture gradient between the warming land and the ocean across Northern Eurasia.Deficiencies in climate model representations of the summer storm tracks at high lati-tudes are also outlined,and the need for further model inter-comparison studies is emphasized.     

Long-term changes in the number and temperature of hot days in Georgia under global warming

Variations in the number of hot days, their frequency, intensity, and duration in Georgia are studied using observational data from 50 weather stations for the period of 1936-2013. The periods of the onset of hot days in the year and their maximum intensity in different physiographic conditions are identified. The zoning of Georgia was carried out according to the rate of changes in the number of hot days. The results enhance the understanding of climate change in Georgia under global warming conditions.     

全球变暖与城市效应共同作用下的极端天气气候事件变化的最新认知

近年来,城市气候变化问题引起高度关注。综合IPCC第一工作组第六次评估报告(IPCC AR6)关于气候变暖背景下城市对极端天气气候事件影响的评估,本文得到以下科学认识：城市化加剧了局部气候变暖,全球许多城市都面临更多更强的高温热浪事件;城市化使得诸多城市区域及其下风向极端降水增加,地表径流加强;沿海城市受到日益加剧的与海平面上升有关的复合型洪水的影响;城市污染物排放和不利通风的建筑结构加剧了区域污染,同时增加了地表的臭氧含量。预计未来城市极端高温、极端降水及有关洪水事件将更为频发,空气污染形势更为严峻,气候变化风险进一步加大。中国城镇化进程迅速,需要进一步加强气候变化背景下城市极端事件的观测、形成机理和数值模拟研究,以提升城市极端事件风险认识水平和应对能力。     

Dividing climate change: global warming in the Indian mass media

Much research has now been conducted into the representation of climate change in the media. Specifically, the communication of climate change from scientists and policy-makers to the public via the mass media has been a subject of major interest because of its implications for creating national variation in public understanding of a global environmental issue. However, to date, no study has assessed the situation in India. As one of the major emerging economies, and so one of the major greenhouse gas emitters, India is a key actor in the climate change story. This study analyses the four major, national circulation English-language newspapers to quantify and qualify the frames through which climate change is represented in India. The results strongly contrast with previous studies from developed countries; by framing climate change along a ‘risk-responsibility divide’, the Indian national press set up a strongly nationalistic position on climate change that divides the issue along both developmental and postcolonial lines.     

Spatiotemporal change in geographical distribution of global climate types in the context of climate warming

After standardizing global land climate gridded data from the Climatic Research Unit TS (time-series) 3.1 dataset for the period 1901–2009, cluster analysis is used to objectively classify world climates into 14 climate types. These climate types establish a baseline classification map and the types are named according to Köppen–Geiger climate classifications. Although the cluster analysis and Köppen classification methods are very different, the distributions of climate types obtained by the two methods are similar. Moreover, the climate types we identify also coincide well with their corresponding vegetation types. Thus, cluster analysis can be used as an effective alternative to the Köppen classification method for classifying world climate types. The spatial and temporal changes in geographical distribution of global climate types were investigated in 25-year intervals, and Cohen’s kappa coefficient is used to detect agreement between the periods. Globally, although an obvious trend in increasing global temperature is found, distribution of climate types overall show no distinct changes over the periods. However, at the regional scale, spatial change in distribution of climate types is evident in South America and Africa. In South America, larger areas of the “fully humid equatorial rainforest” (Af) and “equatorial savannah with dry winter” (Aw) climate types have changed types. In Africa, changes mainly occurred in the Af, “equatorial savannah with dry summer” (As), Aw, “steppe climate” (BS), and “desert climate” (BW) climate types. Moreover, some climate types, including Af, “equatorial monsoon” (Am), BS, BW, and “tundra climate” (ET), were susceptible to temporal climate changes, especially in the period 1976–2009.     

The role of ecosystem-atmosphere interactions in simulated Amazonian precipitation decrease and forest dieback under global climate warming

Summary A suite of simulations with the HadCM3LC coupled climate-carbon cycle model is used to examine the various forcings and feedbacks involved in the simulated precipitation decrease and forest dieback. Rising atmospheric CO₂ is found to contribute 20% to the precipitation reduction through the physiological forcing of stomatal closure, with 80% of the reduction being seen when stomatal closure was excluded and only radiative forcing by CO₂ was included. The forest dieback exerts two positive feedbacks on the precipitation reduction; a biogeophysical feedback through reduced forest cover suppressing local evaporative water recycling, and a biogeochemical feedback through the release of CO₂ contributing to an accelerated global warming. The precipitation reduction is enhanced by 20% by the biogeophysical feedback, and 5% by the carbon cycle feedback from the forest dieback. This analysis helps to explain why the Amazonian precipitation reduction simulated by HadCM3LC is more extreme than that simulated in other GCMs; in the fully-coupled, climate-carbon cycle simulation, approximately half of the precipitation reduction in Amazonia is attributable to a combination of physiological forcing and biogeophysical and global carbon cycle feedbacks, which are generally not included in other GCM simulations of future climate change. The analysis also demonstrates the potential contribution of regional-scale climate and ecosystem change to uncertainties in global CO₂ and climate change projections. Moreover, the importance of feedbacks suggests that a human-induced increase in forest vulnerability to climate change may have implications for regional and global scale climate sensitivity.     

River discharge and freshwater runoff to the Barents Sea under present and future climate conditions

River discharge forms a major freshwater input into the Arctic Ocean, and as such it has the potential to influence the oceanic circulation. As the hydrology of Arctic river basins is dominated by cryospheric processes such as snow accumulation and snowmelt, it may also be highly sensitive to a change in climate. Estimating the water balance of these river basins is therefore important, but it is complicated by the sparseness of observations and the large uncertainties related to the measurement of snowfalls. This study aims at simulating the water balance of the Barents Sea drainage basin in Northern Europe under present and future climate conditions. We used a regional climate model to drive a large-scale hydrological model of the area. Using simulated precipitation derived from a climate model led to an overestimation of the annual discharge in most river basins, but not in all. Under the B2 scenario of climate change, the model simulated a 25% increase in freshwater runoff, which is proportionally larger than the projected precipitation increase. As the snow season is 30–50 day shorter, the spring discharge peak is shifted by about 2–3 weeks, but the hydrological regime of the rivers remains dominated by snowmelt.     

Thermal regime in the Rybinsk Reservoir under global warming

Presented are the results of studying the water temperature changes in the Rybinsk Reservoir during the ice-free period caused by the climate warming. Linear trends are revealed and estimated. The trend is observed for the period of 1976?C2008 towards the increase in the average water surface temperature during all months at the maximum rise rate of 0.89°C/10 years in July. It is demonstrated that the average water temperature in the reservoir in May?COctober has been above the norm since 1995.     

Arctic climate change with a 2 ∘C global warming: Timing, climate patterns and vegetation change

The signatories to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change are charged with stabilizing the concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere at a level that prevents dangerous interference with the climate system. A number of nations, organizations and scientists have suggested that global mean temperature should not rise over 2 ^°C above preindustrial levels. However, even a relatively moderate target of 2 ^°C has serious implications for the Arctic, where temperatures are predicted to increase at least 1.5 to 2 times as fast as global temperatures. High latitude vegetation plays a significant role in the lives of humans and animals, and in the global energy balance and carbon budget. These ecosystems are expected to be among the most strongly impacted by climate change over the next century. To investigate the potential impact of stabilization of global temperature at 2 ^°C, we performed a study using data from six Global Climate Models (GCMs) forced by four greenhouse gas emissions scenarios, the BIOME4 biogeochemistry-biogeography model, and remote sensing data. GCM data were used to predict the timing and patterns of Arctic climate change under a global mean warming of 2 ^°C. A unified circumpolar classification recognizing five types of tundra and six forest biomes was used to develop a map of observed Arctic vegetation. BIOME4 was used to simulate the vegetation distributions over the Arctic at the present and for a range of 2 ^°C global warming scenarios. The GCMs simulations indicate that the earth will have warmed by 2 ^°C relative to preindustrial temperatures by between 2026 and 2060, by which stage the area-mean annual temperature over the Arctic (60–90^°N) will have increased by between 3.2 and 6.6 ^°C. Forest extent is predicted by BIOME4 to increase in the Arctic on the order of 3 × 10⁶ km² or 55% with a corresponding 42% reduction in tundra area. Tundra types generally also shift north with the largest reductions in the prostrate dwarf-shrub tundra, where nearly 60% of habitat is lost. Modeled shifts in the potential northern limit of trees reach up to 400 km from the present tree line, which may be limited by dispersion rates. Simulated physiological effects of the CO₂ increase (to ca. 475 ppm) at high latitudes were small compared with the effects of the change in climate. The increase in forest area of the Arctic could sequester 600 Pg of additional carbon, though this effect is unlikely to be realized over next century.     

Basic physical processes and regularities of winter and spring river runoff formation under climate warming conditions

A mechanism of climate change influence on the Medvenka River runoff in the winter- and springtime is revealed based on the generalized long-term observations carried out at the Podmoskovnaya water-balance station. It is demonstrated that average increase in the monthly mean temperature in January and February 1981–2008 of 2.8°C resulted in 1.9-time increase in the runoff over these months and its 15% decrease in April compared to the period of 1958–1980. The analysis of the observation materials and mathematical modeling of processes of migration and moisture infiltration in freezing and thawing soils allows establishing the fact that a decrease in the depth of soil freezing and, correspondingly, in moisture migration in the wintertime towards the freezing front and its accumulation in the frozen layer (a 56% increase in the runoff), available thaws (38%), and the fall increase in the soil moistening (6%) are major factors influencing the winter runoff increase.     

增暖背景下2023年4—5月新疆低温维持机制浅析

2023年春季新疆平均气温阶段性变化明显,4—5月平均气温为近20年同期第二低,增暖背景下春季连续两个月气温偏低实属罕见。基于新疆89个站点2023年春季气温数据和大尺度环流再分析资料,分析2023年4—5月新疆平均气温异常偏低的维持机制。结果表明： 4—5月新疆气温偏低主要受3次寒潮过程影响,多次强冷空气南侵并占据主导地位;欧亚中高纬海平面气压正、负异常中心形成的南北气压梯度力、明显偏强的欧亚大陆冷高压;中层长波槽脊系统的发展和偏北气流等因素导致冷空气势力明显增强;低层西风气流的减弱和西北气流的异常加强,欧洲大陆及蒙古至中西伯利亚上空异常反气旋和气旋分布,促使冷空气加强南侵;关键区因子的异常加强,西伯利亚低槽的长时间维持,使得冷空气在新疆盘踞,是造成4—5月新疆气温持续偏低的重要原因。     

全球增暖和极端事件对全球温度场关联性的影响

用中国国家气象信息中心整编的1971—2006年中国693个地面基准站日降水资料、同期美国JTWC最佳路径资料和NCEP/NCAR再分析资料,对热带气旋(TC)远距离暴雨进行统计分析和诊断研究。结果表明:36a中有14.7%的TC产生远距离暴雨。TC远距离暴雨事件遍及中国大陆27个省(市、自治区),其中,环渤海地区和川陕交界处为中国TC远距离暴雨高发区。远距离暴雨集中发生在6—9月。34.6%的TC远距离暴雨具有影响范围广、降水强度大的特点。诊断分析表明,TC远距离暴雨能否产生的关键在于热带气旋东侧环流能否将水汽输送到中纬度槽前,如果有高气压或偏北气流对水汽输送的阻断,就不会形成远距离暴雨。     

变暖背景下青藏高原夏季风变异及其对中国西南气候的影响

利用1951—2012年逐月NECP/NCAR-Ⅰ再分析资料和1960—2012年逐月中国西南地区116站常规气象要素资料,基于青藏高原地区夏季600 hPa涡度场特征,定义了新的青藏高原夏季风强度和位置指数,讨论在全球变暖背景下,青藏高原季风变化对中国西南地区气候的影响。青藏高原季风强度整体增强,在20世纪90年代末达到峰值后逐渐减弱,与北半球气温变化具有较好的一致性,位置变化相对独立。夏季青藏高原季风强度和中心经度位置对中国西南地区气候有显著影响。当青藏高原季风偏强时,西南地区水汽异常辐合,以阴天为主,日照偏短,蒸发减弱,气温日较差明显减小,降水偏多;上升运动在川渝地区发展深厚,云贵地区仅限于600 hPa以下,川渝地区气象要素变化更显著。当青藏高原季风位置偏东时,西南全区受异常下沉运动控制,气温偏高,四川中、西部和贵州、广西等地出现较强的水汽异常辐散,气温显著偏高,相对湿度偏低,降水偏少。进入21世纪以来,青藏高原季风强度和中心经度的反位相叠加,加剧了西南地区的干旱化。新的青藏高原季风指数不仅能反映青藏高原地区的季风环流特征,而且对中国西南气候变化具有较好的指示意义,可为中国汛期气候预测提供理论依据和技术支持。     

Changes in gross moist stability in the tropics under global warming

Gross moist stability, an effective static stability, in the tropics is examined in observations and model simulations. Under convective quasi-equilibrium closure, gross moist stability, a vertical integration of the vertical moist static energy gradient weighted by pressure velocity, is derived based on an approximately moist adiabatic process associated with deep convection. In climatology, gross moist stability is generally similar to the spatial distribution of mean precipitation. In global warming simulations, gross moist stability tends to increase in the tropics. It implies a more stable atmosphere, which is consistent with the weakening of tropical circulation found in climate models. Main effects, which induce the changes in gross moist stability, include the low-level moisture effect, the maximum level of convection (MLC) effect, i.e., the depth of deep convection, and the dry static energy effect associated with stratification of temperature, with the first two also found in climatology. Because of the strong cancellation between the effects of low-level moisture and dry static energy due to the moist adiabatic process of deep convection, the effect of MLC, which has been overlooked in measuring atmospheric stability, is crucial in determining the sign of changes in gross moist stability. Gross moist stability is a better index to represent changes in atmospheric stability in the tropics under global warming, compared to both dry and moist static stability.