-
Abstract
Atmospheric CO2 concentration is characterized by spatial inhomogeneity and seasonal variability. The response of surface air temperature (SAT) to the inhomogeneity in CO2 concentration globally and regionally remains elusive. In this study, the BCC-CSM2-MR climate model was used to investigate the differences in global SAT in response to the spatially inhomogeneous distribution of atmospheric CO2 concentration. The analysis was based on three historical experiments (Hist_1dCO2, Hist_2dCO2, and Hist_3dCO2) conducted separately under the forcing of globally homogeneous, zonally homogeneous, and wholly spatially inhomogeneous CO2 concentrations from 1850 to 2014, derived from 12 Earth System Models of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6. The simulation results revealed similar trends of evolution in the global mean SATs in the 20th century under the three CO2 concentration distributions, and showed that the simulated historical SATs considering the meridional inhomogeneity of CO2 concentration in Hist_2dCO2 and the wholly spatial inhomogeneity in Hist_3dCO2 were more consistent with the observations. Compared with the results of Hist_1dCO2, the SATs in Hist_2dCO2 were warmer over land in the mid–high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere (NH) than over other land areas. Further consideration of the zonally inhomogeneous CO2 concentration in Hist_3dCO2 revealed generally colder SATs over the NH mid–high-latitude ocean than over land at the same latitudes, and even the zonal mean SATs in the NH were slightly colder than those in Hist_2dCO2. These differences are ascribed to the uneven distribution of CO2 concentration along the same latitude in the NH in Hist_3dCO2, which leads to strong large-scale fluctuations in the atmospheric circulation. Eurasia is the region with the highest concentration of atmospheric CO2, which leads to remarkable regional SAT warming owing to enhanced downward longwave radiation. Warmer SATs in Eurasia in winter will further strengthen the northwesterly winds over eastern Asia, resulting in an increase in sea ice and strengthened cold SAT anomalies over the northern North Pacific. The simulated varied responses of the atmospheric circulation and SAT to inhomogeneous CO2 forcing highlight the imperative need for refined representation of the inhomogeneity of the atmospheric CO2 distribution in climate models for more accurate assessment of climate change.
-
-
Citation
Xie, C. J., T. W. Wu, J. Zhang, et al., 2024: Impact of spatial inhomogeneity in atmospheric CO2 concentration on surface air temperature variations. J. Meteor. Res., 38(5), 969–982, doi: 10.1007/s13351-024-4025-x.
Xie, C. J., T. W. Wu, J. Zhang, et al., 2024: Impact of spatial inhomogeneity in atmospheric CO2 concentration on surface air temperature variations. J. Meteor. Res., 38(5), 969–982, doi: 10.1007/s13351-024-4025-x.
|
Xie, C. J., T. W. Wu, J. Zhang, et al., 2024: Impact of spatial inhomogeneity in atmospheric CO2 concentration on surface air temperature variations. J. Meteor. Res., 38(5), 969–982, doi: 10.1007/s13351-024-4025-x.
Xie, C. J., T. W. Wu, J. Zhang, et al., 2024: Impact of spatial inhomogeneity in atmospheric CO2 concentration on surface air temperature variations. J. Meteor. Res., 38(5), 969–982, doi: 10.1007/s13351-024-4025-x.
|
Export: BibTex EndNote
Article Metrics
Article views:
PDF downloads:
Cited by: