Premium
Top‐of‐atmosphere radiative contribution to unforced decadal global temperature variability in climate models
Author(s) -
Brown Patrick T.,
Li Wenhong,
Li Laifang,
Ming Yi
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2014gl060625
Subject(s) - environmental science , climatology , longwave , climate model , atmosphere (unit) , outgoing longwave radiation , coupled model intercomparison project , energy balance , atmospheric sciences , albedo (alchemy) , global temperature , climate change , meteorology , radiative transfer , global warming , geology , convection , physics , oceanography , art , quantum mechanics , performance art , thermodynamics , art history
Much recent work has focused on unforced global mean surface air temperature ( T ) variability associated with the efficiency of heat transport into the deep ocean. Here the relationship between unforced variability in T and the Earth's top‐of‐atmosphere (TOA) energy balance is explored in preindustrial control runs of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 multimodel ensemble. It is found that large decadal scale variations in T tend to be significantly enhanced by the net energy flux at the TOA. This indicates that unforced decadal variability in T is not only caused by a redistribution of heat within the climate system but can also be associated with unforced changes in the total amount of heat in the climate system. It is found that the net TOA radiation imbalances result mostly from changes in albedo associated with the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation that temporarily counteracts the climate system's outgoing longwave (i.e., Stefan‐Boltzmann) response to T change.