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Conceptual model analysis of the influence of temperature feedbacks on polar amplification
Author(s) -
Payne Ashley E.,
Jansen Malte F.,
Cronin Timothy W.
Publication year - 2015
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 - 10.1002/2015gl065889
Subject(s) - atmospheric sciences , radiative forcing , environmental science , forcing (mathematics) , atmosphere (unit) , lapse rate , polar , latitude , radiative transfer , convection , greenhouse gas , atmospheric temperature , climate model , advection , climatology , climate change , meteorology , geology , physics , thermodynamics , oceanography , geodesy , quantum mechanics , astronomy
The role of temperature feedbacks in polar amplification of climate change is examined by comparing the response of idealized high‐ and low‐latitude atmospheric columns to greenhouse gas forcing. An analytic expression for the surface polar amplification factor is derived with a one‐layer atmospheric model and compared to a more detailed column model with two radiative transfer schemes. The modeled temperature profiles result from competition between the stabilizing influences of atmospheric heat flux convergence and atmospheric solar heating (dominant at high latitudes), and the destabilizing influence of surface solar heating (dominant at low latitudes). For a stable high‐latitude radiative‐advective atmosphere, the lapse rate increases with greenhouse gas forcing, leading to a positive feedback, and is dependent on the nature of the forcing—pointing to limitations of the traditional forcing‐feedback framework. For a low‐latitude radiative‐convective atmosphere, the lapse rate decreases, leading to a negative feedback.