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A comparison of tropical temperature trends with model predictions
Author(s) -
Douglass David H.,
Christy John R.,
Pearson Benjamin D.,
Singer S. Fred
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
international journal of climatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.58
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-0088
pISSN - 0899-8418
DOI - 10.1002/joc.1651
Subject(s) - climatology , troposphere , tropics , environmental science , climate model , atmospheric sciences , climate change , meteorology , geography , geology , oceanography , fishery , biology
We examine tropospheric temperature trends of 67 runs from 22 ‘Climate of the 20th Century’ model simulations and try to reconcile them with the best available updated observations (in the tropics during the satellite era). Model results and observed temperature trends are in disagreement in most of the tropical troposphere, being separated by more than twice the uncertainty of the model mean. In layers near 5 km, the modelled trend is 100 to 300% higher than observed, and, above 8 km, modelled and observed trends have opposite signs. These conclusions contrast strongly with those of recent publications based on essentially the same data. Copyright © 2007 Royal Meteorological Society