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Role of water vapor feedback on the amplitude of season cycle in the global mean surface air temperature
Author(s) -
Wu Qigang,
Karoly David J.,
North Gerald R.
Publication year - 2008
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 - 10.1029/2008gl033454
Subject(s) - environmental science , water vapor , longwave , atmospheric sciences , climatology , latent heat , outgoing longwave radiation , amplitude , water cycle , mean radiant temperature , sensitivity (control systems) , meteorology , climate change , physics , radiation , convection , geology , ecology , biology , oceanography , quantum mechanics , electronic engineering , engineering
We have analyzed the seasonal variations of global mean surface air temperature ( SAT ) and surface energy budgets of 17 AR4 models. Considerable differences in the amplitude of seasonal cycle ( A ) in the global mean SAT in the pre‐industrial control simulations among the models have been traced, to a large degree, to differences in their simulated clear‐sky downward longwave radiation ( LW ↓ ) and latent heat flux ( LH ). We suggest that water vapor feedback process influence the seasonal changes of SAT through its roles on the seasonal variations of LW ↓ and LH . This implies that the simulated seasonal change of global mean SAT might contain a clue about the sensitivity of water vapor feedback and the A of in SAT thus provides some constraint on climate sensitivity since both are subject to the same feedback process.