Impact of Greenhouse Gas Concentration Changes on Surface Energetics in IPSL-CM4: Regional Warming Patterns, Land–Sea Warming Ratios, and Glacial–Interglacial Differences

The temperature response to a greenhouse gas (GHG) concentration change is studied in an ocean–atmosphere coupled model—L’Institut Pierre-Simon Laplace Coupled Model, version 4 (IPSL-CM4)—for both a glacial and an interglacial context. The response to a GHG concentration changing from Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) to preindustrial values is similar for both climatic contexts in terms of temperature pattern, but the magnitude is greater under modern ones. The model simulates the classical amplification of the temperature response in the northern high latitudes compared to lower latitudes and over the land surfaces compared to the ocean. The physical reasons for the differential warming according to the latitude and to the surface type are studied through an analysis of the energy flux changes, which are decomposed to consider and quantify many different physical processes. The results highlight the role of many different factors in the thermal response to a GHG forcing for different regions, and stress, for instance, the large effect of increased water vapor concentration in the atmosphere. Concerning the land–sea warming ratio, several fluxes contribute to the final value of the ratio, with latent flux having the greatest influence. The different contributions are quantified. The comparison of the flux changes between the interglacial and glacial contexts shows that the differences are more than a simple effect of different surface emissions of the base state. It suggests that the climatic context is particularly important for the cloud and oceanic advection responses to the forcing, along with albedo effects.