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General circulation model CO2 sensitivity experiments: Snow-sea ice albedo parameterizations and globally averaged surface air temperature

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Abstract

Two experiments are performed with the NCAR Community Climate Model (CCM) coupled to a swamp ocean with annually averaged solar forcing. A swamp ocean model is one in which the ocean temperature is computed from a surface energy balance. Both experiments are run with present (1 × CO2) and doubled (2 × CO2) amounts of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). The first tests the sensitivity of the model to a snow and sea-ice-albedo formulation which facilitates relatively greater ice melt. The second assesses the model response when the basic state of the model in the control run is colder due to a 2% decrease in solar constant. Both are compared to a previous experiment with the same model using a different snow and sea-ice-albedo formulation and the present value of the solar constant. It is found that the globally averaged surface air temperature increase due to a doubling of CO2 is highly dependent on (1) the type of snow-sea-ice-albedo formulation used such that the parameterization which better facilitates relatively greater ice melt exhibits a greater sensitivity to increased CO2, and (2) the basic state of the control run such that the colder the basic state, the greater the warming due to increased CO2.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Center for Atmospheric Research, 80307, Boulder, CO, USA

    Warren M. Washington & Gerald A. Meehl

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  1. Warren M. Washington
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  2. Gerald A. Meehl
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A portion of this study is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy as part of its Carbon Dioxide Research Program.

The National Center for Atmospheric Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation

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Washington, W.M., Meehl, G.A. General circulation model CO2 sensitivity experiments: Snow-sea ice albedo parameterizations and globally averaged surface air temperature. Climatic Change 8, 231–241 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00161596

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00161596

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