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Global Climate Change Digest
A Guide to Information on Greenhouse Gases and Ozone Depletion
Published July 1988 through June 1999

FROM VOLUME 6, NUMBER 2, FEBRUARY 1993

PROFESSIONAL PUBLICATIONS...
GLOBAL AND OCEAN MODELING

Item #d93feb23

"AMIP: The Atmospheric Intercomparison Project," W.L. Gates (Lawrence Livermore Nat. Lab., L-264, POB 800, Livermore CA 94550), Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 73(12), 1962-1970, Dec. 1992.

AMIP is an international comparison of the systematic climate errors of over 50 atmospheric models under realistic conditions, conducted under the auspices of the World Climate Research Program. The climate for the decade 1979-1988 is being simulated using observed monthly average distributions of sea surface temperature and sea ice as boundary conditions. A series of diagnostic studies will begin after completion of the computational phase in 1993.

Item #d93feb24

"Global Forcing and Regional Interactions," Eos, 529-530, Dec. 8, 1992. Report of an October 1991 workshop involving atmospheric scientists, hydrologists and ecologists, who planned multidisciplinary research, much of it related to global modeling.

Item #d93feb25

"A Comparative Analysis of Two Land Surface Heterogeneity Representations," R.D. Koster (NASA-Goddard, Code 974, Greenbelt MD 20771), M.J. Suarez, J. Clim., 5(12), 1379-1390, Dec. 1992.

Two contrasting representations used in GCMs ("mixture" and "mosaic") were compared through analysis of their corresponding surface energy balance equations. The effective differences were generally small.

Item #d93feb26

Two items from J. Geophys. Res., 97(D16), Nov. 20, 1992:

"Satellite Validation of GCM-Simulated Annual Cycle of the Earth Radiation Budget and Cloud Forcing," S. Bony (Lab. Météor. Dynam., CNRS, école Normale Supérieure, 24 rue Lhomond, F-75231 Paris Cedex 05, France), H. Le Treut et al., 18,061-18,081. Uses ERBE data to evaluate simulations by the Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique model, emphasizing the development of new tests for comparing model results and satellite observations.

"Validation of Cloud Forcing Simulated by the [NCAR] Community Climate Model Using Observations from the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment," B.J. Soden (Space Sci. Eng. Ctr., Univ. Wisconsin, Madison WI 53706), 18,137-18,159. Evaluation of the model's ability to reproduce monthly mean global distribution and temporal variability reveals several deficiencies in cloud representation, particularly the effects of low-level cloud on planetary albedo.

Item #d93feb27

"Contribution to the Cloud Droplet Effective Radius Parameterization," C. Pontikis (Météo-France, Lab. Phys. Atmos. Tropicale, Univ. Antilles et Guyane, 97159, Pointe à Pitre Cedex, Guadeloupe, FWI), Geophys. Res. Lett., 19(22), 2227-2230, Nov. 20, 1992. An analytic expression validated with field data illustrates factors that could limit the accuracy of climate model parameterizations.

Item #d93feb28

"A Modeling Study of the North Atlantic with Emphasis on the Greenland-Iceland-Norwegian Sea," T. Aukrust (IBM Norway, Environ. Sci. & Solut. Ctr., Thormohlensgate 55, N-5008 Bergen, Nor.), J.M. Oberhuber et al., IBM Syst. J., 31(4), 798-810, 1992. Deep water formation due to convection and other aspects of North Atlantic circulation are studied with a coupled ocean-atmosphere model.

Item #d93feb29

Three items from Climate Dynamics, 8(1), Oct. 1992:

"A Global Monthly Climatology of Soil Moisture and Water Balance," Y. Mintz (Lab. Météor. Dynam., CNRS, école Normale Supérieure, 24 rue Lhomond, F-75231 Paris Cedex 05, France), Y.V. Serafini, 13-27. Derives available soil moisture content from observed precipitation and air surface temperature, and compares results with independently derived data.

"The Impact of Doubled CO₂ on the Energetics and Hydrologic Processes of Mid-Latitude Transient Eddies," L.E. Branscome (Environ. Dynam. Res. Inc., 7338 155th Pl. N, Palm Beach Gardens FL 33418), W.J. Gutowski, 29-37. Using a primitive-equation spectral model, compares transient eddy behavior for zonal-mean climates of GCMs corresponding to current and doubled levels of CO₂. Finds that the smaller meridional temperature gradient of the latter case leads to reduced eddy kinetic energy.

"Atmospheric Water Vapor Flux, Bifurcation of the Thermohaline Circulation, and Climate Change," H.X. Wang (Dept. Geol., Northwestern Univ., Evanston IL 60208), G.E. Birchfield, 49-53. Uses a simple coupled, ocean-atmosphere, energy-salt balance model to study the role of the atmospheric hydrologic cycle on the global thermohaline circulation, and feedback to the climate system through changes in oceanic latitudinal heat transport. The present climate appears stable (far from a bifurcation point).

Item #d93feb30

Two items from J. Clim., 5(9), Oct. 1992:

"The Canadian Climate Centre Second Generation General Circulation Model and Its Equilibrium Climate," N.A. McFarlane (Can. Clim. Ctr./CCRN, 4905 Dufferin St., Downsview ON M3H 5T4, Can.), G.J. Boer et al., 1013-1044. Describes important differences in the new model compared to the 1984 version, including interactive cloudiness, improved radiative heating and land surface treatments, and a simple ocean mixed layer with thermodynamic sea ice. A ten-year simulation is compared with climatology.

"Greenhouse Gas-Induced Climate Change Simulated with the CCC Second Generation General Circulation Model," G.J. Boer (addr. immed. above), N.A. McFarlane, M. Lazare, 1045-1077. Equilibrium response to a doubling of CO₂, simulated using the model described in the previous entry, shows a global annual warming of 3.5·C. Precipitation and evaporation rates increase by about 4%, and soil moisture decreases over continental Northern Hemisphere land areas in summer.

Item #d93feb31

Three items from J. Geophys. Res., 97(D14), Oct. 20, 1992:

"Simulation of the Last Glacial Cycle by a Coupled, Sectorially Averaged Climate-Ice Sheet Model. 2. Response to Insolation and CO₂ Variations," H. Gallée (Lemaître Inst., Univ. Catholique de Louvain, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belg.), J.P. van Ypersele et al., 15,713-15,740. Tests the influence of several factors, including snow surface albedo over the ice sheets, in producing plausible ice age simulations using astronomically derived insolation and CO₂ data from the Vostok ice core.

"Line-by-Line Calculations of Atmospheric Fluxes and Cooling Rates: Application to Water Vapor," S.A. Clough (Atmos. Environ. Res. Inc., 840 Memorial Dr., Cambridge MA 02139), M.J. Iacono, J.-L. Moncet, 15,761-15,785. Application of a model for the accelerated calculation of clear sky fluxes leads to some significant insights into atmospheric radiative processes inferred from spectral profiles of the cooling rate.

"Simulation of the Global CFC 11 Using the Los Alamos Chemical Tracer Model," C.-Y. J. Kao (Los Alamos Nat. Lab., Los Alamos NM 87544), X. Tie et al., 15,827-15,838. A six-year simulation beginning in 1978 compares reasonably with measurements from the Atmospheric Lifetime Experiment. Model behavior and sensitivity tests are discussed.

Item #d93feb32

"3-D Tropospheric CO Modeling: The Possible Influence of the Ocean," D.J. Erickson III (NCAR, POB 3000, Boulder CO 80307), J.A. Taylor, Geophys. Res. Lett., 19(19), 1955-1958, Oct. 2, 1992.

Simulations assuming a homogeneous ocean-to-atmosphere flux are compared to those allowing a larger, spatially and temporally varying flux. Any climate-related changes in surface radiative fluxes, such as by ozone depletion, may alter surface ocean CO concentrations and, by implication, atmospheric boundary layer CO, OH and O3 abundance.

Item #d93feb33

Three items from J. Clim., 5(9), Sep. 1992:

"An Analysis of Cloud Liquid Water Feedback and Global Climate Sensitivity in a General Circulation Model," K.E. Taylor (Lawrence Livermore Nat. Lab., L-264, POB 808, Livermore CA 94550), S.J. Ghan, 907-919. Experiments with the NCAR model designed to isolate the various feedback effects of clouds show that net cloud feedback, a residual of several offsetting effects, is nevertheless large enough to nearly double the sensitivity of the simulated climate. Cloud albedo cannot be parameterized in terms of average cloud water content.

"Simulated Diurnal Range and Variability of Surface Temperature in a Global Climate Model for Present and Doubled CO₂ Climates," H.X. Cao, J.F.B. Mitchell (Hadley Ctr., Meteor. Off., London Rd., Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 2SY, UK), J.R. Lavery, 920-943. Simulations of doubled CO₂ climate with the Hadley Center model including a mixed-layer ocean show that the diurnal range over land decreases by 0.3·C, while global mean temperature over land increases by 6.3·C.

"Regional Climates in the GISS Global Circulation Model: Synoptic-Scale Circulation," B. Hewitson, R.G. Crane (Dept. Geog., Pennsylvania State Univ., 302 Walker Bldg., Univ. Pk. PA 16802), 1002-1011. Based on principal component analysis, the GISS model effectively simulates synoptic-scale atmospheric circulation over the U.S.

Item #d93feb34

"Tropical Cyclone Frequencies Inferred from Gray's Yearly Genesis Parameter: Validation of GCM Tropical Climates," B.F. Ryan (Atmos. Res., CSIRO, Mordialloc, Vic. 3195, Australia), I.G. Watterson, J.L. Evans, Geophys. Res. Lett., 19(18), 1831-1834, Sep. 23, 1992.

The genesis parameter, a diagnostic tool for determining necessary (but insufficient) conditions for tropical cyclone development, when applied to a CSIRO9 GCM simulation of current climate reproduces reasonably well the observed distribution of this parameter. Analyzes a doubled CO₂ simulation in the same manner.

Item #d93feb35

"A Zonally Averaged, Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere Model for Paleoclimate Studies," T.F. Stocker (Lamont-Doherty Geolog. Observ., Palisades NY 10964), D.G. Wright, L.A. Mysak, J. Clim., 5(8), 773-797, Aug. 1992.

The model emphasizes thermohaline circulations in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans, and their interconnection, and is applied to the effect of freshwater discharge into the North Atlantic. Reversals of deep circulation were possible in the North Atlantic and the Pacific; four different stable equilibria were realized in the model.

Item #d93feb36

"Calculation of CO₂ 15-m Band Atmospheric Cooling Rates by Curtis Matrix Interpolation of Correlated-k Coefficients," X. Zhu (Dept. Earth Sci., Johns Hopkins Univ., Baltimore MD 21218), M.E. Summers, D.F. Strobel, J. Geophys. Res., 97(D12), 12,787-12,797, Aug. 20, 1992. The algorithm is accurate, easy to use and readily adapted for GCMs.

Item #d93feb37

"Global Warming: Greenhouse Gases versus Aerosols," O. Preining (Inst. Experimentalphys., Univ. Wien, Strudlhofg. 4, A-1090 Wien, Austria), Sci. Tot. Environ., 126(1-2), 199-204, Sep. 11, 1992.

Uses a simple zero-dimensional model to evaluate the relative effects of anthropogenic greenhouse gases and aerosols. The effects are comparable but opposite, so aerosols must be included in climate modeling.

Item #d93feb38

"Influence of the Starting Date of Model Integration on Projections of Greenhouse-Gas-Induced Climatic Change," T. Fichefet (Inst. Astron. Geophys., Univ. Catholique, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belg.), C. Tricot, Geophys. Res. Lett., 19(17), 1771-1774, Sep. 4, 1992.

Experiments with a coupled atmosphere-ocean energy-balance model show that although the starting date effect depends on the rate of forcing change and on oceanic thermal inertia, reliable projections of climate change can be obtained by starting model integration as late as the year 1960.

Item #d93feb39

"A Numerical Experiment for Effects of Ozone Heating on General Circulation," Y.J. Chen (Univ. Sci. Technol. China, Hefei 230026, PRC), D.H. Bi, Sci. in China Ser. B. (Chem., Life Sci., Earth Sci.), 35(7), 870-881, July 1992.

Adds an ozone conservation equation to a nine-layer GCM to simulate heating of the upper atmosphere by ultraviolet absorption and to isolate ozone effects. Significant impacts on stratospheric zonal wind and meridional circulation are observed.

Item #d93feb40

"An Example of Climate-Relevant Processes Unresolved by Present-Day General Circulation Models," M. Beniston (ProClim, Bärenpl. 2, 3001 Bern, Switz.), J. Pérez-Sanchez, Environ. Conserv., 19(2), 165-169, Summer 1992.

Uses a mesoscale atmospheric model to investigate whether dynamic and thermodynamic perturbations induced by an island in a trade wind flow could cause important subgrid-scale effects in GCMs. Concludes islands may be climatically important if they act on sufficiently long time scales.

Item #d93feb41

"Comparison of Observed and Calculated Clear Sky Greenhouse Effect: Implications for Climate Studies," J.T. Kiehl (NCAR, POB 3000, Boulder CO 80307), B.P. Briegleb, J. Geophys. Res., 97(D9), 10,037-10,049, June 20, 1992.

Investigates the accuracy of clear sky fluxes analyzed from ERBE measurements by using independent atmospheric and surface data in conjunction with a detailed longwave radiation model. For most regions over the ocean the calculated fluxes agree with measured, except in regions of deep convective activity. Analyzed fluxes may give a more consistent data set for general circulation modeling.

Item #d93feb42

"Interpretation of Seasonal Cloud-Climate Interactions Using Earth Radiation Budget Experiment Data," R.D. Cess (Inst. Terr. Planet. Atmos., SUNY, Stony Brook NY 11794), E.F. Harrison et al., ibid., 97(D7), 7613-7617, May 20, 1992. Proposes an approach for using satellite data to interpret seasonal cloud-climate interactions for testing and improving climate models.

Item #d93feb43

"The Boreal Forests and Climate," G. Thomas (Dept. Rural Land Use, Silsoe College, Cranfield Inst. Technol., Bedford, UK), P.R. Rowntree, Quart. J. Royal Meteor. Soc., 118(Part B, No. 505), 469-497, Apr. 1992.

Investigates the sensitivity of Northern Hemisphere climate to modification of snow-covered surface albedo using the U.K. Meteorological Office GCM, by comparing integrations representing forested and deforested conditions. Deforested regions show systematic reductions in temperature of up to 2.8 K, and decreased precipitation.

Item #d93feb44

"A Review of Terrestrial and Marine Climates in the Cretaceous with Implications for Modelling the 'Greenhouse Earth,'" R.A. Spicer (Dept. Earth Sci., Univ. Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PR, UK), R.M. Corfield, Geol. Mag., 129(2), 169-180, Mar. 1992.

The Cretaceous was an extreme greenhouse world apparently warmer than current conditions. Its geological record provides perspective and constraints against which the success of climate models can be evaluated. Prominent climatic characteristics of the period are discussed.