Abstract
The response of the ocean's meridional overturning circulation (MOC) to increased greenhouse gas forcing is examined using a coupled model of intermediate complexity, including a dynamic 3-D ocean subcomponent. Parameters are the increase in CO2 forcing (with stabilization after a specified time interval) and the model's climate sensitivity. In this model, the cessation of deep sinking in the north "Atlantic" (hereinafter, a "collapse"), as indicated by changes in the MOC, behaves like a simple bifurcation. The final surface air temperature (SAT) change, which is closely predicted by the product of the radiative forcing and the climate sensitivity, determines whether a collapse occurs. The initial transient response in SAT is largely a function of the forcing increase, with higher sensitivity runs exhibiting delayed behavior; accordingly, high CO2-low sensitivity scenarios can be assessed as a recovering or collapsing circulation shortly after stabilization, whereas low CO2-high sensitivity scenarios require several hundred additional years to make such a determination. We also systemically examine how the rate of forcing, for a given CO2 stabilization, affects the ocean response. In contrast with previous studies based on results using simpler ocean models, we find that except for a narrow range of marginally stable to marginally unstable scenarios, the forcing rate has little impact on whether the run collapses or recovers. In this narrow range, however, forcing increases on a time scale of slow ocean advective processes results in weaker declines in overturning strength and can permit a run to recover that would otherwise collapse.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 441-454 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Journal | Climate Dynamics |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Apr 1 2008 |
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All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Atmospheric Science
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Relative roles of climate sensitivity and forcing in defining the ocean circulation response to climate change. / Scott, Jeffery R.; Sokolov, Andrei P.; Stone, Peter H.; Webster, Mort D.
In: Climate Dynamics, Vol. 30, No. 5, 01.04.2008, p. 441-454.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - Relative roles of climate sensitivity and forcing in defining the ocean circulation response to climate change
AU - Scott, Jeffery R.
AU - Sokolov, Andrei P.
AU - Stone, Peter H.
AU - Webster, Mort D.
PY - 2008/4/1
Y1 - 2008/4/1
N2 - The response of the ocean's meridional overturning circulation (MOC) to increased greenhouse gas forcing is examined using a coupled model of intermediate complexity, including a dynamic 3-D ocean subcomponent. Parameters are the increase in CO2 forcing (with stabilization after a specified time interval) and the model's climate sensitivity. In this model, the cessation of deep sinking in the north "Atlantic" (hereinafter, a "collapse"), as indicated by changes in the MOC, behaves like a simple bifurcation. The final surface air temperature (SAT) change, which is closely predicted by the product of the radiative forcing and the climate sensitivity, determines whether a collapse occurs. The initial transient response in SAT is largely a function of the forcing increase, with higher sensitivity runs exhibiting delayed behavior; accordingly, high CO2-low sensitivity scenarios can be assessed as a recovering or collapsing circulation shortly after stabilization, whereas low CO2-high sensitivity scenarios require several hundred additional years to make such a determination. We also systemically examine how the rate of forcing, for a given CO2 stabilization, affects the ocean response. In contrast with previous studies based on results using simpler ocean models, we find that except for a narrow range of marginally stable to marginally unstable scenarios, the forcing rate has little impact on whether the run collapses or recovers. In this narrow range, however, forcing increases on a time scale of slow ocean advective processes results in weaker declines in overturning strength and can permit a run to recover that would otherwise collapse.
AB - The response of the ocean's meridional overturning circulation (MOC) to increased greenhouse gas forcing is examined using a coupled model of intermediate complexity, including a dynamic 3-D ocean subcomponent. Parameters are the increase in CO2 forcing (with stabilization after a specified time interval) and the model's climate sensitivity. In this model, the cessation of deep sinking in the north "Atlantic" (hereinafter, a "collapse"), as indicated by changes in the MOC, behaves like a simple bifurcation. The final surface air temperature (SAT) change, which is closely predicted by the product of the radiative forcing and the climate sensitivity, determines whether a collapse occurs. The initial transient response in SAT is largely a function of the forcing increase, with higher sensitivity runs exhibiting delayed behavior; accordingly, high CO2-low sensitivity scenarios can be assessed as a recovering or collapsing circulation shortly after stabilization, whereas low CO2-high sensitivity scenarios require several hundred additional years to make such a determination. We also systemically examine how the rate of forcing, for a given CO2 stabilization, affects the ocean response. In contrast with previous studies based on results using simpler ocean models, we find that except for a narrow range of marginally stable to marginally unstable scenarios, the forcing rate has little impact on whether the run collapses or recovers. In this narrow range, however, forcing increases on a time scale of slow ocean advective processes results in weaker declines in overturning strength and can permit a run to recover that would otherwise collapse.
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U2 - 10.1007/s00382-007-0298-x
DO - 10.1007/s00382-007-0298-x
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:39349110891
VL - 30
SP - 441
EP - 454
JO - Climate Dynamics
JF - Climate Dynamics
SN - 0930-7575
IS - 5
ER -