scholarly journals Will Extratropical Storms Intensify in a Warmer Climate?

2009 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
pp. 2276-2301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lennart Bengtsson ◽  
Kevin I. Hodges ◽  
Noel Keenlyside

Abstract Extratropical cyclones and how they may change in a warmer climate have been investigated in detail with a high-resolution version of the ECHAM5 global climate model. A spectral resolution of T213 (63 km) is used for two 32-yr periods at the end of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries and integrated for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) A1B scenario. Extremes of pressure, vorticity, wind, and precipitation associated with the cyclones are investigated and compared with a lower-resolution simulation. Comparison with observations of extreme wind speeds indicates that the model reproduces realistic values. This study also investigates the ability of the model to simulate extratropical cyclones by computing composites of intense storms and contrasting them with the same composites from the 40-yr ECMWF Re-Analysis (ERA-40). Composites of the time evolution of intense cyclones are reproduced with great fidelity; in particular the evolution of central surface pressure is almost exactly replicated, but vorticity, maximum wind speed, and precipitation are higher in the model. Spatial composites also show that the distributions of pressure, winds, and precipitation at different stages of the cyclone life cycle compare well with those from ERA-40, as does the vertical structure. For the twenty-first century, changes in the distribution of storms are very similar to those of previous study. There is a small reduction in the number of cyclones but no significant changes in the extremes of wind and vorticity in both hemispheres. There are larger regional changes in agreement with previous studies. The largest changes are in the total precipitation, where a significant increase is seen. Cumulative precipitation along the tracks of the cyclones increases by some 11% per track, or about twice the increase in global precipitation, while the extreme precipitation is close to the globally averaged increase in column water vapor (some 27%). Regionally, changes in extreme precipitation are even higher because of changes in the storm tracks.

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 195-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sicheng He ◽  
Jing Yang ◽  
Qing Bao ◽  
Lei Wang ◽  
Bin Wang

AbstractRealistic reproduction of historical extreme precipitation has been challenging for both reanalysis and global climate model (GCM) simulations. This work assessed the fidelities of the combined gridded observational datasets, reanalysis datasets, and GCMs [CMIP5 and the Chinese Academy of Sciences Flexible Global Ocean–Atmospheric Land System Model–Finite-Volume Atmospheric Model, version 2 (FGOALS-f2)] in representing extreme precipitation over East China. The assessment used 552 stations’ rain gauge data as ground truth and focused on the probability distribution function of daily precipitation and spatial structure of extreme precipitation days. The TRMM observation displays similar rainfall intensity–frequency distributions as the stations. However, three combined gridded observational datasets, four reanalysis datasets, and most of the CMIP5 models cannot capture extreme precipitation exceeding 150 mm day−1, and all underestimate extreme precipitation frequency. The observed spatial distribution of extreme precipitation exhibits two maximum centers, located over the lower-middle reach of Yangtze River basin and the deep South China region, respectively. Combined gridded observations and JRA-55 capture these two centers, but ERA-Interim, MERRA, and CFSR and almost all CMIP5 models fail to capture them. The percentage of extreme rainfall in the total rainfall amount is generally underestimated by 25%–75% in all CMIP5 models. Higher-resolution models tend to have better performance, and physical parameterization may be crucial for simulating correct extreme precipitation. The performances are significantly improved in the newly released FGOALS-f2 as a result of increased resolution and a more realistic simulation of moisture and heating profiles. This work pinpoints the common biases in the combined gridded observational datasets and reanalysis datasets and helps to improve models’ simulation of extreme precipitation, which is critically important for reliable projection of future changes in extreme precipitation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 613-623 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward Gryspeerdt ◽  
Johannes Mülmenstädt ◽  
Andrew Gettelman ◽  
Florent F. Malavelle ◽  
Hugh Morrison ◽  
...  

Abstract. The radiative forcing from aerosols (particularly through their interaction with clouds) remains one of the most uncertain components of the human forcing of the climate. Observation-based studies have typically found a smaller aerosol effective radiative forcing than in model simulations and were given preferential weighting in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report (AR5). With their own sources of uncertainty, it is not clear that observation-based estimates are more reliable. Understanding the source of the model and observational differences is thus vital to reduce uncertainty in the impact of aerosols on the climate. These reported discrepancies arise from the different methods of separating the components of aerosol forcing used in model and observational studies. Applying the observational decomposition to global climate model (GCM) output, the two different lines of evidence are surprisingly similar, with a much better agreement on the magnitude of aerosol impacts on cloud properties. Cloud adjustments remain a significant source of uncertainty, particularly for ice clouds. However, they are consistent with the uncertainty from observation-based methods, with the liquid water path adjustment usually enhancing the Twomey effect by less than 50 %. Depending on different sets of assumptions, this work suggests that model and observation-based estimates could be more equally weighted in future synthesis studies.


2007 ◽  
Vol 20 (7) ◽  
pp. 1174-1187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Jiang ◽  
William Perrie

Abstract This study explores how midlatitude extratropical cyclone intensities, frequencies, and tracks can be modified under warming-induced conditions due to enhanced greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations. Simulations were performed with the Canadian mesoscale compressible community (MC2) model driven by control and high CO2 climate estimates from the Canadian Climate Centre model, the Second Generation Coupled Global Climate Model (CGCM2). CGCM2 simulations have effective CO2 concentration forcing, following the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) IS92a scenario conditions, which define a near doubling of CO2 concentrations by 2050 compared to the 1980s. The control and high CO2 conditions were obtained from years 1975–94 and 2040–59 of CGCM2 simulations. For the northwest Atlantic, the CO2-induced warming for this period (2040–59) varies from ∼1°–2°C in the subtropics, near the main development region for Atlantic hurricanes, to ∼1°C in the north. In simulations of northwest Atlantic storms, the net impact of this enhanced CO2 scenario is to cause storms to increase in radius, with marginal tendencies to become more severe and to propagate faster (although not statistically significant), and for the mean storm tracks to shift slightly poleward.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martina Stockhause ◽  
Robin Matthews ◽  
Anna Pirani ◽  
Anne Marie Treguier ◽  
Ozge Yelekci

<p>The the amount of work and resources invested by the modelling centers to provide CMIP6 (Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6) experiments and climate projection datasets is huge, and therefore it is extremely important that the teams receive proper credit for their work. The Citation Service makes CMIP6 data citable with DOI references for the evolving CMIP6 model data published in the Earth System Grid Federation (ESGF). The Citation Service as a new piece of the CMIP6 infrastructure was developed upon the request from the CMIP Panel.</p><p>CMIP6 provides new global climate model data assessed in the IPCC's (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) Sixth Assessment Report (AR6). Led by the Technical Support Unit of IPCC Working Group I (WGI TSU), the IPCC Task Group on Data Support for Climate Change Assessment (TG-Data) developed FAIR data guidelines, for implementation by the TSUs of the three IPCC WGs and the IPCC Data Distribution Centre (DDC) Partners. A central part of the FAIR data guidelines are the documentation and citation of data used in the report.</p><p>The contribution will show how CMIP6 data usage is documented in IPCC WGI AR6 from three angles: technical implementation, collection of CMIP6 data usage information from the IPCC authors, and a report users’ perspective.</p><p> </p><p>Links:</p><ul><li>CMIP6 Citation Service: http://cmip6cite.wdc-climate.de</li> <li>CMIP6: https://pcmdi.llnl.gov/CMIP6/</li> <li>IPCC AR6: https://www.ipcc.ch/assessment-report/ar6/</li> <li>IPCC AR6 WGI report: https://www.ipcc.ch/report/sixth-assessment-report-working-group-i/</li> <li>IPCC TG-Data: https://www.ipcc.ch/data/</li> </ul>


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin Manning ◽  
Elizabeth J. Kendon ◽  
Hayley J. Fowler ◽  
Nigel M. Roberts ◽  
Ségolène Berthou ◽  
...  

AbstractExtra-tropical windstorms are one of the costliest natural hazards affecting Europe, and windstorms that develop a sting jet are extremely damaging. A sting jet is a mesoscale core of very high wind speeds that occurs in Shapiro–Keyser type cyclones, and high-resolution models are required to adequately model sting jets. Here, we develop a low-cost methodology to automatically detect sting jets, using the characteristic warm seclusion of Shapiro–Keyser cyclones and the slantwise descent of high wind speeds, within pan-European 2.2 km convection-permitting climate model (CPM) simulations. The representation of wind gusts is improved with respect to ERA-Interim reanalysis data compared to observations; this is linked to better representation of cold conveyor belts and sting jets in the CPM. Our analysis indicates that Shapiro–Keyser cyclones, and those that develop sting jets, are the most damaging windstorms in present and future climates. The frequency of extreme windstorms is projected to increase by 2100 and a large contribution comes from sting jet storms. Furthermore, extreme wind speeds and their future changes are underestimated in the global climate model (GCM) compared to the CPM. We conclude that the CPM adds value in the representation of extreme winds and surface wind gusts and can provide improved input for impact models compared to coarser resolution models.


2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 235-253 ◽  
Author(s):  
Young Do Kim ◽  
Jung Min Kim ◽  
Boosik Kang

A hydro-environmental model chain in the Doam dam basin, Korea, was developed for an impact assessment under the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's A1B scenario. The feasible downscaling scheme composed of an artificial neural network (ANN) and non-stationary quantile mapping was applied to the GCM (Global Climate Model) output. The impacts under climate and land use change scenarios were examined and projected using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model. The daily SWAT model was calibrated and validated for 2003–2004 and 2006–2008, respectively. Meanwhile the monthly SS (suspended solids) was calibrated and validated for 1999–2001 and 2007–2009, respectively. The simulation results illustrated that under the assumption of 1–5% urbanization of the forest area, the hydrologic impact is relatively negligible and the climate change impacts are dominant over the urbanization impacts. Additionally the partial impacts of land use changes were analyzed under five different scenarios: partial change of forest to urban (PCFUr), to bare field, to grassland, to upland crop (PCFUp), and to agriculture (PCFA). The analysis of the runoff change shows the highest rate of increase, 73.57% in April, for the PCFUp scenario. The second and third highest rate increases, 37.83% and 31.45% in May, occurred under the PCFA and PCFUr scenarios, respectively.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rhuan Costa ◽  
Celso Luiz Mendes

The Brazilian Earth System Model (BESM) is a Global Climate Model (GCM) developed by the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research (INPE). The main purpose of a GCM is to simulate Earth’s climate in a decadal or centennial scale. The simulations usually include representations of the main elements of the Earth, such as atmosphere, ocean, ice and land. Since its first release, BESM has provided support materials for contributions to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). This paper evaluates BESM’s performance and explores optimization possibilities, aiming to speed up the model execution. Our study started with a detailed analysis that characterized the performance of BESM executions on hundreds of processors, which served to reveal the major performance bottlenecks. Next, we worked on schemes to mitigate some of those bottlenecks. The changes made so far resulted on performance gains up to a factor of 4 in some cases, when compared to the way it was previously being executed in production. We also describe ongoing work towards additional performance improvements. Despite presenting results only for BESM, our optimization techniques are applicable to other scientific, multi-physics models as well.


2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 9375-9405
Author(s):  
A. Bichet ◽  
M. Wild ◽  
D. Folini ◽  
C. Schär

Abstract. Predicting and adapting to changes in the hydrological cycle is one of the major challenges for the twenty-first century. To better estimate how it will respond to future changes in climate forcings, it is crucial to understand how it has evolved in the past and why. In our study, we use an atmospheric global climate model with prescribed sea surface temperatures (SSTs) to investigate how changing external climate forcings have affected global land temperature and precipitation in the period 1870–2005. We show that prescribed SSTs (encapsulating other forcings) are the dominant forcing driving the decadal variability of land temperature and precipitation since 1870. On top of this SSTs forcing, we also find that the atmosphere-only response to increasing aerosol emissions is a reduction in global land temperature and precipitation by up to 0.4 °C and 30 mm year−1, respectively, between about 1930 and 2000. Similarly, the atmosphere-only response to increasing greenhouse gas concentrations is an increase in global land temperature and precipitation by up to 0.25 °C and 10 mm year−1, respectively, between about 1950 and 2000. Finally, our results also suggest that between about 1950 and 1970, increasing aerosol emissions had a larger impact on the hydrological cycle than increasing greenhouse gases concentrations.


Author(s):  
Michael Wehner ◽  
Jiwoo Lee ◽  
Mark Risser ◽  
Paul Ullrich ◽  
Peter Gleckler ◽  
...  

We examine the resolution dependence of errors in extreme sub-daily precipitation in available high-resolution climate models. We find that simulated extreme precipitation increases as horizontal resolution increases but that appropriately constructed model skill metrics do not significantly change. We find little evidence that simulated extreme winter or summer storm processes significantly improve with the resolution because the model performance changes identified are consistent with expectations from scale dependence arguments alone. We also discuss the implications of these scale-dependent limitations on the interpretation of simulated extreme precipitation. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘Intensification of short-duration rainfall extremes and implications for flash flood risks’.


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