scholarly journals Planetary emittance and feedback parameters through varying climates in basic modelling

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Anderl
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapor ◽  
Simple Model ◽  
Entire Range ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Scientific Research ◽  
Lapse Rate ◽  
Concentration Change ◽  
Free Atmosphere ◽  
Solar Luminosity ◽  
Atmospheric Window

Abstract In search for reproducibility of the results from sophisticated scientific research, the present work focuses on the planetary (longwave) emittance variabilities. A simple model appears applicable through the entire range from very cold to extremely warm climates and for different climate driving forces, i.e. solar luminosity variation and CO2 concentration change. The results interrelate effects from lapse rate, water vapor, CO2, and clouds for equilibrium climate states. Feedback parameters are analysed for the emittance decomposition into the atmospheric window, clouds, and the cloud-free atmosphere. A view is devoted to the faint young Sun problem.

scholarly journals Frequency of deep convective clouds in the tropical zone from ten years of AIRS data

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 10009-10047
Author(s):  
H. H. Aumann ◽  
A. Ruzmaikin
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapor ◽  
Brightness Temperature ◽  
Frequency Of Occurrence ◽  
Tropical Zone ◽  
Convective Clouds ◽  
Atmospheric Window ◽  
Deep Convective Clouds ◽  
Sst Anomaly ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Global Precipitation

Abstract. Deep Convective Clouds (DCC) have been widely studied because of their association with heavy precipitation and severe weather events. To identify DCC with Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) data we use three types of thresholds: (1) thresholds based on the absolute value of an atmospheric window channel brightness temperature; (2) thresholds based on the difference between the brightness temperature in an atmospheric window channel and the brightness temperature centered on a strong water vapor absorption line; and (3) a threshold using the difference between the window channel brightness temperature and the tropopause temperature based on climatology. We find that DCC identified with threshold (2) (referred to as DCCw4) cover 0.16% of the area of the tropical zone and 72% of them are identified as deep convective, 39% are overshooting based on simultaneous observations with the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-HSB (AMSU-HSB) 183 GHz water vapor channels. In the past ten years the frequency of occurrence of DCC decreased for the tropical ocean, while it increased for tropical land. The land increase-ocean decrease closely balance, such that the DCC frequency changed at an insignificant rate for the entire tropical zone. This pattern of essentially zero trend for the tropical zone, but opposite land/ocean trends, is consistent with measurements of global precipitation. The changes in frequency of occurrence of the DCC are correlated with the Niño34 index, which defines the SST anomaly in the East-Central Pacific. This is also consistent with patterns seen in global precipitation. This suggests that the observed changes in the frequency are part of a decadal variability characterized by shifts in the main tropical circulation patterns, which does not fully balance in the ten year AIRS data record. The regional correlations and anti-correlations of the DCC frequency anomaly with the Multivariate ENSO Index (MEI) provides a new perspective for the regional analysis of past events, since the SST anomaly in the Nino34 region is available in the form of the extended MEI since 1871. Depending on the selected threshold, the frequency of DCC in the tropical zone ranges from 0.06% to 0.8% of the area. We find that the least frequent, more extreme DCC also show the largest trend in frequency, increasing over land, decreasing over ocean. This finding fits into the framework of how weather extremes respond to climate change.

Silica Nanocomposite Membrane for Dehumidification

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omar Almahmoud ◽  
Tae-Youl Choi ◽  
Young-Soo Seo ◽  
Hyo-Sun Kim ◽  
Kevin A. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapor ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Comsol Multiphysics ◽  
The Finite Element Method ◽  
Dry Air ◽  
Hydrophobic Polymer ◽  
Silica Nanocomposite ◽  
Novel Design ◽  
Polyurethane Membrane

Various designs of novel membrane (silica nanocomposite polyurethane membrane) were tested for its optimal configuration in a membrane-based dehumidification system. This membrane was designed with a hydrophobic polymer matrix with hydrophilic silica nanochains. In this dehumidification process, two driving forces were suggested: concentration gradient of water vapor in the atmospheric air channel due to sweep gas and pressure gradient due to vacuum. This paper describes validation of the model configurations using the finite element method software (COMSOL Multiphysics) with experiments. Pressurized air enters an air duct at 1–5 liters per minute flow rate. Air is then humidified using a misting nozzle until saturation. Then the humid air passes by the membrane with a vacuum pump connected vertically to the duct to maximize the dehumidification rate. A novel design showed water vapor reduction from 19.4 grams of water vapor per kilogram of dry air to 16.9 grams of water vapor per kilogram of dry air for the 1 liter per minute flow rate of the 47 mm diameter membrane.

scholarly journals A 1D RCE Study of Factors Affecting the Tropical Tropopause Layer and Surface Climate

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (20) ◽  
pp. 6769-6782 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sally Dacie ◽  
Lukas Kluft ◽  
Hauke Schmidt ◽  
Bjorn Stevens ◽  
Stefan A. Buehler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapor ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Temperature Response ◽  
Global Climate Models ◽  
Lapse Rate ◽  
Tropical Tropopause Layer ◽  
Tropical Tropopause ◽  
Surface Climate ◽  
Ozone Profile ◽  
Convective Adjustment

Abstract There are discrepancies between global climate models regarding the evolution of the tropical tropopause layer (TTL) and also whether changes in ozone impact the surface under climate change. We use a 1D clear-sky radiative–convective equilibrium model to determine how a variety of factors can affect the TTL and how they influence surface climate. We develop a new method of convective adjustment, which relaxes the temperature profile toward the moist adiabat and allows for cooling above the level of neutral buoyancy. The TTL temperatures in our model are sensitive to CO2 concentration, ozone profile, the method of convective adjustment, and the upwelling velocity, which is used to calculate a dynamical cooling rate in the stratosphere. Moreover, the temperature response of the TTL to changes in each of the above factors sometimes depends on the others. The surface temperature response to changes in ozone and upwelling at and above the TTL is also strongly amplified by both stratospheric and tropospheric water vapor changes. With all these influencing factors, it is not surprising that global models disagree with regard to TTL structure and evolution and the influence of ozone changes on surface temperatures. On the other hand, the effect of doubling CO2 on the surface, including just radiative, water vapor, and lapse-rate feedbacks, is relatively robust to changes in convection, upwelling, or the applied ozone profile.

The Atmospheric Energy Constraint on Global-Mean Precipitation Change

2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 757-768 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angeline G. Pendergrass ◽  
Dennis L. Hartmann
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapor ◽  
Temperature Increase ◽  
Longwave Radiation ◽  
Surface Fluxes ◽  
Lapse Rate ◽  
Specific Humidity ◽  
Radiative Cooling ◽  
Rate Of Increase ◽  
Precipitation Increase ◽  
Global Mean

Abstract Models from phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) robustly predict that the rate of increase in global-mean precipitation with global-mean surface temperature increase is much less than the rate of increase of water vapor. The goal of this paper is to explain in detail the mechanisms by which precipitation increase is constrained by radiative cooling. Changes in clear-sky atmospheric radiative cooling resulting from changes in temperature and humidity in global warming simulations are in good agreement with the multimodel, global-mean precipitation increase projected by GCMs (~1.1 W m−2 K−1). In an atmosphere with fixed specific humidity, radiative cooling from the top of the atmosphere (TOA) increases in response to a uniform temperature increase of the surface and atmosphere, while atmospheric cooling by exchange with the surface decreases because the upward emission of longwave radiation from the surface increases more than the downward longwave radiation from the atmosphere. When a fixed relative humidity (RH) assumption is made, however, uniform warming causes a much smaller increase of cooling at the TOA, and the surface contribution reverses to an increase in net cooling rate due to increased downward emission from water vapor. Sensitivity of precipitation changes to lapse rate changes is modest when RH is fixed. Carbon dioxide reduces TOA emission with only weak effects on surface fluxes, and thus suppresses precipitation. The net atmospheric cooling response and thereby the precipitation response to CO2-induced warming at fixed RH are mostly contributed by changes in surface fluxes. The role of clouds is discussed. Intermodel spread in the rate of precipitation increase across the CMIP5 simulations is attributed to differences in the atmospheric cooling.

Consistent Differences in Climate Feedbacks between Atmosphere–Ocean GCMs and Atmospheric GCMs with Slab-Ocean Models*

2013 ◽  
Vol 26 (12) ◽  
pp. 4264-4281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen M. Shell
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapor ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
Ocean Dynamics ◽  
Lapse Rate ◽  
Climate Feedbacks ◽  
Temperature Changes ◽  
Model Type ◽  
Global Average ◽  
Ocean Models ◽  
Slab Ocean

Abstract Climate sensitivity is generally studied using two types of models. Atmosphere–ocean general circulation models (AOGCMs) include interactive ocean dynamics and detailed heat uptake. Atmospheric GCMs (AGCMs) with slab ocean models (SOMs) cannot fully simulate the ocean’s response to and influence on climate. However, AGCMs are computationally cheaper and thus are often used to quantify and understand climate feedbacks and sensitivity. Here, physical climate feedbacks are compared between AOGCMs and SOM-AGCMs from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 3 (CMIP3) using the radiative kernel technique. Both the global-average (positive) water vapor and (negative) lapse-rate feedbacks are consistently stronger in AOGCMs. Water vapor feedback differences result from an essentially constant relative humidity and peak in the tropics, where temperature changes are larger for AOGCMs. Differences in lapse-rate feedbacks extend to midlatitudes and correspond to a larger ratio of tropical- to global-average temperature changes. Global-average surface albedo feedbacks are similar between models types because of a near cancellation of Arctic and Antarctic differences. In AOGCMs, the northern high latitudes warm faster than the southern latitudes, resulting in interhemispheric differences in albedo, water vapor, and lapse-rate feedbacks lacking in the SOM-AGCMs. Meridional heat transport changes also depend on the model type, although there is a large intermodel spread. However, there are no consistent global or zonal differences in cloud feedbacks. Effects of the forcing scenario [Special Report on Emissions Scenarios A1B (SRESa1b) or the 1% CO2 increase per year to doubling (1%to2x) experiments] on feedbacks are model dependent and generally of lesser importance than the model type. Care should be taken when using SOM-AGCMs to understand AOGCM feedback behavior.

scholarly journals Nadir Correction of AIRS Radiances

2010 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 470-480 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chee-Kiat Teo ◽  
Tieh-Yong Koh
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapor ◽  
Standard Deviation ◽  
The Other ◽  
Mean Square ◽  
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder ◽  
Limb Effect ◽  
Atmospheric Window ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Optimal Set ◽  
Atmospheric Windows

Abstract A statistical method to correct for the limb effect in off-nadir Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) channel radiances is described, using the channel radiance itself and principal components (PCs) of the other channel radiances to account for the multicollinearity. A method of selecting an optimal set of predictors is proposed and demonstrated for one- and two-PC predictors. Validation results with a subset of AIRS channels in the spectral region 649–2664 cm−1 show that the mean nadir-corrected brightness temperature (BT) is largely independent of scan angle. More than 66% of the channels have a root-mean-square (rms) bias less than 0.10 K after nadir correction. Limb effect on the standard deviation (SD) of BT is discernible at larger scan angles, mainly for the atmospheric windows and the water vapor channels around 6.7 μm. After nadir correction, nearly all atmospheric window channels unaffected by solar glint and more than 76% of water vapor channels examined have BT SDs brought closer to nadir values. For the window channels affected by solar glint (wavenumber > 2490 cm−1), BT SDs at the scan angles with the strongest impact from solar reflection were improved on average by more than 0.6 K after nadir correction.

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