Regulation of atmospheric circulation controlling the tropical Pacific precipitation change in response to CO₂ increases.

ABSTRACT: The spatial pattern of precipitation responses to CO₂ concentration increases significantly influences global weather and climate variability by altering the location of tropical heating in a warmer climate. In this study, we analyze the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) climate model projections of tropical Pacific rainfall response to quadrupled increase of CO₂. We found that the precipitation changes to the CO₂ concentration increase cannot be interpreted by a weakening or strengthening of large-scale east-west coupling across the tropical Pacific basin, i.e., Walker circulation. By calculating the water vapor transport, we suggest instead that different responses of the Walker and Hadley circulations to the increasing CO₂

SUBMITTER: Sohn BJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6405775 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature