Simulated Influence of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation on Summer Eurasian Nonuniform Warming since the Mid-1990s

Based on ensemble experiments with three atmospheric general circulation models(AGCMs), this study investigates the role of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation(AMO) in shaping the summer nonuniform warming over the Eurasian continent since the mid-1990 s. The results validate that the positive-phase AMO can indeed cause nonuniform warming,with predominant amplified warming over Europe–West Asia and Northeast Asia, but with much weaker warming over Central Asia. The underlying mechanism is then diagnosed from the perspective that the boundary forcing modulates the intrinsic atmospheric variability. The results highlight the role of the Silk Road Pattern(SRP), an intrinsic teleconnection pattern across the subtropical Eurasian continent propagating along the Asian jet. The SRP can not only be identified from the AGCM control experiments with the climatological sea surface temperature(SST), but can also be simulated by the AMO-related SST anomaly(SSTA) forcing. Furthermore, diagnostic linear baroclinic model experiments are conducted, and the results suggest that the SRP can be triggered by the AMO-related tropical diabatic heating. The AMO-triggered SRP-like responses feature anticyclonic circulations over Europe–West Asia and Northeast Asia, but cyclonic circulation over Central Asia. These responses cause increased warm advection towards Europe–West Asia and Northeast Asia, reduced precipitation and cloud cover, and then increased downward shortwave radiation. This increased warm advection and increased downward shortwave radiation together cause amplified warming in Europe–West Asia and Northeast Asia. The situation is opposite for Central Asia.     

青藏高原与周边地区近四十年区域夏季地表气温变化趋势的异同及归因分析

欧亚大陆夏季地表气温在近四十年有显著的升温趋势,本文基于ERA5再分析数据研究了1979～2019年间欧亚大陆不同区域的夏季地表气温的变化特征,并利用气候反馈响应分析方法揭示了各区域变暖原因的异同。作为全球海拔最高的大地形,青藏高原在过去四十年经历了显著的增温过程。青藏高原周边相对低海拔的地区（如北非—南欧地区、蒙古地区、东北亚地区）同样表现出明显的变暖特征,而高原南侧的南亚地区的地表气温却变化不明显。青藏高原夏季积雪融化引起的地表反照率减小使得更多短波辐射到达地表,放大高原地表增暖。北非—南欧地区增暖则主要源于大气气溶胶含量减少造成的入射短波辐射增加。同时,大气温度升高导致的向下长波辐射增强对北非—南欧地区以及蒙古地区的增暖都有显著贡献。此外,东北亚地区云的减少是造成其地表增暖最主要的过程,而南亚地区则是水汽增加和感热通量减少造成的增温与云和气溶胶增加造成的降温相抵消,因而温度变化幅度不大。     

A dissection of the surface temperature biases in the Community Earth System Model

Based upon the climate feedback-responses analysis method, a quantitative attribution analysis is conducted for the annual-mean surface temperature biases in the Community Earth System Model version 1 (CESM1). Surface temperature biases are decomposed into partial temperature biases associated with model biases in albedo, water vapor, cloud, sensible/latent heat flux, surface dynamics, and atmospheric dynamics. A globally-averaged cold bias of ?1.22 K in CESM1 is largely attributable to albedo bias that accounts for approximately ?0.80 K. Over land, albedo bias contributes ?1.20 K to the averaged cold bias of ?1.45 K. The cold bias over ocean, on the other hand, results from multiple factors including albedo, cloud, oceanic dynamics, and atmospheric dynamics. Bias in the model representation of oceanic dynamics is the primary cause of cold (warm) biases in the Northern (Southern) Hemisphere oceans while surface latent heat flux over oceans always acts to compensate for the overall temperature biases. Albedo bias resulted from the model’s simulation of snow cover and sea ice is the main contributor to temperature biases over high-latitude lands and the Arctic and Antarctic region. Longwave effect of water vapor is responsible for an overall warm (cold) bias in the subtropics (tropics) due to an overestimate (underestimate) of specific humidity in the region. Cloud forcing of temperature biases exhibits large regional variations and the model bias in the simulated ocean mixed layer depth is a key contributor to the partial sea surface temperature biases associated with oceanic dynamics. On a global scale, biases in the model representation of radiative processes account more for surface temperature biases compared to non-radiative, dynamical processes.     

On the Contrasting Decadal Changes of Diurnal Surface Temperature Range between the Tibetan Plateau and Southeastern China during the 1980s–2000s

The diurnal surface temperature range(DTR) has become significantly smaller over the Tibetan Plateau(TP) but larger in southeastern China, despite the daily mean surface temperature having increased steadily in both areas during recent decades.Based on ERA-Interim reanalysis data covering 1979–2012, this study shows that the weakened DTR over TP is caused by stronger warming of daily minimum surface temperature(Tmin) and a weak cooling of the daily maximum surface temperature(Tmax); meanwhile, the enhanced DTR over southeastern China is mainly associated with a relatively stronger/weaker warming of Tmax/Tmin. A further quantitative analysis of DTR changes through a process-based decomposition method—the Coupled Surface–Atmosphere Climate Feedback Response Analysis Method(CFRAM)—indicates that changes in radiative processes are mainly responsible for the decreased DTR over the TP. In particular, the increased low-level cloud cover tends to induce the radiative cooling/warming during daytime/nighttime, and the increased water vapor helps to decrease the DTR through the stronger radiative warming during nighttime than daytime. Contributions from the changes in all radiative processes(over-2?C) are compensated for by those from the stronger decreased surface sensible heat flux during daytime than during nighttime(approximately 2.5?C), but are co-contributed by the changes in atmospheric dynamics(approximately-0.4?C) and the stronger increased latent heat flux during daytime(approximately-0.8?C). In contrast, the increased DTR over southeastern China is mainly contributed by the changes in cloud, water vapor and atmospheric dynamics. The changes in surface heat fluxes have resulted in a decrease in DTR over southeastern China.     

Changes in Surface Energy Partitioning in China over the Past Three Decades

Surface energy balance and the partitioning of sensible heat flux(SHF) and latent heat flux(LHF) play key roles in land–atmosphere feedback. However,the lack of long-term observations of surface energy fluxes,not to mention spatially extensive ones,limits our understanding of how the surface energy distribution has responded to a warming climate over recent decades(1979–2009) at the national scale in China. Using four state-of-the-art reanalysis products with long-term surface energy outputs,we identified robust changes in surface energy partitioning,defined by the Bowen ratio(BR = SHF/LHF),over different climate regimes in China. Over the past three decades,the net radiation showed an increasing trend over almost the whole of China. The increase in available radiative energy flux,however,was balanced by differential partitioning of surface turbulent fluxes,determined by local hydrological conditions. In semi-arid areas,such as Northeast China,the radiative energy was transferred largely into SHF. A severe deficiency in near-surface and soil moistures led to a significant decreasing trend in LHF. The combined effect of increased SHF and decreased LHF resulted in significant upward trends in the BR and surface warming over Northeast China. In contrast,in the wet monsoon regions,such as southern China,increased downward net radiation favored a rise in LHF rather than in SHF,leading to a significant decreasing trend in the BR. Meanwhile,the increased LHF partly cancelled out the surface warming. The warming trend in southern China was smaller than that in Northeast China. In addition to impacts on heat-related events,the changes in the BR also reflected recent cases of extreme drought in China. Our results indicate that information regarding the BR may be valuable for drought monitoring,especially in regions prone to such conditions.     

夏季我国干旱、半干旱区陆面过程能量平衡及其局地大气环流

利用NCEP资料分析得出,夏季我国干旱,半干旱区在整个欧亚大陆上是陆面感热通量最强的地方,与此对应的陆面潜热通量则最弱.陆面所接收的太阳短波辐射主要以感热和长波辐射的能量形式释放.该区降水量很少,降水量的年际变率也很弱;因此,该区的陆面热量通量都显出很弱的年际变率;然而,这些通量的年代际变率信号则比较显著.我国干旱、半干旱区大气环流的热力过程与其陆面过程特征密切相关.该区对流层大气的辐射冷却很强,达-3 K d-1.由于缺乏水汽和上升运动,大尺度凝结加热率、深对流加热率、浅对流加热率都非常弱.因此,600hPa以上的大气以绝热下沉加热来平衡辐射冷却;600hPa以下,陆面感热引起的垂直扩散加热率非常强,多达8 K d-1,它除了平衡辐射冷却以外还制造对流层低层的对流运动,以绝热上升冷却来平衡多余的垂直扩散加热.总之,我国干旱、半干旱区的陆面过程特征决定了该区大气运动的特殊垂直结构,即对流层低层对流上升运动及其上层的下沉运动.我国干旱、半干旱区陆面能量平衡及其局地大气环流的年代际变率,是全球气候系统年代际变率的必然结果.     

Attributing analysis on the model bias in surface temperature in the climate system model FGOALS-s2 through a process-based decomposition method

This study uses the coupled atmosphere–surface climate feedback–response analysis method(CFRAM) to analyze the surface temperature biases in the Flexible Global Ocean–Atmosphere–Land System model, spectral version 2(FGOALS-s2)in January and July. The process-based decomposition of the surface temperature biases, defined as the difference between the model and ERA-Interim during 1979–2005, enables us to attribute the model surface temperature biases to individual radiative processes including ozone, water vapor, cloud, and surface albedo; and non-radiative processes including surface sensible and latent heat fluxes, and dynamic processes at the surface and in the atmosphere. The results show that significant model surface temperature biases are almost globally present, are generally larger over land than over oceans, and are relatively larger in summer than in winter. Relative to the model biases in non-radiative processes, which tend to dominate the surface temperature biases in most parts of the world, biases in radiative processes are much smaller, except in the sub-polar Antarctic region where the cold biases from the much overestimated surface albedo are compensated for by the warm biases from nonradiative processes. The larger biases in non-radiative processes mainly lie in surface heat fluxes and in surface dynamics,which are twice as large in the Southern Hemisphere as in the Northern Hemisphere and always tend to compensate for each other. In particular, the upward/downward heat fluxes are systematically underestimated/overestimated in most parts of the world, and are mainly compensated for by surface dynamic processes including the increased heat storage in deep oceans across the globe.     

Dynamical greenhouse-plus feedback and polar warming amplification. Part II: meridional and vertical asymmetries of the global warming

This paper examines several prominent thermodynamic and dynamic factors responsible for the meridional and vertical warming asymmetries using a moist coupled atmosphere–surface radiative transportive four-box climate model. A coupled atmosphere–surface feedback analysis is formulated to isolate the direct response to an anthropogenic greenhouse gas forcing from individual local feedbacks (water vapor, evaporation, surface sensible heat flux, and ice-albedo), and from the non-local dynamical feedback. Both the direct response and response to water vapor feedback are stronger in low latitudes. The joint effect of the ice-albedo and dynamical greenhouse-plus feedbacks acts to amplify the high latitude surface warming whereas both the evaporation and dynamical greenhouse-minus feedbacks cause a reduction of the surface warming in low latitudes. The enhancement (reduction) of local feedbacks in high (low) latitudes in response to the non-local dynamic feedback further strengthens the polar amplification of the surface warming. Both the direct response and response to water vapor feedback lead to an increase of lapse rate in both low and high latitudes. The stronger total dynamic heating in the mean state in high latitudes is responsible for a larger increase of lapse rate in high latitudes in the direct response and response to water vapor feedback. The local evaporation and surface sensible heat flux feedbacks reduce the lapse rate both in low and high latitudes through cooling the surface and warming the atmosphere. The much stronger evaporation feedback leads to a final warming in low latitudes that is stronger in the atmosphere than the surface.     

Regional differences in surface sensible and latent heat fluxes in China

This study documents the variability of surface sensible and latent heat fluxes in five regions of China (Northwest China, the Tibetan Plateau, Northeast China, North China, and Southeast China) using the ERA-40 reanalysis for the years 1960–2000. The surface sensible and latent heat flux variations are remarkably different in Northwest and Southeast China. The seasonal variation of the surface sensible heat fluxes is largest in Northwest China and smallest in Southeast China. In contrast, the seasonal variation in latent heat flux is largest in Southeast China and smallest in Northwest China. The interdecadal variation of surface sensible and surface latent heat fluxes strongly depends on both the region and season. The trends in surface sensible and latent heat fluxes in all four seasons are mainly caused by variations in both the land–air temperature difference and in the specific humidity. There is also a limited contribution of wind speed in some regions, depending on the season.     

Torrential rainfall responses to radiative and microphysical processes of ice clouds during a landfall of severe tropical storm Bilis (2006)

Ice clouds are an important component in precipitation systems. The radiative processes of ice clouds directly impact radiation in heat budget and the microphysical processes of ice clouds directly affect latent heat and net condensation through deposition processes, which may eventually change surface rainfall. Thus, torrential rainfall responses to radiative and microphysical processes of ice clouds during a landfall of severe tropical storm Bilis (2006) are investigated with the analysis of sensitivity experiments. The two-dimensional cloud-resolving model is integrated for 3 days with imposed zonally uniform vertical velocity, zonal wind, horizontal temperature and vapor advection from NCEP/GDAS data. One sensitivity experiment excludes the radiative effects of ice clouds and the other sensitivity experiment excludes ice microphysics and associated radiative and microphysical processes. Model domain mean surface rain rate is barely changed by the exclusion of radiative effects of ice clouds due to the small decrease in net condensation associated with the small reduction in latent heat as a result of the offset between the increase in radiative cooling and the decrease in heat divergence. The exclusion of microphysical effects of ice clouds decreases the mean rain rate simply through the suppression of latent heat as a result of the removal of deposition processes. The total exclusion of ice microphysics decreases the mean rain rate mainly through the exclusion of microphysical effects of ice clouds.     

陆面过程对全球变暖的响应及可能机制—基于CMIP3的多模式集合分析

利用“国际耦合模式比较计划” (Phase 3 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project, CMIP3) 12个模式对20世纪 (The Twentieth-Century Climate in Coupled Models, 20C3M) 和21世纪SRES (Special Report on Emissions Scenarios) A1B 情景下的模拟结果, 通过21世纪 (2001～2099年) 与20世纪 (1901～1999年) 陆面能量和水文变量的对比分析, 揭示了陆面过程对全球变暖响应的基本特征, 并探讨了其可能的响应机制。结果表明, 与20世纪相比, 21世纪全球陆面平均的表面温度、 地表净辐射、 潜热通量明显增加; 而感热通量有所减小。降水、 径流、 蒸发等地表水循环分量也表现出不同程度的增加, 而土壤含水量有减小趋势。通过分析近地层主要大气强迫变量与陆面变量之间的联系, 发现陆面能量平衡过程对全球变暖的响应主要受向下长波辐射和气温变化的影响, 而温度的变化对陆面水文过程的影响起决定性的作用。进一步分析表明, 陆面过程对全球变暖的响应存在明显的区域性差异, 陆面温度和感热对全球变暖响应最显著的区域位于北半球中高纬, 而净辐射和潜热对全球变暖的响应在亚洲中部和非洲大陆最显著。相对于20世纪, 21世纪主要是长波辐射和温度对陆面能量平衡过程的贡献重要。对于陆面水文过程, 径流和土壤含水量对全球变暖的响应在亚洲中部以及北美最显著。在全球变暖背景下, 21世纪相对于20世纪, 温度对陆面水循环的影响更加显著, 主要体现在北半球中纬度地区。     

甘肃马衔山区陆面过程与降水的研究

采用定西的麦田微气象观测,定西、兰州的辐射观测和马衔山区34个气象、水文和雨量站的气候资料,结合NOAA-16卫星的AVHRR资料以及反演的地表植被盖度和反射率,并用SEBAL算法推导出夏季地表净辐射、感热、潜热、土壤热通量密度的区域分布特征,并分析陆面过程对降水的影响。结果表明:本区降水的空间分布与夏季植被盖度对应最好,相关系数高达0.722,其次是土壤热通量和潜热通量,相关系数分别为-0.65和0.615。这表明森林通过降低地表反射率和表面温度,不仅增加地表净辐射,而且减少其用于感热和土壤热通量的消耗。由于林区地表水分多,从而将接收较多的太阳辐射能主要用于蒸散,增加边界层中的水汽。故林区降水远大于植被稀疏的半干旱黄土梁。     

通用陆面模式CLM在东亚不同典型下垫面的验证试验

利用野外观测资料,考察了通用陆面过程模式(CLM)对东亚地区3种典型下垫面(高原稀疏植被下垫面、森林、水田)的模拟能力.验证结果表明,在高原稀疏植被下垫面,CLM模拟的地表气温跟实测较为接近,同时CLM还可以较好地模拟出土壤温度随时间和深度的变化特征,但模式模拟的地面温度的幅值跟观测相比显著偏小;对于能量通量而言,除感热通量外,CLM所模拟出的其它能量通量的变化均与观测实况比较一致.对于淮河流域的森林下垫面,CLM所模拟出陆气间的各能量通量均与实测较为接近,尤以夏季(8月份)的模拟性能最好.对于水田下垫面,CLM模式较好地模拟出了各能量通量的主要变化特征及其季节差异,如水田的净辐射以及潜热通量夏季最大,而感热通量则是秋季最大等.     

高温和台风影响下的苏州城市粗糙子层湍流通量特征

利用苏州地区2011年12月20日—2012年8月13日的湍流观测资料对不同季节、高温、台风强天气过程下的湍流特征进行分析。结果表明:城市地区不同季节动量通量、感热通量、潜热通量日变化明显,各通量的夏季平均值、最大值均高于冬春季,夏季感热通量日最大值为160.2 W·m^-2,感热在城市地表能量平衡中的作用大于潜热,各季节潜热通量平均值仅为感热通量的40%~45%。降水量和植被覆盖度影响地表能量平衡,尤其影响地表热量在感热和潜热之间的分配。在高温天气过程中,感热通量增加明显,其峰值约是夏季平均的1.93倍。由于水汽较少,潜热通量明显减少,约为夏季日平均值的60%。速度三分量谱中u谱与w谱在低频区存在两个峰值,说明在城市复杂下垫面里,湍流激发机制中存在低频过程的影响。在台风天气过程中,动量通量大且变化快,感热输送弱,潜热输送波动大。速度谱w基本不符合"-5/3"次律,惯性子区最小且向高频移动,这和台风内部的复杂上升下沉气流有关。     

Climate response to introduction of the ESA CCI land cover data to the NCAR CESM

The European Space Agency Climate Change Initiative Land Cover data (ESA CCI-LC, from 1992 to 2015) is introduced to the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Earth System Model version 1.2.1 (NCAR CESM1.2.1). In comparison with the original land surface data in the Community Land Model version 4 (ORG), the new data features notable land use and land cover change (LULCC) with increased forests over northeastern Asia and Alaska by decreasing shrublands and grasslands. Overestimated bare land cover over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) and the Rocky Mountains in the ORG are corrected with the replacements by grasslands and shrublands respectively in the new data. The model simulation results show that with the introduction of the ESA CCI-LC, the simulated surface albedo, surface net radiation flux, sensible and latent heat fluxes are relatively improved over the regions where significant LULCC exists, such as northeastern Asia, Alaska, the TP, and Australia. Surface air temperature, precipitation, and atmospheric circulation are improved in boreal winter but degraded in summer. The winter warming over northeastern Asia results from increased longwave downwelling flux and adiabatic heating while the notable winter cooling over Alaska is attributed to strong cold advection followed by reduced longwave downwelling flux. LULCC alters precipitation by influencing water vapor content. In winter, LULCC affects atmospheric circulation via modulating baroclinicity while in summer, it influences land-sea thermal contrast, thus affecting the intensity of East Asian summer monsoon. LULCC also alters the simulated dust burden.

     

A new framework for isolating individual feedback processes in coupled general circulation climate models. Part I: formulation

This paper proposes a coupled atmosphere–surface climate feedback–response analysis method (CFRAM) as a new framework for estimating climate feedbacks in coupled general circulation models with a full set of physical parameterization packages. The formulation of the CFRAM is based on the energy balance in an atmosphere–surface column. In the CFRAM, the isolation of partial temperature changes due to an external forcing or an individual feedback is achieved by solving the linearized infrared radiation transfer model subject to individual energy flux perturbations (external or due to feedbacks). The partial temperature changes are addable and their sum is equal to the (total) temperature change (in the linear sense). The decomposition of feedbacks is based on the thermodynamic and dynamical processes that directly affect individual energy flux terms. Therefore, not only those feedbacks that directly affect the TOA radiative fluxes, such as water vapor, clouds, and ice-albedo feedbacks, but also those feedbacks that do not directly affect the TOA radiation, such as evaporation, convections, and convergence of horizontal sensible and latent heat fluxes, are explicitly included in the CFRAM. In the CFRAM, the feedback gain matrices measure the strength of individual feedbacks. The feedback gain matrices can be estimated from the energy flux perturbations inferred from individual parameterization packages and dynamical modules. The inter-model spread of a feedback gain matrix would help us to detect the origins of the uncertainty of future climate projections in climate model simulations.     

BCC_AGCM2.1对中国东部地区云辐射特征模拟的偏差分析

通过与观测及再分析资料的对比,评估了中国国家气候中心大气环流模式BCC_AGCM 2.1对中国东部地区云辐射特征的模拟性能,并着重分析了模拟偏差的原因.在云辐射特征的基本气候态模拟方面,模式能大致再现中国东部中纬度层状云大值带,以及层状云冷季多、暖季少的季节特征,模拟的短波云辐射强迫也具有与观测相对应的季节变化特征.在云辐射强迫和地面温度相互影响过程的模拟方面,模式也能模拟出与观测相近的相互作用过程,即地面温度降低伴随着层状云云量增多以及负的净云辐射强迫加强,升温时层状云云量减少和净云辐射强迫减弱.但模式模拟的大陆层状云云量系统性偏少(尤其在冷季),使得模式在该处的短波云辐射强迫明显偏弱.初步分析表明,造成层状云模拟差异的主要原因是在中国西南地区对流层低层模式模拟的偏南气流明显偏弱以及陆-气潜热通量偏小.偏南气流偏弱导致低层散度和垂直运动条件不利于中层云的形成.同时偏南气流偏弱也不利于向西南地区的水汽输送,再加上模式模拟地表向上潜热通量偏小,这二者都使得模式模拟中国西南区域对流层低层的水汽含量严重偏少,相对湿度偏低,同样不利于层状云生成和发展.水汽偏少进一步导致在冷异常情况下青藏高原下游云辐射-地表温度反馈模拟偏弱,即呈现冷异常时,水汽条件偏弱限制了云量增加,弱化了进一步降低温度的反馈过程.     

The role of wintertime radiation in maintaining and destroying stable layers

Summary Strong stable layers are a common occurrence during western Colorado's winter. Analysis of radiosonde observations indicate wintertime boundary layer heights are near 500 m. The terrain in this region consists of mountains that rise approximately 1500–2000 m above the ground to the east, providing an effective blocking barrier. An experiment is described to observe upwelling and downwelling, longwave and shortwave radiative fluxes at two sites in western Colorado during January and February 1992, for combinations of clear, cloudy, snow covered, and bare ground periods. Analysis of the observations and the surface energy budget for typical Bowen ratios provides a better understanding of the role of radiation in maintaining and destroying stable layers.During the day, the surface received a net gain of energy from radiation, while at night there was a net loss. Over snow, the 24-hour net radiative flux was small and either positive or negative. Over bare soil, the 24-hour net radiative flux was positive but still small. There is little difference in the net radiative flux between clear and cloudy days; the reduction of the incident solar flux by clouds is nearly compensated by the hindering of the longwave cooling. The cumulative effects of the 24-hour net radiative flux were negative over snow early in the experiment. The 24-hour values shifted to near zero as the snow albedo decreased and were positive for bare ground.If the daytime net radiative flux is partitioned into sensible and latent heat flux using typical Bowen ratios, the daytime sensible heat available for destroying boundary layers is small for the low solar angles of the winter season. With a Bowen ratio of 0.5, the daytime sensible heat flux available is only 0.3 to 1.2 MJ m^–2 over a snow surface and 1.4 to 2.3 MJ m^–2 over soil. These heat fluxes will not build a deep enough boundary layer to break a typical wintertime inversion. The 24-hour sensible heat flux was negative at both sites for the entire experiment with this Bowen ratio.The radiation observations and the use of typical Bowen ratios lead to the conclusion that the net radiation will sustain or strengthen a stable atmosphere in the winter season in western Colorado. Analysis of the radiosonde observations confirm this result as the boundary layer depths were less than 500 m early in the experiment and grew to only 700 m later in the experiment.With 12 Figures     

Sensitivity of the Grid-point Atmospheric Model of IAP LASG （GAMILI.I.0） Climate Simulations to Cloud Droplet Effective Radius and Liquid Water Path

This paper documents a study to examine the sensitivity to cloud droplet effective radius and liquid water path and the alleviation the energy imbalance at the top of the atmosphere and at the surface in the latest version of the Grid-point Atmospheric Model of the State Key Laboratory of Numerical Modeling for Atmospheric Sciences and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics （LASG）, Institute of Atmospheric Physics （IAP） （GAMIL1.1.0）. Considerable negative biases in all flux components, and thus an energy imbalance, are found in GAMIL1.1.0. In order to alleviate the energy imbalance, two modifications, namely an increase in cloud droplet effective radius and a decrease in cloud liquid water path, have been made to the cloud properties used in GAMIL. With the increased cloud droplet effective radius, the single scattering albedo of clouds is reduced, and thus the reflection of solar radiation into space by clouds is reduced and the net solar radiation flux at the top of the atmosphere is increased. With the reduced cloud optical depth, the net surface shortwave radiation flux is increased, causing a net warming over the land surface. This results in an increase in both sensible and latent heat fluxes over the land regions, which is largely balanced by the increased terrestrial radiation fluxes. Consequently, the energy balance at the top of atmosphere and at the surface is achieved with energy flux components consistent with available satellite observations.     

Climate change and the regulation of the surface moisture and energy budgets

The increase in the vigor of the hydrological cycle simulated in a 2 × CO₂ experiment with the Canadian Climate Centre general circulation model is smaller than that obtained by other models which have similar increases in mean surface temperature. The surface energy budget, which encompasses also the moisture budget for the oceans, is analyzed. Changes in the net radiative input to and sensible heat flux from the surface act to warm it. This is balanced, at the new equilibrium, by a change in the latent heat flux which acts to cool it. Although this same general behavior is seen in other models, the increase in radiative input to the surface in the CCC GCM is smaller than in other models while the change in the sensible heat flux is of similar size. As a consequence, the latent heat flux required for balance is smaller. The comparatively small increase in the net radiative input at the surface occurs because of a decrease in the solar component. On average the decrease in solar input in the tropical region outweighs the higher latitude increase associated with the snow/ice albedo feedback. The notable tropical decrease in solar input occurs because the albedo of the clouds increase enough in this region to outweigh a small decrease in cloud amount. The increase in cloud albedo in the warmer and moister tropical atmosphere is a consequence of the parameterized cloud optical properties in the model which play an important role in the regulation of the surface energy and moisture budgets. The results demonstrate some of the consequences of the negative feedback mechanism associated with increasing cloud albedo in the model. They also suggest that the simulated change in the vigor of the hydrological cycle is not a simple function of the average increase in surface temperature but is a consequence of all of the processes in the model which control the available energy at the surface as a function of latitude.