On the Role of the Atmospheric Energy Transport in 2xCO2-Induced Polar Amplification in CESM1

Abstract

A doubling of the atmospheric CO₂ content leads to global warming that is amplified in the polar regions. The CO₂ forcing also leads to a change of the atmospheric energy transport. This transport change affects the local warming induced by the CO₂ forcing. Using the Community Earth System Model (CESM), the direct response to the transport change is investigated. Divergences of the transport change associated with a CO₂ doubling are implemented as a forcing in the 1 × CO₂ preindustrial control climate. This forcing is zero in the global mean. In response to a CO₂ increase in CESM, the northward atmospheric energy transport decreases at the Arctic boundary. However, the transport change still leads to a warming of the Arctic. This is due to a shift between dry static and latent transport components, so that although the dry static transport decreases, the latent transport increases at the Arctic boundary, which is consistent with other model studies. Because of a greenhouse effect associated with the latent transport, the cooling caused by a change of the dry static component is more than compensated for by the warming induced by the change of the latent transport. Similar results are found for the Antarctic region, but the transport change is larger in the Southern Hemisphere than in its northern counterpart. As a consequence, the Antarctic region warms to the extent that this warming leads to global warming that is likely enhanced by the surface albedo feedback associated with considerable ice retreat in the Southern Hemisphere.