Enhanced hydrological cycle increases ocean heat uptake and moderates transient climate change
Liu, M.; Vecchi, G.A.; Soden, B.; Yang, W.; Zhang, B. (2021). Enhanced hydrological cycle increases ocean heat uptake and moderates transient climate change. Nat. Clim. Chang. 11(10): 848-853. https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41558-021-01152-0
In: Nature Climate Change. Nature Publishing Group: London. ISSN 1758-678X; e-ISSN 1758-6798, more
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| Authors | | Top |
- Liu, M.
- Vecchi, G.A.
- Soden, B.
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| Abstract |
The large-scale moistening of the atmosphere in response to increasing greenhouse gases amplifies the existing patterns of precipitation minus evaporation (P − E), which, in turn, amplifies the spatial contrast in sea surface salinity. Here, by performing a series of transient CO2 doubling experiments, we demonstrate that surface salinification driven by the amplified dry conditions (P − E < 0), primarily in the subtropical ocean, accelerates ocean heat uptake. The salinification also drives the sequestration of upper-level heat into the deeper ocean, reducing the thermal stratification and increasing the heat uptake through positive feedback. The change in Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation due to salinification has a secondary role in heat uptake. Consistent with the heat uptake changes, the transient climate response would increase by approximately 0.4 K without this process. Observed multidecadal changes in subsurface temperature and salinity resemble those simulated, indicating that anthropogenically forced changes in salinity are probably enhancing ocean heat uptake. |
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