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Summary: Surveys in Geophysics manuscript No.
(will be inserted by the editor)
Energetic constraints on precipitation under climate
change
Paul A. O'Gorman · Richard P. Allan ·
Michael P. Byrne · Michael Previdi
Received: date / Accepted: date
Abstract Energetic constraints on precipitation have proven useful for under-
standing the response of the hydrological cycle to ongoing climate change, its
response to possible geoengineering schemes, and the limits on precipitation in
very warm climates of the past. Much recent progress has been made in quanti-
fying the different forcings and feedbacks on precipitation and in understanding
how the transient responses of precipitation and temperature might differ quali-
tatively. Here, we introduce the basic ideas and review recent progress. We also
examine the extent to which energetic constraints on changes in precipitation may
be viewed as radiative constraints and the extent to which they are confirmed by
available observations. Challenges remain, including the need to better demon-
strate the link between energetics and precipitation in observations and to better
understand energetic constraints on precipitation at sub-global length scales.
Keywords Precipitation · Global Change
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