Elevation dependency of the surface climate change signal: A model study

Conference · Sat Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1997

OSTI ID:535525

Giorgi, F; Hurrell, J W; Marinuci, M R ^[1]

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1. National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO (United States); and others

This paper presents a study of the elevation dependency of surface climate change using the results from a regional climate simulation over a European region. The simulation used a regional climate model developed at the National Center for Atmospheric Research driven by output from a present day (control run) simulation and a simulation under doubled carbon dioxide concentration. In the doubled carbon dioxide run, snow was entirely depleted except at the highest elevations. As a result of snow depletion, the solar absorbed flux at the surface showed a strong elevation signal in winter spring, and at high elevations in summer. The elevation warming trends were thus consistent with the trends in solar flux change caused by the snow depletion, and point to the importance of the snow/albedo feedback mechanism in causing the elevation warming signal. Based on these results, it is argued that high elevation temperature changes during winter and spring might be used as an early detection tool for global warming. 11 refs., 4 figs.

• OSTI ID: 535525
• Report Number(s): CONF-970207--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ALTITUDE
AMBIENT TEMPERATURE
CARBON DIOXIDE
CLIMATE MODELS
GREENHOUSE GASES
SEASONAL VARIATIONS
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION
TEMPERATURE GRADIENTS