Title: A Source–Receptor Perspective on the Polar Hydrologic Cycle: Sources, Seasonality, and Arctic–Antarctic Parity in the Hydrologic Cycle Response to CO2 Doubling

Journal Article · · Journal of Climate
 [1];  [2];  [2];  [1]
  1. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
  2. Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States)
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Numerical water tracers implemented in a global climate model are used to study how polar hydroclimate responds to CO2-induced warming from a source–receptor perspective. Although remote moisture sources contribute substantially more to polar precipitation year-round in the mean state, an increase in locally sourced moisture is crucial to the winter season polar precipitation response to greenhouse gas forcing. In general, the polar hydroclimate response to CO2-induced warming is strongly seasonal: over both the Arctic and Antarctic, locally sourced moisture constitutes a larger fraction of the precipitation in winter, while remote sources become even more dominant in summer. Increased local evaporation in fall and winter is coincident with sea ice retreat, which greatly augments local moisture sources in these seasons. In summer, however, larger contributions from more remote moisture source regions are consistent with an increase in moisture residence times and a longer moisture transport length scale, which produces a robust hydrologic cycle response to CO2-induced warming globally. In conclusion, the critical role of locally sourced moisture in the hydrologic cycle response of both the Arctic and Antarctic is distinct from controlling factors elsewhere on the globe; for this reason, great care should be taken in interpreting polar isotopic proxy records from climate states unlike the present.

Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
1409718
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA--128955
Journal Information:
Journal of Climate, Journal Name: Journal of Climate Journal Issue: 24 Vol. 30; ISSN 1520-0442; ISSN 0894-8755
Publisher:
American Meteorological SocietyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Related Subjects

Antarctic
Antarctica
Arctic
Climate change
Hydrologic cycle
Mass fluxes/transport
Precipitation
global climate model
hydroclimate
polar