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Title: Increased Ocean Heat Convergence Into the High Latitudes With CO2 Doubling Enhances Polar-Amplified Warming

Abstract

We isolate the role of the ocean in polar climate change by directly evaluating how changes in ocean dynamics with quasi-equilibrium CO2-doubling impact high-latitude climate. With CO2-doubling, the ocean heat flux convergence (OHFC) shifts poleward in winter in both hemispheres. Imposing this pattern of perturbed OHFC in a global climate model results in a poleward shift in ocean-to-atmosphere turbulent heat fluxes (both sensible and latent) and sea ice retreat; the high-latitudes warm while the midlatitudes cool, thereby amplifying polar warming. Furthermore, midlatitude cooling is propagated to the polar mid-troposphere on isentropic surfaces, augmenting the (positive) lapse rate feedback at high latitudes. Finally, these results highlight the key role played by the partitioning of meridional energy transport changes between the atmosphere and ocean in high-latitude climate change.

Authors:
 [1]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [2]
+ Show Author Affiliations
  1. Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
  2. State Univ. of New York, Albany, NY (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE; National Science Foundation (NSF)
OSTI Identifier:
1411911
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-128892
Journal ID: ISSN 0094-8276
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC05-76RL01830; AGS-1455071
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Geophysical Research Letters
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 44; Journal Issue: 20; Journal ID: ISSN 0094-8276
Publisher:
American Geophysical Union
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; ocean; CO2; convergence; ocean heat flux convergence; OHFC; climate; Arctic; polar; polar climate change; lapse rate feedback; ocean dynamics; Bjerknes feedback; polar amplification; winter sea ice retreat

Citation Formats

Singh, H. A., Rasch, P. J., and Rose, B. E. J. Increased Ocean Heat Convergence Into the High Latitudes With CO2 Doubling Enhances Polar-Amplified Warming. United States: N. p., 2017. Web. doi:10.1002/2017GL074561.
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Singh, H. A., Rasch, P. J., & Rose, B. E. J. Increased Ocean Heat Convergence Into the High Latitudes With CO2 Doubling Enhances Polar-Amplified Warming. United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL074561
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Singh, H. A., Rasch, P. J., and Rose, B. E. J. Fri . "Increased Ocean Heat Convergence Into the High Latitudes With CO2 Doubling Enhances Polar-Amplified Warming". United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL074561. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1411911.
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@article{osti_1411911,
title = {Increased Ocean Heat Convergence Into the High Latitudes With CO2 Doubling Enhances Polar-Amplified Warming},
author = {Singh, H. A. and Rasch, P. J. and Rose, B. E. J.},
abstractNote = {We isolate the role of the ocean in polar climate change by directly evaluating how changes in ocean dynamics with quasi-equilibrium CO2-doubling impact high-latitude climate. With CO2-doubling, the ocean heat flux convergence (OHFC) shifts poleward in winter in both hemispheres. Imposing this pattern of perturbed OHFC in a global climate model results in a poleward shift in ocean-to-atmosphere turbulent heat fluxes (both sensible and latent) and sea ice retreat; the high-latitudes warm while the midlatitudes cool, thereby amplifying polar warming. Furthermore, midlatitude cooling is propagated to the polar mid-troposphere on isentropic surfaces, augmenting the (positive) lapse rate feedback at high latitudes. Finally, these results highlight the key role played by the partitioning of meridional energy transport changes between the atmosphere and ocean in high-latitude climate change.},
doi = {10.1002/2017GL074561},
journal = {Geophysical Research Letters},
number = 20,
volume = 44,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 2017},
month = {Fri Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 2017}
}
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Publisher's Version of Record
https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL074561
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Cited by: 27 works
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Works referenced in this record:

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    Works referencing / citing this record:

    Distinct Mechanisms of Ocean Heat Transport Into the Arctic Under Internal Variability and Climate Change
    journal, August 2018

    • Oldenburg, Dylan; Armour, Kyle C.; Thompson, LuAnne
    • Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 45, Issue 15
    • DOI: 10.1029/2018gl078719

    Ocean Circulation Reduces the Hadley Cell Response to Increased Greenhouse Gases
    journal, September 2018

    • Chemke, R.; Polvani, L. M.
    • Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 45, Issue 17
    • DOI: 10.1029/2018gl079070

    The Effect of Arctic Sea Ice Loss on the Hadley Circulation
    journal, January 2019

    • Chemke, R.; Polvani, L. M.; Deser, C.
    • Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 46, Issue 2
    • DOI: 10.1029/2018gl081110

    Interpretation of the Top-of-Atmosphere Energy Flux for Future Arctic Warming
    journal, September 2019

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