139247 - Weakening of the extratropical storm tracks in solar geoengineering scenarios.pdf (2.58 MB)
Weakening of the extratropical storm tracks in solar geoengineering scenarios
journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-20, 14:46 authored by Gertler, CG, O'Gorman, PA, Kravitz, B, Moore, JC, Phipps, SJ, Watanabe, SSolar geoengineering that aims to offset global warming could nonetheless alter atmospheric temperature gradients and humidity and thus affect the extratropical storm tracks. Here, we first analyze climate model simulations from experiment G1 of the Geoengineering Model Intercomparison Project, in which a reduction in incoming solar radiation balances a quadrupling of CO2. The Northern Hemisphere extratropical storm track weakens by a comparable amount in G1 as it does for increased CO2 only. The Southern Hemisphere storm track also weakens in G1, in contrast to a strengthening and poleward shift for increased CO2. Using mean available potential energy, we show that the changes in zonal‐mean temperature and humidity are sufficient to explain the different responses of storm‐track intensity. We also demonstrate similar weakening in a more complex geoengineering scenario. Our results offer insight into how geoengineering affects storm tracks, highlighting the potential for geoengineering to induce novel climate changes.
History
Publication title
Geophysical Research LettersVolume
47Issue
11Article number
e2020GL087348Number
e2020GL087348Pagination
1-9ISSN
1944-8007Department/School
Institute for Marine and Antarctic StudiesPublisher
Wiley-Blackwell Publishing LtdPlace of publication
United StatesRights statement
Copyright 2020 American Geophysical UnionRepository Status
- Restricted