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Maximum entropy production, cloud feedback, and climate change
Citation
Paltridge, GW and Farquhar, GD and Cuntz, M, Maximum entropy production, cloud feedback, and climate change, Geophysical Research Letters, 34, (14) pp. L14708. ISSN 0094-8276 (2007) [Refereed Article]
Abstract
A steady-state energy-balance climate model based on a global constraint of maximum entropy production is used to examine cloud feedback and the response of surface temperature T to doubled atmospheric CO2. The constraint ensures that change in zonal cloud amount øo necessarily involves change in the convergence KX of meridional energy flow. Without other feedbacks, the changes in øo, KX and T range from about 2%, 2 Wm-2 and 1.5 K respectively at the equator to -2%, -2 WM-2 and 0.5 K at the poles. Global-average cloud effectively remains unchanged with increasing CO2 and has little effect on global-average temperature. Global-average cloud decreases with increasing water vapour and amplifies the positive feedback of water vapour and lapse rate. The net result is less cloud at all latitudes and a rise in T of the order of 3 K at the equator and 1 K at the poles Ice-albedo and solar absorption feedbacks are not considered. Copynght 2007 by the American Geophysical Union.
Item Details
Item Type: | Refereed Article |
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Research Division: | Earth Sciences |
Research Group: | Physical geography and environmental geoscience |
Research Field: | Palaeoclimatology |
Objective Division: | Environmental Policy, Climate Change and Natural Hazards |
Objective Group: | Adaptation to climate change |
Objective Field: | Social impacts of climate change and variability |
UTAS Author: | Paltridge, GW (Professor Garth Paltridge) |
ID Code: | 49859 |
Year Published: | 2007 |
Web of Science® Times Cited: | 20 |
Deposited By: | IASOS |
Deposited On: | 2007-08-01 |
Last Modified: | 2009-04-03 |
Downloads: | 0 |
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