Improving Estimates of Long-Term Climate Sensitivity

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https://eos.org/research-spotlights/improving-estimates-of-long-term-climate-sensitivity

Source:  By Terri Cook, Eos/AGU.

Excerpt: New modeling casts doubt on the suitability of running experiments with fixed sea surface temperatures to understand the effects of cloud aggregation on Earth’s climate. One of the fundamental metrics in climate change research is equilibrium climate sensitivity: the amount that Earth’s long-term, near-surface temperatures will change in response to a doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations. Previous research has shown that two spatially dependent processes—the variability of sea surface temperatures and the organization of initially scattered convection (known as convective aggregation)—largely control climate sensitivity by regulating feedbacks related to clouds and water vapor that can amplify or moderate Earth’s ability to radiate heat into space. ...aggregation could actually depend upon sea surface temperature patterns....

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