Climate sensitivity and relative humidity changes in global storm-resolving model simulations of climate change

Timothy M. Merlis; Kai Yuan Cheng; Ilai Guendelman; Lucas Harris; Christopher S. Bretherton; Maximilien Bolot; Linjiong Zhou; Alex Kaltenbaugh; Spencer K. Clark; Gabriel A. Vecchi; Stephan Fueglistaler

doi:10.1126/sciadv.adn5217

Climate sensitivity and relative humidity changes in global storm-resolving model simulations of climate change

Timothy M. Merlis, Kai Yuan Cheng, Ilai Guendelman, Lucas Harris, Christopher S. Bretherton, Maximilien Bolot, Linjiong Zhou, Alex Kaltenbaugh, Spencer K. Clark, Gabriel A. Vecchi, Stephan Fueglistaler

Princeton University

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

The climate simulation frontier of a global storm-resolving model (GSRM; or k-scale model because of its kilometer-scale horizontal resolution) is deployed for climate change simulations. The climate sensitivity, effective radiative forcing, and relative humidity changes are assessed in multiyear atmospheric GSRM simulations with perturbed sea-surface temperatures and/or carbon dioxide concentrations. Our comparisons to conventional climate model results can build confidence in the existing climate models or highlight important areas for additional research. This GSRM’s climate sensitivity is within the range of conventional climate models, although on the lower end as the result of neutral, rather than amplifying, shortwave feedbacks. Its radiative forcing from carbon dioxide is higher than conventional climate models, and this arises from a bias in climatological clouds and an explicitly simulated high-cloud adjustment. Last, the pattern and magnitude of relative humidity changes, simulated with greater fidelity via explicitly resolving convection, are notably similar to conventional climate models.

Original language	American English
Article number	eadn5217
Journal	Science advances
Volume	10
Issue number	26
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adn5217
State	Published - Jun 2024

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title = "Climate sensitivity and relative humidity changes in global storm-resolving model simulations of climate change",

abstract = "The climate simulation frontier of a global storm-resolving model (GSRM; or k-scale model because of its kilometer-scale horizontal resolution) is deployed for climate change simulations. The climate sensitivity, effective radiative forcing, and relative humidity changes are assessed in multiyear atmospheric GSRM simulations with perturbed sea-surface temperatures and/or carbon dioxide concentrations. Our comparisons to conventional climate model results can build confidence in the existing climate models or highlight important areas for additional research. This GSRM{\textquoteright}s climate sensitivity is within the range of conventional climate models, although on the lower end as the result of neutral, rather than amplifying, shortwave feedbacks. Its radiative forcing from carbon dioxide is higher than conventional climate models, and this arises from a bias in climatological clouds and an explicitly simulated high-cloud adjustment. Last, the pattern and magnitude of relative humidity changes, simulated with greater fidelity via explicitly resolving convection, are notably similar to conventional climate models.",

author = "Merlis, {Timothy M.} and Cheng, {Kai Yuan} and Ilai Guendelman and Lucas Harris and Bretherton, {Christopher S.} and Maximilien Bolot and Linjiong Zhou and Alex Kaltenbaugh and Clark, {Spencer K.} and Vecchi, {Gabriel A.} and Stephan Fueglistaler",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2024 The Authors.",

year = "2024",

month = jun,

doi = "10.1126/sciadv.adn5217",

language = "American English",

volume = "10",

journal = "Science advances",

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publisher = "American Association for the Advancement of Science",

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AU - Merlis, Timothy M.

AU - Cheng, Kai Yuan

AU - Guendelman, Ilai

AU - Harris, Lucas

AU - Bretherton, Christopher S.

AU - Bolot, Maximilien

AU - Zhou, Linjiong

AU - Kaltenbaugh, Alex

AU - Clark, Spencer K.

AU - Vecchi, Gabriel A.

AU - Fueglistaler, Stephan

PY - 2024/6

Y1 - 2024/6

N2 - The climate simulation frontier of a global storm-resolving model (GSRM; or k-scale model because of its kilometer-scale horizontal resolution) is deployed for climate change simulations. The climate sensitivity, effective radiative forcing, and relative humidity changes are assessed in multiyear atmospheric GSRM simulations with perturbed sea-surface temperatures and/or carbon dioxide concentrations. Our comparisons to conventional climate model results can build confidence in the existing climate models or highlight important areas for additional research. This GSRM’s climate sensitivity is within the range of conventional climate models, although on the lower end as the result of neutral, rather than amplifying, shortwave feedbacks. Its radiative forcing from carbon dioxide is higher than conventional climate models, and this arises from a bias in climatological clouds and an explicitly simulated high-cloud adjustment. Last, the pattern and magnitude of relative humidity changes, simulated with greater fidelity via explicitly resolving convection, are notably similar to conventional climate models.

AB - The climate simulation frontier of a global storm-resolving model (GSRM; or k-scale model because of its kilometer-scale horizontal resolution) is deployed for climate change simulations. The climate sensitivity, effective radiative forcing, and relative humidity changes are assessed in multiyear atmospheric GSRM simulations with perturbed sea-surface temperatures and/or carbon dioxide concentrations. Our comparisons to conventional climate model results can build confidence in the existing climate models or highlight important areas for additional research. This GSRM’s climate sensitivity is within the range of conventional climate models, although on the lower end as the result of neutral, rather than amplifying, shortwave feedbacks. Its radiative forcing from carbon dioxide is higher than conventional climate models, and this arises from a bias in climatological clouds and an explicitly simulated high-cloud adjustment. Last, the pattern and magnitude of relative humidity changes, simulated with greater fidelity via explicitly resolving convection, are notably similar to conventional climate models.

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M1 - eadn5217

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Climate sensitivity and relative humidity changes in global storm-resolving model simulations of climate change

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