Manabe’s Radiative–Convective Equilibrium

Jeevanjee, Nadir; Held, Isaac; Ramaswamy, V.

doi:10.1175/bams-d-21-0351.1

Cited by 9 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…This indicates that the amplification can be seen as a response to the redistribution of heat sources and sinks on the planet [94]. In this way, accepting Manabe and Strickler's arguments [95], the amplification should not distort much of the top-of-the-atmosphere (TOA) radiation balance. On the contrary, a prominent effect on the surface energy balance is expected, as the surface is largely decoupled from the higher atmospheric layers in the stable Arctic atmosphere.…”

Section: The Synthesismentioning

confidence: 92%

The Arctic Amplification and Its Impact: A Synthesis through Satellite Observations

Esau

Pettersson²,

Cancet

et al. 2023

Remote Sensing

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Arctic climate change has already resulted in amplified and accelerated regional warming, or the Arctic amplification. Satellite observations have captured this climate phenomenon in its development and in sufficient spatial details. As such, these observations have been—and still are—indispensable for monitoring of the amplification in this remote and inhospitable region, which is sparsely covered with ground observations. This study synthesizes the key contributions of satellite observations into an understanding and characterization of the amplification. The study reveals that the satellites were able to capture a number of important environmental transitions in the region that both precede and follow the emergence of the apparent amplification. Among those transitions, we find a rapid decline in the multiyear sea ice and subsequent changes in the surface radiation balance. Satellites have witnessed the impact of the amplification on phytoplankton and vegetation productivity as well as on human activity and infrastructure. Satellite missions of the European Space Agency (ESA) are increasingly contributing to amplification monitoring and assessment. The ESA Climate Change Initiative has become an essential provider of long-term climatic-quality remote-sensing data products for essential climate variables. Still, such synthesis has found that additional efforts are needed to improve cross-sensor calibrations and retrieval algorithms and to reduce uncertainties. As the amplification is set to continue into the 21st century, a new generation of satellite instruments with improved revisiting time and spectral and spatial resolutions are in high demand in both research and stakeholders’ communities.

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Section: The Synthesismentioning

confidence: 92%

The Arctic Amplification and Its Impact: A Synthesis through Satellite Observations

Esau

Pettersson²,

Cancet

et al. 2023

Remote Sensing

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…42 This fixed relative humidity assumption, popularized by Manabe and Wetherald (1967), has been well justified by decades of subsequent simulations and observation (Jeevanjee et al, 2022;Colman and Soden, 2021). 43 In particular we multiply the integrand by Tav/T which does not deviate too far from 1 but which allows the exponential to be integrated.…”

Section: A Adiabatic Temperature Profilesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate sensitivity from radiative-convective equilibrium: a blackboard approach

Jeevanjee¹

2023

Preprint

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Simple models for Earth's climate sensitivity, or its temperature response to radiative forcing, are developed by combining the time-tested idealization of one-dimensional radiativeconvective equilibrium (RCE) with simple yet quantitatively reasonable models for CO2 forcing and the water vapor feedback. Along the way we introduce key paradigms including the emission level approximation, the forcing-feedback decomposition of climate sensitivity, and 'Simpson's Law' for water vapor thermal emission. We also discuss climate feedbacks unaccounted for in this RCE framework, as well as differing variants of climate sensitivity, all of which may be ripe for their own chalkboard treatments.

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“…40 This fixed relative humidity assumption, popularized by Manabe and Wetherald (1967), has been well justified by decades of subsequent simulations and observation (Jeevanjee et al, 2022;Colman and Soden, 2021).…”

Section: A Adiabatic Temperature Profilesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hansen et al (1981) 18Payne et al (2015) 19 At least to first approximation. See discussion inJeevanjee et al (2022).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate sensitivity from radiative-convective equilibrium: a blackboard approach

Jeevanjee¹

2023

Preprint

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Earth's climate sensitivity, or its temperature response to a given change in radiative forcing, is a central quantity in climate science and governs the severity of global warming. For decades it has been estimated at around 3 K per doubling of CO2, primarily using a succession of numerical models whose complexity has increased dramatically over time. It was first credibly estimated, however, by Manabe and Wetherald in 1967 using a relatively simple onedimensional representation of Earth's climate known as radiative-convective equilibrium. It was largely for this work that Manabe received part of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physics.Here we revisit the notion of radiative-convective equilibrium (RCE), and present a simple model of RCE suitable for blackboard exposition. We then combine this RCE model with simplified treatments of CO2 and H2O radiative transfer to obtain analytic formulae for the radiative forcing from CO2, as well as the water vapor feedback, thus enabling a chalkboard estimate of climate sensitivity in the context of radiative-convective equilibrium. Along the way we introduce key paradigms in climate dynamics and greenhouse gas physics, including the emission level approximation, the forcing-feedback decomposition of climate sensitivity, and 'Simpson's Law', which states that thermal emission from atmospheric water vapor is insensitive to surface temperature. We close by discussing the many important phenomena unaccounted for in this radiative-convective equilibrium framework, such as clouds, changes in absorbed solar radiation, and carbon cycle dynamics, which may be ripe for their own chalkboard treatments.

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Manabe’s Radiative–Convective Equilibrium

Cited by 9 publications

References 42 publications

The Arctic Amplification and Its Impact: A Synthesis through Satellite Observations

The Arctic Amplification and Its Impact: A Synthesis through Satellite Observations

Climate sensitivity from radiative-convective equilibrium: a blackboard approach

Climate sensitivity from radiative-convective equilibrium: a blackboard approach

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