ON THE TRANSIENT-RESPONSE OF A SIMPLE COUPLED CLIMATE SYSTEM Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • This paper presents quasi-analytical solutions to a class of coupled atmosphere-ocean models for time-dependent ramp- and step-forced climate changes. The model consists of a conventional two-dimensional energy balance model of the atmosphere with an oceanic mixed layer coupled to a deep ocean having vertical heat transports due to horizontally uniform vertical diffusion and upwelling. The solution is partitioned into the particular or asymptotic part and the homogeneous or transient part. The latter experiment suggests that step-forcing scenarios are not very similar to ramp-forcing scenarios. The model produces a warming of ~0.5C over the last hundred years provided the simulation is started 200 years ago. An interesting feature of the solutions is that the land surface areas lead the ocean surface areas in heating up by O(0.1C). -from Authors

published proceedings

  • JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-ATMOSPHERES

author list (cited authors)

  • KIM, K. Y., NORTH, G. R., & HUANG, J. P.

citation count

  • 14

complete list of authors

  • KIM, KY||NORTH, GR||HUANG, JP

publication date

  • June 1992