Enhanced hydrological cycle increases ocean heat uptake and moderates transient climate change
- 23 September 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in Nature Climate Change
- Vol. 11 (10), 848-853
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-021-01152-0
Abstract
The large-scale moistening of the atmosphere in response to increasing greenhouse gases amplifies the existing patterns of precipitation minus evaporation (P − E), which, in turn, amplifies the spatial contrast in sea surface salinity. Here, by performing a series of transient CO2 doubling experiments, we demonstrate that surface salinification driven by the amplified dry conditions (P − E < 0), primarily in the subtropical ocean, accelerates ocean heat uptake. The salinification also drives the sequestration of upper-level heat into the deeper ocean, reducing the thermal stratification and increasing the heat uptake through positive feedback. The change in Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation due to salinification has a secondary role in heat uptake. Consistent with the heat uptake changes, the transient climate response would increase by approximately 0.4 K without this process. Observed multidecadal changes in subsurface temperature and salinity resemble those simulated, indicating that anthropogenically forced changes in salinity are probably enhancing ocean heat uptake.Funding Information
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (80NSSC20K0879, 80NSSC20K0879)
- U.S. Department of Energy (DE-SC0021333, DE-SC0021333)
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