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Linearity of Outgoing Longwave Radiation: From an Atmospheric Column to Global Climate Models

Author(s): Zhang, Yi; Jeevanjee, Nadir; Fueglistaler, Stephan

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dc.contributor.authorZhang, Yi-
dc.contributor.authorJeevanjee, Nadir-
dc.contributor.authorFueglistaler, Stephan-
dc.date.accessioned2022-01-25T14:59:25Z-
dc.date.available2022-01-25T14:59:25Z-
dc.date.issued2020-08-25en_US
dc.identifier.citationZhang, Yi, Nadir Jeevanjee, and Stephan Fueglistaler. "Linearity of outgoing longwave radiation: From an atmospheric column to global climate models." Geophysical Research Letters 47, no. 17 (2020). doi:10.1029/2020GL089235.en_US
dc.identifier.issn0094-8276-
dc.identifier.urihttp://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/pr1445hb9w-
dc.description.abstractThe linearity of global‐mean outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) with surface temperature is a basic assumption in climate dynamics. This linearity manifests in global climate models, which robustly produce a global‐mean longwave clear‐sky (LWCS) feedback of 1.9 W/m2/K, consistent with idealized single‐column models (Koll & Cronin, 2018, https//:doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1809868115). However, there is considerable spatial variability in the LWCS feedback, including negative values over tropical oceans (known as the “super‐greenhouse effect”) which are compensated for by larger values in the subtropics/extratropics. Therefore, it is unclear how the idealized single‐column results are relevant for the global‐mean LWCS feedback in comprehensive climate models. Here we show with a simple analytical theory and model output that the compensation of this spatial variability to produce a robust global‐mean feedback can be explained by two facts: (1) When conditioned upon free‐tropospheric column relative humidity (RH), the LWCS feedback is independent of RH, and (2) the global histogram of free‐tropospheric column RH is largely invariant under warming.en_US
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.relation.ispartofGeophysical Research Lettersen_US
dc.rightsFinal published version. Article is made available in OAR by the publisher's permission or policy.en_US
dc.titleLinearity of Outgoing Longwave Radiation: From an Atmospheric Column to Global Climate Modelsen_US
dc.typeJournal Articleen_US
dc.identifier.doidoi:10.1029/2020GL089235-
dc.identifier.eissn1944-8007-
pu.type.symplectichttp://www.symplectic.co.uk/publications/atom-terms/1.0/journal-articleen_US

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