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    Original Research Papers

    Comparison of equilibrium and transient responses to CO2 increase in eight state-of-the-art climate models

    Authors:

    Tokuta Yokohata ,

    National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba, JP
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    Seita Emori,

    National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba; Frontier Research Center for Global Change, Yokohama; Center for Climate System Research, University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, JP
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    Toru Nozawa,

    National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba, JP
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    Tomoo Ogura,

    National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba, JP
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    Michio Kawamiya,

    Frontier Research Center for Global Change, Yokohama, JP
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    Yoko Tsushima,

    Frontier Research Center for Global Change, Yokohama, JP
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    Tatsuo Suzuki,

    Frontier Research Center for Global Change, Yokohama, JP
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    Seiji Yukimoto,

    Meteorological Research Institute, Tsukuba, JP
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    Ayako Abe-Ouchi,

    Frontier Research Center for Global Change, Yokohama; Center for Climate System Research, University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, JP
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    Hiroyasu Hasumi,

    Center for Climate System Research, University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, JP
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    Akimasa Sumi,

    Transdisciplinary Initiative for Global Sustainability, Tokyo, JP
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    Masahide Kimoto

    Center for Climate System Research, University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, JP
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    Abstract

    We compared the climate response of doubled CO2 equilibrium experiments (2 × CO2) by atmosphere—slab ocean coupled general circulation models (ASGCMs) and that of 1% per year CO2 increase experiments (1%CO2 by atmosphere—ocean coupled general circulation models (AOGCMs) using eight state-of-the-art climate models. Climate feedback processes in 2 × CO2 are different from those in 1%CO2, and the equilibrium climate sensitivity (T2×) in 2 × CO2 is different from the effective climate sensitivity (T2×, eff) in 1%CO2. The difference between T2× and T2×, eff is from −1.3 to 1.6 K, a large part of which can be explained by the difference in the ice-albedo and cloud feedback. The largest contribution is cloud SW feedback, and the difference in cloud SW feedback for 2 ×CO2 and 1%CO2 could be determined by the distribution of the SAT anomaly which causes differences in the atmospheric thermal structure. An important factor which determines the difference in ice-albedo feedback is the initial sea ice distribution at the Southern Ocean, which is generally overestimated in 2 ×CO2 as compared to 1%CO2 and observation. Through the comparison of climate feedback processes in 2 ×CO2 and 1%CO2, the possible behaviour of the time evolution of T2×, eff is discussed.

    How to Cite: Yokohata, T., Emori, S., Nozawa, T., Ogura, T., Kawamiya, M., Tsushima, Y., Suzuki, T., Yukimoto, S., Abe-Ouchi, A., Hasumi, H., Sumi, A. and Kimoto, M., 2008. Comparison of equilibrium and transient responses to CO2 increase in eight state-of-the-art climate models. Tellus A: Dynamic Meteorology and Oceanography, 60(5), pp.946–961. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0870.2008.00345.x
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      Published on 01 Jan 2008
    Peer Reviewed
     CC BY 4.0
     Accepted on 3 Jun 2008            Submitted on 10 Oct 2007

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