Changes in Cross-Equatorial Ocean Heat Transport Impact Regional Climate and Precipitation Sensitivity

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dc.contributor.authorOghenechovwen, Oghenekevwe C.
dc.contributor.supervisorSingh, Hansi
dc.date.accessioned2022-12-01T18:26:12Z
dc.date.available2022-12-01T18:26:12Z
dc.date.copyright2022en_US
dc.date.issued2022-12-01
dc.degree.departmentSchool of Earth and Ocean Sciencesen_US
dc.degree.levelMaster of Science M.Sc.en_US
dc.description.abstractDo changes in how cross-equatorial energy transport is partitioned between the ocean and atmosphere impact the hemispheric climate response to forcing? To find out, we alter the cross-equatorial ocean heat transport in a state-of-the-art GCM and ascertain how changes in energy transport and its partitioning impact hemispheric climate and precipitation sensitivity following abrupt CO2-doubling. We further evaluate the applicability our results in CMIP6-class ESMs, where AMOC facilitates the northward cross-equatorial ocean heat transport. In our experiments, changes in ocean cross-equatorial energy transport trigger compensating changes in atmospheric energy transport through changes in the Hadley cells and a shift in the Intertropical Convergence Zone. However, the climate sensitivity in each hemisphere is linearly related to the ocean heat transport convergence, not atmospheric energy transport convergence, due to the impact of ocean heating on evaporation and atmospheric specific humidity. Similarly, we also find that ocean heat transport convergence controls the hemispheric precipitation sensitivity through the impact of ocean heating on surface evaporation. This relationship is also evident in CMIP6 models, where we find differences in hemispheric precipitation sensitivity to be related to the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). Changes in the AMOC control hemispheric differences in upper ocean heat content, which then affect how the hydrologic cycle responds to CO2 forcing in each hemisphere. These results suggest that ocean dynamics impact the hemispheric climate response to CO2 forcing, particularly how much regional precipitation changes with warming.en_US
dc.description.scholarlevelGraduateen_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1828/14537
dc.languageEnglisheng
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.rightsAvailable to the World Wide Weben_US
dc.subjectCMIP6en_US
dc.subjectAtlantic Meridional Overturning Circulationen_US
dc.subjectEnergy Transporten_US
dc.subjectClimate impactsen_US
dc.subjectClimate changeen_US
dc.subjectRegional climateen_US
dc.subjectEarth System Modelsen_US
dc.subjectCommunity Earth System Modelen_US
dc.subjectRadiative Feedbacksen_US
dc.subjectCross-Equatorial Ocean Heat Transporten_US
dc.subjectPrecipitation Sensitivityen_US
dc.subjectHydrologic Sensitivityen_US
dc.subjectHydrologic Cycleen_US
dc.subjectIntertropical Convergence Zoneen_US
dc.subjectHadley Cellsen_US
dc.subjectForcingen_US
dc.subjectAtmosphere-ocean interactionen_US
dc.subjectCoupled Climate Dynamicsen_US
dc.subjectHemispheric climate responseen_US
dc.subjectBjerknes compensationen_US
dc.subjectEnergy Transport Partitioningen_US
dc.titleChanges in Cross-Equatorial Ocean Heat Transport Impact Regional Climate and Precipitation Sensitivityen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US

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