The NOAA IR serves as an archival repository of NOAA-published products including scientific findings, journal articles, guidelines, recommendations, or other information authored or co-authored by NOAA or funded partners.
As a repository, the NOAA IR retains documents in their original published format to ensure public access to scientific information.
i
Observationally Constrained Cloud Phase Unmasks Orbitally Driven Climate Feedbacks
-
2021
-
-
Source: Geophysical Research Letters, 48(6)
[PDF-4.40 MB]
Details:
-
Journal Title:Geophysical Research Letters
-
Personal Author:
-
NOAA Program & Office:
-
Description:The mechanisms which amplify orbitally driven changes in insolation and drive the glacial cycles of the past 2.6 million years, the Pleistocene, are poorly understood. Previous studies indicate that cloud phase feedbacks oppose ice sheet initiation when orbital configuration supports ice sheet growth. Cloud phase was observationally constrained in a recent study and provides evidence for a weaker negative cloud feedback in response to carbon dioxide doubling. We observationally constrain cloud phase in the Community Earth System Model and explore how changes in orbital configuration impact the climate response. Constraining cloud phase weakens the negative high latitude cloud phase feedback and unmasks positive water vapor and cloud feedbacks (amount and optical depth) that extend cooling to lower latitudes. Snowfall accumulation and ablation metrics also support ice sheet expansion as seen in proxy records. This indicates that well‐known cloud and water vapor feedbacks are the mechanisms amplifying orbital climate forcing.
-
Keywords:
-
Source:Geophysical Research Letters, 48(6)
-
DOI:
-
ISSN:0094-8276;1944-8007;
-
Format:
-
Publisher:
-
Document Type:
-
License:
-
Rights Information:CC BY-NC
-
Compliance:Library
-
Main Document Checksum:
-
Download URL:
-
File Type:
