Global Warming Potential and Global Warming Commitment Concepts in the Assessment of Climate Radiative Forcing Effects

Abstract

The Global Warming Potential (GWP) and Radiative Forcing (RF) are widely used for the evaluation a separate Radiative Active Substance (RAS) effects on the climatic regime of the atmosphere. In a radiative photochemical model, calculations of RF of the chemically active Greenhouse Gases (GG) caused by gas content change is proposed in two ways: by the Cumulative (CS) and Individual (IS) schemes. The Global Warming Commitment (GWC) is calculated by the same formula as GWP, but considering actual RAS emission and RAS content changes in certain periods. GWC specifies the RF of RAS by taking into account not only the initial and final RAS concentration distribution as RF does, but also the concentration evolution during the period. All these indices are calculated and analysed for periods: 1850–1995 and 1995–2050 for two IPCC IS92 scenarios.