Abstract
AbstractClean air policies can have significant impacts on climate in remote regions. Previous modeling studies have shown that the temperature response to European sulfate aerosol reductions is largest in the Arctic. Here we investigate the atmospheric and ocean roles in driving this enhanced Arctic warming using a set of fully coupled and slab‐ocean simulations (specified ocean heat convergence fluxes) with the Norwegian Earth system model (NorESM), under scenarios with high and low European aerosol emissions relative to year 2000. We show that atmospheric processes drive most of the Arctic response. The ocean pathway plays a secondary role inducing small temperature changes mostly in the opposite direction of the atmospheric response. Important modulators of the temperature response patterns are changes in sea ice extent and subsequent turbulent heat flux exchange, suggesting that a proper representation of Arctic sea ice and turbulent changes is key to predicting the Arctic response to midlatitude aerosol forcing.
Highlights
Arctic amplification of global temperature trends has been a consistent feature found in observations and model simulations over the past century (Pithan & Mauritsen, 2014; Screen & Simmonds, 2010; Serreze & Barry, 2011; Winton, 2006)
Year 2000 is chosen as the reference year, and aerosol emissions, precursor emissions, trace gas concentrations, and land use representation are prescribed from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) historical data set (Lamarque et al, 2010)
Results are presented as the difference between the low‐aerosol and the high‐aerosol scenario to mimic the response of reducing European sulfate aerosol emissions
Summary
Arctic amplification of global temperature trends has been a consistent feature found in observations and model simulations over the past century (Pithan & Mauritsen, 2014; Screen & Simmonds, 2010; Serreze & Barry, 2011; Winton, 2006). Potential reasons for this amplification include the sea ice albedo feedback (Manabe & Stouffer, 1980), heat flux exchange between Arctic ocean and overlying atmosphere (Screen & Simmonds, 2010; Serreze et al, 2009), changes in atmosphere and ocean heat transport (Chylek et al, 2009; Graversen et al, 2008; Yang et al, 2010), and changes in cloud cover and water vapor content affecting long‐wave radiation (Francis & Hunter, 2006).
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