Planetary Albedo Research Articles

Climate response to interhemispheric differences in radiative forcing governed by shortwave cloud feedbacks

Abstract Understanding the climate response to interhemispheric differences in imposed radiative forcing is crucial for solar radiative modification (SRM) investigations. While previous studies have shown that climate sensitivity to solar insolation changes imposed in the Northern (NH) versus the Southern Hemisphere (SH) is different, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we investigate the climate response to three different radiative forcing scenarios: globally uniform radiative forcing, radiative forcing imposed only in the NH, and radiative forcing confined only to the SH. We find that the climate sensitivity is larger when forcing is imposed only in the SH. To explain the mechanisms for this, we estimate climate feedbacks using the radiative kernel approach. We find that albedo and Planck feedbacks are insensitive to hemisphere of forcing, and the larger climate sensitivity to the southern hemispheric radiative forcing is primarily due to differences in shortwave cloud feedbacks. Additionally, we examine impacts of interhemispheric differences in radiative forcing on tropical circulation, planetary albedo, and land/sea warming contrast. Our results clearly demonstrate how the intertropical convergence zone moves into the hemisphere where the radiative forcing is larger without maintaining a symmetric planetary albedo. Overall, our study provides insights into climate system responses to interhemispheric differences in radiative forcing caused by forcing agents such as aerosols from volcanic eruptions and human activities, and land cover changes, in addition to solar geoengineering.

Impact of vegetation albedo on the habitability of Earth-like exoplanets

ABSTRACT Vegetation can modify the planetary surface albedo via the Charney mechanism, as plants are usually darker than the bare surface of the continents. We updated ESTM (Earth-like surface temperature model) to incorporate the presence, distribution and evolution of two dynamically competing vegetation types that resemble grasslands and trees (the latter in the double stages of life: adults and seedlings). The newly developed model was applied to estimate how the climate-vegetation system reaches equilibrium across different rocky planetary configurations, and to assess its impact on temperature and habitability. With respect to a world with bare granite continents, the effect of vegetation-albedo feedback is to increase the average surface temperature. Since grasses and trees exhibit different albedos, they affect temperature to different degrees. The ultimate impact on climate depends on the outcome of the competition between these vegetation types. The change in albedo due to vegetation extends the habitable zone and enhances the overall planetary habitability beyond its traditional outer edge. This effect is especially relevant for planets that have a larger extension of continents than Earth. For Earth, the semimajor axis d = 1.04 au represents the turning point where vegetation enhances habitability from h = 0.0 to 0.485 (in the grass-dominance case), to h = 0.584 (in the case of coexistence between grasses and trees), and to h = 0.612 (in the tree-dominance case). This illustrates the transition from a snowball state to a planet with intermediate habitability at the outer edge of the circumstellar habitability zone.

Roles of Earth’s Albedo Variations and Top-of-the-Atmosphere Energy Imbalance in Recent Warming: New Insights from Satellite and Surface Observations

Past studies have reported a decreasing planetary albedo and an increasing absorption of solar radiation by Earth since the early 1980s, and especially since 2000. This should have contributed to the observed surface warming. However, the magnitude of such solar contribution is presently unknown, and the question of whether or not an enhanced uptake of shortwave energy by the planet represents positive feedback to an initial warming induced by rising greenhouse-gas concentrations has not conclusively been answered. The IPCC 6th Assessment Report also did not properly assess this issue. Here, we quantify the effect of the observed albedo decrease on Earth’s Global Surface Air Temperature (GSAT) since 2000 using measurements by the Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) project and a novel climate-sensitivity model derived from independent NASA planetary data by employing objective rules of calculus. Our analysis revealed that the observed decrease of planetary albedo along with reported variations of the Total Solar Irradiance (TSI) explain 100% of the global warming trend and 83% of the GSAT interannual variability as documented by six satellite- and ground-based monitoring systems over the past 24 years. Changes in Earth’s cloud albedo emerged as the dominant driver of GSAT, while TSI only played a marginal role. The new climate sensitivity model also helped us analyze the physical nature of the Earth’s Energy Imbalance (EEI) calculated as a difference between absorbed shortwave and outgoing longwave radiation at the top of the atmosphere. Observations and model calculations revealed that EEI results from a quasi-adiabatic attenuation of surface energy fluxes traveling through a field of decreasing air pressure with altitude. In other words, the adiabatic dissipation of thermal kinetic energy in ascending air parcels gives rise to an apparent EEI, which does not represent “heat trapping” by increasing atmospheric greenhouse gases as currently assumed. We provide numerical evidence that the observed EEI has been misinterpreted as a source of energy gain by the Earth system on multidecadal time scales.

Is our understanding of aquatic ecosystems sufficient to quantify ecologically driven climate feedbacks?

The Earth functions as an integrated system-its current habitability to complex life is an emergent property dependent on interactions among biological, chemical, and physical components. As global warming affects ecosystem structure and function, so too will the biosphere affect climate by altering atmospheric gas composition and planetary albedo. Constraining these ecosystem-climate feedbacks is essential to accurately predict future change and develop mitigation strategies; however, the interplay among ecosystem processes complicates the assessment of their impact. Here, we explore the state-of-knowledge on how ecological and biological processes (e.g., competition, trophic interactions, metabolism, and adaptation) affect the directionality and magnitude of feedbacks between ecosystems and climate, using illustrative examples from the aquatic sphere. We argue that, despite ample evidence for the likely significance of many, our present understanding of the combinatorial effects of ecosystem dynamics precludes the robust quantification of most ecologically driven climate feedbacks. Constraining these effects must be prioritized within the ecological sciences for only by studying the biosphere as both subject and arbiter of global climate can we develop a sufficiently holistic view of the Earth system to accurately predict Earth's future and unravel its past.

Substantial cooling effect from aerosol-induced increase in tropical marine cloud cover

With global warming currently standing at approximately +1.2 °C since pre-industrial times, climate change is a pressing global issue. Marine cloud brightening is one proposed method to tackle warming through injecting aerosols into marine clouds to enhance their reflectivity and thereby planetary albedo. However, because it is unclear how aerosols influence clouds, especially cloud cover, both climate projections and the effectiveness of marine cloud brightening remain uncertain. Here we use satellite observations of volcanic eruptions in Hawaii to quantify the aerosol fingerprint on tropical marine clouds. We observe a large enhancement in reflected sunlight, mainly due to an aerosol-induced increase in cloud cover. This observed strong negative aerosol forcing suggests that the current level of global warming is driven by a weaker net radiative forcing than previously thought, arising from the competing effects of greenhouse gases and aerosols. This implies a greater sensitivity of Earth’s climate to radiative forcing and therefore a larger warming response to both rising greenhouse gas concentrations and reductions in atmospheric aerosols due to air quality measures. However, our findings also indicate that mitigation of global warming via marine cloud brightening is plausible and is most effective in humid and stable conditions in the tropics where solar radiation is strong.

A comprehensive semigray climate model

A climate model is developed for Earth climate history simulations or snapshots of possible conditions on Earthlike exoplanets. It includes estimates for shortwave and longwave optical thickness based on data from Venus, Earth, and Mars; expressions for atmospheric shortwave absorption and surface convective heat loss; climate feedbacks due to water vapor, ice-albedo, clouds, and lapse rate; and a new model for planetary and surface albedo which takes account of surface cover, Rayleigh scattering, and differing wavelength fractions due to primary spectral class. While somewhat complex, it is still orders of magnitude faster than full-spectrum methods or radiative-convective convergence. The model can be modified for use with tidally locked planets, and is here applied to Proxima Centauri b as an example.

CHEOPS observations of KELT-20 b/MASCARA-2 b: An aligned orbit and signs of variability from a reflective day side

Context. Occultations are windows of opportunity to indirectly peek into the dayside atmosphere of exoplanets. High-precision transit events provide information on the spin-orbit alignment of exoplanets around fast-rotating hosts. Aims. We aim to precisely measure the planetary radius and geometric albedo of the ultra-hot Jupiter (UHJ) KELT-20 b along with the spin-orbit alignment of the system. Methods. We obtained optical high-precision transits and occultations of KELT-20 b using CHEOPS observations in conjunction with simultaneous TESS observations. We interpreted the occultation measurements together with archival infrared observations to measure the planetary geometric albedo and dayside temperatures. We further used the host star’s gravity-darkened nature to measure the system’s obliquity. Results. We present a time-averaged precise occultation depth of 82 ± 6 ppm measured with seven CHEOPS visits and 131−7+8 from the analysis of all available TESS photometry. Using these measurements, we precisely constrain the geometric albedo of KELT-20 b to 0.26 ± 0.04 and the brightness temperature of the dayside hemisphere to 2566−80+77 K. Assuming Lambertian scattering law, we constrain the Bond albedo to 0.36−0.05+0.04 along with a minimal heat transfer to the night side (ϵ = 0.14−0.10+0.13). Furthermore, using five transit observations we provide stricter constraints of 3 9 ± 1 1 deg on the sky-projected obliquity of the system. Conclusions. The aligned orbit of KELT-20 b is in contrast to previous CHEOPS studies that have found strongly inclined orbits for planets orbiting other A-type stars. The comparably high planetary geometric albedo of KELT-20 b corroborates a known trend of strongly irradiated planets being more reflective. Finally, we tentatively detect signs of temporal variability in the occultation depths, which might indicate variable cloud cover advecting onto the planetary day side.

Constraining the reflective properties of WASP-178 b using CHEOPS photometry

Context. Multiwavelength photometry of the secondary eclipses of extrasolar planets is able to disentangle the reflected and thermally emitted light radiated from the planetary dayside. Based on this, we can measure the planetary geometric albedo Ag, which is an indicator of the presence of clouds in the atmosphere, and the recirculation efficiency ϵ, which quantifies the energy transport within the atmosphere. Aims. We measure Ag and ϵ for the planet WASP-178 b, a highly irradiated giant planet with an estimated equilibrium temperature of 2450 K. Methods. We analyzed archival spectra and the light curves collected by CHEOPS and TESS to characterize the host WASP-178, refine the ephemeris of the system, and measure the eclipse depth in the passbands of the two telescopes. Results. We measured a marginally significant eclipse depth of 70 ± 40 ppm in the TESS passband, and a statistically significant depth of 70 ± 20 ppm in the CHEOPS passband. Conclusions. Combining the eclipse-depth measurement in the CHEOPS (λeff = 6300 Å) and TESS (λeff = 8000 Å) passbands, we constrained the dayside brightness temperature of WASP-178 b in the 2250–2800 K interval. The geometric albedo 0.1< Ag<0.35 generally supports the picture that giant planets are poorly reflective, while the recirculation efficiency ϵ >0.7 makes WASP-178 b an interesting laboratory for testing the current heat-recirculation models.

Probing the dynamics and bottleneck of the key atmospheric SO2 oxidation reaction by the hydroxyl radical

SO2 (Sulfur dioxide) is the major precursor to the production of sulfuric acid (H2SO4), contributing to acid rain and atmospheric aerosols. Sulfuric acid formed from SO2 generates light-reflecting sulfate aerosol particles in the atmosphere. This property has prompted recent geoengineering proposals to inject sulfuric acid or its precursors into the Earth's atmosphere to increase the planetary albedo to counteract global warming. SO2 oxidation in the atmosphere by the hydroxyl radical HO to form HOSO2 is a key rate-limiting step in the mechanism for forming acid rain. However, the dynamics of the HO + SO2 → HOSO2 reaction and its slow rate in the atmosphere are poorly understood to date. Herein, we use photoelectron spectroscopy of cryogenically cooled HOSO2- anion to access the neutral HOSO2 radical near the transition state of the HO + SO2 reaction. Spectroscopic and dynamic calculations are conducted on the first ab initio-based full-dimensional potential energy surface to interpret the photoelectron spectra of HOSO2- and to probe the dynamics of the HO + SO2 reaction. In addition to the finding of a unique pre-reaction complex (HO⋯SO2) directly connected to the transition state, dynamic calculations reveal that the accessible phase space for the HO + SO2 → HOSO2 reaction is extremely narrow, forming a key reaction bottleneck and slowing the reaction rate in the atmosphere, despite the low reaction barrier. This study underlines the importance of understanding the full multidimensional potential energy surface to elucidate the dynamics of complex bimolecular reactions involving polyatomic reactants.

Declining Geoengineering Efficacy Caused by Cloud Feedbacks in Transient Solar Dimming Experiments

Abstract Solar radiation management (SRM) with injections of aerosols into the stratosphere has emerged as a research area of focus with the potential to cool the planet. However, the amount of SRM required to achieve a given level of cooling, and how this relationship evolves in response to increasing greenhouse gas emissions, remains uncertain. Here, we explore the evolution of solar dimming efficacy over time by defining and quantifying a new SRM feedback term, which is analogous to conventional radiative feedbacks. Using Earth system model simulations that dynamically adjust the amount of insolation to offset global mean warming from increasing CO2, we find that positive SRM feedbacks decrease global planetary albedo and diminish the efficacy of solar dimming. Physically, the decrease in albedo is primarily due to reductions in optically thick tropical cloud fraction in the boundary layer and midtroposphere, which is driven by a drying and destabilization of the tropical mid- to lower troposphere. These results offer an energetic explanation for reduced cloud fraction commonly observed in idealized SRM experiments, as well as reaffirm the need to understand the troposphere response, particularly from clouds, in realizable geoengineering experiments and their potential to feed back onto SRM efficacy. Significance Statement The goal of this study is to understand how the effectiveness of solar geoengineering may evolve over time. Using a climate model with the ability to directly tune the amount of incoming sunlight, we explore the potential for feedback loops in the climate system to diminish or amplify the desired effect of solar tuning, which is to offset greenhouse gas–induced warming. For this climate model and this solar geoengineering proxy, in particular, we find that feedback loops reduce Earth’s albedo and therefore diminish the desired effect of turning down the sun over time. This study lays the groundwork for understanding potential feedback loops in climate model simulations that represent solar geoengineering in a more realistic way.

Climate intervention using marine cloud brightening (MCB) compared with stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI) in the UKESM1 climate model

Abstract. The difficulties in using conventional mitigation techniques to maintain global-mean temperatures well below 2 ∘C compared with pre-industrial levels have been well documented, leading to so-called “climate intervention” or “geoengineering” research whereby the planetary albedo is increased to counterbalance global warming and ameliorate some impacts of climate change. In the scientific literature, the most prominent climate intervention proposal is that of stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI), although proposals for marine cloud brightening (MCB) have also received considerable attention. In this study, we design a new MCB experiment (G6MCB) for the UKESM1 Earth-system model which follows the same baseline and cooling scenarios as the well-documented G6sulfur SAI scenario developed by the Geoengineering Model Intercomparison Project (GeoMIP), and we compare the results from G6MCB with those from G6sulfur. The deployment strategy used in G6MCB injects sea-salt aerosol into four cloudy areas of the eastern Pacific. This deployment strategy appears capable of delivering a radiative forcing of up to −1 W m−2 from MCB, but at higher injection rates, much of the radiative effect in G6MCB is found to derive from the direct interaction of the injected sea-salt aerosols with solar radiation, i.e. marine sky brightening (MSB). The results show that while G6MCB can achieve its target in terms of reducing high-end global warming to moderate levels, there are several side effects. Some are common to SAI, including overcooling of the tropics and residual warming of middle and high latitudes. Other side effects specific to the choice of the targeted MCB regions include changes in monsoon precipitation, year-round increases in precipitation over Australia and the maritime continent, and increased sea-level rise around western Australia and the maritime continent; these results are all consistent with a permanent and very strong La Niña-like response being induced in G6MCB. The results emphasize that considerable attention needs to be given to oceanic feedbacks for spatially inhomogeneous MCB radiative forcings. It should be stressed that the results are extremely dependent upon the strategy chosen for MCB deployment. As demonstrated by the development of SAI strategies which can achieve multiple temperature targets and ameliorate some of the residual impacts of climate change, much further work is required in multiple models to obtain a robust understanding of the practical scope, limitations, and pitfalls of any proposed MCB deployment.

Survey of Frontier Technological Approaches to Mitigate Climate Change

Climate change with its’ increasingly serious and wide spectrum adverse impacts is the Issue of the Age. Climate change impacts have advanced to where mitigation solutions are now required for CO2 removal from the atmosphere along with planetary albedo/ other safe geoengineering approaches in addition to ever lower cost green energy generation and energy storage/ conversion/ conservation/ efficiency. There are extensive ongoing efforts involving all of these climate mitigation approaches. This work is a survey of additional frontier technologies, concepts and alternatives not yet deployed or nascent which could greatly augment the ongoing climate mitigation efforts across the spectrum. Particularly potentially efficacious approaches wrt cost and effectiveness include Halophytes, LENR, high altitude wind, geothermal utilizing abandoned oil and gas wells, ocean fertilization, white roofs and white roads and utilization of weak force nuclear batteries to extract the some 85% of the energy still present in nuclear waste.

Stellar obliquity and planetary albedo in HAT-P-32

HAT-P-32 is an exceptional planetary system. Its active F-type host star is orbited by a hot Jupiter, the evaporation of which produces a giant structure of tidal tails. We analyze the light curve of HAT-P-32 obtained by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and find a secondary eclipse superimposed on photometric modulation likely caused by stellar rotation. We estimate a secondary eclipse depth of (1.4 ± 0.4)×10−4. Adopting a prior of 1962 ± 83 K for the effective planetary dayside temperature yields values of 0.16 ± 0.07 for the geometric albedo and an associated estimate of 0.46 ± 0.21 for the circulation efficiency of HAT-P-32 b, which favor a dark and windy scenario for the atmosphere. Our analysis of the photometric modulation yields a stellar rotation period of 2.974 ± 0.004 d, implying a value of 79° for the inclination of the stellar rotation axis with a 95% credible interval from 70° to 88°. This constraint further allows us to estimate a value of (84.9 ± 1.5)° for the three-dimensional obliquity. Despite showing an almost polar planetary orbit, the host star is, therefore, seen nearly equator on.

Hemispheric Symmetry of Planetary Albedo: A Corollary of Nonequilibrium Thermodynamics

It is increasingly recognized that the generic climate state is a macroscopic manifestation of a nonequilibrium thermodynamic (NT) system characterized by maximum entropy production (MEP)—a generalized second law. Through a minimal tropical/polar-band model, I show that MEP would propel low clouds to polar bands to symmetrize the planetary albedo, a remarkable observation that may now be explained. The prognosed polar albedo is consistent with the current observation, which moreover is little altered during the ice age of more reflective land and the early Triassic period of symmetric land, suggesting its considerable stability through Earth’s history. Climate models have not replicated the observed albedo symmetry and, given the potency of MEP in propelling clouds, it is suggested that to improve climate models, a higher premium be placed on resolving eddies—thereby encapsulating the NT—than detailed cloud physics.

Hemispheric Albedo Asymmetries across Three Phases of CMIP

Abstract Earth’s planetary albedo shows a remarkable hemispheric symmetry. We assess to what extent CMIP models symmetrize the hemispheric clear-sky albedo asymmetry and what the role of clouds is for this. Following Voigt et al., we calculate a reference TOA reflected solar radiation considering the masking of clear-sky asymmetry by symmetric cloud contributions. We use the simple radiation model of Donohoe and Battisti to estimate this benchmark and to separate surface, aerosol, and cloud contributions to the compensation of this benchmark. In CERES, tropical clouds enhance the reference asymmetry while extratropical cloud asymmetries balance the reference asymmetry and the additional asymmetry introduced by tropical clouds. CMIP multimodel means show similar results as CERES. Clouds compensate reference asymmetries by 85% (CMIP3), 65% (CMIP5), and 78% (CMIP6) as compared with 98% for CERES. Spatial distributions of hemispheric differences indicate clear improvements across the CMIP phases. Remaining all-sky reflection asymmetries predominantly result from too-small, partly compensating cloud asymmetries: a too-weak enhancement of the reference asymmetry in the tropical Atlantic and eastern Pacific Oceans is accompanied by a too-weak compensation by extratropical clouds. Thus, tropical clouds and extratropical storm track regions are largely responsible for the compensation of hemispheric clear-sky asymmetries in CERES and CMIP, and for remaining biases in the GCMs. An unexpected result is the magnitude of model biases in the clear-sky asymmetries, which potentially condition systematic cloud biases. Experiments testing cloud-controlling factors influencing hemispheric asymmetry could help us to understand what drives hemispheric cloud differences.

The extremely high albedo of LTT 9779 b revealed by CHEOPS

Context. Optical secondary eclipse measurements of small planets can provide a wealth of information about the reflective properties of these worlds, but the measurements are particularly challenging to attain because of their relatively shallow depth. If such signals can be detected and modeled, however, they can provide planetary albedos, thermal characteristics, and information on absorbers in the upper atmosphere. Aims. We aim to detect and characterize the optical secondary eclipse of the planet LTT 9779 b using the CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite (CHEOPS) to measure the planetary albedo and search for the signature of atmospheric condensates. Methods. We observed ten secondary eclipses of the planet with CHEOPS. We carefully analyzed and detrended the light curves using three independent methods to perform the final astrophysical detrending and eclipse model fitting of the individual and combined light curves. Results. Each of our analysis methods yielded statistically similar results, providing a robust detection of the eclipse of LTT 9779 b with a depth of 115±24 ppm. This surprisingly large depth provides a geometric albedo for the planet of 0.80−0.17+0.10, consistent with estimates of radiative-convective models. This value is similar to that of Venus in our own Solar System. When combining the eclipse from CHEOPS with the measurements from TESS and Spitzer, our global climate models indicate that LTT 9779 b likely has a super metal-rich atmosphere, with a lower limit of 400× solar being found, and the presence of silicate clouds. The observations also reveal hints of optical eclipse depth variability, but these have yet to be confirmed. Conclusions. The results found here in the optical when combined with those in the near-infrared provide the first steps toward understanding the atmospheric structure and physical processes of ultrahot Neptune worlds that inhabit the Neptune desert.

The geometric albedo of the hot Jupiter HD 189733b measured with CHEOPS

Context. Measurements of the occultation of an exoplanet at visible wavelengths allow us to determine the reflective properties of a planetary atmosphere. The observed occultation depth can be translated into a geometric albedo. This in turn aids in characterising the structure and composition of an atmosphere by providing additional information on the wavelength-dependent reflective qualities of the aerosols in the atmosphere. Aims. Our aim is to provide a precise measurement of the geometric albedo of the gas giant HD 189733b by measuring the occultation depth in the broad optical bandpass of CHEOPS (350–1100 nm). Methods. We analysed 13 observations of the occultation of HD 189733b performed by CHEOPS utilising the Python package PyCHEOPS. The resulting occultation depth is then used to infer the geometric albedo accounting for the contribution of thermal emission from the planet. We also aid the analysis by refining the transit parameters combining observations made by the TESS and CHEOPS space telescopes. Results. We report the detection of an 24.7 ± 4.5 ppm occultation in the CHEOPS observations. This occultation depth corresponds to a geometric albedo of 0.076 ± 0.016. Our measurement is consistent with models assuming the atmosphere of the planet to be cloud-free at the scattering level and absorption in the CHEOPS band to be dominated by the resonant Na doublet. Taking into account previous optical-light occultation observations obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope, both measurements combined are consistent with a super-stellar Na elemental abundance in the dayside atmosphere of HD 189733b. We further constrain the planetary Bond albedo to between 0.013 and 0.42 at 3σ confidence. Conclusions. We find that the reflective properties of the HD 189733b dayside atmosphere are consistent with a cloud-free atmosphere having a super-stellar metal content. When compared to an analogous CHEOPS measurement for HD 209458b, our data hint at a slightly lower geometric albedo for HD 189733b (0.076 ± 0.016) than for HD 209458b (0.096 ± 0.016), or a higher atmospheric Na content in the same modelling framework. While our constraint on the Bond albedo is consistent with previously published values, we note that the higher-end values of ~0.4, as derived previously from infrared phase curves, would also require peculiarly high reflectance in the infrared, which again would make it more difficult to disentangle reflected and emitted light in the total observed flux, and therefore to correctly account for reflected light in the interpretation of those phase curves. Lower reported values for the Bond albedos are less affected by this ambiguity.

Connecting Hemispheric Asymmetries of Planetary Albedo and Surface Temperature

AbstractSatellite measurements show that the Northern and Southern hemispheres reflect equal amounts of shortwave radiation (“albedo symmetry”), but no theory exists on if, how, and why the symmetry is established and maintained. Ambiguously, climate models are strongly biased in albedo symmetry but agree in the sign of the response to CO2. We find that mean‐state biases in albedo symmetry and hemispheric surface temperature asymmetry correlate negatively. Similarly, the response of albedo asymmetry to CO2 forcing correlates negatively with the magnitude of the asymmetry in surface warming. This is true across many and within single climate model simulations: a too warm or stronger warming hemisphere is darker or darkens more than its counterpart. In the 21 years of observations we find the same tendency and hypothesize (a) albedo symmetry is a function of the current climate state and (b) we will observe an evolution toward albedo asymmetry in coming decades.

A Cloud-Controlling Factor Perspective on the Hemispheric Asymmetry of Extratropical Cloud Albedo

Abstract The Northern and Southern Hemispheres reflect on average almost equal amounts of sunlight due to compensating hemispheric asymmetries in clear-sky and cloud albedo. Recent work indicates that the cloud albedo asymmetry is largely due to clouds in extratropical oceanic regions. Here, we investigate the proximate causes of this extratropical cloud albedo asymmetry using a cloud-controlling factor (CCF) approach. We develop a simple index that measures the skill of CCFs, either individually or in combination, in predicting the asymmetry. The index captures the contribution to the asymmetry due to interhemispheric differences in the probability distribution function of daily CCF values. Cloud albedo is quantified using daily MODIS satellite retrievals, and is related to range of CCFs derived from the ERA5 product. We find that sea surface temperature is the CCF that individually explains the largest fraction of the asymmetry, followed by surface wind. The asymmetry is predominantly due to low clouds, and our results are consistent with prior local-scale modeling work showing that marine boundary layer clouds become thicker and more extensive as surface wind increases and surface temperature cools. The asymmetry is consistent with large-scale control of storm-track intensity and surface winds by meridional temperature gradients: persistently cold and windy conditions in the Southern Hemisphere keep cloud albedo high year-round. Our results have important implications for global-scale cloud feedbacks and contribute to efforts to develop a theory for planetary albedo and its symmetry.

The Impact of Different Atmospheric CO2 Concentrations on Large Scale Miocene Temperature Signatures

AbstractBased on inferences from proxy records the Miocene (23.03–5.33 Ma) was a time of amplified polar warmth compared to today. However, it remains a challenge to simulate a warm Miocene climate and pronounced polar warmth at reconstructed Miocene CO2 concentrations. Using a state‐of‐the‐art Earth‐System‐Model, we implement a high‐resolution paleobathymetry and simulate Miocene climate at different atmospheric CO2 concentrations. We estimate global mean surface warming of +3.1°C relative to the preindustrial at a CO2 level of 450 ppm. An increase of atmospheric CO2 from 280 to 450 ppm provides an individual warming of ∼1.4°C, which is as strong as all other Miocene forcing contributions combined. Substantial changes in surface albedo are vital to explain Miocene surface warming. Simulated surface temperatures fit well with proxy reconstructions at low‐ to mid‐latitudes. The high latitude cooling bias becomes less pronounced for higher atmospheric CO2 concentrations. At such CO2 levels simulated Miocene climate shows a reduced polar amplification, linked to a breakdown of seasonality in the Arctic Ocean. A pronounced warming in boreal fall is detected for a CO2 increase from 280 to 450 ppm, in comparison to weaker warming for CO2 changes from 450 to 720 ppm. Moreover, a pronounced warming in winter is detected for a CO2 increase from 450 to 720 ppm, in contrast to a moderate summer temperature increase, which is accompanied by a strong sea‐ice concentration decline that promotes cloud formation in summer via enhanced moisture availability. As a consequence planetary albedo increases and dampens the temperature response to CO2 forcing at a warmer Miocene background climate.