Major Volcanic Eruptions and Their Impacts on Southern Hemisphere Temperatures During the Late 19th and 20th Centuries, as Simulated by CMIP5 Models

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (14) ◽  
Author(s):  
P. J. Harvey ◽  
S. W. Grab ◽  
J. Malherbe
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela J Harvey ◽  
Stefan W Grab

Abstract Although global and Northern Hemisphere (NH) temperature responses to volcanic forcing have been extensively investigated, knowledge of such responses over Southern Hemisphere (SH) continental regions is still limited. Here we use an ensemble of CMIP5 models to explore SH temperature responses to four major volcanic eruptions: Krakatau (1883), Santa Maria (1902), Agung (1963) and Pinatubo (1991). Focus is on near-surface temperature responses over southern continental landmasses including southern South America (SSA), southern Africa (SAF) and Australia and their seasonal differences. Findings indicate that for all continents, temperature responses were strongest and lasted longest following the Krakatau eruption. Responses in Australia had the shortest lag time, strongest maximum seasonal response, as well as the most significant monthly anomalies. In contrast, SSA records the longest lag time, weakest maximum seasonal temperature response, and lowest number of monthly negative anomalies following these eruptions. In most cases, the strongest single-season response occurred in austral autumn or winter, and the weakest in summer or spring. We tentatively propose that cooler temperature responses are likely caused, at least in part, by the intensification of the westerlies and associated mid-latitude cyclones and anti-cyclones.


2012 ◽  
Vol 39 (19) ◽  
pp. n/a-n/a ◽  
Author(s):  
Paulo Ceppi ◽  
Yen-Ting Hwang ◽  
Dargan M. W. Frierson ◽  
Dennis L. Hartmann

2012 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 1161-1175 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Kurzke ◽  
M. V. Kurgansky ◽  
K. Dethloff ◽  
D. Handorf ◽  
S. Erxleben ◽  
...  

Abstract. A quasi-geostrophic model of Southern Hemisphere's wintertime atmospheric circulation with horizontal resolution T21 has been coupled to a global ocean circulation model with a resolution of 2° × 2° and simplified physics. This simplified coupled model reproduces qualitatively some features of the first and the second EOF of atmospheric 833 hPa geopotential height in accordance with NCEP data. The variability patterns of the simplified coupled model have been compared with variability patterns simulated by four complex state-of-the-art coupled CMIP5 models. The first EOF of the simplified model is too zonal and does not reproduce the right position of the centre of action over the Pacific Ocean and its extension to the tropics. The agreement in the second EOF between the simplified and the CMIP5 models is better. The total variance of the simplified model is weaker than the observational variance and those of the CMIP5 models. The transport properties of the Southern Ocean circulation are in qualitative accord with observations. The simplified model exhibits skill in reproducing essential features of decadal and multi-decadal climate variability in the extratropical Southern Hemisphere. Notably, 800 yr long coupled model simulations reveal sea surface temperature fluctuations on the timescale of several decades in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current region.


2017 ◽  
Vol 50 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 2705-2717 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josefina Blázquez ◽  
Silvina A. Solman

2013 ◽  
Vol 26 (24) ◽  
pp. 9860-9879 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fei Zheng ◽  
Jianping Li ◽  
Robin T. Clark ◽  
Hyacinth C. Nnamchi

Abstract Climate variability in the Southern Hemisphere (SH) extratropical regions is dominated by the SH annular mode (SAM). Future changes in the SAM could have a large influence on the climate over broad regions. In this paper, the authors utilized model simulations from phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) to examine projected future changes in the SAM during the austral summer [December–February (DJF)]. To start off, first, the ability of the models in reproducing the recently observed spatial and temporal variability was assessed. The 12 CMIP5 models examined were found to reproduce the SAM's spatial pattern reasonably well in terms of both the symmetrical and the asymmetric component. The CMIP5 models show an improvement over phase 3 of CMIP (CMIP3) in simulating the seesaw structure of the SAM and also give improvements in the recently observed positive SAM trend. However, only half the models appeared to be able to capture two major recent decadal SAM phases. Then, the future SAM trends and its sensitivity to greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations using simulations based on the representative concentration pathways 4.5 (RCP4.5) and 8.5 (RCP8.5) were explored. With RCP4.5, a very weak negative trend for this century is found. Conversely, with RCP8.5, a significant positive trend was projected, with a magnitude similar to the recently observed trend. Finally, model uncertainty in the future SAM projections was quantified by comparing projections from the individual CMIP5 models. The results imply the response of SH polar region stratospheric temperature to GHGs could be a significant controlling factor on the future evolution of the SAM.


2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (23) ◽  
pp. 9298-9312 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin M. Grise ◽  
Lorenzo M. Polvani ◽  
John T. Fasullo

Abstract Recent efforts to narrow the spread in equilibrium climate sensitivity (ECS) across global climate models have focused on identifying observationally based constraints, which are rooted in empirical correlations between ECS and biases in the models’ present-day climate. This study reexamines one such constraint identified from CMIP3 models: the linkage between ECS and net top-of-the-atmosphere radiation biases in the Southern Hemisphere (SH). As previously documented, the intermodel spread in the ECS of CMIP3 models is linked to present-day cloud and net radiation biases over the midlatitude Southern Ocean, where higher cloud fraction in the present-day climate is associated with larger values of ECS. However, in this study, no physical explanation is found to support this relationship. Furthermore, it is shown here that this relationship disappears in CMIP5 models and is unique to a subset of CMIP models characterized by unrealistically bright present-day clouds in the SH subtropics. In view of this evidence, Southern Ocean cloud and net radiation biases appear inappropriate for providing observationally based constraints on ECS. Instead of the Southern Ocean, this study points to the stratocumulus-to-cumulus transition regions of the SH subtropical oceans as key to explaining the intermodel spread in the ECS of both CMIP3 and CMIP5 models. In these regions, ECS is linked to present-day cloud and net radiation biases with a plausible physical mechanism: models with brighter subtropical clouds in the present-day climate show greater ECS because 1) subtropical clouds dissipate with increasing CO2 concentrations in many models and 2) the dissipation of brighter clouds contributes to greater solar warming of the surface.


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