Spontaneous transition to superrotation in warm climates simulated by CAM3
Open accessAbstract
Recent paleoclimate proxy reconstructions show that tropical surface temperatures may have been as high as 35°–40°C in the Early Cenozoic. Here, we study the tropical atmospheric circulation's response to temperatures in this range using a full‐complexity atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM). We find that when equatorial surface temperatures exceed ∼33°C, the model undergoes a transition to equatorial superrotation, a state with strong annual‐ and zonal‐mean westerlies on the equator. The transition is driven by zonal momentum convergence due to large‐amplitude transient eddies on the equator. These eddies have a structure similar to the observed Madden‐Julian Oscillation (MJO). The model's MJO variability is weaker than observed when simulating the modern climate but increases sharply with temperature, coming to dominate the tropical variability and mean state of the warmest climates.
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Increases in the activity of the Madden-Julian Oscillation and convectively coupled equatorial Kelvin waves have been found in simulations with conventional and superparameterized climate models.
“Furthermore, increases in the activity of the Madden-Julian Oscillation and convectively coupled equatorial Kelvin waves have been found in simulations with conventional and superparameterized climate models [5, 12].”
From Precipitation Extremes Under Climate Change (2015) · cites this paper as [12]
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Precipitation Extremes Under Climate Change
O’Gorman, P. A. (2015) · Current Climate Change Reports · doi:10.1007/s40641-015-0009-3 · Cited by 831 · see citing works
“Furthermore, increases in the activity of the Madden-Julian Oscillation and convectively-coupled equatorial Kelvin waves have been found in simulations with conventional and superparameterized climate models [12,5].”
Enhanced MJO-like Variability at High SST
Arnold, N. P., Kuang, Z., & Tziperman, E. (2013) · Journal of Climate · doi:10.1175/jcli-d-12-00272.1 · Cited by 107 · see citing works
- Authors
- Caballero, R., & Huber, M.
- Affiliations
- University College Dublin (IE)
- Purdue University West Lafayette (US)
- Venue
- Geophysical Research Letters
- Publisher
- American Geophysical Union (AGU)
- Published
- 2010-06
- Volume
- 37
- Issue
- 11
- ISSN
- 0094-8276 (ISSN-L)
- 1944-8007
- OpenAlex
- W1885197434
- Cited by
- 95
- References
- 32
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 11 · 2012: 6
- FWCI
- 6.89
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Geophysical Research Letters (publishedVersion)
- Purdue e-Pubs (Purdue University System) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Climate variability and models
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Meteorological Phenomena and Simulations
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
- Keywords
- equatorial superrotation, tropical circulation, warm climate, early Cenozoic, transient eddies, Madden-Julian Oscillation, equatorial westerlies, paleoclimate, atmospheric general circulation model
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