Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory

About: Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory is a facility organization based out in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Climate model & Climate change. The organization has 525 authors who have published 2432 publications receiving 264545 citations. The organization is also known as: GFDL.

Comparing Satellite and Surface Observations of Cloud Patterns in Synoptic-Scale Circulation Systems

Abstract: The propagation characteristics and spatial distributions of cloud cover associated with synoptic-scale circulation systems are studied using both satellite data processed by the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) and surface observations taken at weather stations or ships of opportunity. These two independent datasets produce comparable climatological patterns of the preferred direction and speed of the cloud movements. Such “propagation vectors” based on the ISCCP products depict cloud motions at a higher altitude than that of the corresponding movements deduced from surface synoptic reports. By application of a similar composite procedure to the ISCCP and surface datasets, a detailed comparison is made between the satellite and surface observations of the organization of various cloud types in midlatitude cyclones. The relationships of these cloud patterns with the concurrent atmospheric circulation are illustrated by superposing the composites of wind and geopotential h...

Extending the relationship between global warming and cumulative carbon emissions to multi-millennial timescales

Abstract: The transient climate response to cumulative carbon emissions (TCRE) is a highly policy-relevant quantity in climate science. The TCRE suggests that peak warming is linearly proportional to cumulative carbon emissions and nearly independent of the emissions scenario. Here, we use simulations of the Earth System Model (ESM) from the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) to show that global mean surface temperature may increase by 0.5 °C after carbon emissions are stopped at 2 °C global warming, implying an increase in the coefficient relating global warming to cumulative carbon emissions on multi-centennial timescales. The simulations also suggest a 20% lower quota on cumulative carbon emissions allowed to achieve a policy-driven limit on global warming. ESM estimates from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5–ESMs) qualitatively agree on this result, whereas Earth System Models of Intermediate Complexity (EMICs) simulations, used in the IPCC 5th assessment report to assess the robustness of TCRE on multi-centennial timescales, suggest a post-emissions decrease in temperature. The reason for this discrepancy lies in the smaller simulated realized warming fraction in CMIP5–ESMs, including GFDL ESM2M, than in EMICs when carbon emissions increase. The temperature response to cumulative carbon emissions can be characterized by three different phases and the linear TCRE framework is only valid during the first phase when carbon emissions increase. For longer timescales, when emissions tape off, two new metrics are introduced that better characterize the time-dependent temperature response to cumulative carbon emissions: the equilibrium climate response to cumulative carbon emissions and the multi-millennial climate response to cumulative carbon emissions.

Seasonal Predictability of Extratropical Storm Tracks in GFDL’s High-Resolution Climate Prediction Model

Abstract: The seasonal predictability of extratropical storm tracks in the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory’s (GFDL)’s high-resolution climate model has been investigated using an average predictability time analysis. The leading predictable components of extratropical storm tracks are the ENSO-related spatial patterns for both boreal winter and summer, and the second predictable components are mostly due to changes in external radiative forcing and multidecadal oceanic variability. These two predictable components for both seasons show significant correlation skill for all leads from 0 to 9 months, while the skill of predicting the boreal winter storm track is consistently higher than that of the austral winter. The predictable components of extratropical storm tracks are dynamically consistent with the predictable components of the upper troposphere jet flow for both seasons. Over the region with strong storm-track signals in North America, the model is able to predict the changes in statistics of ex...

The Resolution Dependence of Contiguous U.S. Precipitation Extremes in Response to CO2 Forcing

Abstract: Precipitation extremes have a widespread impact on societies and ecosystems; it is therefore important to understand current and future patterns of extreme precipitation. Here, a set of new global coupled climate models with varying atmospheric resolution has been used to investigate the ability of these models to reproduce observed patterns of precipitation extremes and to investigate changes in these extremes in response to increased atmospheric CO2 concentrations. The atmospheric resolution was increased from 2° × 2° grid cells (typical resolution in the CMIP5 archive) to 0.25° × 0.25° (tropical cyclone permitting). Analysis has been confined to the contiguous United States (CONUS). It is shown that, for these models, integrating at higher atmospheric resolution improves all aspects of simulated extreme precipitation: spatial patterns, intensities, and seasonal timing. In response to 2 × CO2 concentrations, all models show a mean intensification of precipitation rates during extreme events of a...