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Climate
Revisiting the determination of climate sensitivity from relationships between surface temperature and radiative fluxes
Article first published online: 20 MAY 2010
DOI: 10.1029/2010GL043051
Copyright 2010 by the American Geophysical Union.
Additional Information
How to Cite
, , and (2010), Revisiting the determination of climate sensitivity from relationships between surface temperature and radiative fluxes, Geophys. Res. Lett., 37, L10703, doi:10.1029/2010GL043051.
Publication History
- Issue published online: 20 MAY 2010
- Article first published online: 20 MAY 2010
- Manuscript Accepted: 19 APR 2010
- Manuscript Revised: 14 APR 2010
- Manuscript Received: 26 FEB 2010
Keywords:
- climate sensitivity;
- feedback parameter;
- relationships between surface temperature and radiative fluxes
[1] We analyze the radiative damping of climatological variations in surface temperature based on relationships between surface temperature and top-of-atmosphere radiative fluxes for both satellite observations and climate model simulations. The observed damping rates are generally consistent with positive radiative feedbacks over the tropical oceans, in agreement with climate model simulations. The model-simulated radiative damping rates are shown to be much more robust when analyzed at global scales, rather than tropical-means. Moreover, the model-simulated values of global-mean radiative damping rates deduced from interannual variability are shown to be modestly correlated to the climate sensitivity of the model in response to increasing CO2.