Season‐Dependent Atmosphere‐Ocean Coupled Processes Driving SST Seasonality Changes in a Warmer Climate

Abstract Amplification of sea surface temperature (SST) seasonality in response to global warming is a robust feature in climate model projections but season‐dependent regional disparities in this amplification and the associated mechanisms are not well addressed. Here, by analyzing large ensemble s...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical Research Letters
Main Authors: Anila Rani Jo, June‐Yi Lee, Sahil Sharma, Sun‐Seon Lee
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2024
Subjects:
SST seasonality
seasonal cycle amplification
heat budget analysis
surface net heat flux
greenhouse warming
large ensemble simulations
Geophysics. Cosmic physics
QC801-809
Pacific
North Atlantic
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL106953
https://doaj.org/article/3991f4131cf34edeae945a97bca5882e
Description
Summary:Abstract Amplification of sea surface temperature (SST) seasonality in response to global warming is a robust feature in climate model projections but season‐dependent regional disparities in this amplification and the associated mechanisms are not well addressed. Here, by analyzing large ensemble simulations using Community Earth System Model version 2, we investigate detailed spatiotemporal characteristics of the amplification of SST seasonality focusing on the North Pacific and North Atlantic, where robust changes are projected to emerge around 2050 under SSP3‐7.0 scenario. Our results indicate that atmosphere‐ocean coupled processes shape regional changes in SST seasonality differently between warm (MAMJJAS) and cold seasons (ONDJF). During the warm season, the projected warming tendency is mainly due to increased net surface heat flux and weakening of vertical mixing. On the other hand, in the cold season, the projected cooling tendency is driven by strengthened vertical mixing over the North Pacific associated with the northward shift of storm tracks but weakened horizontal advection and mixing due to changes in ocean currents over the North Atlantic.

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