Thermodynamics of climate change: generalized sensitivities

Lucarini, Valerio; Fraedrich, Klaus; Lunkeit, Frank

doi:10.5194/acp-10-9729-2010

Cited by 68 publications

(88 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…The increase in the index of irreversibility is a direct consequence of the decrease in the efficiency η, due to the reduction in temperature gradients inside the system, in agreement with what is found in Lucarini et al (2010aLucarini et al ( , b, 2013 and Boschi et al (2013). The flux of latent heat contributes most to the material entropy production in the climate system.…”

Section: Summary and Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

“…The heating rate is calculated as the sum over all diabatic heating effects including heating or cooling by the response of radiative heat fluxes, sensible and latent heat fluxes and vertical diffusion. While + and − are defined using the time-and space-dependent heating fields, in- specting the time and zonal averages of the heating patterns is useful for understanding how available potential energy is generated (Lucarini et al, 2010a). Simulations with 0.5 PW ≤ OHT max ≤ 1.5 PW show diabatic warming in the deep tropics, in the mid-troposphere and in the subtropical low troposphere, whereas diabatic cooling occurs in the mid-and high troposphere of the subtropics and in polar as well as subpolar regions.…”

Section: Efficiencymentioning

confidence: 99%

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The impact of oceanic heat transport on the atmospheric circulation

Knietzsch¹,

Schröder²,

Lucarini

et al. 2015

Earth Syst. Dynam.

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Abstract.A general circulation model of intermediate complexity with an idealized Earth-like aquaplanet setup is used to study the impact of changes in the oceanic heat transport on the global atmospheric circulation. Focus is on the atmospheric mean meridional circulation and global thermodynamic properties.The atmosphere counterbalances to a large extent the imposed changes in the oceanic heat transport, but, nonetheless, significant modifications to the atmospheric general circulation are found. Increasing the strength of the oceanic heat transport up to 2.5 PW leads to an increase in the global mean near-surface temperature and to a decrease in its equator-to-pole gradient. For stronger transports, the gradient is reduced further, but the global mean remains approximately constant. This is linked to a cooling and a reversal of the temperature gradient in the tropics.Additionally, a stronger oceanic heat transport leads to a decline in the intensity and a poleward shift of the maxima of both the Hadley and Ferrel cells. Changes in zonal mean diabatic heating and friction impact the properties of the Hadley cell, while the behavior of the Ferrel cell is mostly controlled by friction.The efficiency of the climate machine, the intensity of the Lorenz energy cycle and the material entropy production of the system decline with increased oceanic heat transport. This suggests that the climate system becomes less efficient and turns into a state of reduced entropy production as the enhanced oceanic transport performs a stronger large-scale mixing between geophysical fluids with different temperatures, thus reducing the available energy in the climate system and bringing it closer to a state of thermal equilibrium.

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Section: Summary and Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

Section: Efficiencymentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of oceanic heat transport on the atmospheric circulation

Knietzsch¹,

Schröder²,

Lucarini

et al. 2015

Earth Syst. Dynam.

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“…However, future plans for large-scale wind power development must recognize the finite potential of the Earth system to generate kinetic wind energy. It has also been suggested that with increased carbon dioxide concentrations, the total atmospheric dissipation rate, and therefore its kinetic energy generation rate, will decrease (Lucarini et al, 2010;Hernández-Deckers and von Storch, 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Note the influence of the large-scale circulation on large-scale extractable wind power, also noted in Barrie and Kirk-Davidoff (2010). 3. Earth's kinetic wind energy generation rate is the unattainable upper-bound for any kinetic wind energy extraction technology (Gustavson, 1979) 4. perturbations to the system will decrease the conversion efficiency from solar radiation to atmospheric motion (Lucarini et al, 2010;Hernández-Deckers and von Storch, 2010), with wind turbines being one example of an atmospheric perturbation 5. large-scale wind power extraction will result in climatic impacts (Keith et al, 2004;Roy and Pacala, 2004;KirkDavidoff and Keith, 2008;Barrie and Kirk-Davidoff, 2010;Wang and Prinn, 2010; Points 1-3 are reproduced in our simple back-of-theenvelope estimate, a simple momentum balance model, and a range of model resolutions with a general circulation model of intermediate complexity. Taken together, our estimates range from 18-68 TW and are significantly less than the ≈900 TW of initially generated kinetic wind energy.…”

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimating maximum global land surface wind power extractability and associated climatic consequences

2011

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Abstract. The availability of wind power for renewable energy extraction is ultimately limited by how much kinetic energy is generated by natural processes within the Earth system and by fundamental limits of how much of the wind power can be extracted. Here we use these considerations to provide a maximum estimate of wind power availability over land. We use several different methods. First, we outline the processes associated with wind power generation and extraction with a simple power transfer hierarchy based on the assumption that available wind power will not geographically vary with increased extraction for an estimate of 68 TW. Second, we set up a simple momentum balance model to estimate maximum extractability which we then apply to reanalysis climate data, yielding an estimate of 21 TW. Third, we perform general circulation model simulations in which we extract different amounts of momentum from the atmospheric boundary layer to obtain a maximum estimate of how much power can be extracted, yielding 18-34 TW. These three methods consistently yield maximum estimates in the range of 18-68 TW and are notably less than recent estimates that claim abundant wind power availability. Furthermore, we show with the general circulation model simulations that some climatic effects at maximum wind power extraction are similar in magnitude to those associated with a doubling of atmospheric CO 2 . We conclude that in order to understand fundamental limits to renewable energy resources, as well as the impacts of their utilization, it is imperative to use a "topdown" thermodynamic Earth system perspective, rather than the more common "bottom-up" engineering approach.

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“…However, most of the previous studies have concentrated on the role of temperature gradient changes only. More recently, Lucarini et al (2010) have also pointed out the importance of taking into account changes in stratification together with the changes in horizontal temperature distribution. The increase in the meridional temperature gradient in the upper troposphere induced by the tropical upper-tropospheric warming favors an intensification of baroclinic eddies, while the decrease in the temperature gradient near the surface induced by the high-latitude surface warming can suppress baroclinic activities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of the Warming Pattern on Global Energetics

Hernández-Deckers

Storch

2012

Journal of Climate

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The warming pattern due to higher greenhouse gas concentrations is expected to affect the global atmospheric energetics mainly via changes in the (i) meridional temperature gradient and (ii) mean static stability. Changes in surface meridional temperature gradients have been previously regarded as the determining feature for the energetics response, but recent studies suggest that changes in mean static stability may be more relevant than previously thought. This study aims to determine the relative importance of these two effects by comparing the energetics responses due to different warming patterns using a fully coupled atmosphere-ocean general circulation model.By means of an additional diabatic forcing, experiments with different warming patterns are obtained: one with a 2xCO 2 -like pattern that validates the method, one with only the tropical upper-tropospheric warming, and one with only the high-latitude surface warming. The study's findings suggest that the dominant aspect of the warming pattern that alters the global atmospheric energetics is not its associated meridional temperature gradient changes, but the mean static stability changes. The tropical upper warming weakens the energetics by increasing the mean static stability, whereas the surface warming strengthens it by reducing the mean static stability. The combined 2xCO 2 -like response is dominated by the tropical upper-tropospheric warming effect, hence the weaker energetic activity. Eddy kinetic energy changes consistently, but the two opposite responses nearly cancel each other in the 2xCO 2 case. Therefore, estimates of future changes in storminess may be particularly sensitive to the relative magnitude of the main features of the simulated warming pattern. * Current affiliation: Climate

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Thermodynamics of climate change: generalized sensitivities

Cited by 68 publications

References 34 publications

The impact of oceanic heat transport on the atmospheric circulation

The impact of oceanic heat transport on the atmospheric circulation

Estimating maximum global land surface wind power extractability and associated climatic consequences

Impact of the Warming Pattern on Global Energetics

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