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On critical dependence of atmospheric circulation response to regional SST biases on background SST
  • Yuan-Bing Zhao,
  • Nedjeljka Žagar,
  • Frank Lunkeit
Yuan-Bing Zhao
Meteorologisches Institut, Universität Hamburg

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Nedjeljka Žagar
Meteorologisches Institut, Universität Hamburg
Frank Lunkeit
Meteorologisches Institut, Universität Hamburg

Abstract

This study examines how the geographic location of sea surface temperature (SST) biases influences global atmospheric responses. Utilizing an intermediate-complexity atmospheric model, 106 century-long simulations with idealized SST perturbations—emulating biases in coupled climate models—were performed. The intensity of the global atmospheric response to SST biases is evaluated by quantifying changes in global wave energy and interannual variance. The findings underscore the response's dependency on local background SST. Notably, with an imposed SST bias of +1.5 K, a significant global response is triggered once background SST surpasses approximately 25°C. This geographic dependency is related to the critical SST threshold for intense convection. Consequently, these results highlight the need for heightened focus on tropical oceans, especially the Indo-West Pacific, where SST biases can significantly impact the accuracy of global climate simulations.
22 Jan 2024Submitted to ESS Open Archive
22 Jan 2024Published in ESS Open Archive