The Vertical Structure of Tropical Temperature Change in Global
Storm-Resolving Model Simulations of Climate Change
Abstract
Global storm-resolving model (GSRM) simulations (kilometer-scale
horizontal resolution) of the atmosphere can capture the interaction
between the scales of deep cumulus convection and the large-scale
dynamics and thermodynamic properties of the atmosphere. Here, we assess
the vertical structure of tropical temperature change in the GSRM
X-SHiELD, developed by the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory,
perturbed by a uniform sea surface temperature (SST) warming and/or
increased CO2 concentration. The simulated response to SST warming shows
weakly amplified warming from the surface through the mid-troposphere
before increasing to a factor of about 2.5 near the tropopause. This
combination of muted warming in the mid-troposphere and amplified
warming aloft is within the range of CMIP6 models at individual pressure
levels but, taken together, is distinctive behavior. The response to CO2
increase with unchanged SST is an approximately vertically uniform
warming, comparable to CMIP6 models, and is linearly additive with the
SST-induced warming in X-SHiELD.