Enhanced “Wind‐Evaporation Effect” Drove the “Deep‐Tropical Contraction” in the Early Eocene
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: The equatorward contraction of tropical precipitation, commonly referred to as the “deep‐tropical contraction”, is witnessed in the paleoclimate simulations of the early Eocene. However, the mechanism driving this contraction is still unclear. Based on the energetics framework of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and the decomposition method of the latent heat flux along with the simulations of a climate system model, CESM1.2, we proposed a novel mechanism responsible for the “deep‐tropical contraction” in the early Eocene. The greenhouse gases‐induced sea surface warming amplifies the sensitivity of evaporation to surface wind speed changes through Clausius‐Clapeyron scaling, leading to an interhemispheric asymmetric enhancement of the latent heat flux. To maintain hemispheric energy balance, the cross‐equatorial atmospheric energy transport must be reduced during the solstice seasons. As a result, the solstitial location of the ITCZ shifts equatorward, causing the “deep‐tropical contraction” in the early Eocene.
Source: Geophysical Research Letters
DOI: 10.1029/2024gl108836
Institutions: Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Numerical Modeling for Atmospheric Sciences and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Severe Weather
Language: English
Subfield: Global and Planetary Change
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Climate action
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,900
Awards: G7362368442, G7524375918, G8794533654
OpenAlex ID: W4402977697