Publication Abstracts

Barnes et al. 2016

Barnes, E.A., N. Parazoo, C. Orbe, and A.S. Denning, 2016: Isentropic transport and the seasonal cycle amplitude of CO2. J. Geophys. Res. Atmos., 121, no. 13, 8106-8124, doi:10.1002/2016JD025109.

Carbon-concentration feedbacks and carbon-climate feedbacks constitute one of the largest sources of uncertainty in future climate. Since the beginning of the modern atmospheric CO2 record, seasonal variations in CO2 have been recognized as a signal of the metabolism of land ecosystems, and quantitative attribution of changes in the seasonal cycle amplitude (SCA) of CO2 to ecosystem processes is critical for understanding and projecting carbon-climate feedbacks far into the 21st Century. Here the impact of surface carbon fluxes on the SCA of CO2 throughout the Northern Hemisphere troposphere is investigated, paying particular attention to isentropic transport across latitudes. The analysis includes both a chemical transport model GOES-Chem and an idealized tracer in a gray-radiation aquaplanet. The results of the study can be summarized by two main conclusions: (1) the SCA of CO2 roughly follows surfaces of constant potential temperature, which can explain the observed increase in SCA with latitude along pressure surfaces and (2) increasing seasonal fluxes in lower latitudes have a larger impact on the SCA of CO2 throughout most of the troposphere compared to increasing seasonal fluxes in higher latitudes. These results provide strong evidence that recently observed changes in the SCA of CO2 at high northern latitudes (poleward of 60°N) are likely driven by changes in midlatitude surface fluxes, rather than changes in Arctic fluxes.

Export citation: [ BibTeX ] [ RIS ]

BibTeX Citation

@article{ba05500d,
  author={Barnes, E. A. and Parazoo, N. and Orbe, C. and Denning, A. S.},
  title={Isentropic transport and the seasonal cycle amplitude of CO2},
  year={2016},
  journal={Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres},
  volume={121},
  number={13},
  pages={8106--8124},
  doi={10.1002/2016JD025109},
}

[ Close ]

RIS Citation

TY  - JOUR
ID  - ba05500d
AU  - Barnes, E. A.
AU  - Parazoo, N.
AU  - Orbe, C.
AU  - Denning, A. S.
PY  - 2016
TI  - Isentropic transport and the seasonal cycle amplitude of CO2
JA  - J. Geophys. Res. Atmos.
JO  - Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
VL  - 121
IS  - 13
SP  - 8106
EP  - 8124
DO  - 10.1002/2016JD025109
ER  -

[ Close ]

• Return to 2016 Publications

• Return to Publications Homepage