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Recent Trends of the Tropical Hydrological Cycle Inferred from Global Precipitation Climatology Project and International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project dataScores of modeling studies have shown that increasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere impact the global hydrologic cycle; however, disagreements on regional scales are large, and thus the simulated trends of such impacts, even for regions as large as the tropics, remain uncertain. The present investigation attempts to examine such trends in the observations using satellite data products comprising Global Precipitation Climatology Project precipitation and International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project cloud and radiation. Specifically, evolving trends of the tropical hydrological cycle over the last 20-30 years were identified and analyzed. The results show (1) intensification of tropical precipitation in the rising regions of the Walker and Hadley circulations and weakening over the sinking regions of the associated overturning circulation; (2) poleward shift of the subtropical dry zones (up to 2deg/decade in June-July-August (JJA) in the Northern Hemisphere and 0.3-0.7deg/decade in June-July-August and September-October-November in the Southern Hemisphere) consistent with an overall broadening of the Hadley circulation; and (3) significant poleward migration (0.9-1.7deg/decade) of cloud boundaries of Hadley cell and plausible narrowing of the high cloudiness in the Intertropical Convergence Zone region in some seasons. These results support findings of some of the previous studies that showed strengthening of the tropical hydrological cycle and expansion of the Hadley cell that are potentially related to the recent global warming trends.
Document ID
20120003759
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
External Source(s)
Authors
Zhou, Y. P.
(Maryland Univ. Baltimore County Catonsville, MD, United States)
Xu, Kuan-Man
(NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
Sud, Y. C.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Betts, A. K.
(Atmospheric Research Pittsford, VT, United States)
Date Acquired
August 25, 2013
Publication Date
May 7, 2011
Publication Information
Publication: Journal of Geophysical Research
Volume: 116
Subject Category
Meteorology And Climatology
Report/Patent Number
GSFC.JA.5742.2011
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NSF-AGS-0529797
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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