NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Back to Results
SPARC-IGAC Symposium on Climate-Chemistry Interactions. Climate Feedback by Water Vapor in the Tropical Upper TroposphereThe strong greenhouse forcing by atmospheric water vapor is expected to play an important role in shaping the direction of any future changes in climate. We present calculations that provide a new perspective on the sensitivity of upper tropospheric water vapor to changes in surface temperature. Equilibrium states of our atmospheric model show unambiguously that as the surface warms, changes in the vertical distribution and temperature of detraining air parcels from tropical convection lead to higher water vapor mixing ratios in the upper troposphere. However, the increase in mixing ratio is not as large as the increase in saturation mixing ratio due to warmer environmental temperatures, so that the relative humidity decreases. Our analysis suggests that models that maintain a fixed relative humidity are likely overestimating the magnitude of the water vapor feedback.
Document ID
20030112974
Acquisition Source
Headquarters
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Dessler, A. E.
(Maryland Univ. College Park, MD, United States)
Minschwaner, K.
(New Mexico Inst. of Mining and Technology Socorro, NM, United States)
Date Acquired
August 21, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2003
Subject Category
Meteorology And Climatology
Meeting Information
Meeting: EGS-AGU-EUG Joint Assembly 2003
Location: Nice
Country: France
Start Date: April 6, 2003
End Date: April 11, 2003
Sponsors: American Geophysical Union, European Geophysical Society, European Union of Geosciences
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

Available Downloads

There are no available downloads for this record.
No Preview Available