The curious nature of the hemispheric symmetry of the Earth’s water and energy balances

Article

Stephens, Graeme L., Hakuba, Maria Z., Hawcroft, Matt, Haywood, Jim M., Behrangi, Ali, Kay, Jennifer E. and Webster, Peter J.. 2016. "The curious nature of the hemispheric symmetry of the Earth’s water and energy balances." Current Climate Change Reports. 2 (4), pp. 135-147. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40641-016-0043-9
Article Title

The curious nature of the hemispheric symmetry of the Earth’s water and energy balances

ERA Journal ID210339
Article CategoryArticle
AuthorsStephens, Graeme L. (Author), Hakuba, Maria Z. (Author), Hawcroft, Matt (Author), Haywood, Jim M. (Author), Behrangi, Ali (Author), Kay, Jennifer E. (Author) and Webster, Peter J. (Author)
Journal TitleCurrent Climate Change Reports
Journal Citation2 (4), pp. 135-147
Number of Pages13
Year2016
Place of PublicationGermany
ISSN2198-6061
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1007/s40641-016-0043-9
Web Address (URL)https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2Fs40641-016-0043-9.pdf
Abstract

This paper presents new estimates of the hemispheric energy balance based on an assembly of radiative flux and ocean heat data. Further, it provides an overview of recent simulations with fully coupled climate models to investigate the role of its representation in causing tropical precipitation biases. The energy balance portrayed here features a small hemispheric imbalance with slightly more energy being absorbed by the Southern hemisphere. This yields a net transport of heat towards the NH composing of a northward cross-equatorial heat transport by the oceans and a southward heat flow in the atmosphere. The turbulent fluxes and hemispheric precipitation balance to about 3 Wm−2 with slightly larger total accumulation occurring in the NH. CloudSat data indicate more frequent precipitation in the SH implying more intense precipitation in the NH. Fully coupled climate model simulations show that reducing hemispheric energy balance biases does little to reduce existing biases in tropical precipitation.

Keywordshemispheric energy balance, surface heat budget, ocean heat storage, cross-equatorial heat transport, fully coupled climate model, tropical precipitation bias
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020379999. Other earth sciences not elsewhere classified
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Byline AffiliationsCalifornia Institute of Technology (Caltech), United States
Colorado State University, United States
University of Exeter, United Kingdom
University of Colorado Boulder, United States
Georgia Institute of Technology, United States
Institution of OriginUniversity of Southern Queensland
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