Projections of changes in marine environment in coastal China seas over the 21^st century based on CMIP5 models

The increases of atmospheric carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases have caused fundamental changes to the physical and biogeochemical properties of the oceans,and it will continue to occur in the foreseeable future.Based on the outputs of nine Earth System Models from the fifth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project(CMIP5),in this study,we provided a synoptic assessment of future changes in the sea surface temperature(SST),salinity,dissolved oxygen(DO),seawater pH,and marine net primary productivity(NPP)in the coastal China seas over the 21st century.The results show that the mid-high latitude areas of the coastal China seas(East China Seas(ECS),including the Bohai Sea,Yellow Sea,and East China Sea)will be simultaneously exposed to enhanced warming,deoxygenation,acidification,and decreasing NPP as a consequence of increasing greenhouse gas emissions.The magnitudes of the changes will increase as the greenhouse gas concentrations increase.Under the high emission scenario(Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5),the ECS will experience an SST increase of 3.24±1.23℃,a DO concentration decrease of 10.90±3.92μmol/L(decrease of 6.3%),a pH decline of 0.36±0.02,and a NPP reduction of-17.7±6.2 mg/(m2·d)(decrease of 12.9%)relative to the current levels(1980-2005)by the end of this century.The co-occurrence of these changes and their cascade effects are expected to induce considerable biological and ecological responses,thereby making the ECS among the most vulnerable ocean areas to future climate change.Despite high uncertainties,our results have important implications for regional marine assessments.

Multidecadal Trends in Large-Scale Annual Mean SATa Based on CMIP5 Historical Simulations and Future Projections

Based on observations and Coupled Model lntercomparison Project Phase 5 （CMIP5） results, multidecadal variations and trends in annual mean surface air temperature anomalies （SATa） at global, hemispheric, and hemispheric land and ocean scales in the past and under the future scenarios of two representative concentration pathways （RCPs） are analyzed. Fifteen models are selected based on their performances in capturing the temporal variability, long-term trend, multidecadal variations, and trends in global annual mean SATa. Observational data analysis shows that the multidecadal variations in annual mean SATa of the land and ocean in the northern hemisphere （NH） and of the ocean in the southern hemisphere （SH） are similar to those of the global mean, showing an increase during the 1900-1944 and 1971-2000 periods, and flattening or even cooling during the 1945-1970 and 2001-2013 periods. These observed characteristics are basically reproduced by the models. However, SATa over SH land show an increase during the 1945-1970 period, which differs from the other hemispheric scales, and this feature is not captured well by the models. For the recent hiatus period （2001-2013）, the projected trends of BCC-CSM1-1-m, CMCC-CM, GFDL-ESM2M, and NorESM1-ME at the global and hemispheric scales are closest to the observations based on RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios, suggesting that these four models have better projection capability in SATa. Because these four models are better at simulating and projecting the multidecadal trends of SATa, they are selected to analyze future SATa variations at the global and hemispheric scales during the 2006-2099 period. The selected multi-model ensemble （MME） projected trends in annual mean SATa for the globe, NH, and SH under RCP4.5 （RCP8.5） are 0.17 （0.29） ℃, 0.22 （0.36） ℃, and 0.11 （0.23） ℃-decade-1 in the 21st century, respectively. These values are significantly lower than the projections of CMIP5 MME without model selection.

Changes in Mean and Extreme Temperature and Precipitation over the Arid Region of Northwestern China： Observation and Projection

This paper reports a comprehensive study on the observed and projected spatiotemporal changes in mean and extreme climate over the arid region of northwestern China, based on gridded observation data and CMIP5 simulations under the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios. The observational results reveal an increase in annual mean temperature since 1961, largely attributable to the increase in minimum temperature. The annual mean precipitation also exhibits a significant increasing tendency. The precipitation amount in the most recent decade was greater than in any preceding decade since 1961. Seasonally, the greatest increase in temperature and precipitation appears in winter and in summer, respectively. Widespread significant changes in temperature-related extremes are consistent with warming, with decreases in cold extremes and increases in warm extremes. The warming of the coldest night is greater than that of the warmest day, and changes in cold and warm nights are more evident than for cold and warm days. Extreme precipitation and wet days exhibit an increasing trend, and the maximum number of consecutive dry days shows a tendency toward shorter duration. Multi-model ensemble mean projections indicate an overall continual increase in temperature and precipitation during the 21 st century. Decreases in cold extremes, increases in warm extremes, intensification of extreme precipitation, increases in wet days, and decreases in consecutive dry days, are expected under both emissions scenarios, with larger changes corresponding to stronger radiative forcing.

CMIP5 Simulated Change in the Intensity of the Hadley and Walker Circulations from the Perspective of Velocity Potential

Based on the simulations of 31 global models in CMIP5, the performance of the models in simulating the Hadley and Walker circulations is evaluated. In addition, their change in intensity by the end of the 21st century （2080-2099） under the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios, relative to 1986-2005, is analyzed from the perspective of 200 hPa velocity potential. Validation shows good performance of the individual CMIP5 models and the multi-model ensemble mean （MME） in re- producing the meridional （zonal） structure and magnitude of Hadley （Walker） circulation. The MME can also capture the observed strengthening tendency of the winter Hadley circulation and weakening tendency of the Walker circulation. Such secular trends can be simulated by 39% and 74% of the models, respectively. The MME projection indicates that the winter Hadley circulation and the Walker circulation will weaken under both scenarios by the end of the 21st century. The weak- ening amplitude is larger under RCP8.5 than RCP4.5, due to stronger external forcing. The majority of the CMIP5 models show the same projection as the MME. However, for the summer Hadley circulation, the MME shows little change under RCP4.5 and large intermodel spread is apparent. Around half of the models project an increase, and the other half project a decrease. Under the RCP8.5 scenario, the MME and 65% of the models project a weakening of the summer southern Hadley circulation.

An assessment of the CMIP5 models in simulating the Argo geostrophic meridional transport in the North Pacifi c Ocean

Eleven climate system models that participate in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5(CMIP5)were evaluated based on an assessment of their simulated meridional transports in comparison with the Sverdrup transports.The analyses show that the simulated North Pacifi c Ocean circulation is essentially in Sverdrup balance in most of the 11 models while the Argo geostrophic meridional transports indicate signifi cant non-Sverdrup gyre circulation in the tropical North Pacifi c Ocean.The climate models overestimated the observed tropical and subtropical volume transports signifi cantly.The non-Sverdrup gyre circulation leads to non-Sverdrup heat and salt transports,the absence of which in the CMIP5 simulations suggests defi ciencies of the CMIP5 model dynamics in simulating the realistic meridional volume,heat,and salt transports of the ocean.

Uncertainty in Projection of Climate Extremes:A Comparison of CMIP5 and CMIP6

Climate projections by global climate models(GCMs)are subject to considerable and multi-source uncertainties.This study aims to compare the uncertainty in projection of precipitation and temperature extremes between Coupled Model Intercomparison Project(CMIP)phase 5(CMIP5)and phase 6(CMIP6),using 24 GCMs forced by 3 emission scenarios in each phase of CMIP.In this study,the total uncertainty(T)of climate projections is decomposed into the greenhouse gas emission scenario uncertainty(S,mean inter-scenario variance of the signals over all the models),GCM uncertainty(M,mean inter-model variance of signals over all emission scenarios),and internal climate variability uncertainty(V,variance in noises over all models,emission scenarios,and projection lead times);namely,T=S+M+V.The results of analysis demonstrate that the magnitudes of S,M,and T present similarly increasing trends over the 21 st century.The magnitudes of S,M,V,and T in CMIP6 are 0.94-0.96,1.38-2.07,1.04-1.69,and 1.20-1.93 times as high as those in CMIP5.Both CMIP5 and CMIP6 exhibit similar spatial variation patterns of uncertainties and similar ranks of contributions from different sources of uncertainties.The uncertainty for precipitation is lower in midlatitudes and parts of the equatorial region,but higher in low latitudes and the polar region.The uncertainty for temperature is higher over land areas than oceans,and higher in the Northern Hemisphere than the Southern Hemisphere.For precipitation,T is mainly determined by M and V in the early 21 st century,by M and S at the end of the 21 st century;and the turning point will appear in the 2070 s.For temperature,T is dominated by M in the early 21 st century,and by S at the end of the 21 st century,with the turning point occuring in the 2060 s.The relative contributions of S to T in CMIP6(12.5%-14.3%for precipitation and 31.6%-36.2%for temperature)are lower than those in CMIP5(15.1%-17.5%for precipitation and 38.6%-43.8%for temperature).By contrast,the relative contributions of M in CMIP6(50.6%-59.8%for precipitation and 59.4%-60.3%for temperature)are higher than those in CMIP5(47.5%-57.9%for precipitation and 51.7%-53.6%for temperature).The higher magnitude and relative contributions of M in CMIP6 indicate larger difference among projections of various GCMs.Therefore,more GCMs are needed to ensure the robustness of climate projections.

Climate change impacts on the streamflow of Zarrineh River,Iran

Zarrineh River is located in the northwest of Iran,providing more than 40%of the total inflow into the Lake Urmia that is one of the largest saltwater lakes on the earth.Lake Urmia is a highly endangered ecosystem on the brink of desiccation.This paper studied the impacts of climate change on the streamflow of Zarrineh River.The streamflow was simulated and projected for the period 1992-2050 through seven CMIP5(coupled model intercomparison project phase 5)data series(namely,BCC-CSM1-1,BNU-ESM,CSIRO-Mk3-6-0,GFDL-ESM2G,IPSL-CM5A-LR,MIROC-ESM and MIROC-ESM-CHEM)under RCP2.6(RCP,representative concentration pathways)and RCP8.5.The model data series were statistically downscaled and bias corrected using an artificial neural network(ANN)technique and a Gamma based quantile mapping bias correction method.The best model(CSIRO-Mk3-6-0)was chosen by the TOPSIS(technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution)method from seven CMIP5 models based on statistical indices.For simulation of streamflow,a rainfall-runoff model,the hydrologiska byrans vattenavdelning(HBV-Light)model,was utilized.Results on hydro-climatological changes in Zarrineh River basin showed that the mean daily precipitation is expected to decrease from 0.94 and 0.96 mm in 2015 to 0.65 and 0.68 mm in 2050 under RCP2.6 and RCP8.5,respectively.In the case of temperature,the numbers change from 12.33℃ and 12.37℃ in 2015 to 14.28℃ and 14.32℃ in 2050.Corresponding to these climate scenarios,this study projected a decrease of the annual streamflow of Zarrineh River by half from 2015 to 2050 as the results of climatic changes will lead to a decrease in the annual streamflow of Zarrineh River from 59.49 m^(3)/s in 2015 to 22.61 and 23.19 m^(3)/s in 2050.The finding is of important meaning for water resources planning purposes,management programs and strategies of the Lake's endangered ecosystem.

CMIP5模式对长江和黄河流域极端气温指标的模拟与预估

为研究长江和黄河流域极端气温的变化特征,对耦合模式比较计划第5阶段22个大气环流模式数据进行精度评估、Delta降尺度并计算16个极端气温指标,采用可靠性集合平均方法对两流域历史和未来的极端气温进行预估.结果表明:除四川盆地外,两流域的观测值与REA(ensemble reliability average)值在空间上具有较好一致性;未来三个时期(2020s、2050s、2080s),典型浓度路径(Representative Concentration Pathways,RCP)4.5情景下指标变化趋势依次递减,RCP8.5情景下变化趋势逐渐递增;RCP4.5和RCP8.5情景下指标年际变化在21世纪40年代之前是相似的,但之后变化趋势差异增加;两流域的大多数指标呈现上升趋势,冬季趋势相较于其他季节更显著;两流域之间冷极端指标的差异大于暖极端指标.总的来说,两流域的暖极端事件将更加严重.

How the “Best” CMIP5 Models Project Relations of Asian–Pacific Oscillation to Circulation Backgrounds Favorable for Tropical Cyclone Genesis over the Western North Pacific

Based on the simulations of 32 models from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 （CMIP5）, the present study assesses their capacity to simulate the relationship of the summer Asian-Pacific Oscillation （APO） with the vertical zonal wind shear, low-level atmospheric vorticity, mid-level humidity, atmospheric divergence in the lower and upper troposphere, and western Pacific subtropical high （WPSH） that are closely associated with the gen- esis of tropical cyclones over the western North Pacific. The results indicate that five models can simultaneously re- produce the observed pattern with the positive APO phase accompanied by weak vertical zonal wind shear, strengthened vorticity in the lower troposphere, increased mid-level humidity, intensified low-level convergence and high-level divergence, and a northward-located WPSH over the western North Pacific. These five models are further used to project their potential relationship under the RCPS.5 scenario during 2050 2099. Compared to 1950-1999, the relationship between the APO and the vertical zonal wind shear is projected to weaken by both the multi-model ensemble and the individual models. Its linkage to the low-level vorticity, mid-level humidity, atmospheric diver- gence in the lower and upper troposphere, and the northward-southward movement of the WPSH would also reduce slightly but still be significant. However, the individual models show relatively large differences in projecting the linkage between the APO and the mid-level humidity and low-level divergence.

Future Changes in the Impact of North Pacific Midlatitude Oceanic Frontal Intensity on the Wintertime Storm Track in CMIP5 Models

The storm track and oceanic front play an important role in the midlatitude air–sea interaction.In this study,future changes in the impact of the North Pacific midlatitude oceanic frontal intensity on the wintertime storm track are projected based on climate model outputs from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5(CMIP5).The performance of 13 CMIP5 models is evaluated,and it is found that a majority of these models are capable of reproducing the northward intensification of the storm track in response to the strengthened oceanic front.The ensemble means of outputs from six best models under three Representative Concentration Pathway(RCP)scenarios(RCP2.6,RCP4.5,and RCP8.5)are compared with the results of the historical simulation,and future changes are projected.It is found that the impact of the oceanic frontal intensity on the storm track tends to get stronger and extends further westward in a warming climate,and the largest increase appears in the RCP8.5 run.Further analysis reveals that the stronger impact of the oceanic front on the storm track in the future may be partially attributed to the greater oceanic frontal impact on the near-surface baroclinicity,which is mainly related to the intensified oceanic frontal impact on the meridional potential temperature gradient under the climate change scenario.However,this process can hardly explain the increasing impact of the oceanic front on the upstream of the storm track.

Evaluation of CMIP5 Earth System Models in Reproducing Leaf Area Index and Vegetation Cover over the Tibetan Plateau

The abilities of 12 earth system models（ESMs） from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase5（CMIP5） to reproduce satellite-derived vegetation biological variables over the Tibetan Plateau（TP） were examined.The results show that most of the models tend to overestimate the observed leaf area index（LAI）and vegetation carbon above the ground,with the possible reasons being overestimation of photosynthesis and precipitation.The model simulations show a consistent increasing trend with observed LAI over most of the TP during the reference period of 1986-2005,while they fail to reproduce the downward trend around the headstream of the Yellow River shown in the observation due to their coarse resolutions.Three of the models：CCSM4,CESM1-BGC,and NorESM1-ME,which share the same vegetation model,show some common strengths and weaknesses in their simulations according to our analysis.The model ensemble indicates a reasonable spatial distribution but overestimated land coverage,with a significant decreasing trend（-1.48%per decade） for tree coverage and a slight increasing trend（0.58%per decade） for bare ground during the period 1950-2005.No significant sign of variation is found for grass.To quantify the relative performance of the models in representing the observed mean state,seasonal cycle,and interannual variability,a model ranking method was performed with respect to simulated LAI.INMCM4,bcc-csm-1.1m,MPI-ESM-LR,IPSL CM5A-LR,HadGEM2-ES,and CCSM4 were ranked as the best six models in reproducing vegetation dynamics among the 12 models.