HR: 0800h
AN: C41A-0168    [Abstracts]
TI: Response of the atmospheric hydrologic cycle over the Arctic to climate change in CCSM3
AU: * Finnis, J
EM: joel.finnis@colorado.edu
AF: Program in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, UCB 311, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0311 United States
AU: Holland, M
EM: mholland@ucar.edu
AF: NCAR, P.O. Box 3000, Boulder, CO 80307 United States
AU: Barrett, A P
EM: apbarret@kryos.colorado.edu
AF: Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, UCB 216, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0216 United States
AB: Through influences on the freshwater content of the Arctic Ocean, the atmospheric hydrologic cycle over the Arctic has the ability to affect climate on a grand scale. The representation of this cycle within version 3.0 of the Community Climate System Model (CCSM3) has been found to be reasonable over the North Atlantic and the majority of Eurasia, although the model's hydrology is flawed within the Mackenzie River Basin. Keeping these strengths and weaknesses in mind, this study relates variability in the Arctic Hydrology to atmospheric circulation in both control and climate change runs of CCSM3. Composite analysis has been used to identify atmospheric circulation patterns associated with basin-scale hydrologic variability. The similarity of these patterns to those found in observations is discussed, as is their adjustment to climate change. Finally, the climate change response of the atmospheric hydrologic cycle is related to other elements of the Arctic freshwater budget.
DE: 1833 Hydroclimatology
DE: 1610 Atmosphere (0315, 0325)
DE: 1620 Climate dynamics (3309)
DE: 1635 Oceans (4203)
SC: Cryosphere [C]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting