Changes in the tropical upper-tropospheric zonal  momentum balance due to global warming

Thakur, Abu Bakar Siddiqui; Sukhatme, Jai

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-5-839-2024

Articles | Volume 5, issue 2

https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-5-839-2024

© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-5-839-2024

© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 5, issue 2

Research article

|

18 Jun 2024

Research article |

| 18 Jun 2024

Changes in the tropical upper-tropospheric zonal momentum balance due to global warming

Abu Bakar Siddiqui Thakur and Jai Sukhatme

Supplement

https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-5-839-2024-supplement

Data sets

Complete ERA5 from 1940: Fifth generation of ECMWF atmospheric reanalyses of the global climate H. Hersbach et al. https://doi.org/10.24381/cds.143582cf

CMIP6 climate projections Copernicus Climate Change Service and Climate Data Store https://doi.org/10.24381/cds.c866074c

Model code and software

Community Earth System Model 2 (CESM2) NCAR https://www.cesm.ucar.edu/models/cesm2

Short summary

We analyze the present and future states of the tropical upper troposphere. Observations and climate model simulations suggest that interactions between disparate families of waves and the mean flow maintain present-day upper-level winds, and each component undergoes complex changes due to global warming. While the net east–west flow of the atmosphere may remain unaltered, this study indicates robust changes to local circulations that may influence tropical precipitation and regional climate.