Infrared Radiative Effects of Increasing CO2 and CH4 on the Atmosphere in Antarctica Compared to the Arctic

Abstract We simulated the seasonal temperature evolution in the atmosphere of Antarctica and the Arctic focusing on infrared processes. Contributions by other processes were parametrized and kept fixed throughout the simulations. The model was run for current CO2 and CH4 and for doubled concentratio...

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Main Authors: Justus Notholt, Holger Schmithüsen, Matthias Buschmann, Axel Kleidon
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2024-01-01
Series:Geophysical Research Letters
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL105600
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author Justus Notholt
Holger Schmithüsen
Matthias Buschmann
Axel Kleidon
author_facet Justus Notholt
Holger Schmithüsen
Matthias Buschmann
Axel Kleidon
author_sort Justus Notholt
collection DOAJ
description Abstract We simulated the seasonal temperature evolution in the atmosphere of Antarctica and the Arctic focusing on infrared processes. Contributions by other processes were parametrized and kept fixed throughout the simulations. The model was run for current CO2 and CH4 and for doubled concentrations. For doubling CH4 the warming in Antarctica is restricted to the lowest few hundred meters above the surface while in the Arctic we find a warming in the whole troposphere. We find that the amount of water is the main driver for the differences between both polar regions. When increasing both, CO2 and CH4 from pre‐industrial values to current concentrations, and averaged over the whole troposphere, we find a warming of 0.42 K for the Arctic and a slight cooling of 0.01 K for Antarctica. Our results contribute to the understanding of the lack of warming seen in Antarctica throughout the last decades.
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institution DOAJ
issn 0094-8276
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language English
publishDate 2024-01-01
publisher Wiley
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series Geophysical Research Letters
spelling doaj-art-922905f87469485ab80d2eaae206b0bd2025-08-20T03:11:03ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072024-01-01512n/an/a10.1029/2023GL105600Infrared Radiative Effects of Increasing CO2 and CH4 on the Atmosphere in Antarctica Compared to the ArcticJustus Notholt0Holger Schmithüsen1Matthias Buschmann2Axel Kleidon3Institute of Environmental Physics University of Bremen Bremen GermanyAlfred‐Wegener‐Institute for Polar and Marine Research Bremerhaven GermanyInstitute of Environmental Physics University of Bremen Bremen GermanyMax Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry Jena GermanyAbstract We simulated the seasonal temperature evolution in the atmosphere of Antarctica and the Arctic focusing on infrared processes. Contributions by other processes were parametrized and kept fixed throughout the simulations. The model was run for current CO2 and CH4 and for doubled concentrations. For doubling CH4 the warming in Antarctica is restricted to the lowest few hundred meters above the surface while in the Arctic we find a warming in the whole troposphere. We find that the amount of water is the main driver for the differences between both polar regions. When increasing both, CO2 and CH4 from pre‐industrial values to current concentrations, and averaged over the whole troposphere, we find a warming of 0.42 K for the Arctic and a slight cooling of 0.01 K for Antarctica. Our results contribute to the understanding of the lack of warming seen in Antarctica throughout the last decades.https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL105600
spellingShingle Justus Notholt
Holger Schmithüsen
Matthias Buschmann
Axel Kleidon
Infrared Radiative Effects of Increasing CO2 and CH4 on the Atmosphere in Antarctica Compared to the Arctic
Geophysical Research Letters
title Infrared Radiative Effects of Increasing CO2 and CH4 on the Atmosphere in Antarctica Compared to the Arctic
title_full Infrared Radiative Effects of Increasing CO2 and CH4 on the Atmosphere in Antarctica Compared to the Arctic
title_fullStr Infrared Radiative Effects of Increasing CO2 and CH4 on the Atmosphere in Antarctica Compared to the Arctic
title_full_unstemmed Infrared Radiative Effects of Increasing CO2 and CH4 on the Atmosphere in Antarctica Compared to the Arctic
title_short Infrared Radiative Effects of Increasing CO2 and CH4 on the Atmosphere in Antarctica Compared to the Arctic
title_sort infrared radiative effects of increasing co2 and ch4 on the atmosphere in antarctica compared to the arctic
url https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL105600
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