Latent heat must be visible in climate communications
Latent heat must be visible in climate communications
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DOI：
10.1002/wcc.779
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发表时间：
2022-04-14
影响因子：
9.2
通讯作者：
Wilby, Robert L.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Matthews, Tom;Byrne, Michael;Wilby, Robert L.
人为强迫正在推动地球系统中的能量积累，包括大气中显热含量的增加，如干球温度所测量的，该指标几乎普遍用于气候变化的通信。不过，大气也在变湿，这代表着潜热的积累，而干球温度趋势部分掩盖了这一点。我们强调，与基本理论一致，潜热增益超过了地球表面约一半的显热增益。这种差异在热带地区最大，那里是全球总热量积累的“热点”，而且在那里，加热率的区域差异很难用干球温度来表示。将潜热纳入气候变化指标可以捕捉到这种热量积累，从而提高对极端湿热和降水危害的适应性相关理解，这些危害严重威胁这些纬度。例如，灌溉可以降低干球温度的峰值，但会以更大的幅度放大潜热含量，加剧危险的热应力。因此，基于对研究文献的回顾，我们的观点要求常规使用等效温度，这是一种以熟悉的单位摄氏度或K表示大气的综合显热和潜热含量的测量方法。我们认识到，干球空气温度必须仍然是大气状态的一个关键指标，尤其是对于许多对显热传递敏感的部门。然而，我们在这里断言，更广泛地使用等效温度可以提高对过程的理解、公众信息和对气候变化的适应。本文分类下：评估气候变化的影响>观测到的气候变化的影响古气候和当前趋势>地球系统行为
Anthropogenic forcing is driving energy accumulation in the Earth system, including increases in the sensible heat content of the atmosphere, as measured by dry-bulb temperature-the metric that is almost universally used for communications about climate change. The atmosphere is also moistening, though, representing an accumulation of latent heat, which is partly concealed by dry-bulb temperature trends. We highlight that, consistent with basic theory, latent heat gains are outpacing sensible heat gains over about half of the Earth's surface. The difference is largest in the tropics, where global "hotspots" of total heat accumulation are located, and where regional disparities in heating rates are very poorly represented by dry-bulb temperatures. Including latent heat in climate-change metrics captures this heat accumulation and therefore improves adaptation-relevant understanding of the extreme humid heat and precipitation hazards that threaten these latitudes so acutely. For example, irrigation can lower peak dry-bulb temperatures, but amplify latent heat content by a larger margin, intensifying dangerous heat stress. Based on a review of the research literature, our Perspective therefore calls for routine use of equivalent temperature, a measure that expresses the combined sensible and latent heat content of the atmosphere in the familiar units of degrees C or K. We recognize that dry-bulb air temperature must remain a key indicator of the atmospheric state, not least for the many sectors that are sensitive to sensible heat transfer. However, we assert here that more widespread use of equivalent temperature could improve process understanding, public messaging, and adaptation to climate change. This article is categorized under: Assessing Impacts of Climate Change > Observed Impacts of Climate Change Paleoclimates and Current Trends > Earth System Behavior