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Publication Abstracts

Hansen et al. 1991

Hansen, J., D. Rind, A. Del Genio, A. Lacis, S. Lebedeff, M. Prather, R. Ruedy, and T. Karl, 1991: Regional greenhouse climate effects. In Greenhouse-Gas-Induced Climatic Change: A Critical Appraisal of Simulations and Observations. M.E. Schlesinger, Ed., Elsevier, pp. 211-229.

We discuss the impact of an increasing greenhouse effect on three aspects of regional climate: droughts, storms and temperature. A continuation of current growth rates of greenhouse gases causes an increase in the frequency and severity of droughts in our climate model simulations, with the greatest impacts in broad regions of the subtropics and middle latitudes. But the greenhouse effect enhances both ends of the hydrologic cycle in the model, that is, there is an increased frequency of extreme wet situations, as well as increased drought. Model results are shown to imply that increased greenhouse warming will lead to more intense thunderstorms, that is, deeper thunderstorms with greater rainfall. Emanuel has shown that the model results also imply that the greenhouse warming leads to more destructive tropical cyclones. We present updated records of observed temperatures and show that the observations and model results, averaged over the globe and over the United States, are generally consistent.

The impacts of simulated climate changes on droughts, storms and temperature provide no evidence that there will be regional "winters" if greenhouse gases continue to increase rapidly.

  • Condensed from a paper of the same name in Coping with Climatic Change: Proceedings of the Second North American Conference on Preparing for Climate Change (1989).

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BibTeX Citation

@inbook{ha09700z,
  author={Hansen, J. and Rind, D. and Del Genio, A. and Lacis, A. and Lebedeff, S. and Prather, M. and Ruedy, R. and Karl, T.},
  editor={Schlesinger, M. E.},
  title={Regional greenhouse climate effects},
  booktitle={Greenhouse-Gas-Induced Climatic Change: A Critical Appraisal of Simulations and Observations},
  year={1991},
  pages={211--229},
  publisher={Elsevier},
  address={Amsterdam / New York},
}

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RIS Citation

TY  - CHAP
ID  - ha09700z
AU  - Hansen, J.
AU  - Rind, D.
AU  - Del Genio, A.
AU  - Lacis, A.
AU  - Lebedeff, S.
AU  - Prather, M.
AU  - Ruedy, R.
AU  - Karl, T.
ED  - Schlesinger, M. E.
PY  - 1991
TI  - Regional greenhouse climate effects
BT  - Greenhouse-Gas-Induced Climatic Change: A Critical Appraisal of Simulations and Observations
SP  - 211
EP  - 229
PB  - Elsevier
CY  - Amsterdam / New York
ER  -

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