"Climate sensitivity" refers to how much the Earth's climate might change in response to an increase in greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. It measures how sensitive or responsive the climate system is to these changes. A high
climate sensitivity means that even small increases in greenhouse gases could lead to significant alterations in temperature, rainfall patterns, and other climate conditions.
Full definition
Well, it's simply the estimate
of climate sensitivity for the present climate — how much would you expect the planet to warm if you doubled CO2?
The warming is also consistent
with climate sensitivities estimated from warming events in the historical past, and in the paleo record.
Some parts of the media have interpreted low
climate sensitivity as evidence that emissions cuts aren't urgent after all.
In every case we arrive at this same
climate sensitivity range of 2 to 4.5 °C, and the most likely value is 3 °C for a doubling of atmospheric CO2.
Others say that we need to act even
if climate sensitivity lies at the low end of the scale, since coastal areas would still be threatened by rising seas, for example.
What's more, the slowdown meant that simple estimates of
climate sensitivity based on the recent temperature record were lower.
Why does «radiative forcing» work as method for comparing different physical impacts on the climate, and why you can't
calculate climate sensitivity just by looking at the surface energy budget.
If the 3
C climate sensitivity value were to prove correct, then that would imply global warming of between 1.5 and 3 degrees Celsius.
We have no direct observations of equilibrium
climate sensitivity so we have to rely on some form of theory or indirect observations from paleo, at least in part.
The bulk of recent research still
suggests climate sensitivity values close to the most established numbers, numbers that have been around for many years.
If the cooling from 1940 - 1970 was from aerosols
then climate sensitivity to CO2 might be high enough to be worried about.
As these figures show, estimates from both models and observational data consistently find that the most
likely climate sensitivity value is approximately 3 °C for a doubling of CO2.
However, they've also made egregious errors and their work simply hasn't stood up, especially as regards key issues
like climate sensitivity.
Phrases with «climate sensitivity»