Lin et al. (2026) Understanding Wavenumber-Dependent Responses of Northern Hemisphere Summer Stationary Waves to Climate Warming

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Journal of Climate
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-01-13
• Authors: Qiyan Lin, Mingfang Ting, Jiacan Yuan, Chuan-Chieh Chang, Cuiyi Fei
• DOI: 10.1175/jcli-d-25-0273.1

Research Groups

National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)

Short Summary

This study investigates how different zonal stationary waves respond to future warming and their underlying mechanisms using large-ensemble climate models. It finds a robust amplification of zonal wavenumber 3 at mid-high latitudes, a consistent weakening of wavenumber 2 in the subtropics, and varied responses for wavenumber 7, driven by changes in the basic state and diabatic heating.

Objective

• To investigate the wavenumber-dependent responses of stationary waves to anthropogenic warming and unveil their underlying mechanisms.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Global (tropical, subtropical, mid-high latitudes, Pacific sector) to regional.
• Temporal Scale: Future climate projections under anthropogenic warming.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: NCAR CESM2 initial-condition large-ensemble simulations, four additional large-ensemble models, idealized stationary wave model.
• Data sources: Climate model simulations.

Main Results

• Zonal wavenumber 3 is projected to amplify at mid–high latitudes in a warmer climate, a robust signal across five large-ensemble models. This amplification is primarily driven by changes in the basic state, particularly in the upper troposphere, characterized by amplified tropical upper-tropospheric warming.
• Zonal wavenumber 2 shows a consistent weakening in the subtropics as climate warms, contributed by changes in both the basic state and diabatic heating.
• Zonal wavenumber 7 is projected to amplify at midlatitudes in CESM2 Large Ensemble (CESM2-LE) under global warming, mainly due to diabatic heating changes in the Pacific sector. However, discrepancies exist in wavenumber-7 amplification across the large-ensemble models.

Contributions

• Provides valuable insights into the wavenumber-dependent responses of stationary waves to anthropogenic warming.
• Unveils the underlying mechanisms driving these responses, including basic state changes, tropical upper-tropospheric warming, and diabatic heating.
• Improves physical understanding and future projections of regional climate and extreme events.
• Offers insights into how climate change influences atmospheric circulation, potentially aiding predictions of regional extremes.

Funding

• Not specified in the abstract.

Citation

@article{Lin2026Understanding,
  author = {Lin, Qiyan and Ting, Mingfang and Yuan, Jiacan and Chang, Chuan-Chieh and Fei, Cuiyi},
  title = {Understanding Wavenumber-Dependent Responses of Northern Hemisphere Summer Stationary Waves to Climate Warming},
  journal = {Journal of Climate},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1175/jcli-d-25-0273.1},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1175/jcli-d-25-0273.1}
}