Different responses of Sea Surface Temperature in the North Pacific to greenhouse gas and aerosol forcing

The responses of Sea Surface Temperature (SST) to greenhouse gas (GHG) and anthropogenic aerosol in the North Pacific are compared based on the historical single and all-forcing simulations with Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory Climate Model version 3 (GFDL CM3). During 1860-2005, the effect of GHG forcing on the North Pacific SST is opposite to that of the aerosol forcing. Specifically, the aerosol cooling effect exceeds the GHG warming effect in the Kuroshio Extension (KE) region during 1950-2004 in the CM3 single forcing. The mid-latitude response of ocean circulation to the GHG (aerosol) forcing is to enhance (weaken) the Subtropical Gyre. Then the SST warming (cooling) lies on the zonal band of 40A degrees N because of the increased (reduced) KE warm advection effect in the GHG (aerosol) forcing simulations, and the cooling effect to SST will surpass the warming effect in the KE region in the historical all-forcing simulations. Besides, the positive feedback between cold SST and cloud can also strengthen the aerosol cooling effect in the KE region during boreal summer, when the mixed layer depth is shallow. In the GHG (aerosol) forcing simulations, corresponding to warming (cooling) SST in the KE region, the weakened (enhanced) Aleutian Low appears in the Northeast Pacific. Consequently, the SST responses to all-forcing in the historical simulations are similar to the responses to aerosol forcing in sign and spatial pattern, hence the aerosol effect is quite important to the SST cooling in the mid-latitude North Pacific during the past 55 years.