Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-2019-72
https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-2019-72
29 Nov 2019
 | 29 Nov 2019
Status: this preprint was under review for the journal ESD. A final paper is not foreseen.

The Pacific Ocean heat engine: global climate's regulator

Roger N. Jones and James H. Ricketts

Abstract. Climate change is routinely represented as a smoothly changing signal surrounded by statistical noise. However, on decadal timescales, warming proceeds as a sequence of steady-state regimes punctuated by abrupt shifts. Here we present evidence that this process is regulated by a heat engine spanning the tropical Pacific Ocean. The eastern-central Pacific maintains steady-state conditions, collecting heat and delivering it to the Western Pacific warm pool. This acts as distributor, transporting heat upwards and to the poles. The heat engine is networked within the climate system, linking different oscillations and circulations as heat energy is dissipated. The process is self-regulating. Steady-state regimes will persist until they become unstable and need more or less power depending on the direction of forcing. Under greenhouse gas forcing, shifts initiated within the heat engine propagate broadly across the shallow ocean, followed by warming over land and at higher latitudes. The heat engine was in free mode during the early 20th century, dominated by decadal variability. From the 1960s, it switched into forced mode, initiating a stepladder-like pattern of warming in regional and global climate. The most recent shift commenced in the warm pool in December 2012, ending the so-called hiatus (1997–2013). During 2014–15, surface temperatures warmed abruptly by ~ 0.25 °C globally and > 0.5 °C over northern hemisphere land and high latitudes. With increasing forcing, the heat engine will shift more frequently. Rapid decreases in greenhouse gas emissions will slow the process and potentially, could stabilise it. Managing unavoidable change requires developing the capacity to predict shifts in advance. Planning for rapid changes in extreme events is an urgent priority.

This preprint has been withdrawn.

Roger N. Jones and James H. Ricketts

Interactive discussion

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Status: closed
AC: Author comment | RC: Referee comment | SC: Short comment | EC: Editor comment
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Interactive discussion

Status: closed
Status: closed
AC: Author comment | RC: Referee comment | SC: Short comment | EC: Editor comment
Printer-friendly Version - Printer-friendly version Supplement - Supplement
Roger N. Jones and James H. Ricketts
Roger N. Jones and James H. Ricketts

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Latest update: 28 Mar 2024
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This preprint has been withdrawn.

Short summary
The tropical Pacific Ocean maintains a self-regulating heat storage and release system that distributes heat to the top of the atmosphere and poles, acting like a heat engine with gears. It is normally in steady state but when overloaded by increasing heat, it shifts gear. The oceans, then the atmosphere warm in a series of regionally and globally synchronous step changes that shift climate. This results in infrequent but rapid warming episodes that rapidly change the risk of climate extremes.
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