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The Korean Earth Science Society (한국지구과학회)
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How Sensitive is the Earth Climate to a Runaway Carbon Dioxide?

기후는 이산화탄소 증가에 얼마나 민감한가?

  • Choi, Yong-Sang (Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Ewha Womans University)
  • 최용상 (이화여자대학교 환경공학과)
  • Received : 2010.12.07
  • Accepted : 2011.01.24
  • Published : 2011.04.29
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Abstract

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the corresponding national low-carbon policy should be grounded on the scientific understanding of climate sensitivity to the increase in CO2 concentration. This is, however, precluded by the fact that current estimates of the climate sensitivity highly vary. To understand the scientific background, limitations, and prospects of the climate sensitivity study, this paper reviews, as objectively as possible, the most recent results on the sensitivity issue. Theoretically, the climate sensitivity hinges on climate feedbacks from various atmospheric and surface physical processes. Especially cloud and sea-ice processes associated with shortwave radiation are known to have largest uncertainty, resulting in an inaccurate estimation of climate sensitivity. For this reason, recent observational studies using satellite data suggest sensitivity lower than or similar to those estimated by climate models (2-5 K per doubled CO2).

국제기후변화협약 및 정부의 저탄소 정책은 기본적으로 과학이 제시한 이산화탄소 증가에 대한 기후민감도에 근거해야 한다. 그러나 기후민감도의 추정치는 현재까지 연구 단위별로 차이가 커서, 이에 대한 과학적 배경, 한계, 전망을 고찰할 필요가 있다. 본 연구에서는 지금까지의 기후민감도에 대한 국내외 연구 결과를 객관적으로 종합하여 검토한다. 기후민감도를 결정하는 것은 대기와 지면의 각종 물리과정에 의한 기후피드백 작용이며, 이 중 특히 태양 단파복사량을 조절하는 구름, 해빙과 관련된 물리과정은 불확실성이 가장 커서, 부정확한 민감도 추정을 야기하는 것으로 보인다. 이 때문에, 최근 인공위성 자료를 이용하여 추정한 기후민감도는 기후모델들이 갖는 범위(대기 중 이산화탄소 2배 증가당 지구평균기온 2-5 K 증가)에 들거나, 그보다 훨씬 작은 값을 갖는다.

Keywords

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