Mechanism of early-summer low-temperature extremes in Japan projected by a nonhydrostatic regional climate model

Abstract

We investigated the mechanisms associated with projected early-summer low-temperature extremes in Japan at the end of the 21st century by means of a well-developed nonhydrostatic regional climate model under the A1B scenario provided by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change-Special Report on Emission Scenario. The projected surface air temperature reveals that even in a climate warmer than that at present, extremely low daily minimum temperatures in early summer are comparable to those in the present climate at several locations. At locations where future low temperatures are remarkable, the temperature drop at night is larger in the future than at present. This temperature drop results from mainly two heat fluxes: upward longwave radiation and latent heat flux. In the future climate, upward longwave radiation increases owing to high temperature at the surface around the time of the sunset. In addition, the upward flux of latent heat increases owing to low relative humidity just above the surface. These dryer conditions are associated with lower relative humidity at 850 hPa, suggesting the effects of synoptic systems. These two fluxes act to reduce the surface temperature, and hence surface air temperature.

Keywords

• Extreme
• Temperature
• Regional
• Climate
• Model