GLOBAL COUPLED SIMULATIONS OF CLIMATE-CHANGE DUE TO INCREASED ATMOSPHERIC CO2 CONCENTRATION

Two transient CO2 experiments using two coupled general circulation mo dels developed by the French GASTON group have been realized using the same methodology. No flux corrections at the air-sea interface were u sed in these experiments. The main features of the present climate are reasonably well captured by both coupled models in the control simula tions, although the biases are not the same. The transient CO2 simulat ions show a global warming, ranging between 1.6 and 2.0 degrees C at t he time of CO2 doubling (+ 70 years). These values, and the main geogr aphical characteristics of climate change, are in agreement with previ ous studies published by other research groups, using either flux corr ected or non-flux corrected models. (C) Academie des sciences/Elsevier , Paris.