Journal Articles

Advisee names are underlined.

Merlis, T. M., 2024: Perturbing the surface energy balance to emulate the historical pattern of tropical Pacific sea surface temperature trends. Journal of Climate, submitted.

Merlis, T. M., I. Guendelman, K.-Y. Cheng, L. Harris, Y.-T. Chen, C. S. Bretherton, M. Bolot, L. Zhou, A. Kaltenbaugh, S. K. Clark, and S. Fueglistaler, 2024: The vertical structure of tropical temperature change in global storm-resolving model simulations of climate change. Geophysical Research Letters, submitted, preprint.

Bolot, M., O. Pauluis, L. Harris, K.-Y. Cheng, T. M. Merlis, S. K. Clark, A. Kaltenbaugh, L. Zhou, and S. Fueglistaler, 2024: Precipitation-induced dissipation limits storm kinetic energy in a warming climate. Submitted.

Caballero, R. and T. M. Merlis, 2024: Polar feedbacks in radiative-advective equilibrium from an air mass transformation perspective. Journal of Climate, in revision, preprint.

2024

Merlis, T. M., K.-Y. Cheng, I. Guendelman, L. Harris, C. S. Bretherton, M. Bolot, L. Zhou, A. Kaltenbaugh, S. K. Clark, G. A. Vecchi, and S. Fueglistaler, 2024: Climate sensitivity and relative humidity changes in global storm-resolving model simulations of climate change. Science Advances, 10, eadn5217, doi:10.1126/sciadv.adn5217. Official version.

Guendelman, I., T. M. Merlis, K.-Y. Cheng, L. Harris, C. S. Bretherton, M. Bolot, L. Zhou, A. Kaltenbaugh, S. K. Clark, and S. Fueglistaler, 2024: The precipitation response to warming and CO2 increase: A comparison of a global storm resolving model and CMIP6 models. Geophysical Research Letters, 51, e2023GL107008, doi:10.1029/2023GL107008, Official version.

Chen, Y.-T., T. M. Merlis, and Y. Huang, 2024: The cause of negative CO2 forcing at the top-of-atmosphere: the role of stratospheric vs. tropospheric temperature inversions. Geophysical Research Letters, 51, e2023GL106433, doi:10.1029/2023GL106433, Official version.

Meera, M., T. M. Merlis, and D. J. Kirshbaum, 2024: Response of the current climate to land-ocean contrasts in parameterized cumulus entrainment. Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, 16, e2023MS003691, doi:10.1029/2023MS003691. Official version.

2023

Bolot, M., L. Harris, K.-Y. Cheng, T. M. Merlis, P. Blossey, C. S. Bretherton, S. K. Clark, A. Kaltenbaugh, L. Zhou, and S. Fueglistaler, 2023: Kilometer-scale global warming simulations and active sensors reveal changes of tropical deep convection. npj Climate and Atmospheric Science, 6, 209, doi:10.1038/s41612-023-00525-w. Official version.

Feldl, N. and T. M. Merlis, 2023: An analytical model for radiative feedbacks in comprehensive climate models. Geophysical Research Letters, 50, e2023GL105796, doi:10.1029/2023GL105796. Official version.

Chang, C.-Y. and T. M. Merlis, 2023: The role of diffusivity changes on the pattern of warming in energy balance models. Journal of Climate, 36, 7993-8006, doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-23-0121.1. Official version.

Zurita-Gotor, P., I. M. Held, T. M. Merlis, C.-Y. Chang, S. A. Hill, C. G. MacDonald, 2023: Non-uniqueness in ITCZ latitude due to radiation-circulation coupling in an idealized GCM. Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, 15, e2023MS003736, doi:10.1029/2023MS003736. Official version.

Chen, Y.-T., Y. Huang, and T. M. Merlis, 2023: The global patterns of instantaneous CO2 forcing at the top-of-atmosphere and surface. Journal of Climate, 36, 6331-6347, doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-22-0708.1. Official version.

Fortin, A.-S., C. O. Dufour, T. M. Merlis, and R. Msadek, 2023: Drivers of the decline of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation under climate change in a hierarchy of climate models. Journal of Climate, 36, 6481-6498, doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-22-0561.1. Official version.

Labonté, M.-P. and T. M. Merlis, 2023: Evaluation of changes in dry and wet precipitation extremes in warmer climates using a passive water vapor modelling approach. Journal of Climate, 36, 2167-2182, doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-22-0048.1. Official version

2022

Cheng, K.-Y., L. Harris, C. S. Bretherton, T. M. Merlis, M. Bolot, L. Zhou, A. Kaltenbaugh, S. K. Clark, and S. Fueglistaler, 2022: Impact of warmer sea surface temperature on the global pattern of intense convection: insights from a global storm resolving model. Geophysical Research Letters, 49, e2022GL099796, doi:10.1029/2022GL099796. Official version

Kim, D., H. Kim, S. M. Kang, M. Stuecker, and T. M. Merlis, 2022: Weak future Hadley cell intensity changes due to compensating effects of tropical and extratropical forcing. npj Climate and Atmospheric Science, 5, 61, doi:10.1038/s41612-022-00287-x. Official version

Merlis, T. M., N. Feldl, and R. Caballero, 2022: Changes in poleward atmospheric energy transport over a wide range of climates: Energetic and diffusive perspectives and a priori theories. Journal of Climate, 35, 2933-2948, doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-21-0682.1. Official version

Hill, S. A., N. J. Burls, A. V. Fedorov, and T. M. Merlis, 2022: Symmetric and antisymmetric components of polar-amplified warming. Journal of Climate, 35, 3157-3172, doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-20-0972.1. Official version

Navarro, T., T. M. Merlis, N. B. Cowan, and N. Gomez, 2022: Atmospheric gravitational tides of Earth-like planets orbiting low mass stars. Planetary Science Journal, 3, 162, doi:10.3847/PSJ/ac76cd. Official version

R. Rousseau-Rizzi, T. M. Merlis, and N. Jeevanjee, 2022: The connection between Carnot and CAPE formulations of TC potential intensity. Journal of Climate, 35, 941-954, doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-21-0360.1. Official version

2021

Kim, D., S. M. Kang, T. M. Merlis, and Y. Shin, 2021: Atmospheric circulation sensitivity to changes in the vertical structure of polar warming. Geophysical Research Letters, 48, e2021GL094726, doi:10.1029/2021GL094726. Official version

Feldl, N. and T. M. Merlis, 2021: Polar amplification in idealized climates: the role of ice, moisture, and seasons. Geophysical Research Letters, 48, e2021GL094130, doi:10.1029/2021GL094130. Official version

Bembenek, E., T. M. Merlis, and D. N. Straub, 2021: Influence of latitudinal and moisture effects on the barotropic instability of an idealized ITCZ. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 78, 2677-2689, doi:10.1175/JAS-D-20-0346.1. Official version

Feng, P.-N., H. Lin, J. Derome, and T. M. Merlis, 2021: Forecast skill of the NAO in the Subseasonal-to-Seasonal prediction models. Journal of Climate, 34, 4757-4769, doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-20-0430.1. Official version

Rollings, M. and T. M. Merlis, 2021: The observed relationship between Pacific SST variability and Hadley cell extent trends in reanalyses. Journal of Climate, 34, 2511-2527, doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-20-0410.1. Official version

Henry, M., T. M. Merlis, N. J. Lutsko, and B. E. J. Rose 2021: Decomposing the drivers of polar amplification with a single column model. Journal of Climate, 34, 2355-2365, doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-20-0178.1. Official version

2020

Henry, M. and T. M. Merlis, 2020: Lapse rate changes dominate residual polar warming in solar radiation management experiments. Geophysical Research Letters, 47, e2020GL087929, doi:10.1029/2020GL087929. Official version

Labonté, M.-P. and T. M. Merlis, 2020: Sensitivity of the atmospheric water cycle within the habitable zone of a tidally-locked, Earth-like exoplanet. Astrophysical Journal, 896, 31, doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ab9102. Official version

Bembenek, E., D. N. Straub, and T. M. Merlis, 2020: Effects of moisture in a two-layer model of the midlatitude jet stream. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 77, 131-147, doi:10.1175/JAS-D-19-0021.1. Official version

2019

Merlis, T. M. and I. M. Held, 2019: Aquaplanet simulations of tropical cyclones. Current Climate Change Reports, 5, 185-195, doi:10.1007/s40641-019-00133-y. Official version (open access)

Menzel, M. E. and T. M. Merlis, 2019: Connecting direct effects of CO2 radiative forcing to ocean heat uptake and circulation. Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, 11, 2163-2176, doi:10.1029/2018MS001544. Official version

Maher, P., E. P. Gerber, B. Medeiros, T. M. Merlis, S. Sherwood, A. Sheshadri, A. H. Sobel, G. K. Vallis, A. Voigt, and P. Zurita-Gotor, 2019: Model hierarchies for understanding atmospheric circulation. Reviews of Geophysics, 57, 250-280, doi:10.1029/2018RG000607. Official version

Yang, J., J. Leconte, E. T. Wolf, T. M. Merlis, D. D. B. Koll, F. Forget, and D. S. Abbot, 2019: Simulations of water vapor and clouds on rapidly rotating and tidally locked planets: A 3D model intercomparison. The Astrophysical Journal, 875, doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ab09f1. Official version

Li, Y., D. W. J. Thompson, S. Bony, and T. M. Merlis, 2019: Thermodynamic control on the poleward shift of the extratropical jet in climate change simulations: The role of rising high clouds and their radiative effect. Journal of Climate, 32, 917-934, doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-18-0417.1. Official version

Henry, M. and T. M. Merlis, 2019: The role of the nonlinearity of the Stefan-Boltzmann law on the structure of radiatively forced temperature change. Journal of Climate, 32, 335-348, doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-17-0603.1. Official version

2018

Merlis, T. M. and M. Henry 2018: Simple estimates of polar amplification in moist diffusive energy balance models. Journal of Climate, 31, 5811-5824, doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-17-0578.1. Official version

Jansen, M. F., L.-P. Nadeau, and T. M. Merlis, 2018: Transient versus Equilibrium Response of the Ocean's Overturning Circulation to Warming. Journal of Climate, 31, 5147-5163, doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-17-0797.1. Official version

O'Gorman, P. A., T. M. Merlis, and M. S. Singh, 2018: Increase in the skewness of extratropical vertical velocities with climate warming: fully nonlinear simulations versus moist baroclinic instability. Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, 144, 208-217, doi:10.1002/qj.3195. Official version

Kirshbaum, D. J., T. M. Merlis, J. R. Gyakum, R. McTaggart-Cowan, 2018: Sensitivity of idealized moist baroclinic waves to environmental temperature. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 75, 337-360, doi:10.1175/JAS-D-17-0188.1. Official version

2017

Defforge, C. L. and T. M. Merlis, 2017: Evaluating the evidence of a global sea surface temperature threshold for tropical cyclone genesis. Journal of Climate, 30, 9133-9145. Official version

Viale, F. and T. M. Merlis, 2017: Variations in tropical cyclone frequency response to solar and CO2 forcing in aquaplanet simulations. Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, 9, 4-18, doi:10.1002/2016MS000785. Official version

Defforge, C. L. and T. M. Merlis, 2017: Observed warming trend in sea surface temperature at tropical cyclone genesis. Geophysical Research Letters, 44, 1034-1040, doi:10.1002/2016GL071045. Official version

Seo, J., S. M. Kang, and T. M. Merlis, 2017: A model intercomparison of the tropical precipitation response to a CO2 doubling in aquaplanet simulations. Geophysical Research Letters, 44, 993-1000, doi:10.1002/2016GL072347. Official version

Feldl, N., S. Bordoni, and T. M. Merlis, 2017: Coupled high-latitude climate feedbacks and their impact on atmospheric heat transport. Journal of Climate, 30, 189-201. Official version

2016

Galbraith, E. D., T. M. Merlis, and J. Palter, 2016: Destabilization of glacial climate by the radiative impact of Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation disruptions. Geophysical Research Letters, 43, 8214-8221, doi:10.1002/2016GL069846. Official version

Yang, J., J. Leconte, E. T. Wolf, C. Goldblatt, N. Feldl, T. M. Merlis, Y. Wang, D. D. B. Koll, F. Ding, F. Forget, and D. S. Abbot, 2016: Differences in water vapor radiative transfer among 1D models can significantly affect the inner edge of the habitable zone. The Astrophysical Journal, 826, doi:10.3847/0004-637X/826/2/222. Official version

Trossman, D., J. Palter, T. M. Merlis, Y. Huang, and Y. Xia, 2016: Large-scale ocean circulation-cloud interactions reduce the pace of transient climate change. Geophysical Research Letters, 43, 3935-3943, doi:10.1002/2016GL067931. Official version

Merlis, T. M., W. Zhou, I. M. Held, and M. Zhao, 2016: Surface temperature dependence of tropical cyclone-permitting simulations in a spherical model with uniform thermal forcing. Geophysical Research Letters, 43, 2859-2865, doi:10.1002/2016GL067730. Official version   Blog post by Isaac Held   Surface windspeed animations: 297 K SST and 307 K SST.

Merlis, T. M., 2016: Does humidity's seasonal cycle affect the annual-mean tropical precipitation response to sulfate aerosol forcing? Journal of Climate, 29, 1451-1460. Official version

2015

Merlis, T. M., 2015: Direct weakening of tropical circulations from masked CO2 radiative forcing. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 112, 13167-13171, doi:10.1073/pnas.1508268112. Official version

Ballinger, A. P., T. M. Merlis, I. M. Held, and M. Zhao, 2015: The sensitivity of tropical cyclone activity to off-equatorial thermal forcing. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 72, 2286-2302. Official version   Blog post by Isaac Held

2014

Merlis, T. M., 2014: Interacting components of the top-of-atmosphere energy balance affect changes in regional surface temperature. Geophysical Research Letters, 41, 7291-7297, doi:10.1002/2014GL061700. Official version

Merlis, T. M., I. M. Held, G. L. Stenchikov, F. Zeng, and L. W. Horowitz, 2014: Constraining transient climate sensitivity using coupled climate model simulations of volcanic eruptions. Journal of Climate, 27, 7781-7795. Official version   Blog post (part I) by Isaac Held   Blog post (part II) by Isaac Held

2013

Merlis, T. M., M. Zhao, and I. M. Held, 2013: The sensitivity of hurricane frequency to ITCZ changes and radiatively forced warming in aquaplanet simulations. Geophysical Research Letters, 40, 4109-4114, doi:10.1002/grl.50680. Official version   Blog post by Isaac Held

Merlis, T. M., T. Schneider, S. Bordoni, and I. Eisenman, 2013: The tropical precipitation response to orbital precession. Journal of Climate, 26, 2010-2021. Official version

Merlis, T. M., T. Schneider, S. Bordoni, and I. Eisenman, 2013: Hadley circulation response to orbital precession. Part II: Subtropical continent. Journal of Climate, 26, 754-771. Official version

Merlis, T. M., T. Schneider, S. Bordoni, and I. Eisenman, 2013: Hadley circulation response to orbital precession. Part I: Aquaplanets. Journal of Climate, 26, 740-753. Official version

2008 – 2011

Merlis, T. M. and T. Schneider, 2011: Changes in zonal surface temperature gradients and Walker circulations in a wide range of climates. Journal of Climate, 24, 4757-4768. Official version
Implementation of Q-flux  

Merlis, T. M. and T. Schneider, 2010: Atmospheric dynamics of Earth-like tidally locked aquaplanets. Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, 2, Art. #13. Official version   Correction
GCM code.

Merlis, T. M. and T. Schneider, 2009: Scales of linear baroclinic instability and macroturbulence in dry atmospheres. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 66, 1821-1833. Official version

Merlis, T. M. and S. Khatiwala, 2008: Fast dynamical spin-up of ocean general circulation models using Newton-Krylov methods. Ocean Modelling, 21, 97-105. Official version

Book Chapter

Showman, A. P., R. D. Wordsworth, T. M. Merlis, and Y. Kaspi, 2013: Atmospheric circulation of terrestrial exoplanets. Comparative Climatology of the Terrestrial Planets, S. J. Mackwell, A. A. Simon-Miller, J. W. Harder, and M. A. Bullock, Eds., University of Arizona