Abstract :
As a logical progression of a deductive climate theory, this paper addresses three interconnected climatic features:
the humidity profile, the atmospheric water transport and the ocean stratification—taking as given the thermal field
previously determined. The theory invokes the maximization of the entropy production, which propels the tropospheric
temperature and specific humidity to their updraft values, yielding moist-adiabatic lapse rate and bi-modal relative
humidity in the vertical.With the humidity profile known, the atmospheric water transport at mid-latitudes can be linked
to the thermal field, which then determines the ocean salinity range. The deduced density ratio across the thermocline
however is quite larger than unity, suggesting considerable static stability.
The model deductions, while crude, are consistent with observations, which underscore the internal control of the
hydrological cycle and ocean stratification by energy balances, with significant implications on climate changes. Doubling
the atmospheric CO2, for example, only slightly perturbs the energy balance and with it the global precipitation
and the high relative humidity near the surface. The warming would however more strongly enhance the atmospheric
water transport to accentuate the zonal-mean E-P pattern and ocean salinity contrast.
