scholarly journals Transforming the representation of the boundary layer and low clouds for high-resolution regional climate modeling: Final report

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Hall
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Climate Modeling ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
Regional Climate Modeling ◽  
Final Report ◽  
Low Clouds

Generating long-term high-resolution land-use change datasets for regional climate modeling in CORDEX domains

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Hoffmann ◽  
Diana Rechid ◽  
Vanessa Reinhart ◽  
Christina Asmus ◽  
Edouard L. Davin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Climate Modeling ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
Regional Climate Modeling ◽  
Local Scale ◽  
Modeling Studies

<p>Land-use and land cover (LULC) are continuously changing due to environmental changes and anthropogenic activities. Many observational and modeling studies show that LULC changes are important drivers altering land surface feedbacks and land-atmosphere exchange processes that have substantial impact on climate on the regional and local scale. Yet, most long-term regional climate modeling studies do not account for these changes. Therefore, within the WCRP CORDEX Flagship Pilot Study LUCAS (Land Use Change Across Scales) a new workflow was developed to generate high-resolution annual land cover change time series based on past reconstructions and future projections. First, the high-resolution global land cover dataset ESA-CCI LC (~300 m resolution) is aggregated and converted to a 0.1° resolution, fractional plant functional type (PFT) dataset. Second, the land use change information from the land-use harmonized dataset (LUH2), provided at 0.25° resolution as input for CMIP6 experiments, is translated into PFT changes employing a newly developed land use translator (LUT). The new LUT was first applied to the EURO-CORDEX domain. The resulting LULC maps for past and future - the LUCAS LUC dataset - can be applied as land use forcing to the next generation RCM simulations for downscaling CMIP6 by the EURO-CORDEX community and in the framework of FPS LUCAS. The dataset includes land cover and land management practices changes important for the regional and local scale such as urbanization and irrigation. The LUCAS LUC workflow is applied to further CORDEX domains, such as Australasia and North America. The resulting past and future land cover changes will be presented, and challenges regarding the application of the new workflow to different regions will be addressed. In addition, issues related to the implementation of the dataset into different RCMs will be discussed.</p>

scholarly journals Helping to Make Sense of Regional Climate Modeling: Professional Development for Scientists and Decision-Makers Anytime, Anywhere

2016 ◽  
Vol 97 (7) ◽  
pp. 1173-1185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter J. Walton ◽  
Morgan B. Yarker ◽  
Michel D. S. Mesquita ◽  
Friederike E. L. Otto
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Climate Modeling ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
Climate Science ◽  
Regional Climate Modeling ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
E Learning

Abstract Globally, decision-makers are increasingly using high-resolution climate models to support policy and planning; however, many of these users do not have the knowledge needed to use them appropriately. This problem is compounded by not having access to quality learning opportunities to better understand how to apply the models and interpret results. This paper discusses and proposes an educational framework based on two independent online courses on regional climate modeling, which addresses the accessibility issue and provides guidance to climate science professors, researchers, and institutions who want to create their own online courses. The role of e-learning as an educational tool is well documented, highlighting the benefits of improved personal efficiency through “anywhere, anytime” learning with the flexibility to support professional development across different sectors. In addition, improved global Internet means increased accessibility. However, e-learning’s function as a tool to support understanding of atmospheric physics and high-resolution climate modeling has not been widely discussed. To date, few courses, if any, support understanding that takes full advantage of e-learning best practices. There is a growing need for climate literacy to help inform decision-making on a range of scales, from individual households to corporate CEOs. And while there is a plethora of climate information online, educational theory suggests that people need to be guided in how to convert this information into applicable knowledge. Here, we present how the experience of the courses we designed and ran independent of each other, both engaging learners with better understanding benefits and limitations of regional climate modeling, lead to a framework of designing e-learning for climate modeling.

scholarly journals The Ongoing Need for High-Resolution Regional Climate Models: Process Understanding and Stakeholder Information

2020 ◽  
Vol 101 (5) ◽  
pp. E664-E683 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. J. Gutowski ◽  
P. A. Ullrich ◽  
A. Hall ◽  
L. R. Leung ◽  
T. A. O’Brien ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Climate Modeling ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
Regional Climate Models ◽  
Heavy Precipitation ◽  
Regional Climate Modeling ◽  
Urban Heat Islands ◽  
Global Models ◽  
Strong Winds

ABSTRACT Regional climate modeling addresses our need to understand and simulate climatic processes and phenomena unresolved in global models. This paper highlights examples of current approaches to and innovative uses of regional climate modeling that deepen understanding of the climate system. High-resolution models are generally more skillful in simulating extremes, such as heavy precipitation, strong winds, and severe storms. In addition, research has shown that fine-scale features such as mountains, coastlines, lakes, irrigation, land use, and urban heat islands can substantially influence a region’s climate and its response to changing forcings. Regional climate simulations explicitly simulating convection are now being performed, providing an opportunity to illuminate new physical behavior that previously was represented by parameterizations with large uncertainties. Regional and global models are both advancing toward higher resolution, as computational capacity increases. However, the resolution and ensemble size necessary to produce a sufficient statistical sample of these processes in global models has proven too costly for contemporary supercomputing systems. Regional climate models are thus indispensable tools that complement global models for understanding physical processes governing regional climate variability and change. The deeper understanding of regional climate processes also benefits stakeholders and policymakers who need physically robust, high-resolution climate information to guide societal responses to changing climate. Key scientific questions that will continue to require regional climate models, and opportunities are emerging for addressing those questions.

scholarly journals The Simulated Response of Diurnal Mountain Winds to Regionally Enhanced Warming Caused by the Snow Albedo Feedback

2016 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theodore W. Letcher ◽  
Justin R. Minder
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Snow Cover ◽  
Climate Warming ◽  
Climate Modeling ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
Regional Climate Modeling ◽  
Thermal Contrast ◽  
Albedo Feedback ◽  
Snow Albedo ◽  
Downslope Flows

Abstract The snow albedo feedback (SAF) is an important climate feature of mountain regions with transient snow cover. In these regions, where patterns of snow cover are largely determined by the underlying terrain, the SAF is highly variable in space and time. Under climate warming, these variations may affect the development of diurnal mountain winds either by altering the thermal contrast between high and low elevations or by increasing boundary layer mixing. In this study, high-resolution regional climate modeling experiments are used to investigate and characterize how the SAF modulates changes in diurnal wind systems in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and Utah during the spring when SAF strength is at a maximum. Two separate 7-yr pseudo–global warming climate change experiments with differing model configurations are examined. An evaluation of the control simulations against a mesoscale network of observations reveals that the models perform reasonably well at simulating diurnal mountain winds within this region. In the experiment with a strong SAF, there is a clear increase in the strength of daytime upslope flow under climate warming, which leads to increased convergence and cloudiness near the snow margin. Additionally, there is a decrease in the strength of nighttime downslope flows. In the simulation with a weaker SAF, the results are generally similar but less pronounced. In both experiments, an altered thermal contrast, rather than increased boundary layer mixing, appears to be the primary mechanism driving changes in diurnal mountain wind systems in this region.

scholarly journals Urban Climates and Climate Change

2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 411-444 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valéry Masson ◽  
Aude Lemonsu ◽  
Julia Hidalgo ◽  
James Voogt
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Modeling ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
Urban Climate ◽  
Regional Climate Modeling ◽  
Climate Impact ◽  
Local Climate ◽  
Urban Climatology ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Global Agenda

Cities are particularly vulnerable to extreme weather episodes, which are expected to increase with climate change. Cities also influence their own local climate, for example, through the relative warming known as the urban heat island (UHI) effect. This review discusses urban climate features (even in complex terrain) and processes. We then present state-of-the-art methodologies on the generalization of a common urban neighborhood classification for UHI studies, as well as recent developments in observation systems and crowdsourcing approaches. We discuss new modeling paradigms pertinent to climate impact studies, with a focus on building energetics and urban vegetation. In combination with regional climate modeling, new methods benefit the variety of climate scenarios and models to provide pertinent information at urban scale. Finally, this article presents how recent research in urban climatology contributes to the global agenda on cities and climate change.

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