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WCRP Open Science
Conference 2011

 

 

 

Regional Climate Modelling and Downscaling (RCD)

 

 

News

 

• The first set of simulations in the CORDEX-Africa project have been analized with the aim to assess the ability of ten regional climate models (RCMs) to reproduce the precipitation climatology over Africa. In a paper published in Journal of Climate, the scientists involved -including the Director of WCRP, Dr. G. Asrar- show that all RCMs simulate the season mean and annual cycle quite accurately. Based on this performance, they concluded that the present set of RCMs can be used to provide useful information on climate projections over Africa... (read more)
• EGU2012, Vienna 22-27 April 2012
  Session CL5.10, Regional Climate Modeling, projections and impacts (including CORDEX) - Deadline for abstract submission is 17 January 2012.
  Description of the session: Regional climate models (RCMs) have become increasingly important tools in the study of regional climate processes and in the generation of regional climate change projections and seasonal to decadal predictions. In particular, under the endorsement and scientific initiative of the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP), a new international program, the Coordinated Regional climate Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX), has been implemented to evaluate and improve regional downscaling techniques and produce a new generation of regional climate projections for use in impact/adaptation studies.
  In this session contributions are solicited on all aspects of regional climate change and regional climate modeling, including work conducted as part of international cooperative RCM projects such as CORDEX.
  Specific themes for the session include:
  * Regional climate modeling, dynamics and physical processes in RCMs
  * Studies of extremes (heat waves, drough, flood) using RCMs
  * Regional climate change projections and seasonal to decadal predictions using RCMs
  * Aerosols and their regional impacts on climate
  * Regional climate information for use in impact/adaptation studies
  * Land-Surface interactions and climate feedback
  * Results from the CORDEX program

 

• The Rossby Centre at SMHI seeks a project coordinator for EMBRACE. The Rossby Centre coordinates a new large-scale collaborative project under the EU 7th Framework Program, EMBRACE: Earth System Model Bias Reduction and Assessing Abrupt Climate Change. EMBRACE involves 20 institutes from 10 countries and and aims to improve the description of key physical and biogeochemical processes in 5 leading European Earth System Models. (read more)

 

• CLIMATE CHANGE: Soon every African village will know what the weather may bring
  JOHANNESBURG, 2 November 2011 (IRIN) - Information about how climate change may affect any city, town or village in Africa until the next century will be available by mid-2012 as scientists localise global climate data.
  The Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX), an initiative of the World Meteorological Organization is now able to render the data from regional climate models to the scale people live in, and decision makers work at. The information will not only help countries but also communities in their efforts to adapt to changing weather patterns, and to tailor their disaster risk reduction plans.
  The effort is geared to feed into the next assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), due to be released in 2014.
  Although CORDEX aims to "downscale" the data for all regions of the world, Africa has been identified as the most vulnerable by the IPCC and a priority for the initiative. Historically the continent has been under-researched, but for the next two years will be a focus for the programme. (to read more)

 

• A first data portal has been set up at http://cordex.dmi.dk/. In the future, data will not necessarily be stored in one place only. At this site all revisions to data specifications will be published, it will provide access to data, and it contains information on how to deliver data to the archive.

 

• CORDEX: A COordinated Regional climate Downscaling EXperiment
  The WCRP JSC-30 welcomed the CORDEX initiative as an important input to the IPCC AR5 and encouraged higher resolution runs where possible.
  Regional climate downscaling (RCD) techniques, including both dynamical and statistical methods, are increasingly being utilized to produce regional climate information for impact and adaptation studies. It is thus critical that the potentials and limitations of RCD-based information, along with the related uncertainties, are well understood by the modeling and user communities. Read more