Geoscientific Model Development
Geoscientific Model Development
Geoscientific Model Development
Articles | Volume 10, issue 9
Articles | Volume 10, issue 9
Geosci. Model Dev., 10, 3609–3634, 2017
https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-3609-2017
© Author(s) 2017. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Geosci. Model Dev., 10, 3609–3634, 2017
https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-3609-2017
© Author(s) 2017. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Articles | Volume 10, issue 9

Methods for assessment of models 29 Sep 2017

Methods for assessment of models | 29 Sep 2017

Changes in regional climate extremes as a function of global mean temperature: an interactive plotting framework

Richard Wartenburger1, Martin Hirschi1, Markus G. Donat2,3, Peter Greve4, Andy J. Pitman2,3, and Sonia I. Seneviratne1 Richard Wartenburger et al.
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  • 1Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
  • 2ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
  • 3Climate Change Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
  • 4International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Laxenburg, Austria
Received: 06 Feb 2017 – Discussion started: 21 Feb 2017 – Revised: 27 Jun 2017 – Accepted: 19 Aug 2017 – Published: 29 Sep 2017

Abstract. This article extends a previous study Seneviratne et al. (2016) to provide regional analyses of changes in climate extremes as a function of projected changes in global mean temperature. We introduce the DROUGHT-HEAT Regional Climate Atlas, an interactive tool to analyse and display a range of well-established climate extremes and water-cycle indices and their changes as a function of global warming. These projections are based on simulations from the fifth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5). A selection of example results are presented here, but users can visualize specific indices of interest using the online tool. This implementation enables a direct assessment of regional climate changes associated with global mean temperature targets, such as the 2 and 1.5° limits agreed within the 2015 Paris Agreement.

How to cite. Wartenburger, R., Hirschi, M., Donat, M. G., Greve, P., Pitman, A. J., and Seneviratne, S. I.: Changes in regional climate extremes as a function of global mean temperature: an interactive plotting framework, Geosci. Model Dev., 10, 3609–3634, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-3609-2017, 2017.
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Short summary
This article analyses regional changes in climate extremes as a function of projected changes in global mean temperature. We introduce the DROUGHT-HEAT Regional Climate Atlas, an interactive tool to analyse and display a range of well-established climate extremes and water-cycle indices and their changes as a function of global warming. Readers are encouraged to use the online tool for visualization of specific indices of interest, e.g. to assess their response to 1.5 or 2 °C global warming.
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