Science and Technology Production
International Conference on Regional Climate CORDEX 2013 Workshop proceedings - Regional climate change description for the XXIst century using the Köppen-Trewartha classification from an ensemble of RCM simulations over South America
Congress
Authorship:
Sánchez E. ; et al. ; C. G. MenéndezDate:
2013Publishing House and Editing Place:
WCRP IPCCSummary *
The Köppen-Trewartha (K-T) climate classification, based on monthly temperature and precipitation allows us for a simple but complete overall description of the different climate conditions. South America continent presents a large variety of climates, and therefore, this analysis can give us a simple but complete picture of how models are able to describe the mean climatic features of the region. From the CLARIS-LPB project (A Europe-South America Network for Climate Change Assessment and Impact Studies in La Plata Basin performed within FP7 EU 2008-2012) a set of regional climate model simulations (RCM) at 50 km horizontal grid spacing covering all South America are used to perform this analysis. One major shortcoming when dealing with climate model validation is the lack of observational datasets. But here, as just monthly values are needed, CRU observational data can be used to compare how models describe present climate conditions. First, the ensemble of seven RCMs are analyzed when describing 1990-2008 period forced with ERAinterim reanalysis. The comparison against CRU dataset indicates that the global description of K-T is reasonably well reproduced by all the models, although some regional differences are seen. Once this perfect boundary conditions simulations are studied, climate change runs are analyzed. The RCMs are forced with three IPCC-AR4 global climate models (IPSL, ECHAM5 and HadCM3). Eleven regional climate simulations are made over three time periods: present (1960-1990), near future (2010-2040) and distant future (2070-2100). A first look at the comparison of the two more distant periods indicate important changes in subtropical humid (Cr) climate over large regions over southern south America, together with a reduction of the Alpine conditions at the Andes mountain chain. Smaller differences are obtained over the Amazonia. Information provided by the agent in SIGEVAKey Words
Regional climate modelsClimate changeClimate classification South America