Climate change: Sources of uncertainty in precipitation and temperature projections for Denmark

Global Climate Models (GCMs) are the main tools used to assess the impacts of climate change. Due to their coarse resolution, with cells of c. 100 km × 100 km, GCMs are dynamically downscaled using Regional Climate Models (RCMs) that better incorporate the local physical features and simulate the cl...

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Main Authors: Ernesto Pasten-Zapata, Torben O Sonnenborg, Jens C Refsgaard
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland 2019-06-01
Series:Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland Bulletin
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.34194/GEUSB-201943-01-02
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author Ernesto Pasten-Zapata
Torben O Sonnenborg
Jens C Refsgaard
author_facet Ernesto Pasten-Zapata
Torben O Sonnenborg
Jens C Refsgaard
author_sort Ernesto Pasten-Zapata
collection DOAJ
description Global Climate Models (GCMs) are the main tools used to assess the impacts of climate change. Due to their coarse resolution, with cells of c. 100 km × 100 km, GCMs are dynamically downscaled using Regional Climate Models (RCMs) that better incorporate the local physical features and simulate the climate of a smaller region, e.g. a country. However, RCMs tend to have systematic biases when compared with local observations, such as deviations from day-to-day measurements, and from the mean and extreme events. As a result, confidence in the model projections decreases. One way to address this is to correct the RCM output using statistical methods that relate the simulations with the observations, producing bias-corrected (BC) projections. Here, we present the first assessment of a previously published method to bias-correct 21 RCM projections of daily temperature and precipitation for Denmark. We assess the projected changes and sources of uncertainty. The study provides an initial assessment of the bias correction procedure applied to this set of model outputs to adjust projections of annual temperature, precipitation and potential evapotranspiration (PET). This method is expected to provide a foundation for further analysis of climate change impacts in Denmark.
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spelling doaj.art-f08d27bc1a13434faaea232f560ffc962022-12-21T20:01:59ZengGeological Survey of Denmark and GreenlandGeological Survey of Denmark and Greenland Bulletin1604-81562019-06-014310.34194/GEUSB-201943-01-02Climate change: Sources of uncertainty in precipitation and temperature projections for DenmarkErnesto Pasten-Zapata0Torben O Sonnenborg1Jens C Refsgaard2Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), Øster Voldgade 10, DK-1350, Copenhagen K, Denmark.Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), Øster Voldgade 10, DK-1350, Copenhagen K, Denmark.Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), Øster Voldgade 10, DK-1350, Copenhagen K, Denmark.Global Climate Models (GCMs) are the main tools used to assess the impacts of climate change. Due to their coarse resolution, with cells of c. 100 km × 100 km, GCMs are dynamically downscaled using Regional Climate Models (RCMs) that better incorporate the local physical features and simulate the climate of a smaller region, e.g. a country. However, RCMs tend to have systematic biases when compared with local observations, such as deviations from day-to-day measurements, and from the mean and extreme events. As a result, confidence in the model projections decreases. One way to address this is to correct the RCM output using statistical methods that relate the simulations with the observations, producing bias-corrected (BC) projections. Here, we present the first assessment of a previously published method to bias-correct 21 RCM projections of daily temperature and precipitation for Denmark. We assess the projected changes and sources of uncertainty. The study provides an initial assessment of the bias correction procedure applied to this set of model outputs to adjust projections of annual temperature, precipitation and potential evapotranspiration (PET). This method is expected to provide a foundation for further analysis of climate change impacts in Denmark.https://doi.org/10.34194/GEUSB-201943-01-02DenmarkClimate ChangeTemperatureTranspirationBias CorrectionClimate model
spellingShingle Ernesto Pasten-Zapata
Torben O Sonnenborg
Jens C Refsgaard
Climate change: Sources of uncertainty in precipitation and temperature projections for Denmark
Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland Bulletin
Denmark
Climate Change
Temperature
Transpiration
Bias Correction
Climate model
title Climate change: Sources of uncertainty in precipitation and temperature projections for Denmark
title_full Climate change: Sources of uncertainty in precipitation and temperature projections for Denmark
title_fullStr Climate change: Sources of uncertainty in precipitation and temperature projections for Denmark
title_full_unstemmed Climate change: Sources of uncertainty in precipitation and temperature projections for Denmark
title_short Climate change: Sources of uncertainty in precipitation and temperature projections for Denmark
title_sort climate change sources of uncertainty in precipitation and temperature projections for denmark
topic Denmark
Climate Change
Temperature
Transpiration
Bias Correction
Climate model
url https://doi.org/10.34194/GEUSB-201943-01-02
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AT torbenosonnenborg climatechangesourcesofuncertaintyinprecipitationandtemperatureprojectionsfordenmark
AT jenscrefsgaard climatechangesourcesofuncertaintyinprecipitationandtemperatureprojectionsfordenmark