Downscaling Techniques for High-Resolution Climate Projections
From Global Change to Local Impacts

A practical guide to understanding, using and producing downscaled climate data, for researchers, graduate students, policy makers and practitioners.

Rao Kotamarthi (Author), Katharine Hayhoe (Author), Linda O. Mearns (Author), Donald Wuebbles (Author), Jennifer Jacobs (Author), Jennifer Jurado (Author)

9781108473750, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 11 February 2021

210 pages
25 x 17.5 x 1.6 cm, 0.53 kg

Downscaling is a widely used technique for translating information from large-scale climate models to the spatial and temporal scales needed to assess local and regional climate impacts, vulnerability, risk and resilience. This book is a comprehensive guide to the downscaling techniques used for climate data. A general introduction of the science of climate modeling is followed by a discussion of techniques, models and methodologies used for producing downscaled projections, and the advantages, disadvantages and uncertainties of each. The book provides detailed information on dynamic and statistical downscaling techniques in non-technical language, as well as recommendations for selecting suitable downscaled datasets for different applications. The use of downscaled climate data in national and international assessments is also discussed using global examples. This is a practical guide for graduate students and researchers working on climate impacts and adaptation, as well as for policy makers and practitioners interested in climate risk and resilience.

1. Impacts, adaptation, vulnerability and decision making
2. Global climate models
3. Assessing climate change impacts at the regional scale
4. Dynamical downscaling
5. Empirical-statistical downscaling
6. Added value of downscaling
7. Uncertainty in future projections, and approaches for representing uncertainty
8. Guidance and recommendations for use of (downscaled) climate information
9. The future of regional downscaling
Index.

Subject Areas: Climate change [RNPG], Meteorology & climatology [RBP], Atmospheric physics [PHVJ], Statistical physics [PHS]