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

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.

Table of Contents:
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.

About the Author :
Rao Kotamarthi is a Chief Scientist of the Environmental Science Division and Department Head for the Atmospheric Science and Climate research group at the Argonne National Laboratory. He applies numerical models to the assessment of climate change impacts and uses high performance computing and physics-based models for projecting changes at regional and local scales. His other research interests include the role of absorbing aerosols on radiative forcing and developing models for resource characterization of wind energy. Katharine Hayhoe is a Professor in the Public Administration program at Texas Tech University, where she is also Director of the Climate Center. Her research focuses on developing and applying high-resolution climate projections to evaluate the future impacts of climate change on human society and the natural environment. She has served as lead author on key reports for the U.S. Global Change Research Program and the National Academy of Sciences, including the Second, Third and Fourth U.S. National Climate Assessments and has been named the UN Champion of the Environment. Linda O. Mearns is Director of the Regional Climate Uncertainty Program and Head of the Regional Integrated Sciences Collective at the National Centre for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). She has authored chapters in many of the IPCC Assessment Reports, including the 2007 report that was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. She is a fellow of the American Meteorological Society. Donald Wuebbles is the Harry E. Preble Professor of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Illinois. He is an expert in numerical modeling of atmospheric physics and chemistry, and has received the AMS Cleveland Abbe Award, the U.S. EPA Stratospheric Ozone Protection Award, and the AGU Bert Bolin Global Environmental Change Award. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Geophysical Union, and the American Meteorological Society. Jennifer Jacobs is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of New Hampshire. She has over 25 years of experience using novel weather and climate information to enhance infrastructure design. She directs the National Science Foundation funded Infrastructure and Climate Networks (ICNet and ICNet Global); and was the Lead Author for the Transportation Sector Chapter of the 4th National Climate Assessment. Jennifer Jurado is Broward County's Chief Resilience Officer and Director of the Environmental Planning and Community Resilience Division. In 2013 she was recognized by the White House as a Champion of Change for her work on climate resilience. She serves on the Board of Directors for the American Society of Adaptation Professionals and the American Geophysical Union's Thriving Earth Exchange.