Púčik, Tomáš, Groenemeijer, Pieter, Rädler, Anja T., Tijssen, Lars, Nikulin, Grigory, Prein, Andreas E., van Meingaard, Erik, Fealy, Rowan, Jacob, Daniela and Teichmann, Claas (2017) Future Changes in European Severe Convection Environments in a Regional Climate Model Ensemble. Journal of Climate, 30. pp. 6771-6794. ISSN 0894-8755
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Abstract
The occurrence of environmental conditions favorable for severe convective storms was assessed in an ensemble of 14 regional climate models covering Europe and the Mediterranean with a horizontal grid spacing of 0.44°. These conditions included the collocated presence of latent instability and strong deep-layer (surface to 500 hPa) wind shear, which is conducive to the severe and well-organized convective storms. The occurrence of precipitation in the models was used as a proxy for convective initiation. Two climate scenarios (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) were investigated by comparing two future periods (2021–50 and 2071–2100) to a historical period (1971–2000) for each of these scenarios. The ensemble simulates a robust increase (change larger than twice the ensemble sample standard deviation) in the frequency of occurrence of unstable environments (lifted index ≤ −2) across central and south-central Europe in the RCP8.5 scenario in the late twenty-first century. This increase coincides with the increase in lower-tropospheric moisture. Smaller, less robust changes were found until midcentury in the RCP8.5 scenario and in the RCP4.5 scenario. Changes in the frequency of situations with strong (≥15 m s−1) deep-layer shear were found to be small and not robust, except across far northern Europe, where a decrease in shear is projected. By the end of the century, the simultaneous occurrence of latent instability, strong deep-layer shear, and model precipitation is simulated to increase by up to 100% across central and eastern Europe in the RCP8.5 and by 30%–50% in the RCP4.5 scenario. Until midcentury, increases in the 10%–25% range are forecast for most regions. A large intermodel variability is present in the ensemble and is primarily due to the uncertainties in the frequency of the occurrence of unstable environments.
Item Type: | Article |
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Keywords: | Buoyancy; Climate change; Convective storms; Storm environments; Climate models; Ensembles; |
Academic Unit: | Faculty of Social Sciences > Geography |
Item ID: | 11529 |
Identification Number: | 10.1175/JCLI-D-16-0777.1 |
Depositing User: | Rowan Fealy |
Date Deposited: | 30 Oct 2019 15:14 |
Journal or Publication Title: | Journal of Climate |
Publisher: | American Meteorological Society |
Refereed: | Yes |
Related URLs: | |
URI: | https://mural.maynoothuniversity.ie/id/eprint/11529 |
Use Licence: | This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here |
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