Downscaling Climate Modelling for adaptation strategies
A strong endorsement on the need for enhanced downscaling capacity became clear in the discussion at the Lecce workshop in April 2014. Downscaling is a route to information at appropriate scales to inform adaptation strategies and actions, therefore ClimaSouth just organised a training in two parts:
- The first part of the workshop (March 9-17, 2015) presented technical content to empower participants to appreciate the opportunities and limitations in the generation of downscaled, very high resolution, climate information. The course covered global change and seasonal forecast timescales. Participants undertook practical hands-on training in (i) the analysis of existing dynamical downscaling experiments across the ClimaSouth domain, (ii) the computer operations and steps in running a dynamical downscaling experiment, (iii) the bias correction needed even for dynamically downscaled output and (iv) seasonal forecasts for high resolution precipitation and land surface temperature. This course was hosted in the Lecce offices of the workshop’s lead technical partner, the Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change (CMCC).
- In the second part of the course (March 18-20, 2015), the technical downscaling participants were joined by national colleagues from the agriculture/water sectors, to consider the potential of the high resolution information to assist in impact assessments, and informing possible adaptation actions. The workshop was stimulated by a series of presentations that captured the state-of-the-science in climate change impact assessment, with many examples of using high resolution climate model output in the assessment of climate change impacts in the agriculture, water resources, geophysical hazards and forestry sectors, with an emphasis on the Mediterranean / North Africa region.
Over the next 6 months, National meteorological experts will create the agreed downscaled information. National sector expertise will evaluate the downscaled information and calculate impacts leading to the potential adaptation actions identification. Ongoing feedback from mentor/advisor, as well as some continued technical support to the meteorological expertise as related to the work plan will be provided. During this Step, mentors/advisors and programme participants will assess emerging gaps that are hindering effective progress. Mentors/advisors will discuss together to help identifying general gaps that can be addressed in the last step with a second training workshop (most likely in November 2015).