Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Yeon-Woo Choi, Deborah J. Campbell, Elfatih A. B. Eltahir
Summary: In the coming decades, global temperature and humidity are projected to increase, leading to heightened human exposure to climate extremes. This study focuses on East Africa and finds that low-lying regions will face severe heat stress, while highland areas in Ethiopia will experience increased precipitation and extreme rainfall events.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Sylvia Tramberend, Robert Burtscher, Peter Burek, Taher Kahil, Gunther Fischer, Junko Mochizuki, Peter Greve, Richard Kimwaga, Philip Nyenje, Risper Ondiek, Prossie Nakawuka, Canute Hyandye, Claver Sibomana, Hilda Pius Luoga, Ali Said Matano, Simon Langan, Yoshihide Wada
Summary: By considering the integrated impact of various factors such as climate change, land use, and increasing human water use, it is expected that the flow regime of the Nile may remain relatively stable. To achieve this goal, reliance on advanced, often costly technologies and management is necessary.
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Caroline M. Wainwright, John H. Marsham, David P. Rowell, Declan L. Finney, Emily Black
Summary: The East African precipitation seasonal cycle is of significant societal importance, but current global climate models do not accurately capture this seasonality. The use of convective parameterization schemes is a known source of precipitation bias in such models. A comparison between a high-resolution regional model with explicit convection and a corresponding parameterized-convection simulation reveals differences in capturing East Africa precipitation seasonality. Both models show changes in timing and intensity of short rains under future climate change.
JOURNAL OF CLIMATE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jun Cheng, Haibin Wu, Zhengyu Liu, Peng Gu, Jingjing Wang, Cheng Zhao, Qin Li, Haishan Chen, Huayu Lu, Haibo Hu, Yu Gao, Miao Yu, Yaoming Song
Summary: The study suggests that monsoonal rainfall peaked in the early Holocene while ecosystem responses peaked in the mid-Holocene over northern China. The delayed ecosystem response to rainfall is attributed to the vegetation response to winter warming and subsequent feedback with soil moisture.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Callum Munday, Nicholas Savage, Richard G. Jones, Richard Washington
Summary: The aridification of East Africa during the past 8 million years is often considered as a driving force behind changes in vegetation and the evolution of new animal lineages, including hominins. This study uses numerical model experiments to show that the valleys in the East African Rift System play a central role in creating dry conditions in East Africa. These valleys channel water vapor towards Central Africa, resulting in increased rainfall in the Congo Basin rainforest and drier conditions in East Africa. The findings suggest that the tectonic development of Africa has shaped rainfall distribution and influenced the evolution of African plant and animal lineages.
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Erwan Brisson, Ulrich Blahak, Philippe Lucas-Picher, Christopher Purr, Bodo Ahrens
Summary: Lightning climate change projections are highly uncertain due to limitations in empirical knowledge and strong assumptions in coarse-grid climate modeling. This study successfully implemented the lightning potential index parameterization (LPI) into a fine-grid convection-permitting regional climate model (CPM), outperforming the simpler CAPE x PREC parameterization in all applied diagnostics. The LPI projected a decrease of 4.8% in flash rate by the end of the century in a domain centered over Germany, in contrast to a projected increase of 17.4% using the CAPE x PREC parameterization, mainly attributed to changes in convection occurrence and microphysical mixing.
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Waheed Ullah, Chenxia Zhu, Guojie Wang, Daniel Fiifi Tawia Hagan, Dan Lou, Jiangfeng Wei, Aisha Karim, Shijie Li, Buda Su, Tong Jiang
Summary: Soil moisture significantly influences the variability of East Asian Monsoon (EAM) precipitation, with meridional oscillation of soil moisture correlated with the interannual variability of EAM precipitation between north and south China. The findings suggest that soil moisture has a significant impact on EAM precipitation.
NPJ CLIMATE AND ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Sara Top, Lola Kotova, Lesley De Cruz, Svetlana Aniskevich, Leonid Bobylev, Rozemien De Troch, Natalia Gnatiuk, Anne Gobin, Rafiq Hamdi, Arne Kriegsmann, Armelle Reca Remedio, Abdulla Sakalli, Hans Van de Vyver, Bert Van Schaeybroeck, Viesturs Zandersons, Philippe De Maeyer, Piet Termonia, Steven Caluwaerts
Summary: This study evaluates the performance of REMO and ALARO-0 in the Central Asia region, finding that REMO performs better in temperature while ALARO-0 excels in precipitation. Studying specific subregions provides deeper insight into the strengths and weaknesses of both models in the CAS-CORDEX domain.
GEOSCIENTIFIC MODEL DEVELOPMENT
(2021)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Yi Wu, Junhong Guo, Haifeng Lin, Jingjie Bai, Xiuquan Wang
Summary: In this study, the spatiotemporal patterns of future temperature and precipitation changes over China were explored using the regional climate model PRECIS. The results show that overall, temperatures are projected to increase and precipitation is expected to rise in most regions of China. Different models predict significant seasonal and regional variations, with the northwest region showing larger increases in precipitation, potentially alleviating water shortages in the arid region.
ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Amandeep Vashisht, Benjamin Zaitchik
Summary: This study aims to examine the combined effects of the Madden-Julian oscillation (MJO) and El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on rainfall in East Africa and finds evidence of their interaction. The results show that under El Nino conditions, the modulation of rainfall by MJO is stronger, potentially leading to excessive daily precipitation.
JOURNAL OF CLIMATE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jitendra Singh, Moetasim Ashfaq, Christopher B. Skinner, Weston B. Anderson, Vimal Mishra, Deepti Singh
Summary: Spatially compounding extremes pose substantial threats to globally interconnected socio-economic systems. Multiple simulations have shown that compound droughts will increase in frequency and severity in the coming decades, with North America and the Amazon region at higher risk.
NATURE CLIMATE CHANGE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
T. T. Zeleke, F. Giorgi, G. T. Diro, B. F. Zaitchik, G. Giuliani, D. Ayal, T. Kassahun, W. D. Sintayehu, T. Demissie
Summary: This study investigates the impact of urbanization on climate variability in East Africa. Analysis of rainfall and temperature trends shows significant seasonal shifts in rainfall distribution and warming in most areas, except in central East Sudan. Sensitivity experiments with a regional climate model reveal that urbanized surfaces have significant impacts on surface temperatures and precipitation, mainly through changes in energy budget and local circulation. The assessment of the model against observed climate variables shows good performance in simulating regional climate variability. The results suggest that different urban environments have varying degrees of influence on local climate, with tall building districts having the highest impact.
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Ziyue Guo, Jianping Tang, Jie Tang, Shuguang Wang, Yubin Yang, Wei Luo, Juan Fang
Summary: Based on an object-based tracking algorithm, the precipitation systems in a high-resolution regional climate model were evaluated. The model can reasonably capture the average duration and eccentricity of precipitation systems, but it tends to underestimate/overestimate their propagation speed and has a weakness in simulating precipitation intensity and coverage.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-ATMOSPHERES
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Thomas Molg, Carolyne Pickler
Summary: The East African climate paradox refers to the observed decline in precipitation during the March-May wet season in East Africa from 1980 to 2010, despite an increase predicted by global climate models for future climates. This study combines meteorological measurements at Africa's highest mountain summit with a subset of global climate models to provide a perspective from the mid-troposphere. The results suggest a drier mountain climate in recent years and a moister one in the future, with the reversal of trends requiring strong external climate forcing.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Shengjie Liu, Shangwen Xia, Donghao Wu, Jocelyn E. Behm, Yuanyuan Meng, Hao Yuan, Ping Wen, Alice C. Hughes, Xiaodong Yang
Summary: This study investigated the distribution and morphological traits of termite diversity globally and in China. It found that termite species richness increased with decreasing latitude, and termite morphological traits showed a latitudinal trend with decreasing body size and leg length at higher latitudes. Temperature, NDVI, and water variables were identified as the most important drivers of termite richness variation, while temperature and soil properties drove the geographic distribution of termite morphological traits. The study's global termite richness map provides a valuable baseline for further ecological analysis.
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Xiaoli Chi, Ulrich Cubasch, Sahar Sodoudi
THEORETICAL AND APPLIED CLIMATOLOGY
(2019)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Deborah Niermann, Michael Borsche, Andrea K. Kaiser-Weiss, Frank Kaspar
METEOROLOGISCHE ZEITSCHRIFT
(2019)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Ines Hoeschel, Sebastian Illing, Jens Grieger, Uwe Ulbrich, Ulrich Cubasch
METEOROLOGISCHE ZEITSCHRIFT
(2019)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Lisa Hannak, Karsten Friedrich, Florian Imbery, Frank Kaspar
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLIMATOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Z. Zhuo, C. Gao, I. Kirchner, U. Cubasch
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-ATMOSPHERES
(2020)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Jaqueline Druecke, Michael Borsche, Paul James, Frank Kaspar, Uwe Pfeifroth, Bodo Ahrens, Joerg Trentmann
Summary: Solar and wind energy are crucial for energy supply in Germany and Europe, with production highly dependent on weather conditions and seasonal variations. Shortfall events, mainly occurring in Germany during winter, are associated with high pressure systems over Central Europe. The study highlights the interdependence of renewable energy production and weather regimes.
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Karumuri Ashok, Bidyabati Soraisam, Charan Teja Tejavath, Ulrich Cubasch
Summary: Analysis of high resolution coupled model simulations for the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA) and Little Ice Age (LIA) regimes shows that Northeastern Indian summer monsoon rainfall (NEISMR) remained stable, in contrast to the rest of India, with stronger TEJ and increased rainfall during MCA. However, simulations suggest a relatively stable NEISMR over northeastern India from MCA through LIA, indicating a minor role of tropical ocean and atmospheric coupling in the northeast climate.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLIMATOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Cristina Rojas-Labanda, Fidel Gonzalez-Rouco, Elena Garcia-Bustamante, Jorge Navarro, Etor E. Lucio-Eceiza, Gerard Van Der Schrier, Frank Kaspar
Summary: This study improves the understanding of surface wind climatology in Europe by developing an observational database with unprecedented quality control. The database includes long-term and high-resolution wind speed and direction data, and analyzes the spatial and temporal variability of wind speed.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLIMATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Frank Kaspar, Karsten Friedrich, Florian Imbery
Summary: Germany's national meteorological service monitors climate and climate change in Germany and presents methods to assess temperature trends compared to global trends. The mean temperature in Germany has increased considerably, especially in the last 5 decades, with a linear trend of approximately +1.7°C from 1881 to 2022. The temperature increase in Germany has been faster than the global mean, especially since 1971. Several methods, such as reports, internet portals, and social media channels, are used to communicate the results of the temperature analysis.
METEOROLOGISCHE ZEITSCHRIFT
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Zhihong Zhuo, Ingo Kirchner, Ulrich Cubasch
Summary: Explosive volcanic eruptions have a significant impact on surface climate, especially in monsoon regions. The hydrological responses to volcanic aerosol injection differ in different regions and hemispheres. This study investigates the mechanisms of regional hydrological responses to volcanic aerosol injection in the Asian monsoon region using climate models, and finds that both northern and southern hemisphere injections lead to changes in aridity in the region.
CLIMATE OF THE PAST
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Katharina Lengfeld, Paul Voit, Frank Kaspar, Maik Heistermann
Summary: The weather extremity index (WEI) and cross-scale WEI (xWEI) are useful tools for assessing the extremeness of precipitation events. Previous studies in Germany used radar composite data to estimate annual precipitation maxima and the parameters of a generalized extreme value (GEV) distribution. With the inclusion of data from 2021, the devastating event in July 2021 ranks fourth in terms of WEI compared to events between 2001 and 2020, but remains the most extreme in terms of xWEI. This highlights the importance of considering different spatial and temporal scales when evaluating the extremeness of rainfall events.
NATURAL HAZARDS AND EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Frank Kaspar, Axel Andersson, Markus Ziese, Rainer Hollmann
Summary: Reliable weather observations are crucial for assessing climate change and variability, but long time series of weather observations are limited in many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Various national and international activities are underway to improve the availability and quality of climate databases. This paper presents ongoing international efforts, highlighting examples hosted by Germany's national meteorological service. Further activities are identified as necessary.
FRONTIERS IN CLIMATE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zhihong Zhuo, Ingo Kirchner, Stephan Pfahl, Ulrich Cubasch
Summary: Explosive volcanic eruptions have varying impacts on near-surface temperature and precipitation, influenced by eruption seasons and latitudes. Stronger cooling is observed in areas with higher volcanic aerosol content, with significant precipitation variations in the tropics. NH and SH eruptions have reversed climate impacts, especially in the region of the South Asian summer monsoon (SASM).
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2021)
Proceedings Paper
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Frank Kaspar, Deborah Niermann, Michael Borsche, Stephanie Fiedler, Jan Keller, Roland Potthast, Thomas Roesch, Thomas Spangehl, Birger Tinz
ADVANCES IN SCIENCE AND RESEARCH
(2020)
Proceedings Paper
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Christopher W. Frank, Frank Kaspar, Jan D. Keller, Till Adams, Miriam Felkers, Bernd Fischer, Marcus Handte, Pedro Jose Marron, Hinrich Paulsen, Markus Neteler, Jochen Schiewe, Marvin Schuchert, Christian Nickel, Richard Wacker, Richard Figura
ADVANCES IN SCIENCE AND RESEARCH
(2020)
