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Human-induced climate change is one of the most pressing challenges of our time. The Helmholtz Association is making essential research contributions to mitigate the causes and impacts of climate change and find ways to adapt. The "Net-Zero-2050" project, the Cluster I of the Helmholtz Climate Initiative, scientifically investigates and evaluates strategies and new ways to reduce, extract and permanently store carbon emissions. Two digital knowledge transfer products (DKTPs) were developed to present the complex research results comprehensively: (1) the "Net-Zero-2050 Web-Atlas" provides information on methods and technologies for CO 2 reduction and possible reduction paths; (2) the "Soil Carbon App" provides simulated soil carbon data to estimate climate protection potentials through different land management methods. Both formats intend to support users in making informed decisions and developing appropriate climate neutrality strategies. During the two DKTPs development, common main challenges were identified regarding concepts and stakeholder involvement. Along with that, specific approaches to solving the tasks could be distilled for each product. In the still-evolving arena of digital knowledge transfer, no standard methods can be applied. At the same time, communication of climate research results to decision-makers is becoming more and more relevant. This paper extracts the challenges and gives approaches to facilitate a transfer of the gained experience to future similar projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the importance of the COST Action 725 from 2004 to 2009 towards the collaboration of the European COoperation in the field of Scientific and Technical Research. The COST725 attained the common system, phenological observations, and utilizing data in scientific peer reviewed papers. It notes the accomplishments of the program including the phenological response to climate and the launching of project in 2010 under European network of meteorological services (EUMETNET/ECSN).

During the World Climate Conference-3, Capacity Development has been acknowledged as a transversal component underpinning all the other Pillars of the Global Framework for Climate Services. Within the Mediterranean basin, the interest of climate services based on seasonal climate forecasts is rising because they provide an opportunity for developing a proactive approach towards water management. In 2014, the Regional Training Center (RTC) in Italy, in agreement with World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and member countries of Region I and VI, identified seasonal climate forecasts as a strategic subject of capacity development for the Mediterranean Region. Following design-based research methods, this paper presents the evolution of the training approaches adopted, from classroom lessons to a blend of practical and theoretical classroom and distance learning. This evolution, as well as the rising satisfaction of trainees' expectations encouraged WMO and the RTC to widen the spectrum of beneficiaries and to make the resulting course materials available for other regions and RTCs as a course package. The course package provides essential guidelines to facilitate adoption and adaptation of the course by different institutions and instructors, including those in other WMO Regions, based on regional or institutional learning needs and standards, while also serving the needs of individual learners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate variability and change are recognised as a major threat for West African agriculture, particularly for smallholder farmers. Moreover, population pressure, poverty, and food insecurity, are worsening the vulnerability of production systems to climate risks. Application of Climate Services in agriculture, specifically Agrometeorological Services, is acknowledged as a valuable innovation to assist decision-making and develop farmers' specific adaptive capacities. In West Africa, the World Meteorological Organisation and National Meteorological Services deployed considerable efforts in the development of Agrometeorological Services. Nevertheless, the impacts of such services on West African farming communities are still largely unknown. This paper aims to delineate the added value of agrometeorological services for farmers within the Agriculture Innovation System of Mauritania. The results of this quali-quantitative assessment demonstrate that farmers use agrometeorological information for a variety of choices: making strategic choice on the seed variety and on the geographical distribution of plots, choosing the most appropriate planting date, better tuning crop development cycle with the rhythm of the rains and choosing favourable periods for different cultural operations. Globally, the effects of all these good practices can be summarized by an increase of crops productivity and a decrease of cropping costs (including opportunity cost) in terms of inputs and working time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate measurements of temperature and water vapor in the upper-air are of great interest in relation to weather prediction and climate change. Those measurements are mostly conducted using radiosondes equipped with a variety of sensors that are flown by a balloon up to lower stratosphere. Reference Upper Air Network (GRUAN) has identified water vapor pressure as one of the most important measurands and has set an accuracy requirement of 2 % in terms of the mixing ratio. In order to achieve the requirement, many errors in the humidity measurement such as a temperature dependency in sensing characteristics including measurement values and response time need to be corrected because humidity sensors of radiosondes pass through low-pressure (1 kPa) and low-temperature (- 80 ∘ C) environments in the upper-air. In this paper, the humidity sensing characteristics of Jinyang radiosonde sensors in relation to temperature dependencies were evaluated at low temperature using a newly developed ultralow-temperature humidity chamber. The sensitivity characteristic curve of the radiosonde sensors was evaluated down to - 80 ∘ C, and the calibration curves of the humidity sensor and the temperature sensor were obtained. The response time of humidity sensor slowly increased from 52 to 116 s at the temperature from 20 to - 40 ∘ C, respectively, and then rapidly increased to almost one hour at - 80 ∘ C. Those results will help to improve the reliability of the upper-air observation data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precise quantification of climate change depends on long time series of meteorological variables. Such time series should be as homogeneous as possible but some changes of measurement conditions cannot be prevented. At German climate reference stations, parallel measurements are used to analyze the effects of changes in measurement systems for example for the transition from manual to automatic instruments. These parallel measurements aim to identify measurement uncertainties and to analyze the comparability of measurement systems to investigate the homogeneity. In this study, we investigate daily sunshine duration. Traditionally, manual measurements of daily sunshine duration are taken with Campbell-Stokes sunshine recorders. For automatic measurements the SONIe or SCAPP instrument is used. The different measurement principles (glass sphere and photodiode) cause systematic differences between the observations. During summer, values for manual observations are larger especially in case of frequent alternations between sunny and cloudy conditions. Furthermore, the standard deviation of the differences between the two measurement systems is larger during summer because of the greater day length. To adjust the automatic measurements a linear regression model is suggested based on parallel measurements from 13 climate reference stations in Germany. To validate the regression coefficients, a leave-one-out cross validation was performed (by leaving out data of individual stations). The regression coefficients (derived from different sets of stations) are similar, thereby indicating a robust data set for the estimation of the linear model. With this method we want to prevent breaks in long time series of daily sunshine duration caused by the transition from manual to automatic instruments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary goal of the analysis was to establish a high-quality precipitation reference dataset, which is both consistent and homogeneous, for calculation of the new standard climate normals (1991–2020). Climatol homogenization method was applied to detect inhomogeneities in 325 Norwegian precipitation series, during the period 1961–2018. Results from homogeneity testing found inhomogeneities in 29 % of the 325 series, however, only 25 % were classified as inhomogeneous after conferring with metadata and therefore adjusted. Relocation of the precipitation gauge and automation were the main causes of all the inhomogeneities in the Norwegian series, explaining 71 % and 12 % respectively of all detected breaks. Results further showed benefits of incorporating metadata to the automatically detected inhomogeneities. Linear trend analysis showed increasing trends in the period 1961–2018 except in autumn where a decreasing trend was observed. The homogeneity analysis produced a 58-year long homogenous dataset for 325 monthly precipitation sums with regional temporal variability and spatial coherence that is better than that of non-homogenized series. The dataset is more reliable in explaining the large-scale climate variations and was used to calculate the new climate normals in Norway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The climate of Bangladesh is very likely to be influenced by global climate change. To quantify the influence on the climate of Bangladesh, Global Climate Models were downscaled statistically to produce future climate projections of maximum temperature during the pre-monsoon season (March–May) for the 21st century for Bangladesh. The future climate projections are generated based on three emission scenarios (RCP2.6, RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) provided by the fifth Coupled Model Intercomparison Project. The downscaling process is undertaken by relating the large-scale seasonal mean temperature, taken from the ERA5 reanalysis data set, to the leading principal components of the observed maximum temperature at stations under Bangladesh Meteorological Department in Bangladesh, and applying the relationship to the GCM ensemble. The in-situ temperature data has only recently been digitised, and this is the first time they have been used in statistical downscaling of local climate projections for Bangladesh. This analysis also provides an evaluation of the local data, and the local temperatures in Bangladesh show a close match with the ERA5 reanalysis. Compared to the reference period of 1981–2010, the projected maximum pre-monsoon temperature in Bangladesh indicate an increase by 0.7/0.7/0.7 ∘ C in the near future (2021–2050) and 2.2/1.2/0.8 ∘ C in the far future (2071–2100) assuming the RCP8.5/RCP4.5/RCP2.6 scenario, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of an interdisciplinary team of scientists at the Climate Service Center Germany (GERICS) was to make the findings of the special report IPCC SR1.5 more accessible to the citizens of Hamburg. Therefore, a flyer was created that is understandable to non-climate scientists, visually attractive and generates interest. It contains up-to-date climate information, readily understandable texts and several graphical visualisations. The team has been working intensively on analysing and processing further the consequences of a 1.5 ∘ C global warming for the Hamburg metropolitan region. While the team's natural scientists elaborated the impacts on specific climate indices, other team members focused on the visualisation and communication of the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Pyrenees, located in the transition zone of Atlantic and Mediterranean climates, constitute a paradigmatic example of mountains undergoing rapid changes in environmental conditions, with potential impact on the availability of water resources, mainly for downstream populations. High-resolution probabilistic climate change projections for precipitation and temperature are a crucial element for stakeholders to make well-informed decisions on adaptation to new climate conditions. In this line, we have generated high–resolution climate projections for 21st century by applying two statistical downscaling methods (regression for max and min temperatures, and analogue for precipitation) over the Pyrenees region in the frame of the CLIMPY project over a new high-resolution (5 km × 5 km) observational grid using 24 climate models from CMIP5. The application of statistical downscaling to such a high resolution observational grid instead of station data partially circumvent the problems associated to the non-uniform distribution of observational in situ data. This new high resolution projections database based on statistical algorithms complements the widely used EUROCORDEX data based on dynamical downscaling and allows to identify features that are dependent on the particular downscaling method. In our analysis, we not only focus on maximum and minimum temperatures and precipitation changes but also on changes in some relevant extreme indexes, being 1986–2005 the reference period. Although climate models predict a general increase in temperature extremes for the end of the 21st century, the exact spatial distribution of changes in temperature and much more in precipitation remains uncertain as they are strongly model dependent. Besides, for precipitation, the uncertainty associated to models can mask – depending on the zones- the signal of change. However, the large number of downscaled models and the high resolution of the used grid allow us to provide differential information at least at massif level. The impact of the RCP becomes significant for the second half of the 21st century, with changes – differentiated by massifs – of extreme temperatures and analysed associated extreme indexes for RCP8.5 at the end of the century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the German regional climate modeling project ReKliEs-De the existing EURO-CORDEX simulations have been systematically complemented by new simulations to derive more robust ranges of possible future climate change. The focus of the project lay on user tailored results, which are required for the planning of measures to adapt to the changing climate. Changes in temperature and precipitation indices are calculated from a multi model ensemble for the end of the 21st century. The results for the mitigation scenario RCP2.6 are compared to the results of the "business as usual" scenario RCP8.5. Averaged over Germany the increase of mean annual temperature and of the number of summer days will be around 3 times higher for RCP8.5 than for RCP2.6. In summer, the increase of dry days could be twice as high in RCP8.5 compared to RCP2.6. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is a matter of current study to determine potential climate changes in different parts of the world, especially in regions like a basin which has the potential to affect socioeconomic and environmental issues in a defined area. This study provides a comparison between several climate change indices trends of two very different basins in Mexico, one located in the northern arid region (the Conchos River basin) and the other in the southern humid area (the Usumacinta River basin). First, quality control, homogenization, and completion of the missing data were applied before calculating the climate change indices and their respective trends for the combined period 1961–1994. A clear warming signal was found for the two basins in addition to an increment in the DTR, in agreement with other studies in Mexico. Also, the Conchos River basin was found to be more humid and the Usumacinta River basin drier, in accordance to a supposed seesaw behavior indicated in previous analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decades, the successive Coupled Model Intercomparison Projects (CMIPs) have produced a huge amount of global climate model simulations. Along these years, the climate models have advanced and can thus provide credible evolution of climate at least at continental or global scales since they are better representing physical processes and feedbacks in the climate system. Nevertheless, due to the coarse horizontal resolution of global climate models, it is necessary to downscale these results for their use to assess possible future impacts of climate change in climate sensitive ecosystems and sectors and to adopt adaptation strategies at local and national level. In this vein, the Spanish State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) has been producing since 2006 a set of reference downscaled climate change projections over Spain either applying statistical downscaling techniques to the outputs of the Global Climate Models (GCMs) or making use of the information generated by dynamical downscaling techniques through European projects or international initiatives such as PRUDENCE, ENSEMBLES and EURO-CORDEX. The AEMET strategy aims at exploiting all the available sources of information on climate change projections. The generalized use of statistical and dynamical downscaling approaches allow us to encompass a great number of global models and therefore to provide a better estimation of uncertainty. Most impact climate change studies over Spain make use of this reference downscaled projections emphasizing the estimation of uncertainties. Additionally to the rationale and history behind the AEMET generation of climate change scenarios, we focus on some preliminary analysis of the dependency of estimated uncertainties on the different sources of data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The EU Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) European Climatic Energy Mixes (ECEM) has produced, in close collaboration with prospective users, a proof-of-concept climate service, or Demonstrator, designed to enable the energy industry and policy makers assess how well different energy supply mixes in Europe will meet demand, over different time horizons (from seasonal to long-term decadal planning), focusing on the role climate has on the mixes. The concept of C3S ECEM, its methodology and some results are presented here. The first part focuses on the construction of reference data sets for climate variables based on the ERA-Interim reanalysis. Subsequently, energy variables were created by transforming the bias-adjusted climate variables using a combination of statistical and physically-based models. A comprehensive set of measured energy supply and demand data was also collected, in order to assess the robustness of the conversion to energy variables. Climate and energy data have been produced both for the historical period (1979–2016) and for future projections (from 1981 to 2100, to also include a past reference period, but focusing on the 30 year period 2035–2065). The skill of current seasonal forecast systems for climate and energy variables has also been assessed. The C3S ECEM project was designed to provide ample opportunities for stakeholders to convey their needs and expectations, and assist in the development of a suitable Demonstrator. This is the tool that collects the output produced by C3S ECEM and presents it in a user-friendly and interactive format, and it therefore constitutes the essence of the C3S ECEM proof-of-concept climate service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a study conducted to analyze the variability of wind speeds across Europe over the past 140 years. The recent Twentieth Century Reanalysis data set has been used in the study. According to the study, the variability between decades is large and no strong long-term trends in wind speeds were found across Europe.

The article focuses on the vulnerability of drought occurrences in the Carpathian Region. It is noted that the rich biosphere of the region is highly vulnerable to climate change and one of the major climate-related damaging natural phenomena is drought which has been occurring with increasing frequency in the region. A list of drought events between 1961 and 2010, based on the agreement of the indicators is presented in the article with three case studies of drought in 1990, 2000, and 2003.

The article presents a study that examines options to mitigate climate change impact for the adaptive integrated water resources management (IWRM) in the upper Danube and Brahmaputra river basins. It explores the method of the study that analyzes several options that can effective reduce climate change impact in the two river basins. The result of the study indicates that effectiveness of the twinning of the two river basins in reducing the effects of climate change.

The article presents a study that determines the findings of the participatory research process designed to identify responses for sustainable water management in a climate change in the upper Danube and Brahmaputra river basins. It describes the method used in the study in which socio-economic vulnerability was investigated and analyzed. The result of the study validates the motivations which triggered the design of the project, leading to the development of the twinning of the river basin.

The article presents a study that describes the development of a set of integrated indicators to support integrated water resources management (IWRM) and climate change in the upper Brahmaputra and Danube river basins. It explores the objective of the study, designed to provide stakeholders with update on the trends of the river basins and water resources and quantify the effects of climate change. The findings of the study indicate a strong link between the main issues that affect the basin.

The article presents a study that determines the effectiveness of integrated hydrological modeling in assessing the effect of climate change on the water balance via Danubia model. It explores the method of the study that employs the Danubia model to calculate the water balance components under different conditions in the large-scale mountain water sheds of the upper Danube and Brahmaputra. The findings of the study reveal the effectiveness of the model in assessing climate change effects.

The article presents a study that determines the vulnerability of the people to the climate change in upper Brahmaputra and Danube river basins. It cites the Human Dimension of the Twinning European and South Asian River Basins to Enhance Capacity and Implement Adaptive Management Approaches Project (EC-Project BRAHMATWINN) aimed at developing socio-economic tools for the effective inclusion of the assessment. The study uses stakeholder inputs to identify weightings of vulnerability domains.

The article presents a research study that deals with the connection between urban planning and climatic hazards in Tehran, Iran. Researchers have gathered data from the Meteorological Organization of Iran to determine the adverse effects of urban designing to the aggravation of climate. They also found out the climate hazards such as temperature below negative five degrees centigrade, and extreme rainy days.

The article presents a study which determines the effects of climate change on forage and crop production in France. The study is noted to use two types of models, wherein the first model estimates changes in national or local climates while the other model uses climatic data to estimate the effects on vegetation. Furthermore. the study presents examples the variability of criteria influencing crop production in various regions of the region and some possible effects on crops.

The article discusses the implementation of the community-based multi criteria adaptation assessment for agricultural sector to climate change impacts in the Nile River Delta in Egypt. The study shows the improvement in the adaptive capacity by the farmer to face the negative impacts of climate change in agricultural system. Moreover, it suggests that government support and clear scientific message are needed.

The article discusses the high-resolution monthly precipitation climatologies from 1961 to 1990 in Northern and Central Italy. The study shows a mean monthly precipitation absolute error of lightly more than 10mm. Moreover, the local secular absolute value precipitation records can be used to local past precipitation variability and change assessment allowing General Circulation Models (GCM) information for the evaluation of climate change impact in the future.

The article discusses the implementation of the new processing environment for Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR)-based climate monitoring products by the EUMETSAT's Satellite Application Facility on Climate Monitoring (CM-SAF) in Europe and the Arctic. The utilization of NOAA-17, NOAA-18 and MetOp-A for AVRR measurements on cloud parameters includes cloud fraction and cloud phase. The study aims to monitor the processes that may affect the Arctic sea ice changes.