WP 1

This WP will set the data foundation that is needed to derive the climate indicators for the analysis of climate impacts (WP2), regional tipping points (WP4) and the web-portal based climate services (WP3).

Objectives

This WP will set the data foundation that is needed to derive the climate indicators for the analysis of climate impacts (WP2), regional tipping points (WP4) and the web-portal based climate services (WP3). For this purpose, we will make use of the already existing but growing CMIP6 archive of global projections of future climate change, as well as the regional climate projections of CORDEX and the new initiative CORDEX-CORE. Moreover, a new set of high-resolution regional climate change projections will be generated with the new coupled ocean-atmosphere RCMs CCAM (WITS-GCI) and ROM (GERICS) using CMIP6 data as forcing. In order to build up an ensemble of regional climate change projections, the RCMs CCAM and ROM will downscale selected CMIP6 projections to a spatial resolution of about 8 km for a selected domain in southern Africa. These will be the first coupled ocean-atmosphere projections of future climate change ever obtained for the southern African region, and will include feedbacks between the Agulhas current and Benguela upwelling system and atmospheric circulation over southern Africa. The newly performed regional climate change projections will be stored at a public database and made available for other scientists from different sectors and SASSCAL projects. This dissemination will take place through the project’s Climate Service Gateway (WP3).