Thesis
EVALUATION OF HEATWAVE AND DROUGHT INDICES IN 4 KM-RESOLUTION REGIONAL CLIMATE MODELS OVER SOUTHWEST WESTERN AUSTRALIA, DRIVEN WITH ERA5 REANALYSIS
Honours, Murdoch University
2024
Abstract
Heatwaves and droughts pose an increasing threat to communities and the environment in southwest Western Australia (SWWA). Therefore, it is critical to understand the ability of regional climate models (RCMs) to simulate historical characteristics of heatwaves and droughts in SWWA, to inform the development of future regional projections. As part of the Western Australia Climate Science Initiative, this study evaluated two RCMs for heatwave and drought metrics over SWWA at an unprecedented high spatial resolution of 4 km, using ERA5 reanalysis data as input. Overall, the RCMs demonstrated comparable or smaller errors for heatwave and drought climatologies in SWWA as compared to the input reanalysis data and previous studies using coarser-resolution RCMs. There were notable improvements in the simulation of precipitation and drought metrics along the west coast of SWWA; however, the 4 km-resolution simulations of temperatures and heatwaves did not demonstrate noticeable advantages over previous simulations at coarser spatial scales. A case study for the 2010 drought and the following 2010–11 heatwave season in SWWA demonstrated that these RCMs can identify back-to-back extreme events, and can differentiate between extreme events at the coast from those that occur inland. Broadly, these results indicate that these RCMs are suitable for use in heatwave and drought studies for SWWA, and will inform upcoming work on projecting future changes in heatwaves and droughts under future climate scenarios.
Details
- Title
- EVALUATION OF HEATWAVE AND DROUGHT INDICES IN 4 KM-RESOLUTION REGIONAL CLIMATE MODELS OVER SOUTHWEST WESTERN AUSTRALIA, DRIVEN WITH ERA5 REANALYSIS
- Authors/Creators
- Madeline Copcutt
- Contributors
- Jatin Kala (Supervisor) - Murdoch University, Centre for Terrestrial Ecosystem Science and SustainabilityKerryn Hawke (Supervisor) - Murdoch University, College of Environmental and Life Sciences
- Awarding Institution
- Murdoch University; Honours
- Identifiers
- 991005732476807891
- Murdoch Affiliation
- School of Environmental and Conservation Sciences
- Resource Type
- Thesis
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