Search Results

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Item
    Future changes in extratropical storm tracks and baroclinicity under climate change
    (Bristol : IOP, 2014) Lehmann, J.; Coumou, D.; Frieler, K.; Eliseev, A.V.; Levermann, A.
    The weather in Eurasia, Australia, and North and South America is largely controlled by the strength and position of extratropical storm tracks. Future climate change will likely affect these storm tracks and the associated transport of energy, momentum, and water vapour. Many recent studies have analyzed how storm tracks will change under climate change, and how these changes are related to atmospheric dynamics. However, there are still discrepancies between different studies on how storm tracks will change under future climate scenarios. Here, we show that under global warming the CMIP5 ensemble of coupled climate models projects only little relative changes in vertically averaged mid-latitude mean storm track activity during the northern winter, but agree in projecting a substantial decrease during summer. Seasonal changes in the Southern Hemisphere show the opposite behaviour, with an intensification in winter and no change during summer. These distinct seasonal changes in northern summer and southern winter storm tracks lead to an amplified seasonal cycle in a future climate. Similar changes are seen in the mid-latitude mean Eady growth rate maximum, a measure that combines changes in vertical shear and static stability based on baroclinic instability theory. Regression analysis between changes in the storm tracks and changes in the maximum Eady growth rate reveal that most models agree in a positive association between the two quantities over mid-latitude regions.
  • Item
    General scaling of maximum degree of synchronization in noisy complex networks
    (Bristol : Institute of Physics Publishing, 2014) Traxl, D.; Boers, N.; Kurths, J.
    The effects of white noise and global coupling strength on the maximum degree of synchronization in complex networks are explored. We perform numerical simulations of generic oscillator models with both linear and non-linear coupling functions on a broad spectrum of network topologies. The oscillator models include the Fitzhugh-Nagumo model, the Izhikevich model and the Kuramoto phase oscillator model. The network topologies range from regular, random and highly modular networks to scale-free and small-world networks, with both directed and undirected edges. We then study the dependency of the maximum degree of synchronization on the global coupling strength and the noise intensity. We find a general scaling of the synchronizability, and quantify its validity by fitting a regression model to the numerical data.
  • Item
    Consistency in Vulnerability Assessments of Wheat to Climate Change—A District-Level Analysis in India
    (Basel : MDPI, 2020) Dhamija, Vanshika; Shukla, Roopam; Gornott, Christoph; Joshi, PK
    In India, a reduction in wheat crop yield would lead to a widespread impact on food security. In particular, the most vulnerable people are severely exposed to food insecurity. This study estimates the climate change vulnerability of wheat crops with respect to heterogeneities in time, space, and weighting methods. The study uses the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) framework of vulnerability while using composite indices of 27 indicators to explain exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. We used climate projections under current (1975–2005) conditions and two future (2021–2050) Representation Concentration Pathways (RCPs), 4.5 and 8.5, to estimate exposure to climatic risks. Consistency across three weighting methods (Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and Equal Weights (EWs)) was evaluated. Results of the vulnerability profile suggest high vulnerability of the wheat crop in northern and central India. In particular, the districts Unnao, Sirsa, Hardoi, and Bathinda show high vulnerability and high consistency across current and future climate scenarios. In total, 84% of the districts show more than 75% consistency in the current climate, and 83% and 68% of the districts show more than 75% consistency for RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 climate scenario for the three weighting methods, respectively. By using different weighting methods, it was possible to quantify “method uncertainty” in vulnerability assessment and enhance robustness in identifying most vulnerable regions. Finally, we emphasize the importance of communicating uncertainties, both in data and methods in vulnerability research, to effectively guide adaptation planning. The results of this study would serve as the basis for designing climate impacts adjusted adaptation measures for policy interventions.