REKLIM – Regional climate changes
Background and Goals
The Helmholtz climate initiative REKLIM (regional climate changes) is a network of eight research centres from the Helmholtz Association. REKLIM will use their combined expertise to carry out regional monitoring and process studies in conjunction with model simulations to improve regional and global climate models designed to provide a solid basis for climate-related decision making.
In addition, global climate simulations will be used to study the effects of climate variability and climate changes on a regional scale, with improved modelling systems for impact studies. At the same time, the process modules and parameters obtained from these studies will help to improve global climate models. Particularly in terms of the effects of climate changes, REKLIM will open up various opportunities to improve understanding of the regional earth system.
The regional climate offices of the Helmholtz Association and the Climate Service Centre 2.0 will also support decision makers in assessing risks and opportunities, and in developing prevention and adaptation strategies. Thus, on the one hand REKLIM is intended to develop the very latest academic issues and, on the other hand, to provide meaningful findings for socio-economic and political decision-making processes.
The long-term objective of REKLIM is to develop optimised coupled earth system models on a regional scale, taking account of the interactions between atmosphere, oceans, cryosphere, biosphere, land surfaces and soils. These earth system models, combined with corresponding monitoring and data evaluation techniques, allow an assessment of regional climate changes in the past, present and future.
In summary, REKLIM is pursuing the following strategy:
- Improvement in process knowledge through regional monitoring and modelling;
- Development of improved coupled regional climate models by using existing models on more powerful computers (higher spatial resolution) and incorporating additional climate-related components of the regional earth system;
- Generation of data records for the recent past, the present and the future, incorporating information on regional climate changes in particular key regions;
- Analysis of current climate changes in respect of causes, regional and local effects, global significance and outlooks;
- Provision of updated information for highly refined parameterisation in global coupled models and for IPCC prevention and adaptation strategies.
Content time
toResearch area/region
Country
- transnational
- Germany
- global
Steps in the process of adaptation to climate change
Step 1: Understand and describe climate change
Approach and results
The objective is to develop and improve regional and global climate models.
The effects of climate change manifest themselves at the regional level. Example for Germany: In a scenario with no climate protection efforts ("business as usual"), temperature increases of between 2 and 3.5°C are expected by 2100, depending on the emissions scenario and climate model type. This warming will also have an impact in terms of the variability of precipitation volumes and an increase in extreme weather events such as flooding and storms.
REKLIM is all about understanding and quantifying the changes in atmospheric components, variability in ice coverage and oceans as well as sea level changes, processes influencing climate at high latitudes, effects of changes in land surfaces and feedback effects, and changes in extreme events. The aim is to study the impact of changing conditions in the climate system regionally and locally. The findings obtained are of great importance in developing prevention and adaptation strategies.
Parameter (climate signals)
- River flooding
- Altered rainfall patterns
- Higher average temperatures
- Extreme precipitation (incl. hail, snow)
Further Parameters
Wind, extreme weather events
Step 3: Develop and compare measures
Measures and/or strategies
Adaptation measures will not be considered; however, the findings from REKLIM can support decision makers in developing regional climate adaptation and prevention strategies and in evaluating risk assessments and risk management.
Time horizon
- 2071–2100 (far future)
Participants
Funding / Financing
Helmholtz Association
Project management
Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI)
Cooperation/Partners
Cooperation of the Helmholtz Centres:
– Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research
– German Centre for Aerospace
– German Research Center for Environmental Health
– Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH
– Centre for Materials and Coastal Research
– GFZ German Research Centre
– Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
– Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research
university partners:
– University of Bremen
– University of Hamburg
– University of Heidelberg
– University of Cologne
– University of Leipzig
– Technical University of Munich
– University of Potsdam
Contact
Alfred-Wegener-Institut
Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung
Bussestrasse 24
D-27570 Bremerhaven
