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Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-322
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-322
04 Apr 2024
 | 04 Apr 2024

Convection-permitting climate model representation of severe convective wind gusts and future changes in southeastern Australia

Andrew Brown, Andrew Dowdy, and Todd P. Lane

Abstract. Previous research has suggested that the frequency and intensity of surface hazards associated with thunderstorms and convection, such as severe convective winds (SCWs), could potentially change in a future climate due to global warming. However, because of the small spatial scales associated with SCWs, they are unresolved in global climate models, and future climate projections are uncertain. Here, we evaluate the representation of SCW events in a convection-permitting climate model (Bureau of Meteorology Regional Projections for Australia, BARPAC-M), run over southeastern Australia for December–February months. We also assess changes in SCW event frequency in a projected future climate for the year 2050, and compare this with an approach based on identifying large-scale environments favourable for SCWs from a regional parent model (BARPA-R). This is done for three different types of SCW events that have been identified in this region, based on clustering of the large-scale environment. Results show that BARPAC-M representation of the extreme daily maximum wind gust distribution is improved relative to the gust distribution simulated by the regional parent model. This is due to the high spatial resolution of BARPAC-M output, as well as partly resolving strong and short-lived gusts associated with convection. However, BARPAC-M significant overestimates the frequency of simulated SCW events, particularly in environments having steep low-level temperature lapse rates. A future decrease in SCW frequency under steep lapse rate conditions is projected by BARPAC-M, along with less frequently favourable large-scale environments. In contrast, an increase in SCW frequency is projected under high surface moisture conditions, with more frequently favourable large-scale environments. Therefore, overall changes in SCWs for this region remain uncertain, due to different responses between event types, combined with historical model biases.

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Journal article(s) based on this preprint

24 Sep 2024
Convection-permitting climate model representation of severe convective wind gusts and future changes in southeastern Australia
Andrew Brown, Andrew Dowdy, and Todd P. Lane
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 3225–3243, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-3225-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-3225-2024, 2024
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The requested preprint has a corresponding peer-reviewed final revised paper. You are encouraged to refer to the final revised version.

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A computer model that simulates the climate of south-eastern Australia is shown here to...
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