Search

One of the Mediterranean hotspots for extreme precipitation is the coastal mountainous easternAdriatic andDinaric Alps regions, which are often affected by heavy precipitation events (HPEs) that can cause severe damage. Representing these events at different time scales and projecting their future evolution using regional climate models (RCMs) remains a key modelling challenge. This study evaluates the impact of model configuration on the representation of extreme daily precipitation in an RCM at climatological (1979-2012) and event scales (HPEs). Additionally, the impact of the spectral nudging (SN) technique is analysed. We compare two CNRM-ALADIN model configurations, and perform several sensitivity tests on specific parameters within a configuration. All simulations are driven by the ERA-Interim re-analysis over the Med-CORDEX domain at 0.11◦ horizontal resolution. On all examined time scales, model configuration shows a considerable impact on the mean and extreme daily precipitation. The new physical parameterizations of moist processes show improvement at the climatological (precipitation intensity, extreme precipitation and frequency of light precipitation) and event (the occurrence, spatial pattern and structure of HPEs) scales. Extreme precipitation shows limited sensitivity to specific parameters and is highly dependent on HPE. The use of SN improves the temporal variability at climatological scales and the location and occurrence of HPEs. We conclude that extreme precipitation representation in CNRM-ALADIN is more sensitive to change in the model configuration, particularly in the physical parameterizations, than to the application of SN. This study shows that the development and advancement of physical parameterizations can improve the model representation of extreme precipitation at several time scales and can therefore be considered as a means to reduce uncertainties in future climate projections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mediterranean region of France are regularly affected by extreme precipitation that often lead to devastating flash-floods, often associated with both human and material damages. The evolution of such events in terms of occurrence and severity with climate change remains an open question.The purpose of the current study is to characterize the future evolution of these heavy precipitating events in terms of occurrence and intensity. A historical simulation (1976 – 2005) will be compare to a future simulation (2071 – 2100) for the RCP8,5 scenario. The CNRM-CM5 global climate is used as driver model. The study also compare climate change simulations from a convection parametrized convection model (ALADIN-Climate) and a convection permitting reginal climate model (AROME-Climate). These simulations were carried out on the domain defined by the CORDEX Flagship Pilot Study "Convective phenomena at high resolution over Europe and the Mediterranean". It is centered on the Alps. This domain allows a good representation of the large scale circulation over the Mediterranean sea that causes convective phenomena in the Southeastern France. The study of changes in spatial distribution and cumulative precipitation will be based on daily and hourly averages and quantiles of precipitation.I would like to share my knowledge on convection permitting regional climate model with interested people. This workshop would be a great opportunity and I hope, I will have the opportunity to exchange with people from this community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]