05 Africa

CORDEX Africa

Scientists from all over the world are working on the CORDEX Africa domain. The different groups are employing different regional climate models as to establish a common ensemble of climate projections as large as possible.

Model domain

For Africa, the simulations are performed on a rotated grid with the pole at 180°W longitude and 90°N latitude. The domain covers approximately the region from about 29°W to 65°E longitude and 50°S to 47°N latitude.

For CORDEX-Africa the simulations were carried out on the rather coarse resolution of 0.44° (approx. 50 km) to enable a large ensemble of climate projections. The ERA-Interim driven evaluation run using COSMO-CLM has also been performed with a grid-spacing of 0.22° (approx. 25 km). One historical run forced by MPI-ESM-LR has also been carried out using the higher resolution of 25 km.

In order to increase the reproducibility of the simulation results and to avoid misinterpretation of the results, the COSMO-CLM model grid for the CORDEX-Africa domain is given in this table 🔑 together with the definition of the recommended external parameter data file.

Contributing partners from the CLM-Community

• Hans-Jürgen Panitz (KIT, Karlsruhe)

• Hendrik Feldmann (KIT, Karlsruhe)

• Alessandro Dosio (JRC, Ispra)

• Klaus Keuler (BTU, Cottbus)

• Stephanie Legutke (DKRZ, Hamburg)

• Daniel Lüthi (ETH, Zurich)

• Martina Schubert-Frisius (HZG, Geesthacht)

• Matthias Büchner (PIK, Potsdam)

Simulations performed or planned by the CLM-Community

Runs at 0.44° (approx. 50 km) 

An evaluation run was performed by KIT Karlsruhe using ERA-Interim data (Dee et al., 2011) as boundary forcing for the time period 1989 - 2008. To establish an ensemble of climate projections different forcing GCMs and scenarios listed in the table below were employed.

Model Setup

• Version: int2lm_090213_1.9_clm3 / cosmo_090213_4.8_clm17

• Configuration outputs of the ERA-Interim driven simulation:

  • COSMO-CLM YUSPECIF (not yet available)
    

  • INT2LM OUTPUT (not yet available)

Runs at 0.22° (approx. 25 km)

Again, an evaluation run was performed by KIT Karlsruhe using ERA-Interim data as boundary forcing for the time period 1989 - 2008.

One historical run (1950 - 2005) forced by MPI-ESM-LR realization r1i1p1 has also been carried out at the higher resolution of 25 km with cosmo4.8_clm17.

Simulations performed or planned for CORDEX-CORE

For CORDEX-CORE simulations will be performed with cosmo5.0_clm15 with a resolution of 25 km (AFR-22)

Model setup

• Version: iint2lm_131101_2.00_clm4 / cosmo_131108_5.00_clm15

• Configuration outputs of the ERA-Interim driven simulation:

  • COSMO-CLM YUSPECIF: AFR-22 setup ERAINT(1): OUTPUT_CORDEX_CORE_AFR22_Tegen_ERAInterim_int2lm_131101_2.00_clm4

References

Dosio A., H.-J. Panitz, M. Schubert-Frisius, D. Luethi (2015): Dynamical downscaling of CMIP5 global circulation models over CORDEX-Africa with COSMO-CLM: evaluation over the present climate and analysis of the added value. Climate dynamics, 44 (9-10), 2637–2661. doi:10.1007/s00382-014-2262-x

Endris H.S., Ph. Omodi, S. Jain, L. Chang'a, C. Lennard, B. Hewiston, J. Awange, P. Ketiem, A. Dosio, G. Nikulin, H.-J. Panitz, M. Büchner, F. Strodal, L., Tazalika (2013): Assessment of the performance of CORDEX Regional Climate Models in Simulating Eastern Africa Rainfall. J. Climate, 26, 8475. http://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/abs/10.1175/JCLI-D-12-00708.1

Endris, H. S., C. Lennard, B. Hewitson, A. Dosio, G. Nikulin, H.-J. Panitz (2016): Teleconnection responses in multi-GCM driven CORDEX RCMs over Eastern Africa. Climate Dynamics, 46 (9-10), 2821–2846. doi:10.1007/s00382-015-2734-7.

Favre, A. N. Philippon, B. Pohl, E.-A. Kalognomou, C. Lennard, B. Hewitson, G. Nikulin, A. Dosio, H.-J. Panitz, R. Cerezo-Mota (2016): Spatial distribution of precipitation annual cycles over South Africa in 10 CORDEX regional climate model present-day simulations. Climate Dynamics, 46 (5-6), 1799–1818. doi:10.1007/s00382-015-2677-z.

Kalognomou E.-A., C. Lennard, M. Shongwe, I. Pinto, M. Kent, B. Hewiston, A. Dosio, G. Nikulin, H.-J. Panitz, M. Büchner (2013): A diagnostic evaluation of precipitation in CORDEX models over southern Africa, J. Climate, 26, 9477–9506. http://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/abs/10.1175/JCLI-D-12-00703.1

Klutse N.A.B., M.B. Sylla, I. Diallo, A. Sarr, A. Dosio, A. Diedhiou, A. Kamga, B. Lamptey, A. Abdou, E.O. Gbobaniyi, K. Owusu, C. Lennard, B. Hewitson, G. Nikulin, H.-J. Panitz, M. Büchner, (2013): Daily Characteristics of West African Summer Monsoon Precipitation in CORDEX Simulations. Theoretical and Applied Climatology, 123, 1-2, pp. 369-386.

Kothe S., H.-J. Panitz, B. Ahrens, (2014): Analysis of the radiation budget in regional climate simulations with COSMO-CLM for Africa. Meteorologische Zeitschrift, 23 (2), 123–141, doi:10.1127/0941-2948/2014/0527.

Krähenmann S., S. Kothe, H.-J. Panitz, B. Ahrens (2013): Evaluation of Daily Maximum and Minimum 2-m Temperatures as Simulated with the Regional Climate Model COSMO-CLM over Africa. Meteorol. Z., 22, 3, 297-316, DOI 10.1127/0941-2948/2013/0468.

Maurer, V., I. Bischoff-Gauß, N. Kalthoff, L. Gantner, R. Roca, H.-J. Panitz (2017): Initiation of deep convection in the Sahel in a convection-permitting climate simulation for northern Africa. Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, 143 (703), 806–816. doi:10.1002/qj.2966.

Nikulin G., C. Jones, P. Samuelsson, F. Giorgi, M.B. Sylla, G. Asrar, M. Büchner, R. Cerezo-Mota, O.B. Christensen, M. Déqué, J. Fernandez, A. Hänsler, E. van Meijgaard, L. Sushama (2012): Precipitation Climatology in An Ensemble of CORDEX-Africa Regional Climate Simulations. J. Climate, 25, 10, 6057-6078, DOI 10.1175/JCLI-D-11-00375.1

Nikulin, G., C. Lennard, A. Dosio, E. Kjellström, Y. Chen, A. Hänsler, M. Kupiainen, R. Laprise, L. Mariotti, C. Fox Maule, E. van Meijgaard, H.-J. Panitz, J.F. Scinocca, S. Somot (2018): The effects of 1.5 and 2 degrees of global warming on Africa in the CORDEX ensemble. Environmental research letters, 13 (6), 065003/1–10. doi:10.1088/1748-9326/aab1b1.

Panitz H.-J., P. Berg, G. Schädler, G. Fosser (2012): Modelling Regional Climate Change for Germany and Africa. In: High Performance Computing in Science and Engineering '11 [W. E. Nagel, D. Kröner, M. Resch (Eds.)]. DOI 10.1007/978-3-642-23869-7, Springer Berlin Heidelberg New York 2012, pp 503--512.

Panitz H.-J., A. Dosio, M. Büchner, D. Lüthi, K. Keuler (2013): COSMO-CLM (CCLM) Climate Simulations over CORDEX Africa Domain: Analysis of the ERA-Interim Driven Simulations at 0.44° and 0.22° Resolution. Climate Dyn., DOI 10.1007/s00382-013-1834-5.

Panitz, H.-J., A, Dosio, M. Büchner, D. Lüthi, K. Keuler (2014): COSMO-CLM (CCLM) climate simulations over CORDEX-Africa domain: Analysis of the ERA-Interim driven simulations at 0.44⁰ and 0.22⁰ resolution Climate dynamics, 42 (11), 3015–3038. doi:10.1007/s00382-013-1834-5.

Pinto, I., C. Lennard, M. Tadross, B. Hewitson, A. Dosio, G. Nikulin, H.-J. Panitz, M.E. Shongwe (2016): Evaluation and projections of extreme precipitation over southern Africa from two CORDEX models. Climatic change, 135 (3-4), 655–668. doi:10.1007/s10584-015-1573-1.

Thiery, W., E.L. Davin, H.-J. Panitz, M. Demuzere, S. Lhermitte, N. van Lipzig (2015): The impact of the African great lakes on the regional climate. Journal of Climate, 28 (10), 4061–4085. doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-14-00565.1.

Conferences

Panitz H.-J., M. Schubert-Frisius, K. Meier-Fleischer, P. Lenzen, S. Legutke, K. Keuler, D. Lüthi, A. Lettenbauer, A. Dosio (2013): CORDEX Climate Simulations for Africa using COSMO-CLM (CCLM). Geophysical Research Abstracts, Vol. 15, EGU2013-1387, EGU General Assembly 2013, Vienna

Panitz H.-J., M. Schubert-Frisius, K. Meier-Fleischer, P. Lenzen, S. Legutke, K. Keuler, D. Lüthi, A. Lettenbauer, A. Dosio (2013): CORDEX Climate Simulations for Africa using COSMO-CLM (CCLM). International Conference on Regional Climate – CORDEX 2013, Brussels, Belgium, 4 – 7 November 2013

Schubert-Frisius M., K. Meier-Fleischer, P. Lenzen, K. Keuler, H.-J. Panitz, M. Buechner, S. Legutke (2012): CORDEX experiments with the RCLM CCLM using the DKRZ modelling environment IMDI. Geophysical Research Abstracts, Vol. 14, EGU2012-5601,EGU General Assembly 2012, Vienna.

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