Contiguous US summer maximum temperature and heat stress trends in CRU and NOAA Climate Division data plus comparisons to reanalyses
Abstract
Abstract Warming is a major climate change concern, but the impact of high maximum temperatures depends upon the air’s moisture content. Trends in maximum summertime temperature, moisture, and heat index are tracked over three time periods: 1900–2011, 1950–2011, and 1979–2011; these trends differ notably from annual temperature trends. Trends are emphasized from two CRU datasets (CRUTS3.25 and CRUTS4.01) and two reanalyses (ERA-20C and 20CRv2). Maximum temperature trends tend towards warming that is stronger over the Great Lakes, the interior western and the northeastern contiguous United States. A warming hole in the Midwest generally decreases in size and magnitude when heat stress trends are calculated because the region has increasing moisture. CRU and nearly all reanalyses find cooling in the northern high plains that is not found in NOAA Climate Division trends. These NOAA trends are captured better by CRUTS401. Moistening in the northeast amplifies the heat stress there. Elsewhere the moisture trends are less clear. Drying over northern Texas (after 1996) in CRUTS401 translates into decreasing heat stress there (less so in CRUTS325). Though other reanalyses are not intended for long-term trends, MERRA-2 and ERA-Interim match observed trends better than other reanalyses.
- Authors:
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Univ. of California, Davis, CA (United States).
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER); National Science Foundation (NSF); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); USDA National Inst. of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1460754
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1499987
- Grant/Contract Number:
- SC0016605; 1236681; NNX16AG62G; 1010971
- Resource Type:
- Published Article
- Journal Name:
- Scientific Reports
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Name: Scientific Reports Journal Volume: 8 Journal Issue: 1; Journal ID: ISSN 2045-2322
- Publisher:
- Nature Publishing Group
- Country of Publication:
- United Kingdom
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; atmospheric dynamics; projection and prediction
Citation Formats
Grotjahn, Richard, and Huynh, Jonathan. Contiguous US summer maximum temperature and heat stress trends in CRU and NOAA Climate Division data plus comparisons to reanalyses. United Kingdom: N. p., 2018.
Web. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-29286-w.
Grotjahn, Richard, & Huynh, Jonathan. Contiguous US summer maximum temperature and heat stress trends in CRU and NOAA Climate Division data plus comparisons to reanalyses. United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-29286-w
Grotjahn, Richard, and Huynh, Jonathan. Tue .
"Contiguous US summer maximum temperature and heat stress trends in CRU and NOAA Climate Division data plus comparisons to reanalyses". United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-29286-w.
@article{osti_1460754,
title = {Contiguous US summer maximum temperature and heat stress trends in CRU and NOAA Climate Division data plus comparisons to reanalyses},
author = {Grotjahn, Richard and Huynh, Jonathan},
abstractNote = {Abstract Warming is a major climate change concern, but the impact of high maximum temperatures depends upon the air’s moisture content. Trends in maximum summertime temperature, moisture, and heat index are tracked over three time periods: 1900–2011, 1950–2011, and 1979–2011; these trends differ notably from annual temperature trends. Trends are emphasized from two CRU datasets (CRUTS3.25 and CRUTS4.01) and two reanalyses (ERA-20C and 20CRv2). Maximum temperature trends tend towards warming that is stronger over the Great Lakes, the interior western and the northeastern contiguous United States. A warming hole in the Midwest generally decreases in size and magnitude when heat stress trends are calculated because the region has increasing moisture. CRU and nearly all reanalyses find cooling in the northern high plains that is not found in NOAA Climate Division trends. These NOAA trends are captured better by CRUTS401. Moistening in the northeast amplifies the heat stress there. Elsewhere the moisture trends are less clear. Drying over northern Texas (after 1996) in CRUTS401 translates into decreasing heat stress there (less so in CRUTS325). Though other reanalyses are not intended for long-term trends, MERRA-2 and ERA-Interim match observed trends better than other reanalyses.},
doi = {10.1038/s41598-018-29286-w},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
number = 1,
volume = 8,
place = {United Kingdom},
year = {Tue Jul 24 00:00:00 EDT 2018},
month = {Tue Jul 24 00:00:00 EDT 2018}
}
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Figures / Tables:
Figure 1.: Trends in summer maximum temperature. Color shading denotes the indicated ranges of June-August (JJA) mean maximum temperature trends during three time periods. The longer time periods are on the left column, the intermediate time periods are the center column, the shorter time periods are the right column. Shadingmore »
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