Climate Extremes: Observations, Modeling, and Impacts
David R. Easterling,1*
Gerald
A. Meehl,2
Camille Parmesan,3
Stanley A. Changnon,4
Thomas R. Karl,1
Linda O. Mearns2
One of the major concerns with a potential change in climate is
that an increase in extreme events will occur. Results of observational
studies suggest that in many areas that have been analyzed, changes in
total precipitation are amplified at the tails, and changes in some
temperature extremes have been observed. Model output has been analyzed
that shows changes in extreme events for future climates, such as
increases in extreme high temperatures, decreases in extreme low
temperatures, and increases in intense precipitation events. In
addition, the societal infrastructure is becoming more sensitive to
weather and climate extremes, which would be exacerbated by climate
change. In wild plants and animals, climate-induced extinctions,
distributional and phenological changes, and species' range shifts are
being documented at an increasing rate. Several apparently gradual
biological changes are linked to responses to extreme weather and
climate events.
1 National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA)/National Climatic Data Center, 151 Patton Avenue,
Asheville, NC 28801, USA.
2 National Center for
Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO 80303, USA.
3 Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin,
TX 78712, USA.
4 Illinois State Water Survey,
Champaign, IL 61820, USA.
*
To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail:
david.r.easterling{at}noaa.gov
