NUKLEUS

• Context

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The joint project NUKLEUS represents the cross-sectional activity of RegIKlim (focus B) and deals with the provision of high-resolution climate information that is required for the Model Areas in Germany. In phase 1 of the project, the prototype of an unprecedented ensemble of regional climate model simulations will be developed, and complemented by statistical and statistical-dynamic downscaling methods towards a better estimation of the climate information range. NUKLEUS will provide the local climate information for the Model Areas via the FREVA portal. NUKLEUS is divided into the following work packages:

1. expansion of the local climate information database with high-resolution climate simulations for Germany;
2. evaluation and analysis of the reliability of local climate information;
3. establishment and optimisation of interfaces to impact models together with the partners from the Model Areas.

The goal of WP3 is the development of novel postprocessing and bias adjustment methods to make climate model data consistent in the multivariate sense, and to correct systematic errors in the ensemble of regional climate model data. The sub-project “Hybrid-deterministic-stochastic methods and Downscaling for Climate Services” contributes mainly to the tasks WP3.2 of WP3 - Interfaces of the full proposal for the collaborative project NUKLEUS. The planned research work is divided into two central activity areas that form a clear line of action and are strongly guided by the needs and questions set in the Model Areas (see Fig. 1).

For applications of the “Model Areas”, which require a higher spatial and temporal scale than the model data offered by WP1, the needed simulations are statistically post-processed with a hybrid deterministic-stochastic method. First, a deterministic-bias correction method is applied, which is intensity dependent and therefore particularly well suited for weather and climate extremes. In the second step a stochastic weather generator (Rglimclim) - based on a generalized linear model - comes into play to scale down the data to a 1 km grid for Germany and individual weather stations. Postprocessing and bias adjustment procedures focused on specific tasks and climate processes will be integrated into FREVA and will also be used in WP1.4 and WP3 of the NUKLEUS project.

Thus, the research activities planned here form an important methodological and data-based bridge between the work packages WP1 - Modelling and WP2 - Evaluation and Assessment of the project. In accordance with these superordinate tasks, the research activities in this sub-project are embedded in the three NUKLEUS work packages (Fig. 1).

Figure 1