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Analyses of possible changes in intense and extreme wind speeds over northern Europe under climate change scenarios

Climate Dynamics volume 38, pages 189–208 (2012)Cite this article

Abstract

Dynamical downscaling of ECHAM5 using HIRHAM5 and RCA3 for a northern European domain focused on Scandinavia indicates sustained extreme wind speeds with long recurrence intervals (50 years) and intense winds are not likely to evolve out of the historical envelope of variability until the end of C21st. Even then, significant changes are indicated only in the SW of the domain and across the central Baltic Sea where there is some evidence for relatively small magnitude increases in the 50 year return period wind speed (of up to 15%). There are marked differences in results based on the two Regional Climate Models. Additionally, internal (inherent) variability and initial conditions exert a strong impact on projected wind climates throughout the twenty-first century. Simulations of wind gusts by one of the RCMs (RCA3) indicate some evidence for increased magnitudes (of up to +10%) in the southwest of the domain and across the central Baltic Sea by the end of the current century. As in prior downscaling of ECHAM4, dynamical downscaling of ECHAM5 indicates a tendency towards increased energy density and thus wind power generation potential over the course of the C21st. However, caution should be used in interpreting this inference given the high degree of wind climate projection spread that derives from the specific AOGCM and RCM used in the downscaling.

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Acknowledgments

Wind speed data from the Westermarkelsdorf station were kindly provided by Deutscher Wetterdienst, Hamburg, Germany, Barry Broman of SMHI assisted with delivery of data from the RCA3 simulations, and Jake Badger of Risø-DTU aided with the data extraction. Financial support was supplied by the National Science Foundation (grants # 0618364, 0828655 and 1019603), Nordic Energy Research and the energy sector in the Nordic countries.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Atmospheric Science Program, College of Arts and Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA

    S. C. Pryor & R. J. Barthelmie

  2. Wind Energy Division, Risø-DTU National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000, Roskilde, Denmark

    S. C. Pryor, R. J. Barthelmie & N. E. Clausen

  3. The Danish Climate Centre, DMI, Lyngbyvej 100, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark

    M. Drews & N. MacKellar

  4. Rossby Centre, SMHI, 601 76, Norrköping, Sweden

    E. Kjellström

Authors
  1. S. C. Pryor
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  2. R. J. Barthelmie
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  3. N. E. Clausen
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  4. M. Drews
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  5. N. MacKellar
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  6. E. Kjellström
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Correspondence to S. C. Pryor.

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Pryor, S.C., Barthelmie, R.J., Clausen, N.E. et al. Analyses of possible changes in intense and extreme wind speeds over northern Europe under climate change scenarios. Clim Dyn 38, 189–208 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-010-0955-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-010-0955-3

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