Description:

Climate Variability and Change exert powerful effects on global circulation, moisture availability, and the evolution of weather systems. There is high confidence that climate change is contributing to warmer temperatures, heavy precipitation extremes, drought, and heatwaves. There is less confidence in the effects of climate change on winter weather and its extremes. In recent years, research has focused on understanding how cold air outbreaks may be related to changes in high latitude and stratospheric circulation, and to characterize trends in winter weather severity and frequency in a warming world. There are also questions to be explored in the relationship between winter weather, cold waves, and natural variability; the role of both variability and climate change in future winter weather events; changes in the nature of winter storms, such as the evolution of precipitation phase types; and the ability of global and regional models to adequately simulate polar vortex disruption and its implications, as well as the complex dynamic and thermodynamic aspects of winter weather and precipitation phase types.

This session is intended to bring together researchers and professionals who are engaged in activities that seek to advance our understanding in these areas, to provide global and regional insights into changes in winter weather, and to connect these changes with their impacts on society, ecosystems, and infrastructure.