Regional Climate Change Over Southwest Asia

We will present results of a recent study on the regional impacts in Southwest Asia due to global climate change. Following an objective evaluation and assessment of CMIP5 global climate models and consistent tests of their ability to accurately simulate observed climate in this region, three different models (MPI-ESM, NorESM, and CCSM4) are selected for use in projecting future climate conditions. Simulations by the three models, with atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations specified according to the present-day climate and two future scenarios (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5), are used to force the MIT Regional Climate Model (MRCM) resulting in high-resolution projections of future climate in Southwest Asia. We will present detailed results on the future climate conditions in this region including changes in extreme temperature and associated impacts on human health.