Verification and application of the Analogue-Method to project local scale precipitation from different GCM scenarios: a case study within the US Sierra Nevada and the European Alps

There are several reasons for conducting this study. First, to investigate the ability of the Analogue-Method to estimate local scale, daily precipitation from large scale atmospheric circulation data. Second, to derive future projections of daily precipitation based on emission scenarios realized by GCMs. Finally, this work will be conducted within a framework designed to assess possible changes together with their uncertainties (see e.g. Wang and Swail 2005).

We concentrate on two regions located within the Sierra Nevada and the European Alps. Hence, both study sites reside in complex mountainous terrain but different climate regimes reflecting the orientation of the mountain ranges to the main atmospheric flow and the atmospheric processes in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

Wang, X.L. and V.R. Swail, 2005: Climate Change signal and uncertainty in projections of ocean wave heigths. J.Climate. submitted.