CLIMBra - Climate Change Dataset for Brazil

Area of Science:

• Earth System Science
• Climate Modeling
• Environmental Science

Background:

• General Circulation and Earth System Models are crucial for climate change projections but often exhibit biases.
• Bias correction is essential for the reliable application of climate model outputs in impact studies.
• The Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) provides state-of-the-art climate projections.

Purpose of the Study:

• To create a bias-corrected dataset of CMIP6 climate model projections for Brazil.
• To provide essential hydroclimatic variables for future climate change impact assessments in the region.
• To make high-quality climate data readily available for environmental and hydroclimatological research.

Main Methods:

• Utilized an ensemble of 19 CMIP6 climate models.
• Applied the Quantile Delta Mapping (QDM) approach for bias correction.
• Processed daily time-series data for key climate variables including precipitation and temperature.

Main Results:

• Generated a bias-corrected dataset for the Brazilian territory under SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5 scenarios.
• The dataset covers historical (1980-2013) and future (2015-2100) periods at a 0.25° spatial resolution.
• Area-averaged projections for 735 Brazilian catchments are also provided.

Conclusions:

• The bias-corrected dataset enhances the reliability of climate change impact studies in Brazil.
• This resource facilitates robust research on hydroclimatological changes and environmental impacts.
• The availability of high-resolution, bias-corrected data supports informed decision-making for climate adaptation strategies.