Simulation of extreme precipitation indices in the Yangtze River basin by using statistical downscaling method (SDSM)

In this study, the applicability of the statistical downscaling model (SDSM) in modeling five extreme precipitation indices including R10 (no. of days with precipitation ≥10?mm?day^?1), SDI (simple daily intensity), CDD (maximum number of consecutive dry days), R1d (maximum 1-day precipitation total) and R5d (maximum 5-day precipitation total) in the Yangtze River basin, China was investigated. The investigation mainly includes the calibration and validation of SDSM model on downscaling daily precipitation, the validation of modeling extreme precipitation indices using independent period of the NCEP reanalysis data, and the projection of future regional scenarios of extreme precipitation indices. The results showed that: (1) there existed good relationship between the observed and simulated extreme precipitation indices during validation period of 1991–2000, the amount and the change pattern of extreme precipitation indices could be reasonably simulated by SDSM. (2) Under both scenarios A2 and B2, during the projection period of 2010–2099, the changes of annual mean extreme precipitation indices in the Yangtze River basin would be not obvious in 2020s; while slightly increase in the 2050s; and significant increase in the 2080s as compared to the mean values of the base period. The summer might be the more distinct season with more projected increase of each extreme precipitation indices than in other seasons. And (3) there would be distinctive spatial distribution differences for the change of annual mean extreme precipitation indices in the river basin, but the most of Yangtze River basin would be dominated by the increasing trend.     

Evaluation of statistical downscaling in short range precipitation forecasting

The objective of this study is to compare several statistical downscaling methods for the development of an operational short-term forecast of precipitation in the area of Bilbao (Spain). The ability of statistical downscaling methods nested inside numerical simulations run by both coarse and regional model simulations is tested with several selections of predictors and domain sizes. The selection of predictors is performed both in terms of sound physical mechanisms and also by means of “blind” criteria, such as “give the statistical downscaling methods all the information they can process”.Results show that the use of statistical downscaling methods improves the ability of the mesoscale and coarse resolution models to provide quantitative precipitation forecasts. The selection of predictors in terms of sound physical principles does not necessarily improve the ability of the statistical downscaling method to select the most relevant inputs to feed the precipitation forecasting model, due to the fact that the numerical models do not always fulfil conservation laws or because precipitation events do not reflect simple phenomenological laws. Coarse resolution models are able to provide information usable in combination with a statistical downscaling method to achieve a quantitative precipitation forecast skill comparable to that obtained by other systems currently in use.     

基于统计降尺度方法的夏季降水精细化预报

利用1999—2009年安徽省淮河以南地区60个县市站夏季逐日降水资料和安庆市探空站逐日资料,研究了中低层不同风向配置下局地降水与大尺度降水场之间的关系,以3种不同预报对象及相应的预报因子分别采用神经网络和线性回归方法设计6种预报模型对观测资料进行逼近和优化,从而实现空间降尺度.分析对比6种预报模型46站逐日降水量的拟合和预报效果,结果表明:采取相同的预报对象及预报因子的BP神经网络模型在拟合和预报效果上均好于线性回归模型,可见夏季降水场之间以非线性相关为主;神经网络模型预报结果同常用的Cressman插值预报相比,能很好地反映出降水的基本分布及局地特征;预报对象为单站降水序列的神经网络模型在以平原、河流为主要地形的区域预报效果较好,预报对象为REOF主成分的神经网络模型则在山地和丘陵地形区域预报效果较好.     

Coupling statistical and dynamical methods for spatial downscaling of precipitation

The resolution of General Circulation Models (GCMs) is too coarse for climate change impact studies at the catchment or site-specific scales. To overcome this problem, both dynamical and statistical downscaling methods have been developed. Each downscaling method has its advantages and drawbacks, which have been described in great detail in the literature. This paper evaluates the improvement in statistical downscaling (SD) predictive power when using predictors from a Regional Climate Model (RCM) over a GCM for downscaling site-specific precipitation. Our approach uses mixed downscaling, combining both dynamic and statistical methods. Precipitation, a critical element of hydrology studies that is also much more difficult to downscale than temperature, is the only variable evaluated in this study. The SD method selected here uses a stepwise linear regression approach for precipitation quantity and occurrence (similar to the well-known Statistical Downscaling Model (SDSM) and called SDSM-like herein). In addition, a discriminant analysis (DA) was tested to generate precipitation occurrence, and a weather typing approach was used to derive statistical relationships based on weather types, and not only on a seasonal basis as is usually done. The existing data record was separated into a calibration and validation periods. To compare the relative efficiency of the SD approaches, relationships were derived at the same sites using the same predictors at a 300km scale (the National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) reanalysis) and at a 45km scale with data from the limited-area Canadian Regional Climate Model (CRCM) driven by NCEP data at its boundaries. Predictably, using CRCM variables as predictors rather than NCEP data resulted in a much-improved explained variance for precipitation, although it was always less than 50?% overall. For precipitation occurrence, the SDSM-like model slightly overestimated the frequencies of wet and dry periods, while these were well-replicated by the DA-based model. Both the SDSM-like and DA-based models reproduced the percentage of wet days, but the wet and dry statuses for each day were poorly downscaled by both approaches. Overall, precipitation occurrence downscaled by the DA-based model was much better than that predicted by the SDSM-like model. Despite the added complexity, the weather typing approach was not better at downscaling precipitation than approaches without classification. Overall, despite significant improvements in precipitation occurrence prediction by the DA scheme, and even going to finer scales predictors, the SD approach tested here still explained less than 50?% of the total precipitation variance. While going to even smaller scale predictors (10–15?km) might improve results even more, such smaller scales would basically transform the direct outputs of climate models into impact models, thus negating the need for statistical downscaling approaches.     

Downscaling daily precipitation over the Yellow River source region in China: a comparison of three statistical downscaling methods

Three statistical downscaling methods are compared with regard to their ability to downscale summer (June–September) daily precipitation at a network of 14 stations over the Yellow River source region from the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data with the aim of constructing high-resolution regional precipitation scenarios for impact studies. The methods used are the Statistical Downscaling Model (SDSM), the Generalized LInear Model for daily CLIMate (GLIMCLIM), and the non-homogeneous Hidden Markov Model (NHMM). The methods are compared in terms of several statistics including spatial dependence, wet- and dry spell length distributions and inter-annual variability. In comparison with other two models, NHMM shows better performance in reproducing the spatial correlation structure, inter-annual variability and magnitude of the observed precipitation. However, it shows difficulty in reproducing observed wet- and dry spell length distributions at some stations. SDSM and GLIMCLIM showed better performance in reproducing the temporal dependence than NHMM. These models are also applied to derive future scenarios for six precipitation indices for the period 2046–2065 using the predictors from two global climate models (GCMs; CGCM3 and ECHAM5) under the IPCC SRES A2, A1B and B1scenarios. There is a strong consensus among two GCMs, three downscaling methods and three emission scenarios in the precipitation change signal. Under the future climate scenarios considered, all parts of the study region would experience increases in rainfall totals and extremes that are statistically significant at most stations. The magnitude of the projected changes is more intense for the SDSM than for other two models, which indicates that climate projection based on results from only one downscaling method should be interpreted with caution. The increase in the magnitude of rainfall totals and extremes is also accompanied by an increase in their inter-annual variability.     

A comparison study of three statistical downscaling methods and their model-averaging ensemble for precipitation downscaling in China

This study evaluated the performance of three frequently applied statistical downscaling tools including SDSM, SVM, and LARS-WG, and their model-averaging ensembles under diverse moisture conditions with respect to the capability of reproducing the extremes as well as mean behaviors of precipitation. Daily observed precipitation and NCEP reanalysis data of 30 stations across China were collected for the period 1961–2000, and model parameters were calibrated for each season at individual site with 1961–1990 as the calibration period and 1991–2000 as the validation period. A flexible framework of multi-criteria model averaging was established in which model weights were optimized by the shuffled complex evolution algorithm. Model performance was compared for the optimal objective and nine more specific metrics. Results indicate that different downscaling methods can gain diverse usefulness and weakness in simulating various precipitation characteristics under different circumstances. SDSM showed more adaptability by acquiring better overall performance at a majority of the stations while LARS-WG revealed better accuracy in modeling most of the single metrics, especially extreme indices. SVM provided more usefulness under drier conditions, but it had less skill in capturing temporal patterns. Optimized model averaging, aiming at certain objective functions, can achieve a promising ensemble with increasing model complexity and computational cost. However, the variation of different methods' performances highlighted the tradeoff among different criteria, which compromised the ensemble forecast in terms of single metrics. As the superiority over single models cannot be guaranteed, model averaging technique should be used cautiously in precipitation downscaling.     

Improve the prediction of summer precipitation in the Southeastern China by a hybrid statistical downscaling model

We attempt to apply year-to-year increment prediction to develop an effective statistical downscaling scheme for summer (JJA, June–July–August) rainfall prediction at the station-to-station scale in Southeastern China (SEC). The year-to-year increment in a variable was defined as the difference between the current year and the previous year. This difference is related to the quasi-biennial oscillation in interannual variations in precipitation. Three predictors from observations and six from three general circulation models (GCMs) outputs of the development of a European multi-model ensemble system for seasonal to interannual prediction (DEMETER) project were used to establish this downscaling model. The independent sample test and the cross-validation test show that the downscaling scheme yields better predicted skill for summer precipitation at most stations over SEC than the original DEMETER GCM outputs, with greater temporal correlation coefficients and spatial anomaly correlation coefficients, as well as lower root-mean-square errors.     

Performance comparison of three predictor selection methods for statistical downscaling of daily precipitation

Predictor selection is a critical factor affecting the statistical downscaling of daily precipitation. This study provides a general comparison between uncertainties in downscaled results from three commonly used predictor selection methods (correlation analysis, partial correlation analysis, and stepwise regression analysis). Uncertainty is analyzed by comparing statistical indices, including the mean, variance, and the distribution of monthly mean daily precipitation, wet spell length, and the number of wet days. The downscaled results are produced by the artificial neural network (ANN) statistical downscaling model and 50 years (1961–2010) of observed daily precipitation together with reanalysis predictors. Although results show little difference between downscaling methods, stepwise regression analysis is generally the best method for selecting predictors for the ANN statistical downscaling model of daily precipitation, followed by partial correlation analysis and then correlation analysis.     

Temporal statistical downscaling of precipitation and temperature forecasts using a stochastic weather generator

Statistical downscaling is based on the fact that the large-scale climatic state and regional/local physiographic features control the regional climate. In the present paper, a stochastic weather generator is applied to seasonal precipitation and temperature forecasts produced by the International Research Institute for Climate and Society(IRI). In conjunction with the GLM(generalized linear modeling) weather generator, a resampling scheme is used to translate the uncertainty in the seasonal forecasts(the IRI format only specifies probabilities for three categories: below normal, near normal, and above normal) into the corresponding uncertainty for the daily weather statistics. The method is able to generate potentially useful shifts in the probability distributions of seasonally aggregated precipitation and minimum and maximum temperature, as well as more meaningful daily weather statistics for crop yields, such as the number of dry days and the amount of precipitation on wet days. The approach is extended to the case of climate change scenarios, treating a hypothetical return to a previously observed drier regime in the Pampas.     

Probabilistic estimates of future changes in California temperature and precipitation using statistical and dynamical downscaling

Sixteen global general circulation models were used to develop probabilistic projections of temperature (T) and precipitation (P) changes over California by the 2060s. The global models were downscaled with two statistical techniques and three nested dynamical regional climate models, although not all global models were downscaled with all techniques. Both monthly and daily timescale changes in T and P are addressed, the latter being important for a range of applications in energy use, water management, and agriculture. The T changes tend to agree more across downscaling techniques than the P changes. Year-to-year natural internal climate variability is roughly of similar magnitude to the projected T changes. In the monthly average, July temperatures shift enough that that the hottest July found in any simulation over the historical period becomes a modestly cool July in the future period. Januarys as cold as any found in the historical period are still found in the 2060s, but the median and maximum monthly average temperatures increase notably. Annual and seasonal P changes are small compared to interannual or intermodel variability. However, the annual change is composed of seasonally varying changes that are themselves much larger, but tend to cancel in the annual mean. Winters show modestly wetter conditions in the North of the state, while spring and autumn show less precipitation. The dynamical downscaling techniques project increasing precipitation in the Southeastern part of the state, which is influenced by the North American monsoon, a feature that is not captured by the statistical downscaling.     

Application of physical scaling towards downscaling climate model precipitation data

Physical scaling (SP) method downscales climate model data to local or regional scales taking into consideration physical characteristics of the area under analysis. In this study, multiple SP method based models are tested for their effectiveness towards downscaling North American regional reanalysis (NARR) daily precipitation data. Model performance is compared with two state-of-the-art downscaling methods: statistical downscaling model (SDSM) and generalized linear modeling (GLM). The downscaled precipitation is evaluated with reference to recorded precipitation at 57 gauging stations located within the study region. The spatial and temporal robustness of the downscaling methods is evaluated using seven precipitation based indices. Results indicate that SP method-based models perform best in downscaling precipitation followed by GLM, followed by the SDSM model. Best performing models are thereafter used to downscale future precipitations made by three global circulation models (GCMs) following two emission scenarios: representative concentration pathway (RCP) 2.6 and RCP 8.5 over the twenty-first century. The downscaled future precipitation projections indicate an increase in mean and maximum precipitation intensity as well as a decrease in the total number of dry days. Further an increase in the frequency of short (1-day), moderately long (2–4 day), and long (more than 5-day) precipitation events is projected.     

西北偏湿背景下青海省夏季降水的统计降尺度方法研究

本文研制建立了一个预测青海省夏季降水的动力—统计相结合的组合降尺度预测方法(Hybrid Statistical Downscaling Prediction,HSDP),该方法综合利用了 气候模式 Climate Forecast System 2.0版本(CFSv2)实时预测的高可预报性环流信息及前期观测的与青海夏...     

A non-parametric, statistical downscaling algorithm applied to the Rohini River Basin, Nepal

Climate change scenarios generated by general circulation models have too coarse a spatial resolution to be useful in planning disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation strategies at regional to river basin scales. This study presents a new non-parametric statistical K-nearest neighbor algorithm for downscaling climate change scenarios for the Rohini River Basin in Nepal. The study is an introduction to the methodology and discusses its strengths and limitations within the context of hindcasting basin precipitation for the period of 1976?C2006. The actual downscaled climate change projections are not presented here. In general, we find that this method is quite robust and well suited to the data-poor situations common in developing countries. The method is able to replicate historical rainfall values in most months, except for January, September, and October. As with any downscaling technique, whether numerical or statistical, data limitations significantly constrain model ability. The method was able to confirm that the dataset available for the Rohini Basin does not capture long-term climatology. Yet, we do find that the hindcasts generated with this methodology do have enough skill to warrant pursuit of downscaling climate change scenarios for this particularly poor and vulnerable region of the world.     

降尺度方法在安徽省月降水量预测中的试用

基于NCEP/NCAR 500 hPa高度场、T63月动力延伸预报500 hPa高度场和安徽省降水资料,依据动力预报产品释用方法中所建立的月降水距平百分率预报方程,从月和旬两种不同时间尺度以及固定资料和选择资料来反演方程系数共4种降尺度方法来预报安徽省20个代表站月降水。1995—2005年11 a的回报检验表明了4种方法都具有较好的预报能力,从旬时间尺度较月尺度来预报月降水具有优势,在汛期和汛期降水偏多年更为明显。     

统计降尺度方法在天津小时降水和气温精细化预报中的应用

基于ECWMF模式预报数据对2018年3—11月降水和2 m温度进行统计降尺度,利用先频率匹配法、再阈值法对插值后的降水订正,利用Kalman滤波型的递减平均统计降尺度法对插值后的温度订正,最终获得逐小时降水量和温度的预报。结果表明：(1)对于晴雨预报准确率,绝大多数预报时效频率匹配法和阈值法均对其有明显提高,前者最大改进幅度可达20%以上。对于相对误差,阈值法对空报现象有较显著改进。对于1 h降雨量大于等于20 mm的短时强降水,频率匹配法订正后的TS评分有明显提高。对2018年“安比”台风事件,除具有以上改进效果外,频率匹配法提高了降水主体形态和量级的预报水平,阈值法对空报站订正正确。(2)对于温度的ECWMF模式预报检验,几乎在任何预报时效内都是3月的绝对误差最大。通过Kalman滤波型的递减平均统计降尺度法后,各月的绝对误差都有不同程度减小。总体上,订正后的绝对误差曲线仍具有订正前的周期性波动,波峰、波谷位置也与订正前基本一致,且绝对误差越大,订正幅度越大。个例分析也表明订正后保留了温度预报空间分布的准确性,且绝对误差有明显下降。     

长江流域年降水预测动力-统计降尺度方法及其应用

基于站点资料、再分析数据和动力气候模式回报数据,利用经验正交函数分解（EOF,Empirical Orthogonal Function）迭代和年际增量方法,探讨了长江流域年尺度降水异常的动力-统计降尺度预测方法及其应用效果。结果表明,基于再分析数据的年尺度环流场,建立的长江流域年尺度降水异常增量的统计降尺度预测方案,其26 a回报检验的距平相关系数（ACC）平均达0.6,证明该方案具有较高的可预报性。进一步利用模式预测的年尺度环流场,建立了年降水异常增量的动力-统计降尺度预测方案,其ACC平均为0.42,显示了较高的回报技巧,远优于模式直接输出的年降水动力预报结果。通过分析调制年降水预报技巧高低的因素发现,赤道中东太平洋年平均海温距平为负值时,预报技巧更高,ACC平均达0.5以上。在拉尼娜发展年或拉尼娜持续年的冷水背景下,利用EOF迭代选取的特征向量偏多时,多尺度的大气环流信息被纳入预测模型中作为预测信号,预测技巧得到了提高。     

基于BP-CCA统计降尺度的中亚春季降水的多模式集合模拟与预估

利用中亚地区30个观测台站逐月降水资料及同期ERA-40再分析资料,结合8个CMIP5全球气候模式模拟与未来预估大尺度环流场,使用基于变形典型相关分析的统计降尺度方法（BP-CCA）建立降尺度模型,评估多个气候模式对当前气候下中亚地区春季降水的降尺度模拟能力,并对春季降水进行降尺度集合未来预估。结果表明,建立的降尺度模型能够很好地模拟出交叉检验期内春季降水的时间变化和空间结构：降尺度春季降水与相应观测序列的平均时间相关系数为0.35,最高为0.62,平均空间相关系数为0.87。气候模式对中亚春季降水的模拟能力通过降尺度方法得到了显著提高：8个模式降尺度后模拟的降水气候平均态相对误差绝对值降至0.2%—8%,相比降尺度前减小了10%—60%,模拟的降水量场与相应观测场的空间相关均超过0.77;对比降尺度前多模式集合结果,多模式降尺度集合模拟的相对误差绝对值由64%减小至4%,空间相关系数由0.47增大至0.81,标准化均方根误差降至0.59,且多模式降尺度集合结果优于大部分单个模式降尺度结果。多模式降尺度集合预估结果表明,在RCP4.5排放情景下,21世纪前期（2016—2035年）、中期（2046—2065年）和末期（2081—2100年）的全区平均降水变化率分别为-5.3%、3.0%和17.4%。21世纪前期中亚大部分地区降水呈减少趋势,降水呈增多趋势的站点主要分布在南部。21世纪中期整体降水变化率由减少变为增多趋势,21世纪末期中亚大部分台站降水增多较为明显。21世纪初期和末期可信度高的台站均主要位于中亚西部地区。