This application allows users to interactively explore agro-climate indicators relevant to agricultural production in Europe under present climate conditions (1970-present) and as well as comparing future climate scenarios (2011-2100). Projected changes in the climate will impact European agriculture by affecting the phenological development of crops thereby changing cropping calendars. Additionally, detrimental impacts on crop production such as that observed with heat stress during extreme weather events can lead to reduced crop yields with consequences across the whole agricultural sector.
The time evolution of the agro-climatic indicators in this application can be explored at a spatial resolution of 0.25° x 0.25° for any selected point on the European continent. The essential atmospheric variables used to calculate the agro-climatic indicators (listed variables below) are the daily maximum, average and minimum temperatures as well as accumulated precipitation. ERA5-Land reanalysis was used to cover the present, while nine bias-adjusted CORDEX regional climate models were used for climate projections considering both RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 (Representative Concentration Pathway) climate scenarios.
User-selectable parameters
- Variable: a climatic or agro-climatic variable amongst; Heat stress, Average temperature, Precipitation, Frost days, Days above 25°C, Date of last spring frost.
- Scenario: a climate projection scenario; RCP4.5 or RCP8.5.
- Threshold: a value in degrees Celsius (°C) which is the maximum daily temperature above which heat stress is considered.
- Start: a starting date ranging from the 15th of March to the 15th of September which defines the start of the period over which the heat stress days are counted.
- Stop: a stop date ranging from the 1st of April to the 1st of October which defines the end of the period over which the heat stress days are counted.
- Aggregation: A time aggregation over which the indicators (average temperature, precipitation, frost days, days above 25°C) are computed and presented. It can be Annual, Season or Month.
- Season or Month: A specific season or month depending on the selected time aggregation above. Seasons are based on three monthly aggregation with;
- Winter: December, January, February (DJF)
- Spring: March, April, May (MAM)
- Summer: June, July, August (JJA)
- Autumn: September, October, November (SON)
If the Date of last spring frost indicator is selected, the user has no further choice as the aggregation is annual by definition.
| INPUT VARIABLES |
| Name |
Units |
Description |
Source |
| 2m temperature |
K |
The ambient temperature of air at 2m above the surface of land, sea or inland waters and calculated by interpolating between the lowest model level and the Earth's surface, taking account of the atmospheric conditions. 3 hourly data was used to calculate daily mean, maximum and minimum temperature. |
ERA5-Land
Bias-adjusted CORDEX
|
| Total precipitation |
m |
An accumulated measure of liquid and frozen water, including rain and snow, that falls to the Earth's surface. It is the sum of large-scale precipitation (precipitation which is generated by large-scale weather patterns, such as troughs and cold fronts) and convective precipitation (generated by convection which occurs when air at lower levels in the atmosphere is warmer and less dense than the air above causing it to rise). |
ERA5-Land
Bias-adjusted CORDEX
|
| OUTPUT VARIABLES |
| Name |
Units |
Description |
| Average temperature |
°C |
Average temperature aggregated by year, season and month. |
| Days above 25°C |
day |
Number of days with maximum temperatures exceeding 25°C aggregated by year, season and month. |
| Frost days |
day |
Number of days with minimum temperatures 0°C aggregated by year, season and month. |
| Heat stress |
day |
Number of days with maximum temperatures exceeding a given threshold temperature over a given period of the year. Heat stress on crops can lead to reduced yield and decrease in quality (e.g. fruits). This indidcator may be used to highlight the impact of extreme events on crops. |
| Precipitation |
mm |
Accumulated rain water aggregated by year, season and months. |
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