High-resolution dynamical downscaling experiment outputs data over Reunion and Mauritius islands in the South-West Indian Ocean
Chao Tang,
Béatrice Morel,
Swati Singh,
Alexandre Graillet,
Julien Pergaud,
Remy Ineza Mugenga,
Lwidjy Baraka,
Marie-Dominique Leroux,
Patrick Jeanty,
Mathieu Delsaut,
Tyagaraja S.M. Cunden,
Girish Kumar Beeharry,
Roddy Lollchund
Affiliations
Chao Tang
ENERGY-Lab, University of Reunion, 15 Avenue René Cassin CS 92003, 97744 Saint-Denis Cedex 9, Reunion, France; Corresponding author.
Béatrice Morel
ENERGY-Lab, University of Reunion, 15 Avenue René Cassin CS 92003, 97744 Saint-Denis Cedex 9, Reunion, France
Swati Singh
ENERGY-Lab, University of Reunion, 15 Avenue René Cassin CS 92003, 97744 Saint-Denis Cedex 9, Reunion, France; Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement, CEA Paris-Saclay, 91190 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
Alexandre Graillet
ENERGY-Lab, University of Reunion, 15 Avenue René Cassin CS 92003, 97744 Saint-Denis Cedex 9, Reunion, France
Julien Pergaud
Centre de Recherches de Climatologie, UMR6282 Biogéosciences, CNRS/Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 6 boulevard Gabriel, 21000 Dijon, France
Remy Ineza Mugenga
ENERGY-Lab, University of Reunion, 15 Avenue René Cassin CS 92003, 97744 Saint-Denis Cedex 9, Reunion, France; African Institute for Mathematical Sciences Rwanda, KN 3 Rd, Kigali, Rwanda
Lwidjy Baraka
ENERGY-Lab, University of Reunion, 15 Avenue René Cassin CS 92003, 97744 Saint-Denis Cedex 9, Reunion, France
Marie-Dominique Leroux
Météo-France, Direction Interrégionale pour l'Océan Indien, 97400 Saint-Denis de La Réunion, France
Patrick Jeanty
ENERGY-Lab, University of Reunion, 15 Avenue René Cassin CS 92003, 97744 Saint-Denis Cedex 9, Reunion, France
Mathieu Delsaut
ENERGY-Lab, University of Reunion, 15 Avenue René Cassin CS 92003, 97744 Saint-Denis Cedex 9, Reunion, France
Tyagaraja S.M. Cunden
Department of Electromechanical Engineering and Automation, Université des Mascareignes, Avenue de la Concorde, Rose Hill, Mauritius
Girish Kumar Beeharry
Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Mauritius, 80837 Réduit, Mauritius
Roddy Lollchund
Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Mauritius, 80837 Réduit, Mauritius
The present article describes a dataset encompassing model outputs generated by the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) regional climate model. A high-resolution (1km) downscaling simulation was performed over two tropical islands, Reunion and Mauritius, situated in the South-West Indian Ocean (SWIO), with initial and boundary conditions provided by the ERA5 reanalysis with a global resolution of 0.25° × 0.25°. The simulation used three nested domains sequentially configured with spatial resolutions of 9, 3, and 1km, respectively, with a downscaling ratio of 3. The physical configurations of this simulation were determined through previous modeling studies and sensitivity tests. The published simulation data currently covers a period of 10 years, starting from 1991 (with the possibility to be extended to 30 years). Over 60 output variables were selected for publication with open access, including those related to the intermittent energy resources (e.g., surface solar radiation and its direct/diffuse components, wind speed/direction at multiple vertical levels, and precipitation, of interest for the run-off-river hydropower), as well as the widely used climatic/meteorological variables (e.g., temperature, pressure, humidity, etc.) at a temporal resolution varying from a day up to 30 minutes. All the data are available through an open-access data server, where an intelligent algorithm is applied to simplify the download process for data users. For the first time, a long-term, high-resolution climate/meteorological dataset covering Reunion and Mauritius has been simulated and published as open-access data, yielding substantial benefits to studies on climate modeling, weather forecasting, and even those related to climate change in the SWIO region. In particular, this dataset will enable a better understanding of the temporal and spatial characteristics of intermittent climate-related energy resources, consequently facilitating their implementation towards a green and low-carbon future.
