How Accurate Climate Information Can Help the Climate Adaptation in Regional Scale: The Case Study of Sitia

Abstract

According to the recent IPCC report, the Mediterranean, and consequently the region of Sitia, is one of the European “climate hotspots”. Its complex geomorphology and multiple locations with very distinct microclimate characteristics make high-resolution climate projections critical for the appropriate determination of effective local adaptation policies. The paper demonstrates the significance of the dynamical downscaling of climate information from 20 km × 20 km to a 5 km × 5 km scale of temperature, precipitation, drought, and fire risk for the region of Sitia and present, near-, and far-future climate projections using RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios.

Keywords

• dynamical downscaling
• WRF
• future climate projections
• RCPs scenarios
• Sitia
• SPI