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Description

RClimDex is a graphical user interface which allows for easy calculation of 27 climate extreme indices, such as the number of frost days, number of summer days, growing season length, daily temperature extremes, and more. Constructing these indices is useful in climate change monitoring and trend detection. RClimDex was designed to assist in analyzing climate data from weather stations from any pat of the world, allowing for combining and homogenizing of disparate data points to create a single map of data.

Toolbox tags

This toolbox entry has been labelled with the following tags:

Sector: climate
Spatial scale: global
Temporal focus: present
Onset: independent
Role in decision process: diagnostic
Level of skills required: limited
Data requirements: limited
Adaptation tasks: Detection and attribution; Potential impact projection

Applicability

RClimDex can be used to combine disparate data points, such as a range of data points from weather stations, into one set which can be used in analysis of current climate, in monitoring and evaluation, as well as trend detection, decision-making steps of larger climate change analyses.

Accessibility

The tool is provided with a graphical interface, allowing for users not proficient with statistical software to still combine data points and calculate indices. The software utilizes the R statistics program, and needs to be installed. All instructions as to installation of required packages, as well as use of the tool, is documented in a user's guide, made available on the tool website. No other special requirements exist besides a computer.

Further Reading and References

For further information, see: http://cccma.seos.uvic.ca/ETCCDMI/software.shtml

Aguilar, E., T.C. Peterson, P. Ramírez Obando, R. Frutos, J.A. Retana, M. Solera, I. González Santos , R.M. Araujo, A. Rosa Santos, V.E. Valle, M. Brunet India, L. Aguilar, L. Álvarez, M.Bautista, C. Castañón , L. Herrera, R. Ruano, J.J. Siani, F. Obed, G.I. Hernández Oviedo, J.E.Salgado, J.L. Vásquez, M. Baca, M. Gutiérrez, C. Centella, J. Espinosa, D. Martínez, B. Olmedo, C.E. Ojeda Espinoza, M. Haylock, R. Núnez, H. Benavides and R. Mayorga. 2005. Changes in precipitation and temperature extremes in Central America and Northern South America, 1961-2003. Journal of Geophysical Research - Atmospheres 110: D233107, doi: 10.1029/2005JD006119.

Alexander, L.V., X. Zhang, T.C. Peterson, J. Caesar, B. Gleason, A.M.G. Klein Tank, M.Haylock, D. Collins, B. Trewin, F. Rahimzadeh, A. Tagipour, K. Rupa Kumar, J. Revadekar, G. Griffiths, L. Vincent, D.B Stephenson, J. Burn, E. Aguilar, M. Brunet, M. Taylor, M. New, P. Zhai, M. Rusticucci and J.L. Vazquez-Aguirre. 2006. Global observed changes in daily climate extremes of temperature and precipitation. Journal of Geophysical Research - Atmospheres 111: DO5109.

Klein Tank, A.M.G., T.C. Peterson, D.A. Quadir, S. Dorji, Z. Xukai, T. Hongyu, K. Santhosh,U.R. Joshi, A.K. Jaswal, R.K Kolli, A. Sikder, N.R. Deshpande, J. Revadekar, K. Yeleuova, S. Vandasheva, M. Faleyeva, P. Gomboluudev, K.P. Budhathoki, A. Hussain, M. Afzaal, L. Chandrapala, H. Anvar, P.D. Jones, M.G. New and T. Spektorman. 2005. Changes in daily temperature and precipitation extremes in Central and South Asia, Journal of Geophysical Research - Atmosphere 111: doi:10.1029/2005JD006316.

New, M., B. Hewitson, D.B. Stephenson, A. Tsiga, A. Kruer, A. Manhique, B. Gomez, C.A.S.Coelho, D.N. Masisi, E. Kululanga, E. Mbambalala, F. Adesina, H. Saleh, J. Kanyanga, J. Adosi, L. Bulane, L. Fortunata, M.L. Mdoka and R. Lajoie. 2006: Evidence of trends in daily climate extremes over southern and west Africa, Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres 111: D14102, doi:10.1029/2005JD006289.

Peterson, T.C., X. Zhang, M. Brunet India and J.L.V. Aguirre.2007. Changes in North American extremes derived from daily weather data. Journal of Geographical Research Atmospheres, submitted.

Vincent, L.A., T.C. Peterson, V.R. Barros, M.B. Marino, M. Rusticucci, G. Carrasco, E. Ramirez, L.M. Alves, T. Ambrizzi, M.A. Berlato, A.M. Grimm, J.A. Marengo, L. Molion,D.F. Moncunill, E.Rebello, Y.M.T. Anunciação, J. Quintana, J.L. Santos, J. Baez, G. Coronel, J. Garcia, I. Trebejo, B. Bidegain, M.R. Haylock and D. Karoly. 2005. Observed trends in indices of daily temperature extremes in South America 1960-2000. Journal of Climate18:5011-5023.

Zhang, X., E. Aguilar, S. Sensoy, H. Melknyan, U. Taghiyeva, N. Ahmed, N. Kutaladze, F. Rahimzadeh, A. Taghipour, T.H. Hantosh, P. Albert, M. Semawi, M.K. Ali, M. Halal, A. AlShabibi, A. Al-Oulan, A. Zatari, I. Al Dean Khalil, R. Sagir, M. Demircan, M. Eken, M. Adiguzel, L, Alexander, T.C. Peterson and T. Wallis. 2005a. Trends in Middle East climate extremes indices during 1930-2003. Journal of Geophysical Research - Atmospheres110:D22104, doi: 10.1029/2005JD006181.

Zhang, X. G. Hegerl, F.W. Zwiers and J. Kenyon. 2005b. Avoiding in homogeneity in percentile-based indices of temperature extremes, Journal of Climate 18:1641- 1651.

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Detection of trends via statistical methods

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