Regional Climate Trends and Scenarios for the U.S. National Climate Assessment Part 4. Climate of the U.S. Great Plains

Authors

Kenneth E. Kunkel, Institute for Climate and Satellites (CICS), North Carolina State University and NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) Asheville, NC
Laura E. Stevens, Institute for Climate and Satellites (CICS), North Carolina State University and NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) Asheville, NC
Scott E. Stevens, Institute for Climate and Satellites (CICS), North Carolina State University and NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) Asheville, NC
Liqiang Sun, Institute for Climate and Satellites (CICS), North Carolina State University and NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) Asheville, NC
Emily Janssen, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign
Donald Wuebbles, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign
Michael C. Kruk, NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) Asheville
Devin Thomas, NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) Asheville
Martha Shulski, University of Nebraska–LincolnFollow
Natalie A. Umphlett, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Kenneth G. Hubbard, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Kevin Robbins, Louisiana State University
Luigi Romolo, Louisiana State University
Adnan Akyuz, North Dakota State University
Tapan B. Pathak, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Tony R. Bergantino, University of Wyoming
J. Greg Dobson, University of North Carolina at Asheville

Date of this Version

1-2013

Document Type

Article

Citation

2013 Author(s)

Abstract

This document is one of series of regional climate descriptions designed to provide input that can be used in the development of the National Climate Assessment (NCA). As part of a sustained assessment approach, it is intended that these documents will be updated as new and well-vetted model results are available and as new climate scenario needs become clear. It is also hoped that these documents (and associated data and resources) are of direct benefit to decision makers and communities seeking to use this information in developing adaptation plans.

There are nine reports in this series, one each for eight regions defined by the NCA, and one for the contiguous U.S. The eight NCA regions are the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Great Plains, Northwest, Southwest, Alaska, and Hawai‘i/Pacific Islands.

These documents include a description of the observed historical climate conditions for each region and a set of climate scenarios as plausible futures – these components are described in more detail below.

While the datasets and simulations in these regional climate documents are not, by themselves, new, (they have been previously published in various sources), these documents represent a more complete and targeted synthesis of historical and plausible future climate conditions around the specific regions of the NCA.

There are two components of these descriptions. One component is a description of the historical climate conditions in the region. The other component is a description of the climate conditions associated with two future pathways of greenhouse gas emissions.