Journal article

EXPLAINING EXTREME EVENTS OF 2012 FROM A CLIMATE PERSPECTIVE

Thomas C Peterson, Lisa V Alexander, Myles R Allen, Juan A Anel, David Barriopedro, Mitchell T Black, Trevor Carey-Smith, Rodrigo Castillo, Julien Cattiaux, Xiaolong Chen, Xianyan Chen, Matthieu Chevallier, Nikolaos Christidis, Andrew Ciavarella, Hylke de Vries, Sam M Dean, Kirsten Deans, Noah S Diffenbaugh, Francisco Doblas-Reyes, Markus G Donat Show all

BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY | AMER METEOROLOGICAL SOC | Published : 2013

Abstract

Attribution of extreme events is a challenging science and one that is currently undergoing considerable evolution. In this paper are 19 analyses by 18 different research groups, often using quite different methodologies, of 12 extreme events that occurred in 2012. In addition to investigating the causes of these extreme events, the multiple analyses of four of the events, the high temperatures in the United States, the record low levels of Arctic sea ice, and the heavy rain in northern Europe and eastern Australia, provide an opportunity to compare and contrast the strengths and weaknesses of the various methodologies. The differences also provide insights into the structural uncertainty of..

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