Science Daily February 12, 2019
Climate-analog mapping involves matching the expected future climate at a location with current climate of another location – thereby providing a more relatable, place-based assessment of climate change. A team of researchers in the US (University of Maryland, North Carolina State University) has developed climate-analog map for 540 North American urban areas identifying the location that has a contemporary climate most similar to each urban area’s expected 2080’s climate. They show that climate of most urban areas will shift considerably and become either more akin to contemporary climates hundreds of kilometers away or will have no modern equivalent. Combined with an interactive web application, they provide an intuitive means of raising public awareness of the implications of climate change for 250 million urban residents… read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Under current high emissions the average urban dweller is going to have to drive more than 500 miles to the south to find a climate similar to their home city by 2080. Credit: Matthew Fitzpatrick/University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science