Identification

Title

Reframing future risks of extreme heat in the United States

Abstract

The goal of this study is to reframe the analysis and discussion of extreme heat projections to improve communication of future extreme heat risks in the United States. We combine existing data from 31 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 models to examine future exposure to extreme heat for global average temperatures of 1.5, 2, 3, and 4 degrees C above a preindustrial baseline. We find that throughout the United States, historically rare extreme heat events become increasingly common in the future as global temperatures rise and that the depiction of exposure depends in large part on whether extreme heat is defined by absolute or relative metrics. For example, for a 4 degrees C global temperature rise, parts of the country may never see summertime temperatures in excess of 100 degrees F, but virtually all of the country is projected to experience more than 4 weeks per summer with temperatures exceeding their historical summertime maximum. All of the extreme temperature metrics we explored become more severe with increasing global average temperatures. However, a moderate climate scenario delays the impacts projected for a 3 degrees C world by almost a generation relative to the higher scenario and prevents the most extreme impacts projected for a 4 degrees C world.

Resource type

document

Resource locator

Unique resource identifier

code

https://n2t.org/ark:/85065/d7cz3b3t

codeSpace

Dataset language

eng

Spatial reference system

code identifying the spatial reference system

Classification of spatial data and services

Topic category

geoscientificInformation

Keywords

Keyword set

keyword value

Text

originating controlled vocabulary

title

Resource Type

reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

Geographic location

West bounding longitude

East bounding longitude

North bounding latitude

South bounding latitude

Temporal reference

Temporal extent

Begin position

End position

Dataset reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2018-09-01T00:00:00Z

Frequency of update

Quality and validity

Lineage

Conformity

Data format

name of format

version of format

Constraints related to access and use

Constraint set

Use constraints

Limitations on public access

None

Responsible organisations

Responsible party

contact position

OpenSky Support

organisation name

UCAR/NCAR - Library

full postal address

PO Box 3000

Boulder

80307-3000

email address

opensky@ucar.edu

web address

http://opensky.ucar.edu/

name: homepage

responsible party role

pointOfContact

Metadata on metadata

Metadata point of contact