Annualmeeting:2017 CSDMS meeting-062

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Predicted changes in high temperature events over North America within CORDEX simulations

Nesha Wright, Environmental Sciences Program, St. Francis Xavier University & Climate & Atmospheric Sciences Institute at St. Francis Xavier University Antigonish , Canada. n.serin13@gmail.com

Almundena Garcia-Garcia, Environmental Sciences Program, Memorial University of Newfoundland & Climate & Atmospheric Sciences Institute at St. Francis Xavier University St. John’s , Canada.

Francisco Jose Cuesta-Valero, Environmental Sciences Program, Memorial University of Newfoundland & Climate & Atmospheric Sciences Institute at St. Francis Xavier University St. John's , Canada.

Hugo Beltrami, Environmental Sciences Program, St. Francis Xavier University & Climate & Atmospheric Sciences Institute at St. Francis Xavier University Antigonish , Canada. hugo@stfx.ca

[[Image:|300px|right|link=File:]]The frequency of high temperature events is increasing globally under the current climate change conditions. These extreme events have important consequences for society, affecting public health, the regional habitability and the global economy. We evaluate the changes in frequency and distribution of high temperature events over North America, using three different indices and a set of regional climate simulations from the Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX). Our results show an increase in the number of high temperature days per summer, in addition to an increase in the frequency of heat wave events for the 21st century. The results reveal large variability among the regional climate models and boundary conditions from the driving models. The increase in the frequency of high temperature simulations examined over North America advocates for strategies to prevent potential effects on food availability, public health and the environment.