Assessing climate model accuracy and future climate change in Ghana's Savannah regions

This study aimed to compare the performance of six regional climate models (RCMs) in simulating observed and projecting future climate in the Savannah zone of Ghana, in order to find suitable methods to improve the accuracy of climate models in the region. The study found that the accuracy of both i...

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Autores principales: Incoom, A. B. M., Adjei, K. A., Odai, S. N., Akpoti, Komlavi, Siabi, E. K., Awotwi, A.
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: IWA Publishing 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/131358
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author Incoom, A. B. M.
Adjei, K. A.
Odai, S. N.
Akpoti, Komlavi
Siabi, E. K.
Awotwi, A.
author_browse Adjei, K. A.
Akpoti, Komlavi
Awotwi, A.
Incoom, A. B. M.
Odai, S. N.
Siabi, E. K.
author_facet Incoom, A. B. M.
Adjei, K. A.
Odai, S. N.
Akpoti, Komlavi
Siabi, E. K.
Awotwi, A.
author_sort Incoom, A. B. M.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description This study aimed to compare the performance of six regional climate models (RCMs) in simulating observed and projecting future climate in the Savannah zone of Ghana, in order to find suitable methods to improve the accuracy of climate models in the region. The study found that the accuracy of both individual RCMs and their ensemble mean improved with bias correction, but the performance of individual RCMs was dependent on location. The projected change in annual precipitation indicated a general decline in rainfall with variations based on the RCM and location. Projections under representative concentration pathway (RCP) 8.5 were larger than those under RCP 4.5. The changes in mean temperature recorded were 1 °C for the 2020s for both RCPs, 1–4 °C for the 2050s under both RCPs, and 1– 4 °C under RCP 4.5, and from 2 to 8 °C for the 2080s. These findings will aid farmers and governments in the West African subregion in making informed decisions and planning cost-effective climate adaptation strategies to reduce the impact of climate change on the ecosystem. The study highlights the importance of accurate climate projections to reduce vulnerability to climate change and the need to improve climate models in projecting climate in the West African subregion.
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spelling CGSpace1313582025-12-08T09:54:28Z Assessing climate model accuracy and future climate change in Ghana's Savannah regions Incoom, A. B. M. Adjei, K. A. Odai, S. N. Akpoti, Komlavi Siabi, E. K. Awotwi, A. climate models performance assessment climate prediction climate change adaptation strategies precipitation rainfall patterns temperature weather forecasting savannahs This study aimed to compare the performance of six regional climate models (RCMs) in simulating observed and projecting future climate in the Savannah zone of Ghana, in order to find suitable methods to improve the accuracy of climate models in the region. The study found that the accuracy of both individual RCMs and their ensemble mean improved with bias correction, but the performance of individual RCMs was dependent on location. The projected change in annual precipitation indicated a general decline in rainfall with variations based on the RCM and location. Projections under representative concentration pathway (RCP) 8.5 were larger than those under RCP 4.5. The changes in mean temperature recorded were 1 °C for the 2020s for both RCPs, 1–4 °C for the 2050s under both RCPs, and 1– 4 °C under RCP 4.5, and from 2 to 8 °C for the 2080s. These findings will aid farmers and governments in the West African subregion in making informed decisions and planning cost-effective climate adaptation strategies to reduce the impact of climate change on the ecosystem. The study highlights the importance of accurate climate projections to reduce vulnerability to climate change and the need to improve climate models in projecting climate in the West African subregion. 2023-07-01 2023-07-31T23:51:21Z 2023-07-31T23:51:21Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/131358 en Open Access IWA Publishing Incoom, A. B. M.; Adjei, K. A.; Odai, S. N.; Akpoti, Komlavi; Siabi, E. K.; Awotwi, A. 2023. Assessing climate model accuracy and future climate change in Ghana's Savannah regions. Journal of Water and Climate Change, 14(7):2362-2383. [doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wcc.2023.070]
spellingShingle climate models
performance assessment
climate prediction
climate change adaptation
strategies
precipitation
rainfall patterns
temperature
weather forecasting
savannahs
Incoom, A. B. M.
Adjei, K. A.
Odai, S. N.
Akpoti, Komlavi
Siabi, E. K.
Awotwi, A.
Assessing climate model accuracy and future climate change in Ghana's Savannah regions
title Assessing climate model accuracy and future climate change in Ghana's Savannah regions
title_full Assessing climate model accuracy and future climate change in Ghana's Savannah regions
title_fullStr Assessing climate model accuracy and future climate change in Ghana's Savannah regions
title_full_unstemmed Assessing climate model accuracy and future climate change in Ghana's Savannah regions
title_short Assessing climate model accuracy and future climate change in Ghana's Savannah regions
title_sort assessing climate model accuracy and future climate change in ghana s savannah regions
topic climate models
performance assessment
climate prediction
climate change adaptation
strategies
precipitation
rainfall patterns
temperature
weather forecasting
savannahs
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/131358
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