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Publication Details

Title:
Climate Scenarios for the conterminous United States at the county spatial scale using SRES scenario B2 and PRISM climatology
Author(s):
Coulson, David P.; Joyce, Linda A.; Price, David T.; McKenney, Daniel W.
Publication Year:
2010
How to Cite:
These data were collected using funding from the U.S. Government and can be used without additional permissions or fees. If you use these data in a publication, presentation, or other research product please use the citation below when citing the data publication:
Coulson, David P.; Joyce, Linda A.; Price, David T.; McKenney, Daniel W. 2010. Climate scenarios for the conterminous United States at the county spatial scale using SRES scenario B2 and PRISM climatology. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2010-0009
Abstract:
Monthly totals of precipitation in millimeters (mm), monthly means of daily maximum air temperature in degrees Celsius (C), and monthly means of daily minimum air temperature (C) were developed at the county spatial level for the conterminous United States (US). Also, included are computed monthly mean of daily potential evapotranspiration (mm) and mean grid elevation in meters (m). These data were developed from the SRES (Special Report on Emissions Scenarios) scenario B2 used in the Third Assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, specifically as modeled by these climate models: GCGM2 (Climate Centre for Modelling and Analysis), CSIRO-MK2 (Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation), and HadCM3 (Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research UK). The monthly change factors were developed from global model output and downscaled to the 5 arc minute spatial grid using ANUSPLIN following the work of Price et al. (2004). The 30 year mean climatology (1961-1990) was developed from PRISM (Parameter-elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model) data at the 2.5 arc minute scale and aggregated to the 5 arc minute grid scale. The change factors were imposed upon the 30-year period (1961-1990) to develop the projections for each climate scenario. The county means were computed using a weighted mean of the 5 arc minute grids within the county.

Keywords:
RPA Assessment; climate scenario; temperature projections; precipitation projections; PET projections; climatologyMeteorologyAtmosphere; Climate change; Climatology; Inventory, Monitoring, & Analysis; Monitoring; conterminous United States; county level
Related publications:
  • Joyce, Linda A.; Price, David T.; Coulson, David P.; McKenney, Daniel W.; Siltanen, R. Martin; Papadopol, Pia; Lawrence, Kevin. 2014. Projecting climate change in the United States: A technical document supporting the Forest Service 2010 RPA Assessment. General Technical Report. RMRS-GTR-320. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 85 p. https://doi.org/10.2737/RMRS-GTR-320
  • Langner, Linda L.; Daniels, Amy E.; Joyce, Linda A. 2012. Future Scenarios: a technical document supporting the Forest Service 2010 RPA assessment. General Technical Report. RMRS-GTR-272. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 34 p. https://doi.org/10.2737/RMRS-GTR-272
  • Joyce, Linda A.; Price, David T.; McKenney, Daniel W.; Siltanen, R. Martin; Papadopol, Pia; Lawrence, Kevin; Coulson, David P. 2011. High resolution interpolation of climate scenarios for the conterminous United States and Alaska derived from general circulation model simulations. General Technical Report. RMRS-GTR-263. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 87 p. https://doi.org/10.2737/RMRS-GTR-263
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