Title:

Climate change pressures for the conterminous United States: plant hardiness zones, heat zones, growing degree days, and cumulative drought severity

Author(s):

Matthews, Stephen N.; Iverson, Louis R.; Peters, Matthew P.; Prasad, Anantha M.;

Publication Year:

2019

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 both of these citations:

Matthews, Stephen N.; Iverson, Louis R.; Peters, Matthew P.; Prasad, Anantha M. 2019. Climate change pressures for the conterminous United States: plant hardiness zones, heat zones, growing degree days, and cumulative drought severity. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2019-0001

Matthews, Stephen N.; Iverson, Louis R.; Peters, Matthew P.; and Prasad A. 2018. Assessing potential climate change pressures across the conterminous United States: mapping plant hardiness zones, heat zones, growing degree days, and cumulative drought severity throughout this century. Res. Map NRS-9. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station. 31 p. https://doi.org/10.2737/NRS-RMAP-9

Abstract:

Evaluating multiple signals of climate change across the conterminous United States during three 30-year periods (2010–2039, 2040–2069, 2070–2099) during this century to a baseline period (1980–2009) emphasizes potential changes for growing degree days (GDD), plant hardiness zones (PHZ), heat zones (HeatZone), and cumulative drought severity (CDSI). These indices were derived using the CCSM4 and GFDL CM3 models under the representative concentration pathways 4.5 and 8.5, respectively, and included in Matthews et al. (2018). Daily temperature was downscaled by Maurer et al. (2007) at a 1/8 degree grid scale and used to obtain growing degree days, plant hardiness zones, and heat zones. Monthly precipitation and temperature downscaled to 30 arc-seconds (~800 meters) by Daly et al. (2008) for the period 1980–2015 and Thrasher et al. (2013) for the period 2016–2099, were aggregated to a 10 square kilometer grid and used to calculate a self-calibrated palmer drought severity index that was then aggregated into 30-year cumulative drought severity index values. Each of these indices provides unique information about plant health related to changes in climatic conditions that influence establishment, growth, and survival. These data and the calculated changes are provided as 13 (CDSI) or 14 (GDD, HeatZone, PHZ) individual IMG files for each index to assist with management planning and decision making into the future. For each of the four indices the following are included: one [two for nonCDSI] baseline file (1980–2009), three files representing 30-year periods for the scenario CCSM4 under RCP 4.5 along with three files of changes, and three files representing 30-year periods for the scenario GFDL CM3 under RCP 8.5 along with three files of changes.

Keywords:

climatologyMeteorologyAtmosphere; environment; geoscientificInformation; Climate change; Climatology; Ecology, Ecosystems, & Environment; Forest & Plant Health; CMIP5; monthly; precipitation ; maximum temperature; minimum temperature; drought; extreme events; Palmer Drought Severity Index; temperature indices; gridded meteorological data; conterminous United States

Metrics:

Visit count : 1048 0
Download count: 244
More details

Data Access:

• View metadata (HTML)
• View file index (HTML), which lists all files in this data publication and short description of their contents
• Download data publication (14.64 MB - compressed format, ZIP; Checksum) which includes metadata, file index, data files, and any other supplemental files provided by the author

Need information about Using our Formats?