Iowa's Climate as Projected by the Global Climate Model of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies for a Doubling of Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide

Authors

E. S. Takle, Iowa State UniversityFollow
S. Zhong, Iowa State Universtiy

Document Type

Research

Keywords

Climate change, Climate variability, Heating degree days, Cooling degree days

Abstract

Results of a global climate model that simulates climate under a doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide (estimated to occur by the latter half of the twenty first century) have been interpolated to Iowa. Summer temperatures under such a doubling are projected to rise by 4 to 7°F (2.2 to 3.9°C) and winter temperatures by 10 to 11° (5.6 to 6.1°C). Estimates of space heating and cooling demands from these data suggest a 30 to 35% decrease in space heat demand and a 200 to 300% increase in space cooling demand. Temperature variability is projected to decrease. Precipitation estimates from global climate models are not considered very reliable. For the model used, total annual precipitation for Iowa increases by about 3% which is well within the natural year-to-year variability.

Publication Date

December 1991

Journal Title

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science

Volume

98

Issue

4

First Page

153

Last Page

158

Copyright

© Copyright 1991 by the Iowa Academy of Science, Inc.

Language

EN

File Format

application/pdf

Recommended Citation

Takle, E. S. and Zhong, S. (1991) "Iowa's Climate as Projected by the Global Climate Model of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies for a Doubling of Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide," Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS, 98(4), 153-158.
Available at: https://scholarworks.uni.edu/jias/vol98/iss4/3