Workshop on Indices and Indicators for Climate Extremes, Asheville, NC, USA, 3-6 June 1997 - Breakout Group C: Temperature indices for climate extremes

The "temperature" breakout group at the 1997 Asheville Workshop on Indicato rs and Indices for Climate Extremes reviewed and developed the rationale fo r a choice of temperature indices for monitoring changes in climate extreme s, and the supporting data required. A set of basic and supplementary key i ndices was drawn up. The key indices are meant to be easy to interpret, be relevant to the practical concerns of policy makers and others in the publi c sector and provide potential inputs into the Third Assessment Review of t he Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that is expected to report in 2001. The indices are expressed in various ways to facilitate spatial and t emporal trend detection and impact analysis. There is flexibility in the nu mber and the form of the indices identified and the choice for any particul ar application is subject to further analysis and prioritization. The succe ss of this endeavor will depend on original work being done to further deve lop the indices and on the cooperation of organizations globally to provide the data necessary for the development and the implementation of the indic es. This paper summarizes the group's recommendations.