Project motivation

Governmental CMIP5 climate projection data for Aotearoa New Zealand were previously available to the public for a fee as static maps, creating financial and usability barriers. To address these challenges for Māori tribes, I’m working with Te Kereru Associates to re-create six climatic variables (average temperature, hot days, frost days, average precipitation, wet days, and extreme wet days) across Aotearoa New Zealand for four time periods under SSP585. We use bias-adjusted, statistically downscaled CMIP6 global climate model output to generate these projections. Leveraging Google Earth Engine, I developed a preliminary data viewer to visualize these climate risk layers. Our next steps include presenting the data viewer, methodology, and applications for adaptation and planning to the Ngāti Rangi ki Ngāwha Hapū tribe.