Reflections on climate and administrative scales in Western Norway

Western Norway is one of the regions with the most precipitation in Europe. Average amounts are about 3500 mm per year around and in the mountains near the coast, with up to 5000 mm in peak years. The wet climate is mainly caused by the North Atlantic Current, which also gives this region a milder winter than other parts of Norway, with rain being more frequent than snow. 

Enhancement of rainfall (intensity, frequency, duration) and attendant flooding is the main physical climate risk for Western Norway.  As such, we focus on changes in frequency and magnitude of daily and sub-daily precipitation and discuss the added value resulting from convection permitting regional climate models at basin scale. 

Concomitantly, the Norwegian Centre for Climate Services and the Impetus4Change project aim to overcome the barrier of providing (only) gridded data from climate simulations on a data portal. Thus, we focus on the development of accessible, user-friendly climate information relevant for the local planning authorities (i.e., municipalities). In alignment with Norway’s Planning and Building Act, we aim to promote the integration of tailored climate data into municipal planning strategies. These inform the so-called “master plan” of the municipality which is the most important management document of the municipal council. Tailoring climate information in this way, rather than exclusively through the conventional methods of climate report writing and data dissemination via web portal, ensures that climate information are fit for purpose (i.e., municipal planning) and will enhance the uptake, usefulness and impact of climate services.