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Downscaling socioeconomic and emissions scenarios for global environmental change research: A review

Authors: van Vuuren DP, Smith SJ, Riahi K

Publication Year: 2010

Reference: Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, 1(3):393-404 (May/June 2010) (Published online 16 April 2010)

Abstract

Global change research encompasses various scales from global to local. Impacts analysis in particular often requires spatial downscaling, whereby socioeconomic and emission variables specified at relatively large spatial scales are translated to values at a country or grid level. In this article, the methods used for spatial downscaling are reviewed, classified, and current applications discussed. It is shown that in recent years, improved methods for downscaling have been developed.