Climate variability and mean climate change: what impacts crop yields more?

Abstract:

Both mean climate and inter-annual climate variation change impact crop yields globally. While many studies have investigated impacts from future climate change, the impact of historical climate changes is still not known globally. Using newly developed gridded crop and weather observed statistics this presentation will first establish where and how much the mean and variations in climate changes impact crop yields at high-resolutions. We will quantify the gains and losses on average each year from both these metrics. Finally, we will answer the question, which is more important on average – mean climate change or variations in climate?