Petit-Laurent et al. (2026) The Future of Atmospheric Heatwaves in Chile Projected by a Regional Climate Model

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: International Journal of Climatology
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-09-15
• Authors: Jorge Petit-Laurent, Cristian Martinez‐Villalobos, Katerina Goubanova, Cristián Chadwick, Pierre Nabat
• DOI: 10.1002/joc.70567

Research Groups

• Laboratoire d'Aérologie (CNRM)
• Universidad de Chile

Short Summary

This study uses a regional climate model to project changes in heat wave characteristics in three Chilean cities under high-emission scenarios, highlighting the expected increase in frequency and duration of heat waves by 2080.

Objective

• Investigate projected changes in heat wave characteristics (duration, intensity, frequency, magnitude) in Chile this century under two high-emission scenarios.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Regional climate model simulations with a resolution of 12.5 km for three cities in Chile: La Serena, Santiago, Concepción.
• Temporal Scale: Projections are made for the period 2000-2080.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: CNRM‐ALADIN regional climate model (version not specified).
• Data sources: Bias-adjusted temperature data from the unbiased quantile mapping (UQM) method.

Main Results

• By 2080, the heat wave period in Santiago is expected to extend to cover over 6 months, with potential occurrences from September to April.
• Projected heat waves in Santiago will exceed 50 days in duration and be up to 3°C more intense than historical climate conditions.
• The annual most intense heat wave is expected to be 2.8 times the magnitude of historical records.

Contributions

This study contributes to a better understanding of projected changes in heat wave characteristics in Chile, providing valuable information for climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies.

Funding

• This research was funded by [project/program name] (reference code not specified).

Citation

@article{PetitLaurent2026Future,
  author = {Petit-Laurent, Jorge and Martinez‐Villalobos, Cristian and Goubanova, Katerina and Chadwick, Cristián and Nabat, Pierre},
  title = {The Future of Atmospheric Heatwaves in Chile Projected by a Regional Climate Model},
  journal = {International Journal of Climatology},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1002/joc.70567},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.70567}
}