Climate information is an important support for national adaptation plan processes, but there is at the same time a general desire that climate information should be more relevant and appropriate in relation to decision-making contexts. An initial step in such a development towards tailored climate information would be to understand the currently available climate indices, their definitions and contexts. This study systematically reviews the scientific literature on climate indices and factors related to specific climate impacts, and in this way identifies currently available climate indices for Swedish forestry and agriculture. The identified indices are analysed relative to climate change impact categories from the vulnerability assessments and adaptation plans set out by the Swedish Forest Agency and the Swedish Board of Agriculture, to indicate development potentials and research gaps in climate indices. The review identifies 79 definitions of climate indices for forestry and 63 indices for agriculture in Sweden. The reviewed literature has employed or developed climate indices for only 11 of the 25 types of climate impact emphasised as important by the two sectoral authorities. Most of the climate indices identified have been adopted for use in modelling forest growth or crop growth and productivity. The results of the review found indices lacking for a substantial number of impacts that are relevant for Swedish forestry and agriculture. The study shows that scientific literature on climate indices to a very limited degree addresses the specific tailoring of climate indices. Potential reasons for the lack of climate indices are discussed, and the study suggests that there is a need to continue climate model development such that the models better represent relevant processes, to advance research on the co-design of indices together with sectoral stakeholders, and to enhance collaboration between adaptation, impact modelling and climatology research. The results of this study may be used in future research to analyse if and how the identified climate indices can be actionable for different stakeholders, and as a foundation to examine the demands and feasibilities of developing new tailored climate indices.
Wiréhn, L
Climate indices for the tailoring of climate information - A systematic literature review of Swedish forestry and agriculture
Climate Risk Management