Future climate behavior is typically modeled using computer-based simulations, which are generated for both historical and future time periods. The trustworthiness of these models can be assessed by determining whether the simulated historical climate matches what was observed. We provide a tool that allows researchers to identify major differences between observed climate and climate model predictions, which will hopefully lead to further model refinements.

The paper proposes a novel parametric model for statistical post-processing of visibility ensemble forecasts; investigates various approaches to parameter estimation; and, using two case studies, provides a detailed comparison with the existing state-of-the-art forecasts. The introduced approach consistently outperforms both the raw ensemble forecasts and the reference parametric post-processing method.

A unique link is found between the Caribbean GDP growth rate and the tropical climate system. Although the Pacific El Niño–Southern Oscillation governs some aspects of this link, the Walker circulation and associated humidity over the equatorial Atlantic emerge as leading predictors of economic prosperity in the central Antilles islands.

We introduce a new statistical framework to estimate the change in subsurface ocean temperature following the passage of a tropical cyclone (TC). Our approach combines tools handling seasonal variations and spatial dependence in the data, culminating in a three-dimensional characterization of the interaction between TCs and the ocean. Our work allows us to obtain new scientific insights, and we expect it to be generally applicable to studying the impact of TCs on other ocean phenomena.