DOI: 10.5061/dryad.qfttdz0vz
title: Global coastal wind hazard maps from the CHAZ tropical cyclone model

description: Synthetic tropical cyclone (TC) models have become essential tools for
 assessing TC hazard and risk, due to both the shortness of observational
 records and, now, the influence of climate change. However, the direct
 output from these models, TC track sets, requires additional processing to
 become useful for impact assessments beyond traditional climate science
 and meteorological research. Converting TC tracks into hazard maps
 condenses complex information on TC intensity and frequency into widely
 accessible formats, facilitating diverse impact analyses. Here, we present
 global coastal wind risk maps generated using the Columbia tropical
 cyclone hazard model (CHAZ) for both present-day and future climate
 conditions. Climate scenario-driven data are provided for a recent
 historical period (1995-2014) and two future periods, mid-century
 (2041-2060) and end-of-century (2081-2100); a reference data set
 downscaled from an observation-based reanalysis for 1981-2019 is also
 provided. These hazard maps depict TC intensity exceedance probabilities
 and return periods, providing valuable insights to policymakers, planners,
 and researchers focused on disaster preparedness.
description: # CHAZ Hazard Maps: Global coastal wind hazard maps from the CHAZ tropical
 cyclone model ## Folder Structure Overview The dataset is organized first
 by hazard metric (`exceedance_intensity` or `return_periods`), then by
 file format (`csv`, `nc`, or `raster.nc`). Within each format, files are
 grouped as follows: * `ERA5/`: Historical baseline based on ERA5
 reanalysis * `per-GCM//sspXXX/`: Individual GCM simulations
 grouped by GCM and SSP ## Folder Details * `return_periods.zip`: Local
 return period estimates for fixed wind intensity thresholds *
 `exceedance_intensity.zip`: Local wind intensity associated with a
 specific return period (e.g., 100-year wind) ## Formats * `csv`:
 Point-based comma-separated files with geographic coordinates (`lat`,
 `lon`) and the hazard variables listed below. * `nc`: NetCDF format with
 point-based hazard data * `raster.nc`: NetCDF raster format on a regular
 180 arcsecond grid; use with caution over ocean regions due to coarse
 interpolation Hazard variable convention across all formats: * For
 `return_periods`: `thr_33` and `thr_50` = return periods for tropical
 cyclone wind intensities exceeding 33 m/s and 50 m/s respectively * For
 `exceedance_intensity`: `rp_10`, `rp_25`, `rp_50`, `rp_100`, `rp_250`,
 `rp_1000` = the tropical cyclone wind intensities with a return period
 (rp) of 10, 25, 50, 100, 250, 1000 years ## Climate Models and Scenarios |
 Climate Model | Reference | | ------------- | -------------------------- |
 | CESM2 | Danabasoglu et al. (2020) | | CNRM-CM6-1 | Voldoire et al.
 (2019) | | EC-Earth3 | EC-Earth Consortium (2019) | | IPSL-CM6A-LR |
 Hourdin et al. (2020) | | MIROC6 | Tatebe et al. (2019) | | UKESM1-0-LL |
 Sellar et al. (2020) | Scenarios: * `ssp245` * `ssp370` * `ssp585`
 Periods: * `base`: 1995-2014 (historical baseline) * `fut1`: 2041-2060
 (mid-century) * `fut2`: 2081-2100 (late century) ## Variable Definitions *
 `TCGI`: Tropical Cyclone Genesis Index * `CRH`: Column-integral relative
 humidity * `SD`: Saturation deficit * `H08`: Holland 2008 wind field
 parameterization ## Ensemble Info * `80ens`: Single-GCM simulation
 representing 80 ensembles which results in approximately 1600 synthetic
 years of TCs Example path: ```
 CHAZ_hazard_maps/exceedance_intensity/csv/per-GCM/CESM2/ssp370/TC_global_0300as_CHAZ_CESM2_fut1_ssp370_80ens_CRH_H08_exceedance_intensity.csv ``` ## File Naming Convention All files follow the standardized naming pattern: `TC___CHAZ_______.` For example: `TC_global_0300as_CHAZ_CESM2_fut1_ssp370_80ens_CRH_H08_exceedance_intensity.csv` With: * ``: always `global` * ``: spatial resolution (`0300as` = 300 arcseconds ≈ 9.3km at the equator) * ``: climate model or `ERA5` or `ALL-MODELS` * ``: time window (`base`, `fut1`, `fut2`) * ``: climate scenario (`ssp245`, `ssp370`, `ssp585`) * ``: number of ensemble years (`80ens`, `480ens`) * ``: tropical cyclone genesis index moisture formulation (`CRH` or `SD`) * ``: wind model used (`H08` = Holland 2008) * ``: `return_periods` or `exceedance_intensity` * ``: `csv`, `nc` (NetCDF), or `raster.nc` (gridded NetCDF) ## Usage Notes * Wind fields are primarily designed for land-based impact assessments. We do not recommend using values over oceans. * Use caution when comparing different TCGI variants (CRH vs SD). ## Related Resources * [CHAZ hazard modeling framework (GitHub)](\url{https://github.com/cl3225/CHAZ}) * Associated article: Meiler et al., submitted to Scientific Data ## Licensing and Citation This dataset is released under the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) waiver. You are free to reuse, modify, and redistribute it. If you use this dataset in your research, please cite the associated publication and credit the authors accordingly. --- For questions or feedback, please contact: **Simona Meiler**, [simona@simonameiler.ch](mailto:simona@simonameiler.ch)