JCDS, A Hybrid Reanalysis-Forecast Meteorological Forcing Data for Advancing Climate Adaptation in Agriculture

Abstract Variations in the growing season climate are well suited for testing agricultural adaptation measures. Adaptations for mitigating adverse events such as heatwaves and droughts allow stakeholders to plan for disruptions to production due to both seasonal extremes and long-term changes in climate. Climate impact models (e.g., crop models) can be used to develop adaptation responses. To run these models, historical records and climate forecasts need to be combined as a single daily time series. We introduce the JCDS dataset: a daily, 0.5°, global, reanalysis-forecast dataset comprising meteorological forcing data from 2010 to 2021. The dataset is a hybrid of the Japanese 55-yr Reanalysis (JRA55) and the Japan Meteorological Agency/Meteorological Research Institute Coupled Prediction System version 2 (JMA/MRI-CPS2) 5-member ensemble forecast that is issued twice per month. Both are bias-corrected using the delta method and integrated with a climatology derived from S14FD baseline meteorological forcing data. The JCDS dataset offers a framework for monitoring and forecasting applications, facilitating the transition of many climate-susceptible systems toward greater climate resilience.