OCCR researchers create app for paleoclimate scientists and historians

After two years of development, a team of OCCR researchers has completed the final version of ClimeApp, a web-based tool for processing and visualising climate data from the ModE-RA Global Climate Reanalysis — a global paleo-reanalysis covering the period from 1421 to 2008 C.E.

Using the ModE-RA dataset, the app provides monthly data on temperature, precipitation, and pressure, as well as access to the ModE-Sim climate simulations and the ModE-RAclim sensitivity experiment. This allows researchers to distinguish external climate forcing from internal variability, while ClimeApp’s composite, correlation, and regression functions can be used to compare climate data with historical records such as harvest yields or mortality figures.

The team behind ClimeApp reflects the app's interdisciplinary spirit: Creators Richard Warren and Niklaus Bartlome are both PhD students at the Climate and Society group, while co-developers Noémie Wellinger and Tanja Falasca are junior assistants at the Institute of Geography. Richard and Nik are also part of the VICES (Volcanic Impacts on Climate, Environment and Society) project.

A key motivation behind the project was accessibility. "The app provides researchers easy access to modern climate datasets, making it simple for them to integrate this data into their own research," says developer Niklaus Bartlome. To help first time users, the team have produced a set of video tutorials explaining the different functions of ClimeApp — a useful resource for teaching and student self-learning. There is also a downloadable offline version of the app for more advanced users.