Prediction of Future Urban Rainfall and Waterlogging Scenarios Based on CMIP6: A Case Study of Beijing Urban Area

Extreme weather events will become more frequent and severe as a result of climate change, necessitating an immediate need for cities to adapt to future climate change. Therefore, the prediction of future precipitation and waterlogging is of utmost importance. Using Beijing as an example, the simulation capability of different models was evaluated, and the optimal model for the study area was screened using Taylor diagrams and interannual variability scores, along with actual monthly precipitation data from Chinese weather stations from 1994 to 2014 and historical monthly precipitation data from 10 coupled models from Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6). The SWMM model was then used to simulate future rainfall and waterlogging scenarios for the study area using precipitation forecast data for 2020-2050 from the best model to investigate the impact of climate change on future rainfall and waterlogging in urban areas. CMIP6 brings together the most recent simulation data from major climate models on a global scale, providing a broader and more diverse range of model results and thereby making future predictions more accurate and dependable, and its findings provide a theoretical foundation for the emergency management of and scientific responses to urban flooding events. The following major conclusions were reached: 1. The best-performing models are EC-Earth3, GFDL-ESM4, and MPI- ESM1-2-HR. EC-Earth3 is a modular Earth system model developed collaboratively by a European consortium. MPI-ESM1-2 is a climate precipitation prediction model developed in Germany and promoted for global application, whereas the GFDL-ESM4 model was developed in the United States and is currently employed for global climate precipitation simulations. 2. Under future climate circumstances, the total annual precipitation in the example region simulated by all three models increases by a maximum of 40%. 3. Under future climatic conditions, urban surface runoff and nodal overflow in the study area will be more significant. The node overflow will become more severe with the increase in climate scenario oppression, and the potential overflow nodes will account for 1.5%, 2.7%, and 2.9% of the total number of nodes under the SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, and SSP5-8.5 scenarios, respectively. 4. In the future, the effectiveness of stormwater drainage systems may diminish. To increase climate change resilience, the impacts of climate change should be considered when planning the scope of stormwater optimization and the integrated improvement of gray-green-blue facilities.

Automated summary

Extreme weather events will become more frequent and severe due to climate change, highlighting the urgent need for cities to adapt. Precipitation and waterlogging prediction is crucial for this purpose. Using Beijing as a case study, the study evaluated different models and identified the optimal model using Taylor diagrams and interannual variability scores. The simulation results showed the impact of climate change on future rainfall and waterlogging in urban areas, emphasizing the importance of considering climate change in stormwater management and urban planning.