Near-surface wind speed is a key variable in the climate system, linking atmospheric circulation, land–atmosphere interactions, and renewable energy production. Long-term changes in wind speed have been reported from station observations, reanalyses, and climate model simulations, with evidence for both large-scale and regional phenomenon across different temporal and spatial scales. These changes can influence climate extremes, alter sectoral risks, and directly affect wind power production, making their understanding critical in the context of a warming world.
Despite significant progress, key challenges remain. These include: (1) identifying and characterizing phenomena and variability in near-surface wind speed across timescales, including extremes and multi-decadal changes; (2) improving the use of station data, reanalyses, and climate model ensembles to quantify historical and projected wind speed changes; (3) attributing observed changes to internal variability, external forcings, and their interactions; (4) assessing uncertainties in model representation of wind speed climatology, variability, and extremes; (5) understanding implications of wind speed changes for wind energy assessments, risks of wind energy droughts, and future renewable energy planning; and (6) advancing methodological approaches, including emergent constraints, detection–attribution frameworks, and statistical or machine learning methods, to improve robustness of results.
We invite contributions addressing near-surface wind speed from multiple perspectives, including observations, reanalyses, climate model simulations, attribution studies, and wind energy applications. Submissions covering novel methods, cross-scale analyses, and interdisciplinary approaches linking climate science and renewable energy are particularly encouraged.
Deliang Chen