Climate Science

Climate Intelligence from Earth Observation Data

MetriClima transforms global climate datasets into interactive maps, indicators, and location-specific insights. Our methodology combines climate reanalysis, satellite-derived observations, and established climatological techniques to quantify climate patterns, variability, and long-term change.

The platform is designed for climate adaptation, agriculture, environmental planning, and location assessment across the globe.

Primary Data Sources

Climate Reanalysis

MetriClima primarily utilizes the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) ERA5 and ERA5-Land datasets.

These datasets combine billions of atmospheric observations with numerical weather models to provide spatially continuous estimates of temperature, precipitation, wind, humidity, radiation, and soil moisture.

Key characteristics:

  • Global coverage
  • Hourly temporal resolution
  • High spatial resolution
  • Consistent methodology through time
  • Widely used in scientific research and climate services

Satellite Earth Observation

Selected indicators incorporate satellite-derived products for vegetation, land surface conditions, and environmental monitoring.

Satellite observations provide additional insight into ecosystem response and land-atmosphere interactions.

Analytical Framework

How climate signals are measured

Climate Normals

A climate normal represents the long-term average of a climate variable over a defined period. For each location, MetriClima computes normals for temperature, precipitation, humidity, wind, solar radiation, and derived indicators.

Climate Anomalies

An anomaly is the difference between observed conditions and a reference climate normal. Anomalies allow climate change signals to be identified independently of local geography and elevation.

Temporal Aggregation

Indicators can be analyzed across multiple temporal scales, enabling comparison of both long-term trends and short-term variability.

  • Annual
  • Seasonal
  • Monthly
  • Growing season
  • Custom climate periods

ENSO Classification

Where applicable, climate conditions can be filtered by major ocean-atmosphere oscillations to examine how they influence local climate patterns.

  • El Niño
  • Neutral
  • La Niña
Climate Indicators

Mapped metrics and derived variables

Temperature

  • Mean annual temperature
  • Mean monthly temperature
  • Minimum temperature
  • Maximum temperature
  • Temperature seasonality
  • Continentality
  • Extreme heat indicators
  • Extreme cold indicators

Water Balance

  • Precipitation
  • Potential evapotranspiration
  • Climatic water deficit
  • Aridity indices
  • Drought indicators
  • Soil moisture proxies

Agriculture

  • Growing Degree Days (GDD)
  • Frost-free season length
  • Last spring frost
  • First autumn frost
  • Chill accumulation
  • Heat accumulation
  • Crop suitability metrics

Bioclimatic Variables

MetriClima derives standard bioclimatic indicators used in ecological and species-distribution modeling, enabling assessment of climate suitability for natural and managed ecosystems.

Trend Analysis

Long-term trends are calculated by comparing climate normals and historical periods through time. Trend calculations are performed independently for each grid cell, preserving local climatic characteristics.

  • Climate change magnitude
  • Rate of warming
  • Changes in precipitation regimes
  • Shifts in growing seasons
  • Emerging climatic suitability zones

Uncertainty and Limitations

All climate datasets contain uncertainty. Reanalysis datasets provide estimates rather than direct measurements for every location. Results should therefore be interpreted as scientifically informed climate estimates rather than exact observations.

Sources of uncertainty include:

  • Observation coverage
  • Model assumptions
  • Terrain complexity
  • Coastal effects
  • Temporal variability

Glossary

Essential terminology used throughout MetriClima to maintain scientific rigor while ensuring accessibility.

Climate Normal

The average value of a climate variable over a standard 30-year reference period.

Climate Anomaly

The departure of a climate variable from its long-term normal value.

Reanalysis

A scientific dataset produced by combining observations with numerical weather models to reconstruct past atmospheric conditions.

Grid Cell

The smallest spatial unit within a climate dataset, representing average conditions over a defined area.

Growing Degree Days (GDD)

A measure of accumulated heat used to estimate plant growth and development potential.

ENSO

The El Niño–Southern Oscillation, a recurring climate pattern involving variations in Pacific Ocean temperatures that influence weather worldwide.