Understanding Climate Extremes Data Through Climdex Resources

Oct. 18, 2025, 3:14 p.m.

Tags: climdex

The provided source material is insufficient to produce a 2000-word article about free samples, promotional offers, no-cost product trials, brand freebies, or mail-in sample programs. Below is a factual summary based on the available data, which focuses exclusively on climate science resources rather than consumer product samples.

The source materials primarily concern CLIMDEX, which is a scientific resource focused on climate extremes indices and data analysis rather than consumer product samples or promotional offers. The available information relates to climate data, scientific indices, and software tools for meteorological analysis.

What is CLIMDEX

CLIMDEX is a scientific portal that provides access to climate extremes indices and datasets. According to the source materials, the platform offers indices that describe changes in heat, cold, rainfall and drought over time. Examples include metrics like "the hottest day each year" or "the amount of rainfall in the rainiest 5 day stretch each year."

The platform has undergone a redesign to provide what is described as a "smoother user experience." It hosts various climate datasets and provides tools for calculating ET-SCI Climate Change Indices through a web-based version of Climpact software.

Available Climate Datasets

The CLIMDEX platform hosts several climate datasets:

HadEX3 - Described as the most up-to-date and quality-controlled dataset
GHCNDEX - Available for near-realtime data needs
HadEX2 - Hosted for comparison studies
AGCD v1 (Australian Gridded Climate Data) - Covers rainfall, temperature, and vapor pressure data from 1900-2022
BEST (Berkeley Earth Surface Temperature) - Provides high-resolution land and ocean time series data
APHRODITE - Gridded precipitation data for Asia from 1951-2016

The platform notes that the number of stations in these datasets changes over time, which may introduce coverage effects in time-series analyses. Users are cautioned that many stations were added to networks post-1958 compared to prior years, potentially creating inconsistencies.

Climate Extremes Indices

The sources reference the Expert Team on Climate Change Detection and Indices (ETCCDI), which has developed core indices for analyzing climate extremes. One source mentions 27 core indices that can be calculated using climate data.

These indices can be calculated using various software tools:

Climpact - Available both as a web-based version for station data and as downloadable software for gridded NetCDF data
FClimDex - A FORTRAN program that conducts data quality control and computes all indices
ClimDex - An older Microsoft Excel-based software that is no longer supported but still available

Data Access and Formats

The platform offers multiple data access options:

Time series data for individual stations where available
Average maps, trend maps, and raw yearly data for gridded products
Data available as text files, NetCDF files, and image files
Customizable spatial domain selection

Users can select specific datasets, indices, time spans, and locations to generate customized climate analysis products.

Technical Implementation

One source provides information about the climdexGrid.R function, which is part of the climate4R framework for calculating ETCCDI Climate Change Indices. This function serves as a wrapper for the climdex.pcic package, enabling seamless integration with climate4R objects.

The function requires inputs of daily minimum temperature, daily maximum temperature, and daily precipitation datasets, along with a calendar definition (defaulting to a 365-day calendar).

Limitations and Considerations

The source materials highlight several important considerations for users:

Data coverage areas with low density are shown in white on visualizations
Changes in station networks over time may affect time-series consistency
Trend values should be used with caution due to potential coverage effects
Some hosted datasets are third-party products not part of the core climdex.org project

Conclusion

The provided source materials focus exclusively on climate science resources rather than consumer product samples or promotional offers. CLIMDEX is a specialized platform for climate extremes analysis, offering datasets, indices, and software tools for meteorological researchers and professionals. The platform provides access to various climate datasets, calculation methods for climate extremes indices, and visualization tools, but contains no information about free samples, promotional offers, or consumer product trials.