Regional climate modeling: Status and perspectives

This paper is presents a concise review of regional climate modeling, from its ensuing stages in the late 1980s to the most recent developments. A tremendous progress has been achieved in improving the performance of regional climate models, which are currently used by a growing research community for a wide range of applications, from process studies to paleoclimate and future climate simulations. Basic concepts underlying the nested modeling technique, along with the current debate on outstanding issues in regional climate modeling, are discussed. Finally, perspectives of future developments in this rapidly evolving research area are briefly outlined. An extensive reference list is provided to support the discussion.