ClimaPlots - QGIS Plugin
ClimaPlots is a plugin for QGIS that allows you to calculate and visualize climate indices for selected points on the map. It facilitates the analysis of meteorological and environmental data, integrating statistical tools and interactive charts directly into the QGIS interface.
How It Works
Interactive demonstration showing how to use ClimaPlots: select a point on the map, fetch climate data, and visualize climate indices with interactive charts.
Key Features
-
Calculates climate indices following
ETCCDI (Expert Team on Climate Change Detection and Indices) standards
- Generates interactive charts for temporal analysis of climate variables
- Allows you to select points on the map to obtain specific latitude and longitude data
- Integrates statistical tests such as Mann-Kendall and Pettitt for trend and change analysis
- Provides data export functionality in CSV format
Climate Indices Calculated
Temperature Indices
Annual Frost Days (FD)
Annual count of days when the daily minimum temperature is below 0°C. This index is important for agricultural planning and understanding freeze risk.
Annual Tropical Nights (TR)
Annual count of days when the daily minimum temperature is above 20°C. High values indicate warm nights that can affect human comfort and energy consumption.
Annual Icing Days (ID)
Annual count of days when the daily maximum temperature is below 0°C. These extremely cold days are important for understanding severe winter conditions.
Annual Summer Days (SU)
Annual count of days when the daily maximum temperature exceeds 25°C. This index helps assess warm weather patterns and potential heat stress.
Monthly Maximum Temperature (TXx)
The highest daily maximum temperature recorded in each month. This extreme temperature index helps identify the most intense heat events.
Monthly Minimum Temperature of Maximum Temperatures (TXn)
The lowest daily maximum temperature recorded in each month. This index shows the coolest daytime temperatures within each month.
Monthly Maximum Temperature of Minimum Temperatures (TNx)
The highest daily minimum temperature recorded in each month. This indicates the warmest nighttime temperatures.
Monthly Minimum Temperature (TNn)
The lowest daily minimum temperature recorded in each month. This extreme cold index identifies the coldest nights.
Daily Temperature Range (DTR)
The average difference between daily maximum and minimum temperatures. High DTR values indicate large diurnal temperature variations, which can affect agriculture and human comfort.
Precipitation Indices
Monthly Maximum 1-day Precipitation (RX1day)
The highest amount of precipitation recorded in a single day within each month. This index identifies extreme precipitation events that can cause flooding.
Monthly Maximum 5-day Precipitation (RX5day)
The maximum cumulative precipitation over any 5 consecutive days within each month. This index helps assess prolonged heavy rainfall events.
Annual Count of Days when Precipitation Exceeds 10mm (R10mm)
Annual number of days with precipitation ≥ 10mm. This moderate precipitation threshold is useful for understanding wet day frequency.
Annual Count of Days when Precipitation Exceeds 20mm (R20mm)
Annual number of days with precipitation ≥ 20mm. This heavy precipitation threshold helps identify intense rainfall events.
Total Annual Precipitation (PRCPTOT)
Sum of all precipitation in a year from days with precipitation ≥ 1mm. This fundamental index shows annual rainfall totals.
Simple Precipitation Intensity Index (SDII)
Average precipitation on wet days (≥ 1mm). Calculated as total precipitation divided by the number of wet days. Higher values indicate more intense rainfall when it occurs.
Number of Consecutive Dry Days in a Month (CDD)
Maximum number of consecutive days with precipitation < 1mm within each month. This index helps assess drought conditions and dry spells.
Number of Consecutive Wet Days in a Month (CWD)
Maximum number of consecutive days with precipitation ≥ 1mm within each month. This index identifies sustained wet periods.
The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI)
A drought index that compares precipitation for a specific time period to the long-term average. Values below -1 indicate drought conditions, while values above +1 indicate wet conditions. SPI is calculated using gamma distribution fitting.
Statistical Analysis
ClimaPlots integrates advanced statistical tests to analyze climate trends:
- Mann-Kendall Test: Non-parametric test for detecting monotonic trends in time series data
- Pettitt Test: Non-parametric test for detecting change points in time series
- Trend Analysis: Identifies increasing or decreasing patterns in climate variables over time
Data Source
Climate data is obtained from NASA POWER (Prediction of Worldwide Energy Resources) API, which provides:
- Global coverage with 0.5° × 0.625° spatial resolution
- Daily meteorological data from 1981 to near real-time
- Temperature (minimum and maximum) and precipitation data
The goal of ClimaPlots is to simplify the processing and visualization of climate data, making these analyses accessible to GIS users without the need for advanced programming knowledge. All indices follow international ETCCDI standards for climate change detection and monitoring.
Developed by Caio Arantes — 2025
LinkedIn: Caio Arantes
Email: caiosimplicioarantes@gmail.com
Supervised under Dr. Priscila Coltri — LinkedIn: Priscila Coltri
Feel free to reach out for questions or collaboration.
Free Software & Open Source: ClimaPlots is distributed as free software under an open source license. You are encouraged to use, modify, and contribute!
The full source code is available at:
github.com/caioarantes/climaplots