Abstract
Here, we introduce the concept of “outdoor days” defined as those
relatively pleasant days when most people may enjoy outdoor activities
such as walking, jogging, and cycling. Although most climate studies
primarily focus on changes in climate mean and/or extremes, projecting
response of outdoor days to climate change is particularly important
given their relevance to quality of life for communities. Here, we
project how climate change reshapes seasonality of US outdoor days:
relatively large drops in summer, late spring, and early fall; and a
significant increase in winter. However, despite of global warming,
annual outdoor days are projected to change only slightly, with notable
exceptions. Consistent with recent observations, we project relatively
large drops in southeast (-23%), south (-19%), and Ohio Valley
(-18%), and a significant increase in northwest (14%) towards the end
of the century. Our findings have implications for quality of life in
different regions, and for nationwide travel and tourism.