Structural and Process History of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

In the nine years since its establishment in 1988, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has attempted to walk the tightrope of being scientifically sound and politically acceptable. This paper investigates how the IPCC has evolved over two assessment cycles. It provides an in-depth examination of important characteristics of the IPCC process including the peer review mechanism, participation of developing countries, and its interactions with the intergovernmental negotiation process on climate change.     

Who participates in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and why: A quantitative assessment of the national representation of authors in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

This paper presents a quantitative analysis of international representation in the activities of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change using expert authorship counts by country in each of the four IPCC assessment reports (1990, 1995, 2001 and 2007). Overall, we find that 45% of countries, all Non-Annex 1, have never had authors participate in the IPCC process; on the other hand, European and North American experts are make up more than 75% of all authors (N = 4394). Generalized linear models using negative binomial regression were used to quantitatively estimate the effect of a number of socio-economic, environmental and procedural factors influencing country-level participation in the IPCC. Per capita gross domestic product, population, English-speaking status, and levels of tertiary education were all found to be statistically significant drivers of authorship counts. In particular, participation by authors from English-speaking Non-Annex 1 countries is 2.5 times greater than those that are non-English speaking. Regionally small island nations of Oceania were the most severely under-represented group. South American and Asian countries had fewer authors, and African countries had more authors than what might be expected on the basis of demographic and socio-economic data. These differences across nations partly reflect existing scientific capacity that will be slow to change. However, the on-going under-representation of developing country scientists in the IPCC, particularly in the assessment of climate science (WGI) and climate mitigation (WGIII) warrants greater efforts to close the capacity gap.     

Key themes in the Working Group II contribution to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 5th assessment report

Assessments conducted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) are significant undertakings that require input from experts and practitioners in multiple scientific disciplines, integrating local to international information across spatial and temporal scales. An IPCC report is a unique collaboration between the scientific community and policymakers, with governments (through their Focal Points) providing guidance and input to the scientists conducting an assessment at several stages during the process. This commentary reviews the IPCC mandate and process; summarizes key themes to be addressed in the Working Group II contribution to the 5th assessment report; discusses challenges for the WGII report when assessing qualitative literature, incorporating local knowledge, and identifying particularly vulnerable groups; and touches on the expertise and commitment of the WGII authors. Active engagement of the wider scientific community in IPCC assessments through publication and review will enhance their relevance to decision- and policy-makers.     

Changes to the Canadian Arctic Archipelago Sea Ice and Freshwater Fluxes in the Twenty-First Century under the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change A1B Climate Scenario

A coupled ocean and sea-ice pan-Arctic model forced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change A1B climate scenario is used to study the evolution of ice and ocean surface conditions within the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (CAA) during the twenty-first century. A summer ice-free CAA is likely by the end of our simulation. Sea ice undergoes significant changes from the mid-2020s to the mid-2060s in both concentration and thickness. The simulation shows a shrinking of 65% and a thinning of 75% in summer over the 40 years, resulting in a partially open Northwest Passage by the 2050s. However, ice in central Parry Channel might increase due to a decrease in export from April to June, linked to a reduced cross-channel sea surface height (SSH) gradient, before melting thermodynamically. On a larger scale, the central CAA throughflow will experience a significant decrease in both volume and freshwater transport after 2020, which is related to the change in the SSH difference between the two ends of Parry Channel, particularly the lifting of SSH in Baffin Bay. With a lower albedo, a warmer ocean is simulated, particularly in summer. The sea surface salinity within the CAA demonstrates a strong decadal oscillation without a clear trend over the entire simulation. A north–south pattern, separated by Parry Channel, is also found in the changes of ocean temperature and salinity fields due to different ice conditions.     

Stochastic Hydrology in the Context of Climate Change

Hydrologic trends, real (physical) or perceived (statistical), suggest that water management be predicated on the assumption of hydrologic nonstationarity. The assumption leaves open the question to what extent will the "trends" be sustained locally and regionally over the future 25, 50 or 100 years corresponding to the economic time horizons of water projects. Whether hydrologic trends are real or perceived, record events of hydrologic extremes, floods and droughts, will be broken with exceedingly high probabilities over the economic lives of water projects. Before the assumption of hydrologic nonstationarity is accepted, the ability to cope with the uncertain impacts of global warming on water management via the operational assumption of hydrologic stationarity should be carefully examined. In the absence of strong physical evidence, trends cannot be unequivocally distinguished from slow oscillations. Slow oscillations can be mimicked by persistence in stationary processes. It is time to examine the relative merits of the assumptions of stationarity and nonstationarity in the operational context of water management. The strategy of wait-and-see, i.e. delaying the making of important, expensive and essentially irreversible capital investments, could served water managers well in coping with the uncertainties regarding climate change.     

“韩国气候变化专门委员会“成立

2005年5月30日和6月8日,韩国环境部和气象厅分别举行了“韩国气候变化专门委员会”(Korean Panel on Climate Change, KPCC)成立大会,韩国环境部长官郭决镐和气象厅厅长申庆燮参加了成立仪式。     

关于非政府间国际气候变化专门委员会（NIPCC）报告

NIPCC报告是一份与IPCC针锋相对的报告,报告主要想证明：是自然原因,而不是人类活动造成了全球变暖。本文的目的不是支持NIPCC的观点,而是要分析报告中提出来的各种问题与证据,看看在研究气候变暖时值得注意的事项。兼听则明,偏听则暗。认真听取不同的声音比单边主义更能推动科学的发展。在简要介绍了NIPCC报告的主要内容后,又讲述了代表IPCC观点的"哥本哈根诊断"的核心思想,以供读者自己作出判断。     

气候变暖背景下扎龙湿地气候变化特征

基于扎龙湿地1955—2004年逐日气温和降水量资料,采用滑动平均、趋势分析、小波分析和Mann-Kendall及Yamamoto检验等方法,探讨了扎龙湿地近50年的气候变化特征。结果表明：①研究时段内扎龙湿地年及四季平均气温均呈上升趋势,年平均气温在1988年发生了一次明显的突变,其后气温达到一个更显著的增暖时期,20世纪90年代以来的增温非常显著,是50年以来的最高温期;②扎龙湿地年及各季降水量除春季外均呈减少趋势,秋季降水减少趋势最显著,研究时段内没有明显的突变过程;③20世纪80年代中期之后扎龙湿地暖冬和热夏事件的发生频率和强度显著增加,大气湿润度在减小,气候在向暖干方向发展。     

全球变化背景下北半球冬季MJO传播的年代际变化

利用1979~2013年实时多要素MJO（Madden-Julian Oscillation）监测（RMM）指数,美国NOAA逐日长波辐射资料和NCEP/NCAR再分析资料等,分析了全球变化背景下北半球冬季MJO传播的年代际变化特征。从全球平均气温快速增暖期（1985~1997）到变暖趋缓期（2000~2012）,MJO 2~4位相频次减少,5~7位相频次增多,即MJO对流活跃区在热带印度洋地区停留时间缩短、传播速度加快,而在热带西太平洋停留时间加长、传播明显减缓。进一步分析发现,以上MJO的年代际变化特征与全球变化年代际波动有关。当太平洋年代际涛动（PDO）处于负位相时,全球变暖趋缓,热带东印度洋—西太平洋海温异常偏暖,使其上空对流加强,垂直上升运动加强,对流层低层辐合,大气中的水汽含量增多,该区域的湿静力能（MSE）为正异常。当MJO对流活跃区位于热带印度洋地区时,MJO异常环流对季节平均MSE的输送在强对流中心东侧为正、西侧为负,有利于东侧MSE扰动增加,使得MJO对流扰动东移加快;而当MJO对流活跃区在热带西太平洋地区,MJO异常环流对平均MSE的输送形成东负西正的形势,东侧MSE扰动减小,不利于MJO快速东传。因此,全球变化背景下PDO引起的大气中水汽含量及MSE的变化可能是MJO传播年代际变化的重要原因。     

全球气候变化对我国气候安全影响的思考

依据政府间气候变化专门委员会 (IPCC) 第5次评估报告以及国内相关科学研究成果,使用最新的观测资料凝练了对全球气候变化的有关认识;从极端天气气候事件和气候承载力角度,分析了气候变化给我国带来的气候风险。研究发现:1961—2015年我国平均高温日数增加了28.4%,暴雨日数增加了8.2%。21世纪以来,登陆我国热带气旋的强度明显增加。在全球气候变暖的背景下,我国气候承载力将发生明显变化,未来面临的气候风险将加大。因此,保障我国气候安全,需要科学认识气候,提高气候风险意识; 主动适应气候,提高应对极端事件能力;努力保护气候,减缓气候变化的影响。     

The Impacts of Climate Change on the Autumn North Atlantic Wave Climate

Abstract

In this study, we investigate the impact of global warming induced by possible climate change on the autumn winds, the related storm climate, and the wave climate over the North Atlantic Ocean. These analyses are based on a third-generation wave model, WAVEWATCHIII? and dynamically downscaled winds, obtained from the Canadian Regional Climate Model driven by the third version of the Coupled Global Climate Model (T47) from the Canadian Centre for Climate Modelling and Analysis following the A1B climate change scenario of the Special Report on Emission Scenarios from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Compared with the present wave climate, represented as 1970–1999, the significant wave heights in the northeast North Atlantic will increase, whereas in other areas, such as the mid-latitudes, they will decrease, with associated changes in winds in the future climate (2040–2069). An analysis of inverse wave ages is used to suggest that wind-driven wave regimes tend to occur more frequently in the northeast North Atlantic and decrease in the mid-latitudes in the climate change scenario. The dominant North Atlantic storm-track region is estimated to shift northward, especially over the northern Northeast Atlantic, where the frequency of occurrence of the most intense cyclones is estimated to increase. We suggest that changes in storm densities are related to changes in the upper level steering flow in the atmosphere, which are the precursor to changes in the winds and ocean waves.     

Climate Change Policy Targets and the Role of Technological Change

In this paper, we present results of simulationexperiments with the TIME-model on the issue ofmitigation strategies with regard to greenhouse gases.The TIME-model is an integrated system dynamics worldenergy model that takes into account the fact that the systemhas an inbuilt inertia and endogenouslearning-by-doing dynamics, besides the more commonelements of price-induced demand response and fuelsubstitution. First, we present four scenarios tohighlight the importance of assumptions on innovationsin energy technology in assessing the extent to whichCO₂ emissions have to be reduced. The inertia ofthe energy system seems to make a rise ofCO₂ emissions in the short term almostunavoidable. It is concluded that for the populationand economic growth assumptions of the IPCC IS92ascenario, only a combination of supply- anddemand-side oriented technological innovations incombination with policy measures can bring the targetof CO₂-concentration stabilization at 550 ppmv bythe year 2100 within reach. This will probably beassociated with a temporary increase in the overallenergy expenditures in the world economy. Postponingthe policy measures will be more disadvantageous,and less innovation in energy technology willhappen.     

IPCC《可再生能源与减缓气候变化特别报告》及其对应对气候变化前景的影响分析

应对气候变化和能源安全已成为全球性的重大问题,在此背景下,2008年4月在布达佩斯召开的政府间气候变化专门委员会(IPCC)第28次全会上,决定由IPCC第三工作组组织编写《可再生能源与减缓气候变化特别报告》(以下简称SRREN)①。全球120多位专家,先后举行6次会议,历时2年半,完成了SRREN的编写。2011年5月,IPCC第三工作组     

气候和气候变化领域的研究进展

该文回顾了过去几十年来中国气象科学研究院在气候和气候变化研究方面的成果, 主要包括对我国历史气候资料的恢复、重建和整理, 气候区划, 对我国气温和降水的研究, 对青藏高原温度和降水、近地层与边界层地-气过程, 大气热源特征和臭氧变化的研究, 古气候模拟, 对气候变化的预测理论和方法以及气候和气候变化对我国社会、经济的影响等方面的研究。近50年中国气象科学研究院收集大量气候资料并整理出版了《中国近五百年旱涝分布图集》; 对风能等资源进行了气候区划; 明确了近几十年中国地区在20世纪40年代和90年代出现了两个暖期, 20世纪50—60年代出现了相对冷期; 在全球变暖的背景下, 以四川为中心的西南地区自20世纪50年代到80年代一直在变冷; 20世纪80年代以后, 多雨带由华北南移到长江中下游地区; 提出青藏高原近地层与边界层地-气过程的综合物理图像; 发现青藏高原夏季臭氧低值中心; 模拟出青藏高原隆起过程中中国气候变化特征; 揭示出东亚季风环流系统及其成员; 设计了多种预报方法; 还将气候和气候变化研究成果向国家经济转化。     

气候系统与气候变化研究进展

2010年度气候系统研究所在准双周振荡结构与起源、东部地区降水年代际演变特征、13变化机理、降水评估和古气候研究等方面取得明显进展,主要研究成果如下。     

关于温室气体浓度变化及其引起的气候变化的几个问题

阐述了当前全球温室气体浓度的增加及其引起的气候效应,讨论了气候变化研究中存在的许多不确定性,如未来温室气体的浓度如何变化,未来气候如何变化,以及气候影响的评价问题等.最后,强调了未来气候变化基础研究中需要注意的问题.       

气候与气候系统研究进展

2011年,气候系统研究所在气候系统模式研发、陆面过程对我国气候的影响以及我国云南持续性干旱的成因等方面开展了深入研究,取得可喜的进展。     

Climate Change and Water Resources

Current perspectives on global climate change based on recent reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) are presented. Impacts of a greenhouse warming that are likely to affect water planning and evaluation include changes in precipitation and runoff patterns, sea level rise, land use and population shifts following from these effects, and changes in water demands. Irrigation water demands are particularly sensitive to changes in precipitation, temperature, and carbon dioxide levels. Despite recent advances in climate change science, great uncertainty remains as to how and when climate will change and how these changes will affect the supply and demand for water at the river basin and watershed levels, which are of most interest to planners. To place the climate-induced uncertainties in perspective, the influence on the supply and demand for water of non-climate factors such as population, technology, economic conditions, social and political factors, and the values society places on alternative water uses are considered.