Assessment of changes in methane emissions from marsh ecosystems of northern Eurasia in the 21st century using regional climate model results

Changes in methane emissions into the atmosphere from terrestrial ecosystems are assessed with models for the European and Asian parts of Russia using the model unit of a methane cycle and calculations with a regional climate model. The calculations were performed for the present-day base period (1991–2000), for the middle (2041–2050), and late (2091–2100) 21st century using the SRES A2 anthropogenic emission scenario. The average emissions for the base period were equal to 8 Mt CH₄/year for the European part of Russia and 10 Mt CH₄/year for the Asian part. By the middle of the 21st century, they increased up to 11 and 13 Mt CH₄/year, and by the late 21st century, up to 14 and 17 Mt CH₄/year. These tendencies are associated with the increased warm period of the soil and dependence of the integral methane production on temperature. It is predicted that the maximum depth of freezing will lessen in the southern regions of the European and Asian parts of Russia by the late 21st century.     

Impact of climate changes over the extratropical land on permafrost dynamics under RCP scenarios in the 21st century as simulated by the IAP RAS climate model

Estimates of possible climate changes and cryolithozone dynamics in the 21st century over the Northern Hemisphere land are obtained using the IAP RAS global climate model under the RCP scenarios. Annual mean warming over the northern extratropical land during the 21st century amounts to 1.2–5.3°C depending on the scenario. The area of the snow cover in February amounting currently to 46 million km² decreases to 33–42 million km² in the late 21st century. According to model estimates, the near-surface permafrost in the late 21st century persists in northern regions of West Siberia, in Transbaikalia, and Tibet even under the most aggressive RCP 8.5 scenario; under more moderate scenarios (RCP 6.0, RCP 4.5, and RCP 2.6), it remains in East Siberia and in some high-latitude regions of North America. The total near-surface permafrost area in the Northern Hemisphere in the current century decreases by 5.3–12.8 million km² depending on the scenario. The soil subsidence due to permafrost thawing in Central Siberia, Cisbaikalia, and North America can reach 0.5–0.8 m by the late 21st century.     

Estimates of climate changes in the 20th-21st centuries based on the version of the IAP RAS climate model including the model of general ocean circulation

Numerical experiments are analyzed for 1860–2100 with the version of the climate model of intermediate complexity of the Obukhov Institute of Atmospheric Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IAP RAS) including the model of general ocean circulation as the oceanic module (CM IAP RAS-GOC) taking account of concentration variations of anthropogenic greenhouse gases and tropospheric sulfate aerosols from the data of observations and reconstructions for the second half of the 19th and for the 20th century and, according to SRES scenarios, in the 21st century. In the 20th century, the model simulates realistically the variations of surface atmospheric temperature, characteristics of heat absorption by the ocean, and oceanic meridional heat transport. The linear trend of global surface atmospheric temperature in the 20th century (in its last 30 years) in this version of the model amounts to 0.5 ± 0.1 K/100 years (0.22 ± 0.05 K/10 years) that is agreed with the observational data. In the 21st century, the global increase in the surface temperature amounts to 2.5 K (3.5 and 4.1 K) for SRES B1 scenario (for SRES A1B and SRES A2 scenarios, respectively). The increase in the surface temperature is the most significant in high latitudes, especially in the Northern Hemisphere and it is higher, on the whole, over the land than over the ocean. The warming near the surface is larger in winter than in summer. The maximum warming is observed in the Arctic and over the land of subpolar latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere reaching 6–10 K by the end of the 21st century in these regions as compared with the end of the 20th century depending on the anthropogenic impact scenario. At the increase in surface temperature in the 20th–21st centuries, the increase in the heat flow to the ocean and the weakening of the heat transport by the ocean from the tropics to the polar area by 1.5–2 times are registered, on the whole. At the warming, the CM IAP RAS-GOC gives the general increase in the annual precipitation amount which is especially appreciable in the tropics and in the storm-track regions. At the global averaging, the precipitation in the 21st century increase by 20–25%.     

Analytical estimations of the efficiency of climate warming prevention by controlled aerosol emissions into the stratosphere

Analytical solutions of globally averaged energy-balance model to estimate the efficiency of controlled forcing on the climate in the result of sulfate aerosol emissions into the stratosphere are obtained. According to obtained results, the sulfate aerosol emissions, needed to prevent the warming, make up from 2 to 12 Mt S/year in the end of the 21st century depending on the anthropogenic impact scenario and aerosol parameters. In the case of the cessation of such compensative emissions of sulfate aerosols, the global temperature increase rate may reach 3 K per decade, that is several times more than values, derived when taking account of greenhouse effect only.     

Uncertainty of Climate Response to Natural and Anthropogenic Forcings Due to Different Land Use Scenarios

The A.M.Obukhov Institute of Atmospheric Physics,Russian Academy of Sciences (IAP RAS) climate model (CM) of intermediate complexity is extended by a spatially explicit terrestrial carbon cycle module.Numerical experiments with the IAP RAS CM are performed forced by the reconstructions of anthropogenic and natural forcings for the 16th to the 20th centuries and by combined SRES (Special Report on Emission Scenarios) A2-LUH (Land Use Harmonization) anthropogenic scenarios for the 21st century.Hereby,the impact of uncertainty in land-use scenarios on results of simulations with a coupled climate-carbon cycle model is tested.The simulations of the model realistically reproduced historical changes in carbon cycle characteristics.In the IAP RAS CM,climate warming reproduced in the 20th and 21st centuries enhanced terrestrial net primary production but terrestrial carbon uptake was suppressed due to an overcompensating increase in soil respiration.Around year 2100,the simulations the model forced by different land use scenarios diverged markedly,by about 70 Pg (C) in terms of biomass and soil carbon stock but they differed only by about 10 ppmv in terms of atmospheric carbon dioxide content.     

Expert assessment of vulnerability of permafrost carbon to climate change

Approximately 1700 Pg of soil carbon (C) are stored in the northern circumpolar permafrost zone, more than twice as much C than in the atmosphere. The overall amount, rate, and form of C released to the atmosphere in a warmer world will influence the strength of the permafrost C feedback to climate change. We used a survey to quantify variability in the perception of the vulnerability of permafrost C to climate change. Experts were asked to provide quantitative estimates of permafrost change in response to four scenarios of warming. For the highest warming scenario (RCP 8.5), experts hypothesized that C release from permafrost zone soils could be 19–45 Pg C by 2040, 162–288 Pg C by 2100, and 381–616 Pg C by 2300 in CO₂ equivalent using 100-year CH₄ global warming potential (GWP). These values become 50 % larger using 20-year CH₄ GWP, with a third to a half of expected climate forcing coming from CH₄ even though CH₄ was only 2.3 % of the expected C release. Experts projected that two-thirds of this release could be avoided under the lowest warming scenario (RCP 2.6). These results highlight the potential risk from permafrost thaw and serve to frame a hypothesis about the magnitude of this feedback to climate change. However, the level of emissions proposed here are unlikely to overshadow the impact of fossil fuel burning, which will continue to be the main source of C emissions and climate forcing.     

Assessment of possible expansion of the climatic range of Italian locust (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Calliptamus italicus</Emphasis> L.) in Russia in the 21st century at simulated climate changes

The areas of distribution, high pest damage, and mass reproduction of Italian locust are mainly limited by climatic factors. It is demonstrated that under conditions of the RCP4.5 moderate scenario of anthropogenic impact on the global climate system in Russia in the 21st century the climatic range of Italian locust will be expanded mainly northward and, to a smaller extent, eastward. The expansion of the range by the middle of the 21st century as compared with the end of the 20th century will be more significant that at the end of the 21st century versus its middle.     

Possibility of geoengineering stabilization of global temperature in the 21st century using the stratospheric aerosol and estimation of potential negative effects

The climate model of atmospheric and oceanic circulation is used to assess a potential of the geoengineering to stabilize the global temperature at the level of +2°C relative to the average for the 20th century. An anthropogenic forcing was set in accordance with the RCP8.5 scenario. The injection of H₂S into the stratosphere transformed afterwards into the sulfate aerosol starts when the temperature reaches a threshold of +2°C. The intensity of the injection is chosen so that the estimated global temperature remains close to the threshold. It is demonstrated that the stabilization of temperature by geoengineering is possible within +(2 ± 0.11)°C during the 21st century. The stabilization of temperature by the end of the 21st century needs the yearly injection of 4.5 Mt S in the form of H₂S. The specific efficiency of the method is about 0.09°C/Mt of aerosol. It was found that the stabilization of global temperature does not provide the stabilization of mean global precipitation. The maximum influence of aerosol is in the equatorial zone where its specific density in the atmosphere will reach 0.074 g/m² by the end of the 21st century. Carried out is a comparison of regional features of temperature and precipitation fields with and without geoengineering. It is shown that the geoengineering will decrease significantly the regional anomalies in the most part of regions and will not increase them in the rest part. Estimated is an effect of the rapid growth in global temperature at the dramatic cessation of geoengineering impacts. Considered is a variant of the gradual decrease in geoengineering intensity, when the negative effects will be smoothed.     

Assessment of projected agro-climatic indices over Awun river basin,Nigeria for the late twenty-first century

This paper examines changes in rainfall effectiveness indices of the Awun basin in Nigeria during the late twenty-first century for agricultural applications with outputs from high-resolution regional climate model (RCM) simulations. The RCM simulations are driven by two global climate models for a reference period (1985–2004) and a future period (2080–2099) and for RCP4.5 (a scenario with some mitigation) and RCP8.5 (a business as usual scenario) forcings. Simulations are provided for the control (1985–2004) and scenario (2080–2099) periods. Observations from synoptic station are used for bias-correction. Three indices being local onset date, seasonality index (SI), and hydrologic ratio (HR) are analyzed. Onset and HR are tested with two evapotranspiration (ET_p) models. Farmers’ perceptions are also collected to validate trends of rainfall indices for the present-day climate. We found that onset dates do not depend much on the ET_p models used, and farmers’ perceptions are consistent with predicted rainfall patterns. Present-day climate trend shows an early onset. However, onset is projected to be late in future and the delay will be magnified under the business as usual scenario. Indeed, average onset date is found on the 5th May for present-day while in the future, a delay about 4 and 8 weeks is projected under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios respectively. SI is between 0.80 and 0.99, and HR is less than 0.75 for all scenarios, meaning respectively that (i) the rainy season will get shorter and (ii) the area will get drier in the future compared to the present-day. Local stakeholders are forewarned to prepare for potential response strategies. A continuous provision of forecast-based rainfall indices to support farmer’s decision making is also recommended.     

Steric sea level change in twentieth century historical climate simulation and IPCC-RCP8.5 scenario projection: A comparison of two versions of FGOALS model

To reveal the steric sea level change in 20th century historical climate simulations and future climate change projections under the IPCC’s Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5 (RCP8.5) scenario, the results of two versions of LASG/IAP’s Flexible Global Ocean-Atmosphere-Land System model (FGOALS) are analyzed. Both models reasonably reproduce the mean dynamic sea level features, with a spatial pattern correlation coefficient of 0.97 with the observation. Characteristics of steric sea level changes in the 20th century historical climate simulations and RCP8.5 scenario projections are investigated. The results show that, in the 20th century, negative trends covered most parts of the global ocean. Under the RCP8.5 scenario, global-averaged steric sea level exhibits a pronounced rising trend throughout the 21st century and the general rising trend appears in most parts of the global ocean. The magnitude of the changes in the 21st century is much larger than that in the 20th century. By the year 2100, the global-averaged steric sea level anomaly is 18 cm and 10 cm relative to the year 1850 in the second spectral version of FGOALS (FGOALS-s2) and the second grid-point version of FGOALS (FGOALS-g2), respectively. The separate contribution of the thermosteric and halosteric components from various ocean layers is further evaluated. In the 20th century, the steric sea level changes in FGOALS-s2 (FGOALS-g2) are largely attributed to the thermosteric (halosteric) component relative to the pre-industrial control run. In contrast, in the 21st century, the thermosteric component, mainly from the upper 1000 m, dominates the steric sea level change in both models under the RCP8.5 scenario. In addition, the steric sea level change in the marginal sea of China is attributed to the thermosteric component.     

Climate change in the 21st century simulated by HadGEM2-AO under representative concentration pathways

We present climate responses of Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) using the coupled climate model HadGEM2-AO for the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 (CMIP5). The RCPs are selected as standard scenarios for the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report and these scenarios include time paths for emissions and concentrations of greenhouse gas and aerosols and land-use/land cover. The global average warming and precipitation increases for the last 20 years of the 21st century relative to the period 1986-2005 are +1.1°C/+2.1% for RCP2.6, +2.4°C/+4.0% for RCP4.5, +2.5°C/+3.3% for RCP6.0 and +4.1°C/+4.6% for RCP8.5, respectively. The climate response on RCP 2.6 scenario meets the UN Copenhagen Accord to limit global warming within two degrees at the end of 21st century, the mitigation effect is about 3°C between RCP2.6 and RCP8.5. The projected precipitation changes over the 21st century are expected to increase in tropical regions and at high latitudes, and decrease in subtropical regions associated with projected poleward expansions of the Hadley cell. Total soil moisture change is projected to decrease in northern hemisphere high latitudes and increase in central Africa and Asia whereas near-surface soil moisture tends to decrease in most areas according to the warming and evaporation increase. The trend and magnitude of future climate extremes are also projected to increase in proportion to radiative forcing of RCPs. For RCP 8.5, at the end of the summer season the Arctic is projected to be free of sea ice.     

Projections of high resolution climate changes for South Korea using multiple-regional climate models based on four RCP scenarios. Part 1: surface air temperature

We projected surface air temperature changes over South Korea during the mid (2026-2050) and late (2076-2100) 21st century against the current climate (1981-2005) using the simulation results from five regional climate models (RCMs) driven by Hadley Centre Global Environmental Model, version 2, coupled with the Atmosphere- Ocean (HadGEM2-AO), and two ensemble methods (equal weighted averaging, weighted averaging based on Taylor’s skill score) under four Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) scenarios. In general, the five RCM ensembles captured the spatial and seasonal variations, and probability distribution of temperature over South Korea reasonably compared to observation. They particularly showed a good performance in simulating annual temperature range compared to HadGEM2-AO. In future simulation, the temperature over South Korea will increase significantly for all scenarios and seasons. Stronger warming trends are projected in the late 21st century than in the mid-21st century, in particular under RCP8.5. The five RCM ensembles projected that temperature changes for the mid/late 21st century relative to the current climate are +1.54°C/+1.92°C for RCP2.6, +1.68°C/+2.91°C for RCP4.5, +1.17°C/+3.11°C for RCP6.0, and +1.75°C/+4.73°C for RCP8.5. Compared to the temperature projection of HadGEM2-AO, the five RCM ensembles projected smaller increases in temperature for all RCP scenarios and seasons. The inter-RCM spread is proportional to the simulation period (i.e., larger in the late-21st than mid-21st century) and significantly greater (about four times) in winter than summer for all RCP scenarios. Therefore, the modeled predictions of temperature increases during the late 21st century, particularly for winter temperatures, should be used with caution.     

Can reanalysis datasets describe the persistent temperature and precipitation extremes over China?

This study analyzes the impact of anthropogenic climate change in the hydroclimatology of Senegal with a focus over the lake of Guiers basin for the middle (2041–2060) and late twenty-first century (2080–2099). To this end, high-resolution multimodel ensemble based on regional climate model experiments considering two Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) is used. The results indicate that an elevated warming, leading to substantial increase of atmospheric water demand, is projected over the whole of Senegal. In the Lake basin, these increases in potential evapotranspiration (PE) range between 10 and 25 % in the near future and for RCP4.5 while for the far future and RCP8.5, they exceed 50 %. In addition, mean precipitation unveils contrasting changes with wetter (10 to 25 % more) conditions by the middle of the century and drier conditions (more than 50 %) during the late twenty-first century. Such changes cause more/less evapotranspiration and soil moisture respectively during the two future periods. Furthermore, surface runoff shows a tendency to increase in most areas amid few locations including the Lake basin with substantial reduction. Finally, it is found that while semi-arid climates develop in the RCP4.5 scenario, generalized arid conditions prevail over the whole Senegal for RCP8.5. It is thus evident that these future climate conditions substantially threaten freshwater availability for the country and irrigated cropping over the Lake basin. Therefore, strong governmental politics are needed to help design response options to cope with the challenges posed by the projected climate change for the country.

     

RegCM4对华北区域21世纪气候变化预估研究

利用国家气候中心完成的RegCM4区域气候模式在RCP4.5和RCP8.5两种排放路径下的气候变化动力降尺度试验结果,在检验模式对基准期(1986—2005年)气温和降水模拟能力基础上,进行华北区域21世纪气候变化预估分析。结果表明：RegCM4对华北区域基准期气温和降水的模拟能力较好。未来21世纪,两种情景下华北区域气温、降水、持续干期(consecutive dry days, CDD)和强降水量(R95p)变化逐渐增大,但变化幅度在高排放的RCP8.5情景下更为显著,其中近期(2021—2035年)、中期(2046—2065年)、远期(2080—2098年)RCP8.5情景下年平均气温分别升高1.77、3.44、5.82℃,年平均降水分别增加8.1%、14%、19.3%,CDD分别减少3、3、12 d, R95p分别增加30.8%、41.9%、69.8%。空间上,未来21世纪华北区域内年、冬季、夏季平均气温将一致升高,夏季升温幅度最大;年、冬季、夏季平均降水整体以增加为主,冬季降水增加幅度最大;CDD以减少为主,但近期和中期在山西和京津冀有所增加,而R95p以增加为主,表明21世...     

“一带一路”区域未来气候变化预估

利用耦合模式比较计划第5阶段(CMIP5)提供的18个全球气候模式的模拟结果,预估了3种典型浓度路径(RCP2.6、RCP4.5、RCP8.5)下“一带一路”地区平均气候和极端气候的未来变化趋势。结果表明:在温室气体持续排放情景下,“一带一路”地区年平均气温在未来将会持续上升,升温幅度随温室气体浓度的增加而加大。在高温室气体排放情景(RCP8.5)下,到21世纪末期,平均气温将普遍升高5℃以上,其中北亚地区升幅最大,南亚和东南亚地区升幅最小。对于降水的变化,预估该区域大部分地区的年降水量将增加,其中西亚和北亚增加最为明显,而且在21世纪中期,RCP2.6情景下的增幅要比RCP4.5和RCP8.5情景下的偏大,而在21世纪后期,RCP8.5情景下降水的增幅比RCP2.6和RCP4.5情景下的偏大。未来极端温度也将呈升高的趋势,增温幅度高纬度地区大于低纬度地区、高排放情景大于低排放情景。而且在高纬度区域,极端低温的增暖幅度要大于极端高温的增幅。连续干旱日数在北亚和东亚总体呈现减少趋势,而在其他地区则呈增加趋势。极端强降水在“一带一路”区域总体上将增强,增强最明显的地区位于南亚、东南亚和东亚。     

Warmer climate: less or more snow?

Changes in snow amount, as measured by the water equivalent of the snow pack (SWE), are studied using simulations of 21st century climate by 20 global climate models. Although the simulated warming makes snow season to shorten from its both ends in all of Eurasia and North America, SWE at the height of the winter generally increases in the coldest areas. Elsewhere, snow decreases throughout the winter. The average borderline between increasing and decreasing midwinter SWE coincides broadly with the ?20°C isotherm in late 20th century November–March mean temperature, although with some variability between different areas. On the colder side of this isotherm, an increase in total precipitation generally dominates over reduced fraction of solid precipitation and more efficient melting, and SWE therefore increases. On the warmer side, where the phase of winter precipitation and snowmelt are more sensitive to the simulated warming, the reverse happens. The strong temperature dependence of the simulated SWE changes suggests that projections of SWE change could be potentially improved by taking into account biases in simulated present-day winter temperatures. A probabilistic cross verification exercise supports this suggestion.     

Coal to gas: the influence of methane leakage

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from fossil fuel combustion may be reduced by using natural gas rather than coal to produce energy. Gas produces approximately half the amount of CO₂ per unit of primary energy compared with coal. Here we consider a scenario where a fraction of coal usage is replaced by natural gas (i.e., methane, CH₄) over a given time period, and where a percentage of the gas production is assumed to leak into the atmosphere. The additional CH₄ from leakage adds to the radiative forcing of the climate system, offsetting the reduction in CO₂ forcing that accompanies the transition from coal to gas. We also consider the effects of: methane leakage from coal mining; changes in radiative forcing due to changes in the emissions of sulfur dioxide and carbonaceous aerosols; and differences in the efficiency of electricity production between coal- and gas-fired power generation. On balance, these factors more than offset the reduction in warming due to reduced CO₂ emissions. When gas replaces coal there is additional warming out to 2,050 with an assumed leakage rate of 0%, and out to 2,140 if the leakage rate is as high as 10%. The overall effects on global-mean temperature over the 21st century, however, are small.     

Projections of the advance in the start of the growing season during the 21st century based on CMIP5 simulations

It is well-known that global warming due to anthropogenic atmospheric greenhouse effects advanced the start of the vegetation growing season(SOS) across the globe during the 20 th century. Projections of further changes in the SOS for the 21 st century under certain emissions scenarios(Representative Concentration Pathways, RCPs) are useful for improving understanding of the consequences of global warming. In this study, we first evaluate a linear relationship between the SOS(defined using the normalized difference vegetation index) and the April temperature for most land areas of the Northern Hemisphere for 1982–2008. Based on this relationship and the ensemble projection of April temperature under RCPs from the latest state-of-the-art global coupled climate models, we show the possible changes in the SOS for most of the land areas of the Northern Hemisphere during the 21 st century. By around 2040–59, the SOS will have advanced by-4.7 days under RCP2.6,-8.4 days under RCP4.5, and-10.1 days under RCP8.5, relative to 1985–2004. By 2080–99, it will have advanced by-4.3 days under RCP2.6,-11.3 days under RCP4.5, and-21.6 days under RCP8.5. The geographic pattern of SOS advance is considerably dependent on that of the temperature sensitivity of the SOS. The larger the temperature sensitivity,the larger the date-shift-rate of the SOS.     

21世纪气候变化情景下环北极地区植被生长季与活动积温变化

基于部门间影响模式比较计划（ISI-MIP, Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project)对CMIP5中5个气候（地球）系统模式模拟结果的降尺度数据,利用多模式集合预估了气候变化情景下21世纪环北极地区植被生长季与活动积温变化。研究发现:1）多模式集合模拟能够基本再现观测的初、终霜日及无霜期长度与>10°C积温的空间分布特征以及1979～2004年各指标变化趋势的空间分布特征,但其对气候变化年际变率的模拟能力较弱;2）至21世纪末,终霜日最多将提前60 d,初霜日将推迟20～40 d,无霜期延长幅度最高可达100 d,积温将增加1000～1200°C。其中RCP8.5情景下,各指标变幅最大,RCP2.6情景下变幅最小;3）各指标变幅呈现出较大的空间差异,亚欧大陆中西部的变幅普遍较大,随着气候变暖,>10°C积温增加幅度表现出明显的纬度地带性,南部增幅较大,北部增幅较小。     

Climatic changes associated with a global “2°C-stabilization” scenario simulated by the ECHAM5/MPI-OM coupled climate model

In this study, concentrations of the well-mixed greenhouse gases as well as the anthropogenic sulphate aerosol load and stratospheric ozone concentrations are prescribed to the ECHAM5/MPI-OM coupled climate model so that the simulated global warming does not exceed 2°C relative to pre-industrial times. The climatic changes associated with this so-called “2°C-stabilization” scenario are assessed in further detail, considering a variety of meteorological and oceanic variables. The climatic changes associated with such a relatively weak climate forcing supplement the recently published fourth assessment report by the IPCC in that such a stabilization scenario can only be achieved by mitigation initiatives. Also, the impact of the anthropogenic sulphate aerosol load and stratospheric ozone concentrations on the simulated climatic changes is investigated. For this particular climate model, the 2°C-stabilization scenario is characterized by the following atmospheric concentrations of the well-mixed greenhouse gases: 418 ppm (CO₂), 2,026 ppb (CH₄), and 331 ppb (N₂O), 786 ppt (CFC-11) and 486 ppt (CFC-12), respectively. These greenhouse gas concentrations correspond to those for 2020 according to the SRES A1B scenario. At the same time, the anthropogenic sulphate aerosol load and stratospheric ozone concentrations are changed to the level in 2100 (again, according to the SRES A1B scenario), with a global anthropogenic sulphur dioxide emission of 28 TgS/year leading to a global anthropogenic sulphate aerosol load of 0.23 TgS. The future changes in climate associated with the 2°C-stabilization scenario show many of the typical features of other climate change scenarios, including those associated with stronger climatic forcings. That are a pronounced warming, particularly at high latitudes accompanied by a marked reduction of the sea-ice cover, a substantial increase in precipitation in the tropics as well as at mid- and high latitudes in both hemispheres but a marked reduction in the subtropics, a significant strengthening of the meridional temperature gradient between the tropical upper troposphere and the lower stratosphere in the extratropics accompanied by a pronounced intensification of the westerly winds in the lower stratosphere, and a strengthening of the westerly winds in the Southern Hemisphere extratropics throughout the troposphere. The magnitudes of these changes, however, are somewhat weaker than for the scenarios associated with stronger global warming due to stronger climatic forcings, such as the SRES A1B scenario. Some of the climatic changes associated with the 2°C-stabilization are relatively strong with respect to the magnitude of the simulated global warming, i.e., the pronounced warming and sea-ice reduction in the Arctic region, the strengthening of the meridional temperature gradient at the northern high latitudes and the general increase in precipitation. Other climatic changes, i.e., the El Niño like warming pattern in the tropical Pacific Ocean and the corresponding changes in the distribution of precipitation in the tropics and in the Southern Oscillation, are not as markedly pronounced as for the scenarios with a stronger global warming. A higher anthropogenic sulphate aerosol load (for 2030 as compared to the level in 2100 according to the SRES A1B scenario) generally weakens the future changes in climate, particularly for precipitation. The most pronounced effects occur in the Northern Hemisphere and in the tropics, where also the main sources of anthropogenic sulphate aerosols are located.