Mechanisms for the land/sea warming contrast exhibited by simulations of climate change

The land/sea warming contrast is a phenomenon of both equilibrium and transient simulations of climate change: large areas of the land surface at most latitudes undergo temperature changes whose amplitude is more than those of the surrounding oceans. Using idealised GCM experiments with perturbed SSTs, we show that the land/sea contrast in equilibrium simulations is associated with local feedbacks and the hydrological cycle over land, rather than with externally imposed radiative forcing. This mechanism also explains a large component of the land/sea contrast in transient simulations as well. We propose a conceptual model with three elements: (1) there is a spatially variable level in the lower troposphere at which temperature change is the same over land and sea; (2) the dependence of lapse rate on moisture and temperature causes different changes in lapse rate upon warming over land and sea, and hence a surface land/sea temperature contrast; (3) moisture convergence over land predominantly takes place at levels significantly colder than the surface; wherever moisture supply over land is limited, the increase of evaporation over land upon warming is limited, reducing the relative humidity in the boundary layer over land, and hence also enhancing the land/sea contrast. The non-linearity of the Clausius–Clapeyron relationship of saturation specific humidity to temperature is critical in (2) and (3). We examine the sensitivity of the land/sea contrast to model representations of different physical processes using a large ensemble of climate model integrations with perturbed parameters, and find that it is most sensitive to representation of large-scale cloud and stomatal closure. We discuss our results in the context of high-resolution and Earth-system modelling of climate change.     

A less disastrous disaster: Managing response to climate-driven hazards in the Cayman Islands and NE Brazil

This paper explores the relationship between disaster risk reduction and long-term adaptive capacity building in two climate vulnerable areas—the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean and Ceará, in NE Brazil. Drawing on past applications of the disaster risk reduction framework, we identify four critical factors that have led to reductions in risk: flexible, learning-based, responsive governance; committed, reform-minded and politically active actors; disaster risk reduction integrated into other social and economic policy processes; and a long-term commitment to managing risk. We find that while the presence of these factors has reduced overall risk in both regions, in Ceará, disaster response as it is currently practiced, has fallen short of addressing the fundamental causes of vulnerability that leave those prone to hazards able to cope in the short term, yet enmeshed in poverty and at risk from the longer-term changes associated with climate change. Although calls for integration of disaster risk management with poverty eradication are not new, there has been insufficient attention paid in the literature on how to foster such integration. Based on the two case studies, we argue that the adoption of good governance mechanisms (such as stakeholder participation, access to knowledge, accountability and transparency) in disaster risk reduction policy may create the policy environment that is conducive to the kind of structural reform needed to build long-term adaptive capacity to climate-driven impacts. We conclude that without a synergistic two-tiered approach that includes both disaster risk reduction and structural reform, disaster risk reduction, in the face of climate changes, will prove to be an expensive and ineffective palliative treatment of changing risks.     

Extension and Intensification of the Meso-American mid-summer drought in the twenty-first century

Recent global-scale analyses of the CMIP3 model projections for the twenty-first century indicate a strong, coherent decreased precipitation response over Central America and the Intra-America Seas region. We explore this regional response and examine the models’ skill in representing present-day climate over this region. For much of Central America, the annual cycle of precipitation is characterized by a rainy season that extends from May to October with a period of reduced precipitation in July and August called the mid-summer drought. A comparison of the climate of the twentieth century simulations (20c3m) with observations over the period 1961–1990 shows that nearly all models underestimate precipitation over Central America, due in part to an underestimation of sea surface temperatures over the tropical North Atlantic and an excessively smooth representation of regional topographical features. However, many of the models capture the mid-summer drought. Differences between the A1B scenario (2061–2090) and 20c3m (1961–1990) simulations show decreased precipitation in the future climate scenario, mostly in June and July, just before and during the onset of the mid-summer drought. We thus hypothesize that the simulated twenty-first century drying over Central America represents an early onset and intensification of the mid-summer drought. An analysis of circulation changes indicates that the westward expansion and intensification of the North Atlantic subtropical high associated with the mid-summer drought occurs earlier in the A1B simulations, along with stronger low-level easterlies. The eastern Pacific inter-tropical convergence zone is also located further southward in the scenario simulations. There are some indications that these changes could be forced by ENSO-like warming of the tropical eastern Pacific and increased land–ocean heating contrasts over the North American continent.     

The drivers of Chinese CO2 emissions from 1980 to 2030

China's energy consumption doubled within the first 25 years of economic reforms initiated at the end of the 1970s, and doubled again in the past 5 years. It has resulted of a threefold CO₂ emissions increase since early of 1980s. China's heavy reliance on coal will make it the largest emitter of CO₂ in the world. By combining structural decomposition and input–output analysis we seek to assess the driving forces of China's CO₂ emissions from 1980 to 2030. In our reference scenario, production-related CO₂ emissions will increase another three times by 2030. Household consumption, capital investment and growth in exports will largely drive the increase in CO₂ emissions. Efficiency gains will be partially offset the projected increases in consumption, but our scenarios show that this will not be sufficient if China's consumption patterns converge to current US levels. Relying on efficiency improvements alone will not stabilize China's future emissions. Our scenarios show that even extremely optimistic assumptions of widespread installation of carbon dioxide capture and storage will only slow the increase in CO₂ emissions.     

Climate change or nuclear power—No thanks! A quantitative study of public perceptions and risk framing in Britain

The UK is witnessing a new line in political debate around new nuclear energy generation as one potential feature of future energy policy, specifically for contributing to climate change mitigation alongside energy security. Little is known about how ordinary citizens might be responding to this reframing. This paper reports the results from a major British survey (n=1491) undertaken in the autumn of 2005. The consistent message is that while higher proportions of the British public are prepared to accept nuclear power if they believe it contributes to climate change mitigation, this is a highly conditional view, with very few actively preferring this over renewable sources given the choice. People see both climate change and nuclear power as problematic in terms of risks and express only a ‘reluctant acceptance’ of nuclear power as a ‘solution’ to climate change. The combined data from this survey can also be interpreted as an indication of the complexity surrounding beliefs about energy futures and the difficulty of undertaking simplistic risk–risk tradeoffs within any single framing of the issues; such as nuclear energy versus climate change. The results also indicate that it would be unwise, in the UK as elsewhere, to simplistically assume that there exists any single or stable public ‘opinion’ on such complex matters. We conclude with a discussion of the role and implications of the survey evidence for the policy process.     

Integrated estimates of global terrestrial carbon sequestration

Assessing the contribution of terrestrial carbon sequestration to climate change mitigation requires integration across scientific and disciplinary boundaries. A comprehensive analysis incorporating ecologic, geographic and economic data was used to develop terrestrial carbon sequestration estimates for agricultural soil carbon, reforestation and pasture management. These estimates were applied in the MiniCAM integrated assessment model to evaluate mitigation strategies within policy and technology scenarios aimed at achieving atmospheric greenhouse gas stabilization by 2100. Terrestrial sequestration reaches a peak rate of 0.5–0.7 GtC yr⁻¹ in mid-century with contributions from agricultural soils (0.21 GtC yr⁻¹), reforestation (0.31 GtC yr⁻¹) and pasture (0.15 GtC yr⁻¹). Sequestration rates vary over time and with different technology and policy scenarios. The combined contribution of terrestrial sequestration over the next century ranges from 23 to 41 GtC.     

Extremely high temperatures in France at the end of the century

Power plant construction requires anticipation to achieve a liable dimensioning on the long functioning time of the installation. In the present climate change context, dimensioning towards extremely high temperature for installations intended to run until the 2070s or later implies an evaluation of plausible extreme values at this time scale. This study is devoted to such an estimation for France, using both observation series and climate model simulation results. The climate model results are taken from the European PRUDENCE (Prediction of Regional scenarios and Uncertainties for Defining European Climate change risks and Effects) project database of regional climate change scenarios for Europe. Comparison of high summer temperature distributions given by observations and climate models under current climate conditions, conducted using Generalized Extreme Value distribution, reveals that only a few models are able to correctly reproduce it. For these models, climate change under IPCC A2 and B2 scenarios leads to differences in the variability of high values, whose proportion has an important impact on future 100-year return levels. This study was first presented at the EGU General Assembly in Vienna, 2–7 April 2006.     

新疆水汽输送的气候特征及其变化

利用1961—2000年NCEP/NCAR再分析逐日资料,分析了新疆地区对流层不同层次空中水汽输送特征。结果表明:地面~300 hPa每年平均有26114.8×108t水汽流入新疆,25647.7×108t水汽流出新疆,净水汽收入量为467.1×108t。由于三面环山的地形,新疆地区四季和年对流层中层水汽输送量最大,低层和高层接近。夏季水汽输送量最大,约占全年的38%,春、秋季相当,约占全年的23%~25%,冬季最少。近40年新疆年平均、春、夏和秋季空中水汽总流入量、总流出量为减少趋势,变化率很接近,且1976年后无明显变化趋势,使得净收支量无显著变化趋势。     

气候变化和人类活动对石羊河流域水资影响评价

石羊河流域的年平均气温(最高、最低气温)自1951年以来总体呈上升趋势,增温速率为0.22℃/10a,增幅达1.2℃。1992年是年平均气温显著变暖的年份,与显著变暖前相比,年平均气温上升了0.85℃,低于近51年1.1℃的增幅水平。在近55年中,石羊河流域的年降水总体上在增加,出山口径流量在减少,流域尾闾民勤绿洲的地下水位在快速下降。气温显著变暖后,年降水量增加了约18.2 mm,增幅达5.8%,出山口径流量减少了4.1×108m3,民勤绿洲的地下水位下降了1倍~2倍。水资源变化的成因分析表明,出山口径流量的减少源自径流补充之一的上游山区降水的减少,而红崖山水库入库径流量的持续快速减少则是民勤地下水位快速下降的主要原因之一。受气候变化的影响,石羊河流域出山口径流量峰期有所提前,而人类活动严重地影响了石羊河流域中游地表径流利用量和下游可利用量分配比例。     

江苏地区沙尘天气时空特征及气候变化分析

利用江苏省59个测站1960-2006年的沙尘天气观测资料,通过时间序列线性变化趋势、小波分析等方法,研究了江苏沙尘天气的时空分布及年际和年代际变化特征.结果表明:江苏沙尘天气在空间上呈北多南少、西多东少,年发生频数差异明显的特征;47 a江苏年沙尘日数年际变化明显,总频次呈减少趋势,沙尘强度呈减弱趋势;江苏沙尘天气季节分布不均匀,3-4月份为多沙尘月,6-10月基本没有沙尘天气发生,11月后沙尘天气开始增多;从小波分析的结果看,江苏沙尘天气具有2、4、6、8 a的年际周期变化和11、20 a左右的年代际周期振荡,其中8 a和20 a周期振荡是主要特征,20 a的周期振荡贯穿始终.