Climate change Flashcards
Radiative forcing
Expression of imbalance of earths energy system
Global warming indicators
Northern Hemisphere spring snow cover, change in global average upper ocean heat content, Arctic summer sea ice extent, global average sea level change
IPCC
Intergovernmental panel of climate change = highly scientific organisation of UN founded 1988 1990 first report 2013 fifth report 2021 Latest report (AR6)
Climate scenarios (modelling) - RCP
Socio-economic future development and radiative forcing
4 main scenarios: RCP 2.6, 4.5, 6.0 & 8.5
2021 radiative forcing
2.72 (higher than lowest scenario)
SSPx
New way of referring to RCP
Means shared socio-economic pathway
Little ice age
Changed only 1-2 (0.5 to - 0.5) degrees but massive difference in temperature in the world and north-western europe
AR5 model in words
Changing precipitation will change hydrological system (medium confidence)
Many species have shifted geographical range (high confidence)
Negative impacts on crop yields are more common than positive ones (high confidence)
Human-ill health shows no clear relation to climate change (except heat and cold related mortality)
AR5 extreme scenarios
Decrease in number of cold days and increase in number of hot days (high confidence)
Increase in storm surges since 1970 due to sea level rise (likely)
more land regions with heavy rainfall events (likely)
Increase of frequency and magnitude of fluvial floods (low confidence)
more droughts (low confidence due to missing data)
KNMI climate scenario (Regional - NL)
From 2014.
Global temperature rise (G, low or high) & Change in air circulation patterns (W, low or high)
More dominant westerly winds in NL recent years.
Regional climate change effects - coastal zones
Little or no change in storm surge frequency
Continuation of rising sea level
Increased salination of ground and surface water
Regional climate change effects - Fresh water discharge
The river discharge will rise in winter (higher peak)
Increase in change of flooding
The fitness of rivers will decrease in warm summers
Regional climate change effects - Water budget
Drought will lead to deficit, lower water quality and salinisation
Regional climate change effects - General health
Higher deaths in summer due to increased temperatures but lower in winter
Reduced air quality in summers
longer growing season which means increase in number of ‘‘allergy days’’
Regional climate change effects - Mobility
More traffic delays could be caused due to heavy showers, but less due to less snow and frost on roads
Regional climate change effects - Nature
Larger drought risk for rain dependent nature such as moors
Increased risk for forest fires
Migration of animals
Regional climate change effects - Agriculture
Increased yields due to higher temperature, longer growing season and higher CO2 concentration
Regional climate change effects - energy
Less energy for heating, more for air conditioning
Regional climate change effects - Recreation
Increase in number of recreation days in sun
increase algae growth
Mitigation
To reduce the hazards of the change before they occur
- a type of intervention to reduce the causes of it happening
example of a mitigation measure: from coal to sun energy (energy transition)
Adaption
Adjustment or coping with new environment
example of measures: Sponge city concept in China to deal with regional flooding
Strategies for mitigation and adaption
Mitigation: using nuclear, wind and solar energy, reduce general consumption, storing co2
Adaption: higher dikes, flooding scenarios, developing wet natural areas as a buffer for flooding or living with the water
Holoscene
Relatively warm, which meant sea level rose and changed vegetation
People are now involved into live on earth
11.700 until now
Typical low lying Dutch landscape - Feat peat landscapes
+ peat extraction?
Contains: Canals, Usually Wind mills, no trees, very open
Western part of the Netherlands
Origin: Peat extraction
Peat is accumulations of non-decayed (non-rotten) plant material (usually forms where the old beach barrier was before sea level rose)
Peat grows when the groundwater level fills up. Peat is always higher than the sea.
Netherlands above sea level
For 2500 years until just now - Netherlands used to be above sea level because of the peat covering the land
Peat reclamation
People started colonises the land by the river.
They went into the swampy area and dug a hole to let the water drain into it
Ditches were dogged perpendicular (90 degrees) to the river stream and altitude different made the water flow
Land subsidence and peat reclamation in the Netherlands
Lowering ground level leads to less peat growing and people had to move further and further away from original swamps
1000 years ago Netherlands was above sea level but due to peat extraction land subsidence occurred when draining and creating ditches allowing for the overall land to be lower due to additional sea level rise occurring (peat now allowed to grow with the ground water level anymore)
