New Zealand: warning coastal weather will be more extreme
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- JanforGore
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A WARNING has been issued to New Zealand’s coastal centres, including Gisborne, that life in these places is going to be more troublesome because of a confirmed increase in extreme weather events, and other climate change impacts.
The warning comes from Dr David Wratt, the director of the Niwa’s National Climate Change Centre, who was one of a number of New Zealand scientists involved in a special report released by the world climate body, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
Other New Zealanders on the report team were Professor Glenn McGregor of Auckland University and Associate Professor John Camobell of Waikato University.
Dr Wratt, who is also chief scientist at the Niwa’s Climate Centre, says the IPCC report concludes that climate change is leading to an increase in the frequency, intensity and duration of extreme weather and climate events.
He says the IPCC report used observations gathered since the 1950s, and concludes there has been a decrease in the number of cold days and nights globally and an overall increase in the number of warm days and nights.
The report says trends for this century indicate more warm, and fewer cold daily temperature extremes around the globe.
Dr Wratt says there is 90-100 percent confidence that there will be an increase in the frequency of heavy precipitation events throughout the 21st century over many areas of the globe, and mean wind speeds in tropical cyclones will increase.
“We have high confidence that extreme events will have greater impacts on sectors directly reliant on weather and climate,” says Dr Wratt.
“New Zealand’s agriculture, horticulture and energy sectors clearly fall into that category.
“The high likelihood of increasingly severe extreme sea levels events is also significant, given that 12 of New Zealand’s 15 largest towns and cities are located on the coast.”
Dr Wratt says the challenge for policymakers is to develop strategies to reduce the vulnerability and exposure of people and assets to climate change extremes.
“That way, extreme weather and climate events won’t necessarily become disasters.”
The IPCC report and Dr Wratt’s remarks are backed by a study by Princeton University, just published in the Journal of Climate.
The Princeton researchers have undertaken the first major study to concentrate on variations in daily weather conditions rather than monthly or yearly averages.
The study found that day-to-day weather has grown increasingly erratic and extreme, with significant fluctations in sunshine and rainfall affecting more than a third of the planet.
The team found that extremely sunny or cloudy days have become more common than in the 1980s and that swings from thunderstorms to dry conditions have also risen considerably.
Regions such as equatorial Africa and Asia have experienced the greatest increase in the frequency of extreme conditions, with erratic shifts in the weather throughout the year.
More at the link
The warning comes from Dr David Wratt, the director of the Niwa’s National Climate Change Centre, who was one of a number of New Zealand scientists involved in a special report released by the world climate body, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
Other New Zealanders on the report team were Professor Glenn McGregor of Auckland University and Associate Professor John Camobell of Waikato University.
Dr Wratt, who is also chief scientist at the Niwa’s Climate Centre, says the IPCC report concludes that climate change is leading to an increase in the frequency, intensity and duration of extreme weather and climate events.
He says the IPCC report used observations gathered since the 1950s, and concludes there has been a decrease in the number of cold days and nights globally and an overall increase in the number of warm days and nights.
The report says trends for this century indicate more warm, and fewer cold daily temperature extremes around the globe.
Dr Wratt says there is 90-100 percent confidence that there will be an increase in the frequency of heavy precipitation events throughout the 21st century over many areas of the globe, and mean wind speeds in tropical cyclones will increase.
“We have high confidence that extreme events will have greater impacts on sectors directly reliant on weather and climate,” says Dr Wratt.
“New Zealand’s agriculture, horticulture and energy sectors clearly fall into that category.
“The high likelihood of increasingly severe extreme sea levels events is also significant, given that 12 of New Zealand’s 15 largest towns and cities are located on the coast.”
Dr Wratt says the challenge for policymakers is to develop strategies to reduce the vulnerability and exposure of people and assets to climate change extremes.
“That way, extreme weather and climate events won’t necessarily become disasters.”
The IPCC report and Dr Wratt’s remarks are backed by a study by Princeton University, just published in the Journal of Climate.
The Princeton researchers have undertaken the first major study to concentrate on variations in daily weather conditions rather than monthly or yearly averages.
The study found that day-to-day weather has grown increasingly erratic and extreme, with significant fluctations in sunshine and rainfall affecting more than a third of the planet.
The team found that extremely sunny or cloudy days have become more common than in the 1980s and that swings from thunderstorms to dry conditions have also risen considerably.
Regions such as equatorial Africa and Asia have experienced the greatest increase in the frequency of extreme conditions, with erratic shifts in the weather throughout the year.
More at the link
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- groups:
- Green, Earth and Science, Endangered Earth, Oceans, 1 more
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- tags:
- Environment, Climate Change, Australia, Future, 5 more
