David R. Easterling NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center Asheville, North Carolina USA
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Transcript of David R. Easterling NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center Asheville, North Carolina USA
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11Oslo, Norway March 2009
IPCC Extreme Events and Disasters
David R. EasterlingNOAA’s National Climatic Data CenterAsheville, North Carolina USA
Weather and Climate Extremes: How Can We Improve Our
Understanding?
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IPCC Extreme Events and Disasters
U.S. Climate Change Science Program Synthesis and Assessment Reports
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IPCC Extreme Events and Disasters
Outline
Trends in extremes related disasters Issues in analyzing extremes
including uncertainty. Multiple and compound extremes Vulnerability and Risk Some Recommendations
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IPCC Extreme Events and Disasters
Estimating Costs of Climate Extremes
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IPCC Extreme Events and Disasters
Weather and climate extremes are among the most serious challenges to society in coping with global warming
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IPCC Extreme Events and Disasters
Differences in Cost Estimates
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IPCC Extreme Events and Disasters
Insured Losses from Catastrophes
•Weather-related insurance losses in the U.S. are increasing.
•Typical weather-related losses today are similar to those that resulted from the 9/11 attack (shown in gray at 2001 in the graph).
•About half of all economic losses are insured, so actual losses are roughly twice those shown on the graph.
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IPCC Extreme Events and Disasters
Are We Seeing Changes in Extremes?
Yes, there is evidence for observed changes in weather and climate extremes.
Model projections suggest we will continue to see changes.
Some changes have been attributed to human-induced climate change.
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IPCC Extreme Events and Disasters
How do we define extremes?
IPCC AR4 Glossary: “an extreme weather event is an event that is rare at a particular place and time of year”
“rare” is defined as the highest or lowest 10%.
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IPCC Extreme Events and Disasters
Large percentage change in extremes
Increase in Mean
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IPCC Extreme Events and Disasters
Much bigger percentage changes in extremes
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IPCC Extreme Events and Disasters
Issues for extremes
Data are “messy” Often data are not available with right
sampling Spatial scales vary: tornadoes to droughts Extremes are inherently rare Terminology: High impact but not really
extreme? Model definitions are often different Model grid box value may not be comparable
to mean of grid box from observations
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IPCC Extreme Events and Disasters
Uncertainty Issues
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IPCC Extreme Events and Disasters
STORMS & HURRICANES
Observed Changes
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IPCC Extreme Events and Disasters
STORMS & HURRICANES
Observed Changes and Uncertainty
Atlantic hurricanes and tropical storms for 1878-2006, adjusted for missing storms.
Black curve is adjusted annual storm count,
Red curve is 5-year running mean, and
Blue curve is a normalized 5-year running mean SST index for Main Development Region
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IPCC Extreme Events and Disasters
Raw Counts
Adjusted Counts
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IPCC Extreme Events and Disasters
How do we examine changes in tornadoes?
Must use large-scale storm environment changes rather than direct observations of storms.− Changes in thermodynamic parameters
due to increased atmospheric water vapor and temperature.
− Can also be done for model simulations.
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IPCC Extreme Events and Disasters
How Do We Deal with Uncertainty Issues Like These?
Multiple independent experts and analyses Digitize and homogenize observational
data sets by multiple groups. Multiple analyses by independent
groups.− This approach helped reconcile the
tropospheric temperature trends issue.− Would be very useful for extremes such as
tropical storms or thunderstorms/tornadoes.
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IPCC Extreme Events and Disasters
Multiple and Compound Extreme Events
Multiple events: when additional events occur before a system has fully recovered.
Compound events: when two or more events occur simultaneously in the same location.
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IPCC Extreme Events and Disasters
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IPCC Extreme Events and Disasters
September 8, 2004 September 19, 2004
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IPCC Extreme Events and Disasters
Simultaneous Occurrence of Heat Wave and Extreme Air Stagnation
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IPCC Extreme Events and Disasters
Vulnerability and Risk: Moderate vs. Extreme Events.
Efforts to reduce risk for moderate events may lead to larger risk for extreme events.− Levees control moderate floods,− Leads to more development in
flood plains and false sense of security,
− Major flood inflicts much larger damages than would have occurred without flood control measures.
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IPCC Extreme Events and Disasters
What About Future Changes in Extremes?
Requires use of climate models.
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IPCC Extreme Events and Disasters
Multi-model Average Annual Time Series: Temperature and Precipitation
2001-2100.
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IPCC Extreme Events and Disasters
PATHWAYS FORWARD
Source: Unified Synthesis Product
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IPCC Extreme Events and Disasters
PHYSICAL CLIMATEAssuring continued capability for documenting climate system evolution
Essential climate variables are not being adequately monitored. How can we do a better job of detecting changes in essential climate variables?
Determine best models
There are now well over a dozen climate models. What models are best for what purpose? Can more reliance be placed on some models?
Improve regional projections
Climate change information particularly important for local and regional decision making. How can we provide local-scale climate change information to decision makers?
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IPCC Extreme Events and Disasters
PHYSICAL CLIMATEUnderstand how the climate system responds to change
Earth system feedbacks to global climate change are not generally modeled. What potentially important effects are they ignoring?
Expand emission scenarios
Global carbon emissions now exceed the highest IPCC emission scenarios of future change. What can be done to better inform policy?
Monitor and project extreme events
Extreme events have tremendous impacts, yet many kinds of events are not being accurately observed and adequately projected. How can this be addressed?
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IPCC Extreme Events and Disasters
IMPACTSCalculate thresholds
Crossing certain thresholds can lead to dramatic effects. Are there other thresholds we should be watching for?
Understand multiple stresses
Multiple stresses are common in society and the environment. And so we need to be prepared to deal with multiple stresses. Is climate change likely to produce other complex stresses that we should know about?
Quantify natural benefits
Nature provides us with many benefits such as food, fuel and fiber as well as many services we take for granted such as the cleansing of air and water. Are there benefits that we depend upon that are in jeopardy?
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IPCC Extreme Events and Disasters
IMPACTSAssess impacts on human health and well being
Climate change is going to impact many aspects of human health and well being. Are these impacts being adequately measured and projected so we can take action before a problem gets too serious?
Determine reversibility of impacts
Some aspects of climate change appear to be irreversible. Are the irreversible impacts being monitored adequately so that we can take precautions?
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IPCC Extreme Events and Disasters
ADAPTATIONIncorporate climate change in planning
We didn’t pay much attention to climate change in the past and our country developed just fine. Why do we need to pay so much attention to it now?
Better understanding of evolving nature of adaptation
Climate is no longer constant. It will now continuously evolve so adaptation must also be dynamic. How can this adaptation be most effective?
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IPCC Extreme Events and Disasters
ADAPTATIONDetermine unintended consequences
We’ve seen food prices sky rocket around the world while more corn is being turned into fuel forcing corn growth for food onto more marginal land. This consequence was not widely discussed when ethanol policy was being debated. Are there other unintended consequences awaiting us?
Estimating costs and benefits of adaptation actions
The Unified Synthesis Product outlines a number of adaptation strategies to help society cope with climate change in the context of other stresses. Do we have adequate methods to carry out cost-benefit analyses for such adaptation strategies?
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IPCC Extreme Events and Disasters
Questions?
www.climatescience.gov
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IPCC Extreme Events and Disasters
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IPCC Extreme Events and Disasters
Is the Climate Warming or Cooling?David R. Easterling
NOAA/National Climatic Data CenterMichael F. WehnerLawrence Berkeley National LaboratoryIn press: Geophys. Res. Letts.
“The latest warming trend, which appears to have ended in 1998, is the result of the end of the Little
Ice Age” Investor’s Business Daily, Nov., 2008
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IPCC Extreme Events and Disasters
Reduction in Some Extremes Cold extemes control pine beetle
populations. Fewer cold extremes (e.g. less than
-40C) leads to pine beetle population explosion.