The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has released a new report on anthropogenic climate change. The findings of the report include the following;
The world' s average surface temperature has increased by around 0. 74 over the past 100 years. A warming of about 0. 2 is projected for each of the next two decades
The best estimates for sea-level rise due to ocean expansion and glacier melt by the end of the century have narrowed to 28-58cm, versus 9-88cm in the 2001 report, due to improved understanding. However, larger values of up to 1m by 2100 cannot be ruled out if ice sheets continue to melt as temperature rises.
Sea ice is projected to shrink in both the Arctic and Antarctic regions. Large areas of the Arctic Ocean could lose year-round ice cover by the end of the 21st century if human emissions reach the higher end of current estimates. The extent of Arctic sea ice has already shrunk by about 2. 7 per cent per decade since 1978, with the summer minimum declining by about 7. 1 per cent per decade.
Snow cover has decreased in most regions, especially in spring. The maximum extent of frozen ground in the winter/spring season decreased by about 7 per cent in the Northern hemisphere over the latter half of the 20th century. The average freezing date for rivers and lakes in the Northern Hemisphere over the past 150 years has arrived later by some 5. 8 days per century, while the average break-up date has arrived earlier by 6. 5 days per century.
It is very likely that precipitation will increase at high latitudes and likely it will decreases over most subtropical land regions. The pattern of these changes is similar to what has been observed during the 20th century.
The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change
has released a new report on anthropogenic climate
change
. The findings of the report include the following;
The
world&
#039; s average surface temperature has increased by around 0. 74
over
the past 100 years. A warming of about 0. 2
is projected
for each of the
next
two decades
The best estimates for sea-level rise due to ocean expansion and glacier melt by the
end
of the century have narrowed to 28
-58cm
, versus 9
-88cm
in the 2001 report, due to
improved
understanding.
However
, larger values of up to
1m
by 2100 cannot
be ruled
out if ice sheets continue to melt as temperature rises.
Sea ice
is projected
to shrink in both the Arctic and Antarctic regions. Large areas of the Arctic Ocean could lose year-round ice cover by the
end
of the 21st century if human emissions reach the higher
end
of
current
estimates. The extent of Arctic sea ice has already shrunk by about 2. 7 per cent per decade since 1978, with the summer minimum declining by about 7. 1 per cent per decade.
Snow cover has decreased in most regions,
especially
in spring. The maximum extent of frozen ground in the winter/spring season decreased by about 7 per cent in the
Northern hemisphere
over
the latter half of the 20th century. The average freezing date for rivers and lakes in the Northern Hemisphere
over
the past 150 years has arrived later by
some
5. 8 days per century, while the average break-up date has arrived earlier by 6. 5 days per century.
It is
very
likely that precipitation will increase at high latitudes and likely it will
decreases
over
most subtropical land regions. The pattern of these
changes
is similar to what has
been observed
during the 20th century.