Kosrae's Coast
Reducing coastal hazard risks on Kosrae
climate change
What the future will bring
The Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) released its Fourth Assessment Report in April 2007. It found that "Warming
of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures,
widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising global mean sea level".
The IPCC was formed in 1988. It produces a report approximately
every six years on what is known about current climate change, what may change in the future, and what it means for us. The
most recent report also concludes that "most of the observed increase in globally averaged temperatures since the mid-20th century
is very likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations", that is it is very likely that humans
are causing this climate change.
- Eleven of the twelve years between 1995 and 2006 rank amongst the warmest on record.
- Average global teperatures have increased by 0.74 degrees centigrade over the last 100 years.
- The rate of warming over the last 50 years has increased compared to the last 100 years.
- Average sea-levels have risen by around 0.17 m over the last 100 years.
- Mountain glaciers and snow cover has decreased in both hemispheres.
- Arctic sea ice extent has shrunk by 2.7% per decade.
- A best estimate temperature rise of between 1.8 to 4.0 degrees centigrade by the 2090s (2090-2099) relative to the average temperature between 1980-1999.
- An increase in temperature of 0.6 degrees even if were to hold the emissions of greenhouse gases to the levels occurring in 2000.
- Heavier and more intense rainfall in the tropical regions.
- Increases in sea level.
- Possible changes to drought patterns - although in the Pacific these will still be dominated by El Nino / La Nina patterns.
- Increased ocean acidificiation, which may impact on coral reef growth.
- Possible increases in the intensity of typhoon conditions. Less is known about whether the frequency or tracks of typhoon events will change.
In this section:
(C) Doug Ramsay & KIRMA, 2008
Links
Downloads
Key observations of climate change
Loss of arctic ice since 1979. Note this melting of the ice cap at the North Pole does not contribute to sea-level rise as the
ice is already floating in the water - the water simply replaces the space in the ocean it used to occupy as ice.
Source: NASA &
Natural Resources Defence Council.