▶ Addresses a wide range of timely environment, economic and energy topics ▶ A forum to review, analyze and stimulate the development, testing and implementation of mitigation and adaptation strategies at regional, national and global scales ▶ Contributes to real-time policy analysis and development as national and international policies and agreements are discussed and promulgated ▶ 94% of authors who answered a survey reported that they would definitely publish or probably publish in the journal again

Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change

The November 2008 election of Barack Obama as 44th President of the United States created great optimism among supporters of many progressive causes, including environmental protection and action o...

The Political Divide on Climate Change: Partisan Polarization Widens in the U.S.

Glaciers distinct from the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets cover an area of approximately 706,000 square kilometres globally1, with an estimated total volume of 170,000 cubic kilometres, or 0.4 metres of potential sea-level-rise equivalent2. Retreating and thinning glaciers are icons of climate change3 and affect regional runoff4 as well as global sea level5,6. In past reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, estimates of changes in glacier mass were based on the multiplication of averaged or interpolated results from available observations of a few hundred glaciers by defined regional glacier areas7–10. For data-scarce regions, these results had to be complemented with estimates based on satellite altimetry and gravimetry11. These past approaches were challenged by the small number and heterogeneous spatiotemporal distribution of in situ measurement series and their often unknown ability to represent their respective mountain ranges, as well as by the spatial limitations of satellite altimetry (for which only point data are available) and gravimetry (with its coarse resolution). Here we use an extrapolation of glaciological and geodetic observations to show that glaciers contributed 27 ± 22 millimetres to global mean sea-level rise from 1961 to 2016. Regional specific-mass-change rates for 2006–2016 range from −0.1 metres to −1.2 metres of water equivalent per year, resulting in a global sea-level contribution of 335 ± 144 gigatonnes, or 0.92 ± 0.39 millimetres, per year. Although statistical uncertainty ranges overlap, our conclusions suggest that glacier mass loss may be larger than previously reported11. The present glacier mass loss is equivalent to the sea-level contribution of the Greenland Ice Sheet12, clearly exceeds the loss from the Antarctic Ice Sheet13, and accounts for 25 to 30 per cent of the total observed sea-level rise14. Present mass-loss rates indicate that glaciers could almost disappear in some mountain ranges in this century, while heavily glacierized regions will continue to contribute to sea-level rise beyond 2100.The largest collection so far of glaciological and geodetic observations suggests that glaciers contributed about 27 millimetres to sea-level rise from 1961 to 2016, at rates of ice loss that could see the disappearance of many glaciers this century.

Global glacier mass changes and their contributions to sea-level rise from 1961 to 2016

Public perceptions of climate change are known to differ between nations and
to have fluctuated over time. Numerous plausible characterizations of these
variations, and explanations for them, are to be found in the literature. However,
a clear picture has not yet emerged as to the principal trends and patterns that
have occurred over the past quarter-century or the factors behind these changes.
This systematic review considers previous empirical research that has addressed
the temporal aspects to public perceptions. We address findings that have been
obtained since the 1980s and using a range of methodologies. In this review,
we consider early, seminal work examining public perceptions; survey studies
carried out over long timescales and at an international scale; detailed statistical
analyses of the drivers of changing perceptions; and qualitative research featuring
a longitudinal component. Studies point to growing skepticism in the latter 2000s
in some developed countries, underpinned by economic and sociopolitical factors.
Even so, in many parts of the world, there has been growing concern about
climate change in recent years. We conclude that the imbalance in the literature
toward polling data, and toward studies of public perceptions in Western nations
(particularly the United States), leaves much unknown about the progression of
public understanding of climate change worldwide.More research is required that
uses inferential statistical procedures to understand the reasons behind trends in
public perceptions. The application of qualitative longitudinal methodologies also
offers the potential for better appreciation of the cultural contexts in which climate
change perceptions are evolving.

/pdf/international-trends-in-public-perceptions-of-climate-change-37p1gfukyt.pdf

International trends in public perceptions of climate change over the past quarter century

http://www2.psy.unsw.edu.au/Users/BNewell/McDonaldChaiNewellJEP2015.pdf

Personal experience and the ‘psychological distance’ of climate change: An integrative review

A series of polls provides new tests for how weather influences public beliefs about climate change. Statewide data from 5000 random-sample telephone interviews conducted on 99 days over 2.5 yr (2010–12) are merged with temperature and precipitation indicators derived from U.S. Historical Climatology Network (USHCN) station records. The surveys carry a question designed around scientific consensus statements that climate change is happening now, caused mainly by human activities. Alternatively, respondents can state that climate change is not happening, or that it is happening but mainly for natural reasons. Belief that humans are changing the climate is predicted by temperature anomalies on the interview day and the previous day, controlling for season, survey, and individual characteristics. Temperature effects concentrate among one subgroup, however: individuals who identify themselves as independent, rather than aligned with a political party. Interviewed on unseasonably warm days, independent...

/pdf/blowin-in-the-wind-short-term-weather-and-belief-in-53wa8xnnhe.pdf

Blowin’ in the Wind: Short-Term Weather and Belief in Anthropogenic Climate Change

Quantifying local people's perceptions to climate change, and their assessments of which changes matter, is fundamental to addressing the dual challenge of land conservation and poverty alleviation in densely populated tropical regions To develop appropriate policies and responses, it will be important not only to anticipate the nature of expected changes, but also how they are perceived, interpreted and adapted to by local residents. The Albertine Rift region in East Africa is one of the world's most threatened biodiversity hotspots due to dense smallholder agriculture, high levels of land and resource pressures, and habitat loss and conversion. Results of three separate household surveys conducted in the vicinity of Kibale National Park during the late 2000s indicate that farmers are concerned with variable precipitation. Many survey respondents reported that conditions are drier and rainfall timing is becoming less predictable. Analysis of daily rainfall data for the climate normal period 1981 to 2010 indicates that total rainfall both within and across seasons has not changed significantly, although the timing and transitions of seasons has been highly variable. Results of rainfall data analysis also indicate significant changes in the intra-seasonal rainfall distribution, including longer dry periods within rainy seasons, which may contribute to the perceived decrease in rainfall and can compromise food security. Our results highlight the need for fine-scale climate information to assist agro-ecological communities in developing effective adaptive management.

/pdf/patterns-and-perceptions-of-climate-change-in-a-biodiversity-1dzxr4vpzl.pdf

Patterns and perceptions of climate change in a biodiversity conservation hotspot

Our objective was to understand and describe local spatial and temporal variability in precipitation around Kibale National Park, a tropical forest area of high conservation value. Continental or regional-scale trends are often relied upon to make policy and management decisions, but these analyses are often at too coarse a resolution to capture important variability at a finer scale where management actions operate. Monthly rainfall data derived from ten long-term station records (1941-1975) were used to evaluate local spatiotemporal variability in seasonal and annual rainfall for the area surrounding Kibale National Park. The magnitude, direction and significance of trends in seasonal and annual rainfall within the area surrounding the park were identified using the Mann-Kendall trend test and Sen's slope estimator. The standardized precipitation index was calculated at 3- and 12-month periods to identify areas of relative wetness or dryness. Analysis of annual trends and precipitation indices indicated that patterns in annual time series do not reflect the direction and magnitude of seasonal trends nor the spatial variability in intra-annual rainfall at the local scale. Significant negative trends in the seasonal long rains, following dry season and short rains were identified at stations west of Kibale, while significant positive trends in the seasonal short rains occurred at stations north of the park. Stations along the we stern p ark b oundary tended t o h ave mo re years i n wh ich t he two d ry seasons were abnormally dry than those stations located further from the park.

/pdf/trends-and-variability-in-localized-precipitation-around-36ab2rnxff.pdf

Trends and Variability in Localized Precipitation Around Kibale National Park, Uganda, Africa

/pdf/new-hampshire-coastal-flood-risk-summary-part-1-science-yhfv856mzi.pdf

New Hampshire Coastal Flood Risk Summary Part 1: Science

The Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow (CoCoRaHS) Network is a community-based network of weather observers and the largest provider of daily precipitation observations in the USA. In this study, we embrace the CoCoRaHS mission to use low-cost measurement tools, provide training and education, and utilize an interactive website to create the first volunteer snow albedo network to collect high-quality albedo data for research and education applications. We trained a sub-set of 18 CoCoRaHS observers in the state of New Hampshire to collect albedo, snow depth, and snow density between 23 November 2011 and 15 March 2012. At less than $700 per observer, CoCoRAHS data measured using an Apogee MP-200 pyranometer fall within ±0.05 of albedo values collected from a Kipp and Zonen CMA6 at local solar noon. CoCoRAHS values range from 0.99 for fresh snow to 0.34 for shallow, aged snow. Snow-free albedo ranges from 0.09 to 0.39, depending on the underlying ground cover. In the 2011/2012 dataset, albedo increases logarithmically with snow depth and decreases linearly with snow density. The latter relationship is inferred to be a proxy for increasing snow grain size as snowpack ages and compacts, supported by spectral albedo measurements collected with an Analytical Spectral Devices FieldSpec 4 spectrometer. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Putting the capital ‘A’ in CoCoRAHS: an experimental programme to measure albedo using the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow (CoCoRaHS) Network

Mary D. Stampone

Papers

Blowin’ in the Wind: Short-Term Weather and Belief in Anthropogenic Climate Change

Patterns and perceptions of climate change in a biodiversity conservation hotspot

Trends and Variability in Localized Precipitation Around Kibale National Park, Uganda, Africa

New Hampshire Coastal Flood Risk Summary Part 1: Science

Putting the capital ‘A’ in CoCoRAHS: an experimental programme to measure albedo using the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow (CoCoRaHS) Network