Ministry of
Traffic, Transportation & Urban Planning
Climate Change
RECCC
Pédzi V.J. Girigori MSc
Curaçao, June 8th -9th , 2011
Meteorological Department Curaçao
Protecting life and property against
natural hazards
Meteorological Department Curaçao
Ministry of Traffic, Transportation & Spatial planning
Overview
1.
What is Global Warming
2.
Observations (last 100 years)
3.
Climate Variability
4.
Expected Impacts
Ministry of
Traffic, Transportation & Urban Planning
Observations
Meteorological Department Curaçao
Protecting life and property against
natural hazards
Meteorological Department Curaçao
Ministry of Traffic, Transportation & Spatial planning
Observations
Change in:
-Temperature
-Sea level
-Snow coverage
Meteorological Department Curaçao
Ministry of Traffic, Transportation & Spatial planning
Observations
Curaçao
Ministry of
Traffic, Transportation & Urban Planning
Global Warming
Meteorological Department Curaçao
Protecting life and property against
natural hazards
Meteorological Department Curaçao
Ministry of Traffic, Transportation & Spatial planning
Global Warming



Greenhouse effect first discovered
by Joseph Fourier in 1824,
Is the process in which the
absorption of infrared radiation by
an atmosphere warms a planet.
Without these greenhouse gases,
the Earth's surface would be up to
30 °C cooler.
Meteorological Department Curaçao
Ministry of Traffic, Transportation & Spatial planning
Global Warming: Type of Gasses
Nitrogen
N2
78.09 %
Oxygen
O2
20.95%
H2O
1%
Argon
Ar
0.93%
Helium
He
0.052%
Carbon Dioxide
CO2
351 ppm
Ozone
O3
0.5 ppm
Methane
CH4
1.7 ppm
Nitrogen
Dioxide
N2O
0.32 ppm
Water vapor
% : 1 part per hundred,
ppm: 1 par per million
200 years
280-380 ppm
Meteorological Department Curaçao
Ministry of Traffic, Transportation & Spatial planning
Global Warming: Radiative Forcing
Meteorological Department Curaçao
Ministry of Traffic, Transportation & Spatial planning
Global Warming
Meteorological Department Curaçao
Ministry of Traffic, Transportation & Spatial planning
Global Warming: Source of GW
Ministry of
Traffic, Transportation & Urban Planning
Climate Variability
Meteorological Department Curaçao
Protecting life and property against
natural hazards
Meteorological Department Curaçao
Ministry of Traffic, Transportation & Spatial planning
Climate Variability
A Dataset can be characterized
by a mean and a variance
 The
mean indicates the
expected value of a random
variable
 the
variance is used as a
measure of how far a set of
numbers are spread out around
the mean
Why is the change in climate
variability important??
Meteorological Department Curaçao
Ministry of Traffic, Transportation & Spatial planning
Climate Variability: Temperature
Maximum (TNx) and minimum (TNn) of
daily minimum Temperature
Maximum (TXx) and minimum (TXn)
of daily maximum Temperature
Meteorological Department Curaçao
Ministry of Traffic, Transportation & Spatial planning
Climate Variability: Temperature
Change in periods of consecutive lower
temperatures (CSD) and periods of
consecutive warmer temperatures (WSD)
The diurnal temperature range is the
difference between the maximum and
minimum temperature
Meteorological Department Curaçao
Ministry of Traffic, Transportation & Spatial planning
Climate Variability: Precipitation
Consecutive wet
(CWD) and dry days
(CDD) show the
change in the rainy
and dry periods
Changes in extreme
precipitation
Changes in total
precipitation
Ministry of
Traffic, Transportation & Urban Planning
Expected Impacts
Meteorological Department Curaçao
Protecting life and property against
natural hazards
Meteorological Department Curaçao
Ministry of Traffic, Transportation & Spatial planning
Expected Impacts: Temperatures
Meteorological Department Curaçao
Ministry of Traffic, Transportation & Spatial planning
Expected Impact: Sea Level Rise
Meteorological Department Curaçao
Ministry of Traffic, Transportation & Spatial planning
Expected Impacts: Curaçao
Temperature Variability



Precipitation Variability
An extremely likely (>95%)
increase in temperature,
warm spells and heat waves

A more likely than not
(>50%) increase of extreme
rainfall events
An extremely likely (>95%)
increase in warmer and
more frequent hot days and
nights

A more likely than not
(>50%) increase of the dry
season
Increase in evaporation due
to higher temperatures

A very likely (>90%) increase
in rainfall intensity
Meteorological Department Curaçao
Ministry of Traffic, Transportation & Spatial planning
Expected Impacts
Increase Temperature
-Health problems (heat strokes, heat
cramps etc.)
-SST: Coral bleaching, Harmful Algal Bloom
Increase of extreme rainfall
events
-Land degradation and erosion
-Decrease of fresh water (drought)
Sea level rise
-Salt intrusion, beach erosion,
-Coral mortality
-Loss of biodiversity
-Storm surge
Increase of Sahara dust
-Health problems
Increase Outbreaks of climate-sensitive diseases
Food security