On the 2nd of February 2007, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group 1 released a contribution to the IPCC's Fourth Assessment Report: "Physical Science Basis, Summary for Policy Makers". Sciencepoles has produced a summary of the polar aspects contained in this document. Here is a short synopsis, the full article is available on our website.
Overall, the report concludes that global average temperature will rise between 1.1°C to 6.4°C by 2100, and that it is 'very likely' (90% certainty) that human activities and emissions are causing global warming As key components and contributors to the global climate system, the Polar Regions are central to these predictions, whether in the context of their response to warming, or as regards the consequences of this response for the Earth system as a whole.
Although the report clearly presents the Arctic as amongst the most affected and rapidly changing regions, it also suggests that most of Antarctica will be less affected by the global rise in temperatures.
The report also makes clear that there are still many uncertainties about the reactions of the Polar Regions to global warming and that these need to be resolved as a matter of urgency.
This will be the challenge of the 4th International Polar Year (IPY) starting on 1st March 2007 and ending on 1st March 2009. SciencePoles has summarized the report under the following polar related headings:
- The Arctic
- The Arctic Ocean
- Permafrost in the Arctic
- Greenland
- Antarctic Ice
- The Southern Ocean
- Paleoclimate
- Contribution of Polar Regions to Sea Level Rise
Text: Sciencepoles
Photo: UNFCCC