climate change climate literacy 101. climate change in the news indicators of climate change in...

Climate Change

Cl imate L i teracy 101

Climate Change

in the News

• Indicators of Climate Change in California (August 2013) • report of measured 36 "indicators of change" in

climate, physical and biological systems

• National Academy of Sciences Sea Level Rise study (2012)• covers the coasts of California, Oregon, and

Washington• • 17” – 66” Sea Level Rise by 2100

• Berkeley Earth Surface Temperature Study (BEST) -2012• study validates other Earth surface temperature

studies that show current warming is unprecedented in recent geologic history

Climate or Weather?

Definitions

WEATHER – short-term (minutes to months) changes in the atmosphere; includes sunshine, rain, snow, thunderstorms, etc.

CLIMATE – long-term averages of weather over time

Climate or Weather?

Which are these?

• It’s really HOT outside right now!

Climate or Weather?

Which are these?

• It’s really hot outside right now!

• For the past 50 years the average nighttime temperature has been 42 degrees F.

Climate or Weather?

Which are these?• It’s really hot outside right now!

• For the past 50 years the average nighttime temperature has been 42 degrees F.

• Summer, 2011 was the hottest and driest on record in Texas.

Climate or Weather?

Which are these?

• It’s really hot outside right now!

• For the past 50 years the average nighttime temperature has been 42 degrees F.

• Summer, 2011 was the hottest and driest on record in Texas.

Explaining Extreme Events of 2011 from a Climate Perspective [Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 93:1041-1067]

http://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/abs/10.1175/BAMS-D-12-00021.1

Recent Observations

Warming Trend

Less Snowpack

Less snow/more rain; changing

snow thresholds

Earlier greenup dates; more tree mortalities;

enhanced wildfiresAnimals moving

northEarlier snowfed streamflow

Mike Dettinger, USGS and SIO/UCSD

Dan Cayan, SIO, UCSD and USGS , manuscript in prep

October - March Sierra Temperature

Projections

Precipitation

Snow Water Equivalent

90th %ile

10th %ile

Sierra Nevada Precipitation Projections

October - March Sierra Precipitation Projections

Dan Cayan, SIO, UCSD and USGS , manuscript in prep

DWR Climate Hawks

• DWR Climate Team currently has 12 full-time staff members plus a UC Berkeley student on contract

• Staff includes:• Assistant Deputy Director• Program Manager• 4 Regional Climate Change Specialists• 2 Engineers• 2 Water Use Mitigation Specialists• Data Analysis Specialist• Executive Administrative Officer

DWR Climate Hawks

"The fearsome climate hawk will crush the climate crisis in its mighty talons!"

A Climate Hawk*:• is not a ‘rebranded’ environmentalist

*Grist, 2010

• is concerned about climate change and clean energy

• takes an aggressive and proactive

approach to climate change problems• attacks on many fronts (clean energy is just

one)• is patriotic and believes America should lead

the world on this issue