Atmospheric parameters for the North Sea: a review

This scene-setting chapter provides the basis for the climate change-related assessments presented in later chapters of this book. It opens with an overview of the geography, demography and major human activities of the North Sea and its boundary countries. This is followed by a series of sections describing the geological and climatic evolution of the North Sea basin, the topography and hydrography of the North Sea (i.e. boundary forcing; thermohaline, wind-driven and tidally-driven regimes; and transport processes), and its current atmospheric climate (focussing on circulation, wind, temperature, precipitation, radiation and cloud cover). This physical description is followed by a review of North Sea ecosystems. Marine and coastal ecosystems are addressed in terms of ecological habitats, ecological dynamics, and human-induced stresses representing a threat (i.e. eutrophication, harmful algal blooms, offshore oil and gas, renewable energy, fisheries, contaminants, tourism, ports, non-indigenous species and climate change). Terrestrial coastal range

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“…Furthermore, the atmosphere of the northern globe is essential for the external forcing (Schlünzen and Krell 2004). …”

Section: Boundary Forcingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Introduction to the Assessment—Characteristics of the Region

Quante

Colijn

Bakker

et al. 2016

North Sea Region Climate Change Assessment

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“…To mitigate this deficiency when forcing HAMSOM with such boundary conditions, a bias correction with data of a higher horizontal resolution (0.25°) has been applied. Flows in the atmosphere are ~100 times faster than flows in the ocean, and atmospheric phenomena are on the order of days and weeks rather than months and seasons (Schlünzen & Krell 2004). Anomalies in the wind field are one of the main causes for local anomalies in other atmospheric variables.…”

Section: Scaling Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Projection of physical conditions in the North Sea for the 21st century

Mathis¹,

Pohlmann

2014

Clim. Res.

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A global climate scenario run based on the IPCC future emission scenario SRES A1B was dynamically downscaled for the North Sea, using an uncoupled meso-scale model system. The atmospheric forcing shows an increase in air temperature during the 21st century with stronger warming in winter than in summer. These trends are reflected by an increase in annual mean sea surface temperature of ~1.8°C. The strong warming in winter is the main driver for the total warming of the North Sea, as indicated by the analysis of surface heat flux components. The thermocline weakens in intensity according to the changing temperature profiles, and its mean depth slightly decreases due to lower wind speeds. The salinity in the North Sea drops by ~0.6 psu because of decreasing salinity of the inflowing Atlantic waters, increasing Baltic discharge, and higher downward surface fresh water fluxes. Some of our results disagree with other dynamical downscaling studies, as the results depend on the parent global model. In general, the downscaled projected trends qualitatively agree with the results of the coarser global model. Nevertheless, in particular, the magnitudes of the surface heat fluxes, the formation of the frontal system, and the strength and structure of the general circulation are more realistically represented in the regional meso-scale model. KEY WORDS: Dynamical downscaling · North Sea · IPCC SRES A1B · Climate changeResale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisher CLIMATE RESEARCH

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North sea benthos: a review

Kröncke

Bergfeld

2003

Senckenbergiana maritima

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Atmospheric parameters for the North Sea: a review

Cited by 3 publications

References 126 publications

Introduction to the Assessment—Characteristics of the Region

Introduction to the Assessment—Characteristics of the Region

Projection of physical conditions in the North Sea for the 21st century

North sea benthos: a review

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