Mitigating the impacts of Arctic warming
In The News
08 Oct 2019
At this year’s Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavík, Iceland, EIT Climate-KIC and the Blue Action consortium will host two sessions with a special focus on Climate Services and how informed forecasting can help us develop sustainable solutions and mitigate risks arising from climate change.
EIT Climate-KIC is part of the H2020 Blue-Action consortium, which brings together over 120 experts from across 40 organisations to evaluate the impact of Arctic warming on the Northern Hemisphere.
The purpose of the project is to model Arctic warming and its impact on atmosphere and ocean circulation and to develop methods to understand the links between Arctic climate change and hazardous weather systems across the Northern Hemisphere. In addition, the project aims to enable reliable forecasting to deliver better predictions at sub-seasonal to decadal timescales.
Two case studies from the H2020 Project Blue Action will welcome players from industry and the public sector to explore the potentials of forecasting to mitigate risks arising from climate change during the Arctic Circle Assembly 2019. More information on the workshops can be found below.
Securing Snow for Winter Tourism
- When? 12 October, 8.00 – 9.00
- Venue? Akrafjall, Harpa, Fourth Level
The winter tourism industry relies heavily on climatic conditions for economically successful operation. Climate change is expected to decrease snow cover days in Northern Scandinavia by 20 – 30 % by 2100. Particularly the delay of natural snowfall will put the beginning of the skiing season at risk.
In order to proactively adapt to the future climatic change, the industry will depend on relevant and user-friendly information on future climatic conditions and specific local weather conditions as a basis for making informed strategic and operational decisions.
This breakout session invites snow dependent industries to explore how a climate service can help optimise snow-making based on seasonal forecasts and mitigate potential problems from delayed natural snowfall while minimising energy consumption and costs.
The session is based on work conducted within the Blue-Action: Arctic Impact on Weather and Climate (Horizon2020; 2016-2021) by researchers of Arctic Centre, University of Lapland and Ruka Ski Resort.
Speakers at the event are:
Ilona Mettiäinen, Researcher, Arctic Centre, University of Lapland: Securing snow for winter tourism – how can a climate service help?
Dr. Martin Coath, Senior Affiliated Researcher, Arctic Centre, University of Lapland and Associate lecturer, School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Plymouth: Bridging the Gap Between Science and Snowmaking – Presenting seasonal forecast in a meaningful way for business decisions.
What Can We Do with “A Predicted Ocean” – Applications and Opportunities
- When? 12 October, 11.30 – 12.15
- Venue? Skarðsheiði, Harpa, Third Level
Society depends on the Ocean more than at any time in its past. Apart from supporting directly the livelihood of more than 500 million people, ocean economies are among the most promising in the world, providing benefits to many sectors of great economic value, such as fisheries, transport, biotechnologies, energy production, seabed resources exploration, tourism and many others.
Yet over the coming decades, a changing climate will have significant and highly uncertain impacts on the nature of the ocean. It is therefore crucial for future business endeavours that we manage to foresee and adapt to these changes in order to conduct safe and sustainable marine activities in the future.
In this session, we will invite players from both industry and the public sector within the field of fisheries, aquaculture, shipping and other maritime activities to explore the potentials of ocean forecasting to mitigate risks arising from climate change.
Hosts of this session are:
Mark Payne, Senior Researcher, Technical University of Denmark, National Institute of Aquatic Resources (DTU Aqua) – What Can We Do with “A Predicted Ocean” – Applications and Opportunities
Øivin Aarnes, Principal Specialist, Environmental Risk and Preparedness, DNV GL – Oil & Gas – Climate services and their role in long-term business strategies.
Johann Bell, Senior Director – Pacific Tuna Fisheries, Conservation International – Implications of climate-driven redistribution of tuna for Pacific Island economies
