Impacts of Europe's changing climate - 2008 indicator-based assessment

Publication Created 29 Sep 2008 Published 29 Sep 2008
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This report is an update and extension of the 2004 EEA Report Impacts of Europe's changing climate. The main part of this report summarises the relevance, past trends and future projections for about 40 indicators (from 22 in the 2004 report). The report also addresses adaptation and the economics of climate change impacts and adaptation strategies and policies, and data availability and uncertainty.

Impacts of Europe's changing climate - 2008 indicator-based assessment

Publication Created 29 Sep 2008 Published 29 Sep 2008
1 min read
EEA Report No 4/2008
This report is an update and extension of the 2004 EEA Report Impacts of Europe's changing climate. The main part of this report summarises the relevance, past trends and future projections for about 40 indicators (from 22 in the 2004 report). The report also addresses adaptation and the economics of climate change impacts and adaptation strategies and policies, and data availability and uncertainty.
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: 978-92-9167-372-8
: TH-AL-08-004-EN-C

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Locations of significant changes in data series of physical and biological systems, shown together with surface air temperature changes over the period 1970-2004 Based on HadCRUT3 data
Length of frost-free period in selected European areas 1975-2007 Length of frost-free period in selected European areas 1975-2007
Modelled change in mean temperature over Europe between 1980-1999 and 2080-2099 Left: annual; middle: winter (DJF); right: summer (JJA) changes in oC for the IPCC-SRES A1B emission scenario averaged over 21 models (MMD-A1B simulations).
Observed changes in (a) global average surface temperature, (b) global average sea level and (c) northern hemispheric snow cover for March-April All changes are relative to the period 19611990
Percentage of Europe experiencing moderate drought conditions during the 20th century Expressed as standardized precipitation indices (SPI) for time scales of 12 months
The share of Trichoptera taxa sensitive to climate change in the European ecoregions Trichoptera taxa are species with restricted distribution ('endemic species'), species inhabiting the crenal zone (springs), that cannot move further upstream, and species adapted to low water temperatures (cold stenothermy) in European ecoregions
Average annual changes in fire danger level 1958-2006 Based on use of Seasonal Severity Rating (SSR)
Changes in soil organic carbon content across England and Wales between 1978 and 2003 The map shows the difference in soil organic carbon content
Changes in the contribution of heavy rainfall to total precipitation 1961-2006 .
Phenological sensitivity to temperature changes In a study of 254 national records across nine countries, most phenological changes correlated significantly with mean monthly temperatures of the previous two months
Northward movement of zooplankton between 1958-2005 The northward movement of zoo-plankton spanning five decades
Change in colour index in southern North Sea from the 1950s until 2000s Data are from the Continuous Plankton Recorder
Projected relative change of annual maximum daily mean wind speed between 1961-2000 and 2050 using different models Data are calculated for 10 m height using the + 2 oC scenario for 2050 (IPCC-SRES A1B emission scenarios) and the reference climate (1961-2000) from three similar models (left) and one different model, MIROCHi (right).
Recordings of two tropical fish 1963-1996 Recordings of the migration of the tropical species silvery john dory (Zenopsis conchifer) and rosy dory (Cyttopsis roseus) 1963-1996
Projected changes in number of plant species in 2050 Results for stable area per grid cell, using the EuroMove model with HadCM2 A2 climate scenario.
Number of casualties caused by flood disasters in the EU 1970-2005 The figure shows the number of casualties caused by flood disasters in the EU, 1970-2005
Projected change in mean seasonal and annual river flow between 2071-2100 and the reference period 1961-1990 Simulations with LISFLOOD driven by HIRHAM HadAM3H/HadCM3 based on IPCC SRES scenario A2.
Example of the adjustment of loss distribution as a consequence of changing risk Models can produce a probable maximum loss (PML) curve, a chart that is a function of the highest amount an insurer is set to lose at a range of return periods (years).
Modelled change in annual river flow between 1971-1998 and 1900-1970 The map is based on an ensemble of 12 climate models and validated against observed river flows.
Heating degree days in Europe 1980-2005
Presence of Aedes albopictus (the tiger mosquito) in Europe in January 2008 Developed by Francis Schaffner (BioSys Consultancy, Zurich), in partnership with Guy Hendrickx/Ernst-Jan Scholte (AviaGIS, Zoersel, Belgium) and Jolyon M Medlock (Health Protection Agency, UK) for the ECDC TigerMaps project
Projected impact of climate change on the potential distribution of reptiles and amphibians in 2050 Projected data based on the Generalised Linear Model map using the HadCM3 A2 scenario for the 2050s are compared with the current situation.
Projections of energy demand for several time horizons in Europe
Observed and projected Arctic September sea-ice extent 1900-2100 Note: The retreat of the sea ice has been faster than predicted: Arctic September sea-ice extent from observations (thick orange line) together with the mean value (solid grey line) from 13 IPCC AR4 climate models and the variance (dotted black line) of models runs.
Observed change in spring snow-cover duration 1970-2004 The map shows the observed change in spring snow-cover duration 1970 to 2004 covering the Northern Hemisphere
Contribution of temperature increase to the change in ozone exceedance days between 1993-1996 and 2000-2004
Records of northern hemisphere temperature variation during the last 1 300 years Jansen, E.; Overpeck, J.; Briffa, K
Projected changes in hydropower production in Scandinavia
Sensitivity of cereal yields to climate change for maize and wheat A small increase in temperature has a positive impact on cereals yield, while a high increase (3-5 oC) has a negative impact
Change in the height of a 50-year return period extreme water level event to the end of the 21st century for different scenarios The water level is measured relative to the present day tide, due to changes in atmospheric storminess, an increase in mean sea level and vertical land movements
Summer 2003 (June-August) daily maximum temperature anomaly
Trends in annual precipitation across Europe between Jan 1960 and Jan 2012 The figure shows trends in annual precipitation across Europe between Jan 1960 and Jan 2012. The trends are calculated using a median of pairwise slopes algorithm (Sen, 1968 ) (Lazante, 1996). Black dots represent high confidence in the sign of the long-term trend in the box (if the 5th to 95th percentile slopes are of the same sign). Boxes which have a thick outline contain at least three stations. Area averaged annual time series of percentage changes and trend lines are shown below each map for one area in northern Europe (Blue line, 5.6o to 16.9oE and 56.2o to 66.2oN) and one in south-western Europe (red line, 350.6o to 1.9oE and 36.2o to 43.7oN). Refer to (Met Office, 2012) for full explanation of methodology
Flood losses per thousand of GDP in the EU 1970-2005 The figure shows flood losses per thousand of GDP in the EU 1970-2005
Simulated land average maximum number of consecutive dry days for different European regions (1860-2100) The 20th century (black), models simulations for IPCC SRES intermediate A1B (orange) and low B1 (green) emission scenarios
Sea-level changes in Europe October 1992-May 2007 Based on satellite data; trends in mm/year, inverted barometer included, seasonal signal removed
Increase in species richness on Swiss Alpine mountain summits in 20th century Endemic, coldadapted species are declining as pioneer species drive them out of their characteristic niches due warming conditions
Simulated land average maximum 5-day total precipitation for different European regions (1860-2100) The 20th century (black), models simulations for IPCC SRES intermediate A1B (orange) and low B1 (green) emission scenarios
Area of Greenland ice sheet melting 1979-2007 Note: The maps show the area of the Greenland ice sheet with at least one day of surface melting in summer. The diagram shows the cumulated melt area, which is defined as the annual total sum of every daily ice sheet melt area. For example, if a particular area is melting on 20 days in a given year, it is counted 20 times.
Sea surface temperature changes for the European seas 1982-2006 .
Projected change in damage of river floods with a 100-year return period between 2071-2100 and 1961-1990 Note: Model calculation using the IPCC SRES scenario A2 and NUTS2 level.
Area of multi-year Arctic sea ice in March 1957-2007 Note: The area of thick, multi-year sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is decreasing
Observed changes in warm spells and frost days indices 1976-2006
Storm index for various parts of Europe 1881-2005 Positive values of the index mean higher storminess.
Potential alcohol level at harvest for Riesling in Alsace (France) 1972-2003 The figure shows the potential alcohol level at harvest for Riesling in Alsace
Number of days with water temperature higher than 23 oC in the river Rhine (Lobith, the Netherlands) 1909-2003 Number of days with water temperature higher than 23 oC in the river Rhine (Lobith, the Netherlands) 1909-2003
Modelled precipitation change between 1980-1999 and 2080-2099 Left: annual; middle: winter (DJF); right summer (JJA) changes % for the IPCC-SRES A1B emission scenario averaged over 21 models (MMD-A1B simulations).
Sea surface temperature anomaly for period 1870-2006 Data (oC) show the difference between annual average temperatures and the period 1982-2006 mean in different European seas
Modelled three-monthly fire danger levels in Europe for 1961-1990 and 2071-2100 and change between these periods Based on the IPCC SRES high emissions A2 scenario and the HIRAM model
Areas of possible establishment of Aedes albopictus (the tiger mosquito) in Europe for 2010 and 2030 Developed by Francis Schaffner (BioSys Consultancy, Zurich), in partnership with Guy Hendrickx/Ernst-Jan Scholte (AviaGIS, Zoersel, Belgium) and Jolyon M Medlock (Health Protection Agency, United Kingdom) for the ECDC TigerMaps project
Cumulative specific net mass balance of glaciers from all European glaciated regions 1946-2006
Occurrence of flood events in Europe 1998-2008 The map shows the number of flood events in Europe from 1998 to 2008

News and articles

Forests, health and climate change Forests are essential to our survival and well-being. Forests clean our air, our water, our soil and they regulate our climate, amongst many other things. Trees and forests are not always associated with urban landscapes. However, there too they provide invaluable, often invisible, services. Simply by acting as 'green oasis' in our concrete jungles, they offer recreation and health services for many European citizens.
Disasters in Europe: more frequent and causing more damage The number and impacts of disasters have increased in Europe in the period 1998-2009, a new report by the European Environment Agency (EEA) concludes. The report assesses the frequency of disasters and their impacts on humans, the economy and ecosystems and calls for better integrated risk disaster management across Europe.
Europe's coasts: reconciling development and conservation Europe’s coastal zones are under increasing pressure from erosion, pollution, climate change, urbanisation and tourism. Such pressures threaten entire ecosystems — vital not only for wildlife but also for the economy and human well-being. The European Environment Agency (EEA) takes a closer look at the state of coastal ecosystems and policy responses to the pressures affecting them.
The Alps: Europe’s cherished but endangered mountains As the ‘water towers of Europe’, the Alps play a crucial role in sustaining the social and economic wellbeing of millions of people living in vast lowland areas. A complex and vulnerable ecosystem, they represent Europe’s central landmark.
"Climate change: act and adapt" at Green Week 2009 2009 will be a critical year in the battle against climate change, with negotiations on a global agreement to succeed the Kyoto Protocol due to conclude at the Copenhagen climate conference in December.
Climate change: diverse threats call for a united response Climate change is happening and its effects are wide-ranging. While the worst effects may not hit Europe this year or next, we cannot afford to be complacent. Europeans must put in place timely, adequate and cost-effective adaptation measures.
EU strives for a system-wide response to climate change Climate change adaptation must be integrated into policies across all sectors and engage all levels of society. To achieve this, new frameworks and governance structures are needed.

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