Presentation of the project "CRESCENDO" by Alberto Muñoz Rodriguez, held during the 10th Scientix Projects Networking Event, Brussels, 26 February 2016

1. www.crescendoproject.eu
CRESCENDOCOORDINATED RESEARCH IN EARTH SYSTEMS AND CLIMATE:
EXPERIMENTS, KNOWLEDGE, DISSEMINATION AND OUTREACH
R&I H2020 Project: Advance Earth-system models (SC5-01-2014)
Coordinator Institute: University of Leeds, UK
Alberto Muñoz (CRESCENDO Project Manager)
NCAS, University of Leeds, UK
contact@crescendoproject.eu
26 Feb 2016
10th Scientix Projects Networking Event

2. www.crescendoproject.eu
CRESCENDO CONSORTIUM
25 Partners
10 EU countries
7 European Earth System Modelling (ESM)
teams
3 European Integrated Assessment Modelling
(IAM) teams
Funded for 5 years (Nov 2015-Oct 2020)

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WHY STUDY CLIMATE CHANGE?
 Climate Change is now widely-recognised as a major challenge for
humanity in the 21st century
 There is already good evidence of changes in both the Climate and
Extreme Weather events
 The causes of changes in observed weather and climate are still a subject
of heated debate
 The magnitude and regional distribution of future climate change is
uncertain
 We need science and research to make further progress…

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Highest-level for
at least 800,000 yrs: >400pp mv
EVIDENCE IS UNEQUIVOCAL

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Ocean pH (increase acidity of the oceans)
EVIDENCE IS UNEQUIVOCAL

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Record Low in Arctic Sea-Ice Extent in 2012
EVIDENCE IS UNEQUIVOCAL

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 An international environmental agreement on climate change,
with the aim of “avoiding dangerous anthropogenic interference
in the climate system”.
 1992, Rio - established at Earth Summit
 Annual “Conference of the Parties” (CoP)
 1995, COP1, Berlin
 1997, COP3, Kyoto - Kyoto Protocol established
 2009, COP15, Copenhagen - 2oC global warming as “dangerous”
 2015, COP21, Paris – A renewed political ambition to stay below 1.5oC
United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC)

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 Independent group of experts that provides scientific background
for climate negotiations
 The IPCC has published five comprehensive assessment reports
(latest is AR5 in 2013)
 Since 1995, the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP)
has coordinated climate model experiments involving multiple
international modelling teams
 In preparation for the sixth phase of the project (CMIP6) (≥20
models contributing)
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

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EARTH SYSTEM MODELS (ESMs)
 ESMs solve mathematical equations that describe the physics
and integrate the interactions of the atmosphere, ocean, land,
ice and biosphere to help us understand how Earth’s climate is
changing
 Therefore, ESMs allow investigation of important
environmental responses: permafrost melt, ocean acidification,
impacts on marine ecosystems, carbon uptake, or socio-
economics impacts
2007 Stern Report estimates: 3% of world GDP to adapt to a
low-carbon economy now compared to 20% if do nothing

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 To improve European ESM and develop and evaluate new ESM
projections
 To coordinate a European contribution to CMIP6 ensuring new
socio-economics scenarios
 To ensure knowledge developed in the project is communicated
to key stakeholder communities in an engaging and
understandable form
Specially we are interested in introducing
Climate Change and ESMs knowledge
into Secondary Schools and STEM classes
CRESCENDO MAIN OBJECTIVES

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RT4
New scenarios and
ESM projections
CMIP6
RT 5
Knowledge and
Data dissemination
RT 3
Analysing and
constraining future
projections
RT 2
Evaluating ESMs
Terrestrial
Marine
Aerosols and
chemistry
RT 1
Improving ESMs
Terrestrial
Marine
Aerosols and
chemistry
Regional Downscaling Impacts Research IPCC AR6
National and EU
policy makers
European public
and stakeholders
CRESCENDO RESEARCH THEMES

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RT4
New scenarios and
ESM projections
Educating future generations in European schools
RT 5
Knowledge and
Data dissemination
RT 3
Analysing and
constraining future
projections
RT 2
Evaluating ESMs
Terrestrial
Marine
Aerosols and
chemistry
RT 1
Improving ESMs
Terrestrial
Marine
Aerosols and
chemistry
National and EU
policy makers
European public
and stakeholders
CRESCENDO RESEARCH THEMES

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Knowledge dissemination strategies
 Science communication training
to young scientists
 Improving public knowledge of
ESM and ESM projections
 Raising the knowledge, interest
and awareness across EU
Secondary schools and future
generations
TRAINING WORKSHOPS
WEBSITE &
VISUALIZATION TOOLS
ACTIVE SOCIAL MEDIA
NETWORK OF SCHOOLS
INTERESTED IN ‘CLIMATE
CHANGE KNOWLEDGE
AND AWARNESS ’

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www.crescendoproject.eu
contact@crescendoproject.eu
alberto.munoz@metoffice.gov.uk