Keeping global warming within 1.5°C constrains emergence of aridification

Park, Chang-Eui, Jeong, Su-Jong, Joshi, Manoj ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2948-2811, Osborn, Timothy ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8425-6799, Ho, Chang-Hoi, Piao, Shilong, Chen, Deliang, Liu, Junguo, Yang, Hong, Park, Hoonyoung, Kim, Baek-Min and Feng, Song (2018) Keeping global warming within 1.5°C constrains emergence of aridification. Nature Climate Change, 8. 70–74. ISSN 1758-678X

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Abstract

Aridity – the ratio of atmospheric water supply (precipitation; P) to demand (potential evapotranspiration; PET) – is projected to decrease (i.e., become drier) as a consequence of anthropogenic climate change, aggravating land degradation and desertification. However, the timing of significant aridification relative to natural variability – defined here as the time of emergence for aridification (ToEA) – is unknown, despite its importance in designing and implementing mitigation policy. Here we estimate ToEA from projections of 27 global climate models (GCMs) under Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) RCP4.5 and RCP8.5, and in doing so, identify where emergence occurs before global mean warming reaches 1.5°C and 2°C above the pre-industrial level. Based on the ensemble median ToEA for each grid cell, aridification emerges over 32% (RCP4.5) and 24% (RCP8.5) of the total land surface before the ensemble median of global mean temperature change reaches 2°C in each scenario. Moreover, ToEA is avoided in about two-thirds of the above regions if the maximum global warming level is limited to 1.5°C. Early action for accomplishing the 1.5°C temperature goal can therefore dramatically reduce the likelihood of large regions facing significant aridification and related potential impacts.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	sdg 13 - climate action,sdg 15 - life on land ,/dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/climate_action
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Science > School of Environmental Sciences University of East Anglia Research Groups/Centres > Theme - ClimateUEA
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Climatic Research Unit Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Centre for Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Centres > Water Security Research Centre University of East Anglia Schools > Faculty of Science > Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research Faculty of Science > Research Centres > Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research
Depositing User:	Pure Connector
Date Deposited:	03 Jan 2018 07:06
Last Modified:	14 Jun 2023 13:12
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/65816
DOI:	10.1038/s41558-017-0034-4

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