Technical Summary

H.-O. PÖRTNER, D.C. ROBERTS, V. MASSON-DELMOTTE, P. ZHAI, E. POLOCZANSKA, K. MINTENBECK, M. TIGNOR, A. ALEGRÍA, M. NICOLAI, A. OKEM, J. PETZOLD, B. RAMA, N.M. WEYER (EDS) & AUTHORS; (...) GUINDER V. A. (...)

IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate

Cambridge University Press

Año: 2019; p. 39 - 69

This Technical Summary of the IPCC Special Report on Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (SROCC) consists of the Executive Summaries of all chapters (1–6) of the Special Report, the Executive Summary from the Integrative Cross-Chapter Box on Low-Lying Islands and Coasts, and supporting figures drawn from the chapters and the Summary for Policymakers. The Technical Summary followsthe structure of the Report (Table TS.1). Section TS.1 (Chapter 1) introduces important key concepts, summarizes the characteristics and interconnection of ocean and cryosphere and highlights their importance in the earth system and for human societies in the light of climate change. TS.2 (Chapter 2) assesses changes in high mountain cryosphere and their impacts on local mountain communities and far beyond. TS.3 (Chapter 3) evaluates the state of knowledge concerning changes and impacts in the Arctic and Antarctic ocean and cryosphere systems, including challenges and opportunities for societies. TS.4 (Chapter 4) focusses on regional and global changes in sea level, the associated risk to low-lying islands, coasts and human settlements, and response options. TS.5 (Chapter 5) assesses changes in the ocean and marine ecosystems, including risks to ecosystem services and vulnerabilityof the dependent communities. TS.6 (Chapter 6) examines extremes and abrupt or irreversible changes in the ocean and cryosphere in a changing climate, and identifies sustainable and resilient risk management strategies. All chapters and their Executive Summaries build on findings since the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) and,whenever applicable, outcomes of the IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5ºC (SR15). SROCC uses IPCC calibrated language1 for the communication of confidence in the assessment process (see Chapter 1 and references therein). This calibrated language is designed to consistently evaluate and communicate uncertainties that arise from incomplete knowledge due to a lack of information, or from disagreement about what is known or even knowable. The IPCC calibrated language uses qualitative expressions of confidence based on the robustness of evidence for a finding, and (where possible) uses quantitative expressions to describe the likelihood of a finding (Figure TS.1).