FROZEN HEAT | Volume 1

3.4 GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE PROJECTIONS

Future trends in global climate change have been subjected to intense scientific investigation, with major efforts being mounted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Their fourth assessment report, published in 2007,

documents the growing impact of human activities on global climate and reviews the challenges of undertaking forward predictions (IPCC 2007).

Annual temperature increases for 2001-2005 relative to 1951-1980

Average surface temperature anomaly (ºC)

Source : Hansen, J., et al. Global Temperature Changes, Prot. Natl. Acad. Sci. 103, 2006.

-0.8 -0.4 -0.2 0.2 0.4 0.8 1.2 1.6 2.1

Figure 3.1: Sea-surface and land-surface temperature changes. Change in ocean sea-surface temperature and temperature over land from 2001 to 2005, relative to the 1951-1980 mean (Hansen et al. 2006). The Arctic is experiencing some of the Earth’s most significant warming.

A GLOBAL OUTLOOK ON METHANE GAS HYDRATES 55