IPCC Climate Change Data: NIES99 A2a Model: 2050 Radiation

The model used here is a coupled ocean-atmosphere model that
consists of the CCSR/NIES atmospheric GCM, the CCSR ocean GCM, a
thermodynamic sea-ice model, and a river routing model
(Abe-Ouchi et al., 1996). The spatial resolution is T21 spectral
truncation (roughly 5.6 degrees latitude/longitude) and 20
vertical levels for the atmospheric part, and roughly 2.8
degrees horizontal grid and 17 vertical levels for the oceanic
part. Flux adjustment for atmosphere-ocean heat and water
exchange is applied to prevent a drift of the modelled climate.
The atmospheric model adopts a radiation scheme based on the
k-distribution, two-stream discrete ordinate method (DOM)
(Nakajima and Tanaka, 1986). This scheme can deal with
absorption, emission and scattering by gases, clouds and aerosol
particles in a consistent manner. In the calculation of sulphate
aerosol optical properties, the volumetric mode radius of the
sulphate particle in dry environment is assumed to be 0.2
micron. The hygroscopic growth of the sulphate is considered by
an empirical fit of d'Almeida et al. (1991). The vertical
distribution of the sulphate aerosol is assumed to be constant
in the lowest 2 km of the atmosphere. The concentrations of
greenhouse gases are represented by equivalent-CO2. Three
integrations are made for 200 model years (1890-2090). In the
control experiment (CTL), the globally uniform concentration of
greenhouse gases is kept constant at 345 ppmv CO2-equivalent and
the concentration of sulphate is set to zero. In the experiment
GG, the concentration of greenhouse gases is gradually
increased, while that of sulphate is set to zero. In the
experiments GS, the increase in anthropogenic sulphate as well
as that in greenhouse gases is given and the aerosol scattering
(the direct effect of aerosol) is explicitly represented in the
way described above. The indirect effect of aerosol is not
included in any experiment. The scenario of atmospheric
concentrations of greenhouse gases and sulphate aerosols is
given in accordance with Mitchell and Johns (1997). The increase
in greenhouse gases is based on the historical record from 1890
to 1990 and is increased by 1 percent / yr (compound) after
1990. For sulphate aerosols, geographical distributions of
sulphate loading for 1986 and 2050, which are estimated by a
sulphur cycle model (Langer and Rodhe, 1991), are used as basic
patterns. Based on global and annual mean sulphur emission
rates, the 1986 pattern is scaled for years before 1990; the
2050 pattern is scaled for years after 2050; and the pattern is
interpolated from the two basic ones for intermediate years to
give the time series of the distribution. The sulphur emission
rate in the future is based on the IPCC IS92a scenario. The
sulphate concentration is offset in our run so that it starts
from zero at 1890. The seasonal variation of sulphate
concentration is ignored. Discussion on the results of the
experiments will be found in Emori et al. (1999). Climate
sensitivity of the CCSR/NIES model derived by equilibrium runs
is estimated to be 3.5 degrees Celsius. Global-Mean Temperature,
Precipitation and CO2 Changes (w.r.t. 1961-90) for the CCSR/NIES model. For the A2 emissions scenario the main emphasis is on a
strengthening of regional and local culture, with a "return
to family values" in many regions. The A2 world
"consolidates" into a series of roughly continental
economic regions, emphasizing local cultural roots. In some
regions, increased religious participation leads many to reject
a materialist path and to focus attention on contributing to the
local community. Elsewhere, the trend is towards increased
investment in education and science and growth in economic
productivity. Social and political structures diversify, with
some regions moving towards stronger welfare systems and reduced
income inequality, while others move towards "lean"
government. Environmental concerns are relatively weak, although
some attention is paid to bringing local pollution under control
and maintaining local environmental amenities. The A2 world
sees more international tensions and less cooperation than in A1
or B1. People, ideas and capital are less mobile so that
technology diffuses slowly. International disparities in
productivity, and hence income per capita, are maintained or
increased. With the emphasis on family and community life,
fertility rates decline only slowly, although they vary among
regions. Hence, this scenario family has high population growth
(to 15 billion by 2100) with comparatively low incomes per
capita relative to the A1 and B1 worlds, at US$7,200 in 2050 and
US$16,000 in 2100. Technological change is rapid in some
regions and slow in others as industry adjusts to local resource
endowments, culture, and education levels. Regions with abundant
energy and mineral resources evolve more resource intensive
economies, while those poor in resources place very high
priority on minimizing import dependence through technological
innovation to improve resource efficiency and make use of
substitute inputs. The fuel mix in different regions is
determined primarily by resource availability. And divisions
among regions persist in terms of their mix of technologies,
with high-income but resource-poor regions shifting toward
advanced post fossil technologies (renewables in regions of
large land availability, nuclear in densely populated, resource
poor regions) and low-income resource-rich regions generally
relying on older fossil technologies. With substantial food
requirements, agricultural productivity is one of the main focus
areas for innovation and RD efforts in this future. Initially
high levels of soil erosion and water pollution are eventually
eased through the local development of more sustainable
high-yield agriculture. Although attention is given to
potential local and regional environmental damage, it is not
uniform across regions. For example, sulfur and particulate
emissions are reduced in Asia due to impacts on human health and
agricultural production but increase in Africa as a result of
the intensified exploitation of coal and other mineral
resources. The A2 world sees high energy and carbon intensity,
and correspondingly high GHG emissions. Its CO2 emissions are
the highest of all four scenario families.