14 October 2020, 13:30 – 15:30 CEST

GO-TO-WEBINAR

Hosted by MEP Christel Schaldemose & MEP Urmas Paet

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

We invite policy-makers, MEPs and stakeholders to join us for this briefing event, where researchers leading on this topic from Horizon2020 climate research project Blue-Action will present the current state of knowledge to decision-makers and other policy-stakeholders. The event will include a panel discussion with MEPs and Blue-Action scientists, and is open to all who would like to learn more about this topic.

The Arctic is warming twice as anywhere else on the planet and rapid changes are occurring, from warming air temperatures to retreating sea ice. However, the impacts of Arctic change are not restricted to the far north, as the Arctic is connected to the rest of the world via atmosphere and global ocean circulation. Understanding the drivers of these changes, and the connections between the Arctic and the Northern Hemisphere, allows us to make predictions about the impact beyond the Arctic. Developing robust predictions is a vital step to allow businesses, communities and governments to be able to adapt to future changes.

Cutting-edge research has suggested linkages between European weather and climate, and changes in sea ice and sea surface temperatures in the Arctic. In particular, extreme weather events such as heatwaves, cold waves or storms can be linked back to changes in the Arctic. These extreme events are predicted to increase in frequency and intensity, and can have huge impacts on ecosystems and human society.

The Blue-Action project is an EU-funded Horizon2020 project working to improve how we predict the impact of warming in the Arctic region on Northern Hemisphere weather and climate, by:

• Undertaking comprehensive and sustained observations, especially in the ocean

• Develop and improve models that can predict climate from seasons to decades in advance

• Translate these predictions into climate services for communities and businesses