Adaptation to climate change in Finland : Current state and future prospects

The KOKOSOPU project has aimed at a comprehensive evaluation of the national adaptation policy with particular emphasis on the National Adaptation Plan and international policy development. In addition, future challenges related to societal development have been taken into account. Projections of climate change, Finland’s Climate Act and the strengthened adaptation policy in the EU emphasise the importance of the national adaptation policy. A key objective of the National Adaptation Plan 2014–2022 was to strengthen the adaptive capacity of Finnish society. This objective is still relevant. The conditions for reaching the objective have, however, partly changed. First, cross border consequences of climate change are increasingly emphasised. Second, issues of justice and fairness with respect to the consequences of climate change and adaptation actions are being identified as central. Third, greater weight is given to the overall sustainability of adaptation and climate action. The changing conditions for climate change adaptation should be reflected in the allocation of resources, in improved coordination within the administration and in co-operation between the public and private sector. In addition, knowledge and education should be enhanced, and resources provided for RDI, and for monitoring and evaluation that supports continued improvement of adaptation activities

Adaptation to climate change in Finland : Current state and future prospects

The KOKOSOPU project has aimed at a comprehensive evaluation of the national adaptation policy with particular emphasis on the National Adaptation Plan and international policy development. In addition, future challenges related to societal development have been taken into account. Projections of climate change, Finland’s Climate Act and the strengthened adaptation policy in the EU emphasise the importance of the national adaptation policy. A key objective of the National Adaptation Plan 2014–2022 was to strengthen the adaptive capacity of Finnish society. This objective is still relevant. The conditions for reaching the objective have, however, partly changed. First, cross border consequences of climate change are increasingly emphasised. Second, issues of justice and fairness with respect to the consequences of climate change and adaptation actions are being identified as central. Third, greater weight is given to the overall sustainability of adaptation and climate action. The changing conditions for climate change adaptation should be reflected in the allocation of resources, in improved coordination within the administration and in co-operation between the public and private sector. In addition, knowledge and education should be enhanced, and resources provided for RDI, and for monitoring and evaluation that supports continued improvement of adaptation activities

Ilmastonmuutokseen sopeutumisen ohjauskeinot, kustannukset ja alueelliset ulottuvuudet

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Microclimate temperature variations from boreal forests to the tundra

Abstract Microclimate varies greatly over short horizontal and vertical distances, and timescales. This multi-level heterogeneity influences terrestrial biodiversity and ecosystem functions by determining the ambient environment where organisms live in. Fine-scale heterogeneity in microclimate temperatures is driven by local topography, land and water cover, snow, and soil characteristics. However, their relative influence over boreal and tundra biomes and in different seasons, has not been comprehensively quantified. Here, we aim to (1) quantify temperature variations measured at three heights: soil (-6 cm), near-surface (15 cm) and air (150 cm), and (2) determine the relative influence of the environmental variables in driving thermal variability. We measured temperature at 446 sites within seven focus areas covering large macroclimatic, topographic, and ecosystem gradients (tundra, mires, forests) of northern Europe. Our data, consisting of over 60 million temperature readings during the study period of 2019/11–2020/10, reveal substantial thermal variability within and across the focus areas. Near-surface temperatures in the tundra showed the greatest instantaneous differences within a given focus area (32.3 °C) while the corresponding differences for soil temperatures ranged from 10.0 °C (middle boreal forest) to 27.1 °C (tundra). Instantaneous differences in wintertime air temperatures were the largest in the tundra (up to 25.6°C, median 4.2 °C), while in summer the differences were largest in the southern boreal forest (13.1°C, median 4.8°C). Statistical analyses indicate that monthly-aggregated temperature variations in boreal forests are closely linked to water bodies, wetlands, and canopy cover, whereas in the tundra, variation was linked to elevation, topographic solar radiation, and snow cover. The results provide new understanding on the magnitude of microclimate temperature variability and its seasonal drivers and will help to project local impacts of climate change on boreal forest and tundra ecosystems

Historical freezing rain cases in Europe based on the ERA-Interim reanalysis in 1979–2017

This dataset contains the identified freezing rain cases in Europe for 1979–2017 based on the ERA-Interim reanalysis and the freezing rain detection algorithm (Kämäräinen et al. 2017)