ICONICS

HELIX | High-End cLimate Impacts and eXtremes

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HELIX (High-End cLImate (High-End cLimate Impacts and eXtremes) is a 4-year FP7 project that started on November 1, 2013. HELIX aims to provide a clear, coherent, internally-consistent view of a manageable number of “future worlds” under higher levels of global warming reached under a range of circumstances, supported by advice on which aspects are more certain and which less certain. This will be delivered through groundbreaking scientific research across a range of physical, natural and social science disciplines, in close engagement with experienced users of climate change information in order to ensure appropriate focus, clarity and utility. HELIX research will focus on addressing the questions “What do 4 degrees C and 6 degrees C worlds look like compared to 2 degrees C?” and “What are the consequences of different adaptation choices?” The core product will be a set of eight coherent global scenarios of the natural and human world at these levels of warming achieved at different rates and with different pathways of adaptation by society. A second product will provide more detailed information in three focus regions: Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa in the Northern Hemisphere and South Asia. This will all be supported by a comprehensive analysis of confidence and uncertainty.

This is being discussed right now (as of summer 2014). The plan is at first to use the RCPs and SSPs.

Project Contact: Richard Betts, project coordinator richard.betts@metoffice.gov.uk and Juan-Carlos Ciscar Juan-Carlos.Ciscar@ec.europa.eu