DOI: 10.5063/aa/dpennington.109.2
title: IPCC Climate Change Data: CSIRO B1a Model: 2050 Precipitation

description: The CSIRO Atmospheric Research Mark 2b climate model (Hirst et al., 1996, 1999) has recently been used for a number of more sophisticated climate change simulations. These start from 1880 to avoid the "cold start problem". This version of the CSIRO model includes the Gent-McWilliams mixing scheme in the ocean and shows greatly reduced climate drift relative to earlier versions (e.g. Dix and Hunt, 1998). The drift in global mean surface temperature in the new control run is about -0.02 degrees C/century. Note that the model uses flux correction. The model atmosphere has 9 levels in the vertical and horizontal resolution of spectral R21 (approximately 5.6 by 3.2 degrees). The ocean model has the same horizontal resolution with 21 levels. The equilibrium sensitivity to doubled CO2 of a mixed layer ocean version of the model is 4.3 degrees. This is at the high end of the range of model sensitivities (e.g. IPCC 1995, Table 6.3). In the basic greenhouse gas experiment the model combines the effect of all radiatively active trace gases into an "equivalent" CO2 concentration. Observed concentrations are used from 1880 to 1990 and the IS92a projections into the future. This gives close to a 1%/year compounding increase of equivalent CO2. Another model experiment includes the negative radiative forcing from atmospheric sulphate aerosol. The direct aerosol forcing is included via a perturbation of the surface albedo, similarly to the Hadley Centre experiments described by Mitchell et al (1995) and Mitchell and Johns (1997) . The sulphate concentrations are the same as used in the Hadley Centre experiments. However the chosen aerosol optical properties are different, giving a present day forcing due to anthropogenic sulphate of about -0.4 W/m^2. This can be compared to the 1880-1990 greenhouse gas forcing of about 2 W/m^2. The magnitude of the 20th century warming in the model including aerosol matches the observed reasonably well. However there are a number of forcings missing from the model, including solar variability, sulphate indirect effect and the effect of soot. The climate sensitivity of CSIRO-Mk2 is about 4.3 degrees C (Watterson et al.,1997).The central elements of the B1 future are a high level of environmental and social consciousness combined with a globally coherent approach to sustainable development. A strong welfare net prevents social exclusion on the basis of poverty. However, counter-currents may develop and in some places people may not conform to the main social and environmental intentions of the mainstream in this scenario family. Particular effort is devoted to increasing resource efficiency. Comprehensive incentive systems, combined with advances in international institutions, permit the rapid diffusion of cleaner technology. R and D to this end is also enhanced together with education and capacity building for clean and equitable development. Organizational measures are adopted to reduce material wastage, maximizing reuse and recycling. The combination of technical and organizational change yields high levels of material and energy saving as well as reductions in pollution. Labor productivity also improves as a byproduct of these efforts. Variants considered within the B1 family of scenarios include different rates of GDP growth and dematerialization (e.g., energy intensity declines). The demographic transition to low mortality and fertility occurs at the same rate as in A1 but for slightly different reasons, motivated partly by social and environmental concerns. Global population reaches nine billion by 2050 and declines to about seven billion by 2100. This is a world with high levels of economic activity and significant and deliberate progress toward international and national income equality. Global income per capita in 2050 averages US$13,000; somewhat lower than in A1. A higher proportion of this income is spent on services rather than on material goods, and on quality rather than quantity, because of less emphasis on material goods and also higher resource prices. The B1 storyline sees a relatively smooth transition to alternative energy systems as conventional oil resources decline. There is extensive use of conventional and unconventional gas as the cleanest fossil resource during the transition, but the major push is towards post fossil technologies driven in large part by environmental concerns. Given the high environmental consciousness and institutional effectiveness in the B1 storyline, environmental quality is high, as most potentially negative environmental aspects of rapid development are anticipated and dealt with effectively locally, nationally, and internationally. For example, transboundary air pollution (acid rain) is basically eliminated in the long-term. Land-use is carefully managed to counteract the impacts of activities potentially damaging to the environment. Cities are compact and designed for public and non-motorized transport, with suburban developments tightly controlled. Strong incentives for low-input, low-impact agriculture along with maintenance of large areas of wilderness contribute to high food prices with much lower levels of meat consumption than those in A1. These proactive local and regional environmental measures and policies also lead to relatively low GHG emissions even in the absence of explicit interventions directed at mitigating climate change.